Exploring Philippines 145 - Antipolo and 'Rocky Falls'

Come our common free day, those who committed in our group to join our out-of-town photo trip backed out the night before.  Even if there were only the two of us, we pushed through with the plan because it will take again several weeks before we can go out again.  Our destination was Antipolo.

The name Antipolo was derived from the Tipolo trees which wee plenty in the area during the old times.  I remember eating the seeds of the Tipolo tree which are similar to that of Camansi and Nangka.  Anyway, the town of Antipolo is located in the province of Rizal.  Antipolo is famous because it is one of the favorite destination of the pilgrims especially during the lenten season.  Devotees would often walk coming from neighboring cities, for example from Makati, and would join other devotees towards the church in Antipolo.  The devotees would often start very early in the morning and before the sun rises because it is really a long walk towards Antipolo.

 

Aside from attending the Church of our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, a big come on also for the locals and visitors alike are the food stalls that lined up the area outside the church.  Antipolo is known for suman and cashew nuts.  Over time, more and more delicacies are being sold to the food stalls.  And some vendors are also kind enough to offer you a free taste of what they are selling.

After our brief moment in the church and within the premises of food stalls, we asked around for the location of a ‘rocky falls.’  We were surprised to learn that no one seems to know where the falls is located.   Before going to Antipolo, someone advised us to visit ‘rocky falls’ which is just near the area.  It was good because we were given the location where the so-called falls is located.  From the church, we hired a tricycle going to the place.

The tricycle driver was also clueless about the existence of the place.  Eventhough he was driving the tricycle for quite sometime, he has never heard such falls within the area.  Like us, he was also curious about the place. 

We took a long route and asked around about the place.  We passed the Ortigas extension and into a subdivision and went out into Marcos Highway.  The Marcos highway could be the shortest path hadn’t we known earlier.  Well, everything was part of the experience.  The moment we entered a particular barangay, the driver exclaimed that he knows the place and he was puzzled because there is no falls within the area.  He told us that there is a body of water at the top of the mountain.

The area that we entered is part of a mountain that is converted into a settlement area.  The only trace of the place being a mountain is its uphill/downhill slope and the rocks along the way.  We traced the road until we reached the end of it.  And we walked for several meters after parking the tricycle.

We reached the top of the mountain in no time.  Though it was high noon, the wind provided a cool relief for everyone.  There is a total 360-view of the whole place.  As we gazed around, there are still abundant tall trees in the vicinity and the area is still green.  But with the need for space, I wonder how long the mountains can hold unto their trees before houses and other structures would soon rise on their slopes.

We found out that the top of the mountain which was our destination was a quarry site.  There indeed a body of water in the area but it was a huge pond that catches the rain water.  When we asked some kids who were there that day about the ‘rocky falls’, they answered in unison that no such falls exists.  One of them jokingly replied that maybe the name ‘rocky falls’ pertains to the falling rocks come summer time and pointed to us a steep slope of the side of the mountain which is part of the wall around the pond.  He further added that with the rocks falling every now and then because of the remnants of the quarry, most likely, the place earned its name from it.  And we just laughed about it.

The pond was quite huge.  The people around the area, especially the young ones make this place their own haven.  Most probably, after the quarrying was abandoned, they found the perfect spot for swimming.  We saw kids and teens coming in by groups from either side of the pond.  And the pond becomes their instant free swimming pool. 

The pond is much bigger and wider than the olympic-size swimming pool.  Even with the influx of kids who would like to have a good day in the sun while enjoying a free swim, the pond can literally accommodate all of them.  It is indeed a haven for a hot and sweaty body to enjoy.

But then again, with the need for space, a couple of houses were already built near the pond.  It will not take that long before other similar houses will soon come to rise within the area.  The plight of this pond will be at risk the moment sanitation comes into the picture.  If the people who are living nearby are not disciplined enough to protect this pond, then sooner than expected, it will turn into a big dumping ground.

After some minutes, we left the place.  It was an epic-fail trip for us because we were actually looking for a good nature adventure.  Instead of a falls, it turned out to be a false.  Haha.  Actually, we were looking for some pictures of the place to validate the falls.  But since there is none, we just head on and explored it.  Anyway, everything was still part of our experience.