Day 1 – Mambukal Falls Saved My Day ~ MOUNTAINS&BEYOND

I arrived at GoHotels Bacolod at 8am. To my surprise my reservation was nowhere near as the reservation was booked at GoHotels Mandaluyong. Since the online reservation of GoHotels is not functioning as it should, the payment was made directly at the Mandaluyong office. Too late to know that the cashier mistakenly tagged the payment under the Mandaluyong branch… Grrr… What’s worst was that they cannot transfer the booking to Bacolod and previous payment cannot be applied to a new reservation…

Before my day gone dismal, I left for Mambukal Resort. I badly needed some breather and it was up to the branch manager to figure out a solution.

With fuming heart, I boarded a jeepney bound to Libertad Terminal for my Murcia ride. An hour thereafter, Mambukal Resort welcomed me. After paying the registration fee, I arranged for my guide and habalhabal ride. With only a few hours to spare, I opted to visit the 7^th falls first then trek downwards to the rest of the waterfalls.

It was drizzling when we arrived at the jump-off of the 7^th falls. I thought the falls was just nearby but we trekked for nearly 15 minutes crossing shallow rivers and streams before reaching the falls. Thanks to the gorgeous flowers along the way for mending my earlier frustration. I have a great love for flowers and even the drizzle can’t hold me from capturing this beauty.

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The 7^th falls was said to be the highest among the Mambukal waterfalls but according to my guide, there are other falls upstream and the 12^th being the grandest but requires about 3-4 hours trek. Wow! something to look forward to on my next visit.

Mambukal's 7th waterfalls

The 6th waterfalls

On top the 5th waterfalls

The trail in between falls is pretty much established. There are areas of pure rocky path and some of cemented steps carved on huge rocks. Railings are in place to keep visitors safe. In as much as I wanted to chase all seven falls, the landslide between the 3^rd and 4^th waterfalls prevented me from seeing the 4^th one. Well, there’s always a next time.

The walkway between waterfalls

3rd waterfalls

2nd waterfalls

The first waterfalls

After the 1^st waterfalls, I wandered around the resort to check what it offers. It has cottages, villas of different sizes and yes, camping is allowed. They also offer rock climbing, canopy walk, slide for life, swimming pools and the famous sulfur spring.

Before I left, I had my lunch, actually my first decent meal for the day…

And the flower loving me was induced by the plants offered by the locals. Since a full-grown plant is impossible to bring along, they gave me instead sprouts of 5 variants which should bloom to something like this.

I thought that was all for Mambukal but on my way towards the exit, the echoing bats above resonated a farewell chant. I was amazed of its number and size, indeed another beauty unexpected.

As I boarded the jeepney to Bacolod, I silently prayed for wisdom. I knew somehow that the hotel will not grant my earlier request. True enough sorry was the welcome greetings. The most they provided was a daily local rate but the previous payment, well, gone with the wind.

With still a long day ahead and to totally ease all upset air, I opted for a quick nap. Despite the countless yawns, this huge soft bed yearned for someone to cuddle along…