The following day, we
went to Marabut, Samar. I was told that
we were going to a beach resort. I don’t
know what was so special about the place and we had to travel that far. Actually, it took us more than an hour to
reach the resort in Marabut.
But prior to reaching
Marabut, we had to pass first the longest bridge in the country – the San
Juanico bridge. This bridge connects the
province of Leyte and Samar. It has been
a dream of mine to pass this bridge one day and this was the day when that
dream will be realized.
Upon reaching the part
of the bridge where picture taking is allowed, we took our sweet time to have
our souvenirs taken. This kind of thing
does not happen every day and if I had my way, I could have spent more time on
the bridge. I asked my company if I
could walk the entire length of the bridge.
They told me that I will be apprehended by the military personnel who
watch over the bridge. They further
added that walking on the bridge has been prohibited but they were not aware of
the reasons behind the restriction.
After our short stint
at the bridge, we drove all the way to Marabut.
The beach resort is exceptionally wonderful at this part of the
province. The resort is well-developed
and well-maintained. And I could not
help myself but to get attracted with the place the moment I stepped out of the
car.
The coconut trees are
evenly grown which give the place enough shelter from the heat of the sun as
well as providing a good landscape setting.
The cottages are spread facing the shoreline which give each visitor a
perfect view of the sea and the rock formations. The hotel, on the other hand, has a touch of
class. It gives the resort a distinct
tropical setting which is beyond the ordinary.
And the infinity pool that lies in between the hotel and the cottages is
something worthy for a cool hang out especially during a hot day and it could
even be lovelier with the setting of the sun.
How I wish we had an overnight stay to fully enjoy the marvelous
ambiance of the place.
The moment we arrived,
my colleagues immediately inquired about the boat ride. We saw a couple kayaking and the rate is 300
pesos per hour. We learned that there is
a grotto in a rock formation which is located in the middle of the sea about 45
minutes away from the resort. The rent
of the motorized boat going to that grotto is almost a thousand pesos. Since we came here to see the different rock
formations, we waste no time in renting a boat.
There are three sets of
rock formations along the way. The first
set is near the resort, almost a stone’s throw away. The second set is visible from the resort but
looks tiny and the third set was the farthest.
It took us 40 minutes to reach the third set of rock formation.
The rock formations
look ordinary from a distance. They only
show their distinct appearance and formation the moment you are near them. And one would only fully explore its beauty
up close and personal.
The moment we were near the last rock formation,
the water turned from deep blue to deep green and then to light green. A few meters away from the base of the rock
formation, just like the rest of the rock formations we’ve passed, the water
was almost crystal clear.
There are three openings on the cave. Two big openings are on the side where our boat docked. The last opening is on the opposite side. The surface of the cave is mostly made of limestone. It was good that we were able to bring along our slippers because the limestone are sharp. The moment we landed on the mouth of the cave, the life size grotto of the Virgin Mary is very much visible. They placed the grotto on the topmost part of the cave and they made it easily accessible for the visitors.
Upon setting foot on the opening of the cave, a small pool is noticeable. The water on the pool comes from the third opening on the opposite side of the rock. With the way the waves of the water splashes in the pool, one can easily determine if the waves are gentle or not. And after a few minutes of our stay inside the cave, the level of the water in the pool rose and the waves suddenly became more active. It was good that I did not step inside the pool.
Since the cave is not that big, one can easily explore its entirety. Most of its surrounding is made of limestone and some areas have sharp stones. Some parts of the cave opening have stagnant water, an indication that the sea water enters the cave during high tide. And since the rock formation is surrounded by water, sea snakes dwell the cave. Our driver companion saw a resting banded sea snake and based on our observation, it was full. It was good that the snake ignored our presence and simply hibernates. I know that a banded sea snake is venomous and its attack can be fatal. It was a signal for us to leave the rock formation.
Before leaving the rock formation, while I was busy with my camera, Ron had been enticed by the group for a swim. The water was crystal clear. One can actually see the sea floor. After a while, I joined Ron. Since we had our life vest, floating was not a problem. The site is good for swimming but the smell and taste of salt was overpowering.
After our short swimming stint, we asked our boatmen to pass through the next rock formations within the area. Actually, we passed all three different sets of rock formations. If we were not after for the time, we could have visited other rock formations along the way.
Right after our visit to Marabut, we immediately went to Basey still in Samar. We want to visit Sohoton cave. It was already passed 1pm when we arrived at the tourism office of Basey. We were disheartened upon learning that the trip to Sohoton cave has a cut-off time of 1pm. No matter how we asked the officer in charge, we were declined because the whole trip may take more than three hours and they are strict about their policy. Instead, we just visited the town’s church and returned to Leyte.
San Juanico Bridge
Beach Resort in Marabut
Rock Formation
Grotto Site
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