Chasing the endless waterfalls of Cebu was so fun that I left that island with busted toenails. Kawasan Falls were the most well-known set of falls, running through the jungle in a unique aquamarine. We arrived as early as we could and beat the crowd to some stunning bridges and sketchy rope swings before sitting down to the cheapest lunch of my life in a nearby town.

 

 

Getting There

We took the yellow Ceres Liner bus from the South Terminal of Cebu city to Moalboal, 4 hours, $2.50. To be able to leave at dawn, we rented a motorbike from our hostel the night before.

Following the main highway southbound, it took around half an hour to reach Kawasan. Park for $1 at the Saint Tomas church, and pay another $1 to enter the falls.

 

 

 

Accommodation

Chief Mau in Moalboal had a good vibe, $8, wifi, hammocks. No breakfast, but an extensive cafe and bar menu, and even better, an ultra-cute wiener dog named Bacon. I loved the owners and their new baby, but at times the husband seemed inattentive towards his family, and believe me when I say his wife was the most drop-dead gorgeous mother I had ever met. Another popular hostel was Moalboal Backpacker Lodge.

 

 

Swim and Eat

Day 78

The night before Katy and I stayed up late whispering in the dorm how we would execute our plan. We wanted to be first. We wanted the nature to ourselves.

I had met Katy in El Nido and we knew it was probable to meet up again, as all our flights seemed to be within days of each other. She joined me at my guesthouse in Cebu city.

Back to the Moalboal situation, my French friend and I also got on the bad side of this half-asleep chick who was using all of the outlet plugs as we tried to figure out how to charge our cameras.

Of course it was worth it. The first thing I did upon entering the falls was to locate coffee. Like everything in the Philippines, it was very sweet. We walked inwards, already witnessing how clear the water was.

 

 

A group was already at the first of three tiers, but we kept winding up the network, pausing at the bamboo bridges and dams. The single jumping point is off limits without a guide and helmet, which I believed was just a gimmick because every leap into gushing water is inherently a risk that puts your life into the hands of gravity. I instead entertained myself at the top with rope swings and the face-planting that accompanied it.

 

At midday we motorbiked a bit further south to Alegria, which doesn’t really have anything except the best thing: locals.

 

 

Twice, we ran into three little boys toting around their slingshots and smugly rejecting to take a photo with me. I got to impress them with my incredible intelligence when I asked them to show me how to shoot rocks, and pulled the pouch away from me. In other words, I was pointing a hunting weapon it at my face. I got my photo this time.

 

 

At a road side diner we pointed to the various pots, asking what their contents were as the ladies uncovered them. We got a decent assortment of fish and meat and for what must have been under a dollar. I remember Katy’s glass bottle Sprite was 17 cents. We marveled at what looked like a jukebox or old-fashioned arcade game that was actually a drinking water dispenser, one peso per serving and located in every shop.

 

 

Also, shoutout to the lovely Katy for letting me practice driving our scooter while wearing a dress :).

There were some interesting scenes involving animals today. In the morning a hen was squawking at her chicks who had jumped into a shallow garbage bin and were struggling to get out. Before lunch we spotted a much more defeated-looking hen who was strapped to the roof of a white truck. Along with a goat.

 

 

And a load of pigs in the back.

 

 

That evening when another friend and I were returning to our hostel from a food run, our motorbike nearly hit a gigantic crab crossing the road. I swear it could’ve struck out one of its massive claws at my toes.