Back to the River II

There is a certain sense of fulfilment when one finishes a trekking trail.
And so last Palm Sunday, fellow photo enthusiast Al Michael and I went back to the river of Inghoy, Alegria.

Following a different trail, we walked along a path were trees seemed to have stood side by side.



Carved along the hillside, it gave us an upper view of the river we once trod.



We crossed lots showing man's inclination to destroy.



Nature also showed its own way of checks and balances - predation.



In about an hour or so, we reached our first stop. Children and some adults came to the vicinity earlier. When we arrived, we were met with voices happily cheering and laughing .



The waters blue-green and pristine may have been more than refreshing. One cringing boy stayed out in the sun not to dry but to stop his chills.



The sunlight served its purpose for after a while the boy relaxed as he joined the banters of those coaxing others to jump into the water.



While one braved the chills, another boy seemed to have had enough as he took a pensive look.



He must have noticed someone was firing shots at him as he looked and stared directly into the camera.



We moved on to the upper area of the river. There were two more mini-falls that awaited us. We skipped the second one because there is no access that would let us remain dry.

The third waterfall is situated under the shades of several balite trees (ficus variety). We tackled a 10-12 foot slope, climbing down with the aid of vines and exposed tree roots.



The wind has strewn leaves in the sides of the pool that this waterfall has formed. One large leaf caught our attention.



After an hour or two, we decided to head back. We passed a majestic tree with one woman doing laundry.



A very inviting pool was also just along the way.



Reaching the waterfalls of Inghoy River have added this river to our list of conquered ones within Cebu.

Back to the River

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
- Psalm 23:1,2

We come and go just like ripples in a stream.
- John V. Politis

 

Many a calm river begins as a turbulent waterfall, yet none hurtles and foams all the way to the sea.
- Mikhail Lermontov

Leisure is a form of silence, not noiselessness. It is the silence of contemplation such as occurs when we let our minds rest on a rosebud, a child at play, a Divine mystery, or a waterfall.
- Fulton J. Sheen

Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
- Luke 12:27

Gorgeous flowerets in the sunlight shining,
Blossoms flaunting in the eye of day,
Tremulous leaves, with soft and silver lining,
Buds that open only to decay...
- Flowers, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The artist is the confidant of nature, flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms, every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him.
- Auguste Rodin

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
- All Things Bright and Beautiful, Cecil F. Alexander

Love has its own instinct, finding the way to the heart, as the feeblest insect finds the way to its flower, with a will which nothing can dismay nor turn aside.
- Honore De Balzac

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.
- Henry David Thoreau

Men are like trees: each one must put forth the leaf that is created in him.
- Henry Ward Beecher

However far the stream flows, it never forgets its source.
- Nigerian Proverb



It has been quite some time since we have done some river trekking, thus the title. Featured here are some creatures and scenes from the nooks and crannies of Inghoy (ing-hoy) River in the municipality of Alegria, Cebu... This was a short trek, as this served as an ocular inspection. You'll see more of this river's beauty in a few weeks - we will be exploring it further upstream where three waterfalls await...