A friend and office mate invited me to a rappelling gig in a cave located in Mainit Mabugnaw Carcar, Cebu that he organized for Aug. 07 Saturday. The cost? Only P500.00 which covers for the cost of lunch (P50), transportation (P300 round trip) , and rental for the unlimited use of the rappelling equipment provided by a friend of my office mate (P150.00). Stressed out from work and desperately needing a break, I decided to join the trip. Besides the cost was cheap. I don't know anything and have not tried rappelling before but my friend assured me that it would be fun. Days before, I was given a list of itinerary, names of other participants, things to bring to the trip and a strict warning to never leave any trash along the trip. Participants was advised to do some cardio exercise like brisk walking or jogging because we will be trekking our way up to the mountain where the cave is located. Meeting place was at Citilink Terminal located in Cebu City at exactly 5:30 a.m. The van hired for the transportation to Carcar will leave at exactly 6:00 a.m that is if everyone arrives on time.
We arrived in Carcar at around 7:00 a.m. and made a stop at the town market to buy lunch after which we proceeded immediately to Mainit Mabugnaw National Park, the starting point of our trek. We paid P10 each for entrance fee to the park which has a cold spring. According to my friend, this place was called mainit mabugnaw because there used to be a hot and a cold spring in the area. Now there is only one cold spring. After some last minute instructions we started our trek at around 8:00 a.m. For the inexperienced like me, the way up to the mountain was challenging because the the path was slippery and stiff and it was my first time trekking. I reached the cave a few minutes behind my other friends. I was panting and really exhausted. It was my first time seeing and being in a cave and it was a great experience. I felt closed to nature.
