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Travel Notes
Hong Kong
Milan
Pagsanjan Falls

Travel Notes is a traveler's journal containing travel stories and photographs of popular as well as obscure destinations. It is also a quick reference guide to travel based on personal experiences. Feel free to send us your own travel tips, stories and photos. Your experiences can help or inspire others in their own journeys. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Travel Notes:Pagsanjan Falls, Philippines. For most visitors to the Philippines, the big cities and obvious tourist destinations make up their itineraries. Not many are aware of one of Philippine tourism's best-kept secrets, Pagsanjan Falls. It is not so much the beauty of the falls that makes this place a must-visit destination. It is the thrill of the boat ride that makes it an unforgettable experience. The fun started as soon as we got into one of the boats called a "banca". It is a narrow canoe-like boat usually hand-crafted from a single wooden log. The banca's driver, known as the "bangkero" is the person you are entrusting your life to during this trip. The trip started lazily up the river towards the falls. We took advantage of these tranquil moments to take in the botanical experience as we were greeted by lush tropical vegetation all along the banks of the river not unlike those on the Jungle Cruise at Disney World except this one's for real sans the headhunters. It is interesting to note how the boatmen can manuever through narrow crevices between rocks. They know where every rock is located with uncanny precision. It is also admirable how they can push the boat with its passenger load through these crevices. I would feel guilty if I weighed 200 lbs. As we neared the falls, we heard the thunderous roar of water cascading from the falls. If I was an excellent swimmer, I would have tried to swim around the falls to the cave behind it or gotten on one of the rafts. But I chickened out and just sat in the boat admiring the awesome sight. After taking in Pagsanjan Fall's majestic splendor, we decided to head back to "shoot the rapids", the most exciting part of the trip. "Shooting the rapids" is Pagsanjan's version of white water rafting except in this case we were on a "banca" while the boatman jumped from rock to rock to avoid crashing into one of them. I remember my "Hallmark" moment was when my 6 year old daughter started crying as I told her we were going to shoot the rapids. I told her not to be afraid and that it would be fun.She looked at me and said "I don't want to shoot the rabbits!". Enough said, we all had a good time. -------------------------- Rating: Great for the whole family --------------------------

About the Writer
Kathy Llamas is a freelance writer / photographer and President of KL Communications and Marketing Network.

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