I was so surprised when we went inside the cave. I remembered , I ducked to avoid the rocks that I thought would hit me. haha … And I did the unthinkable! Forgot to take pictures. lol Until John told me to open my eyes and see. That was such a funny experience.

But going out, I made sure to video our exit of Sohoton Cove. 🙂

The video above was so short, I know. 😦 Sorry…  I was so amazed with the place and enjoyed every bit of it that I forgot to document as much as I can. As a blogger, that’s a big faux pas I guess?  But I thought, it’s ok because everything is imprinted in my brain. You just have to go there to understand where I’m coming from…

I’ll repeat these words over and over again… Amazing, unbelievable, awesome. Those are my description of Bucas Grande Islands. Even John who hates small boats, took his chance. I’m glad he did because I saw how much he enjoyed our visit.

The cave like opening of Sohoton Cove. We had to wait for low tide before we could get inside the cove. My first “underground river”. It was short and amazing. 🙂

John nudged me, saying take pictures! LOL.. I ducked and closed my eyes. Very bright… ha ha

We’re almost inside Sohoton Cove… 🙂

The first thing I saw inside Sohoton Cove. After the short cave tour, that is… 🙂

PITCHER PLANTS. There’s plenty of them, growing in the islets of Sohoton Cove.

They call this the Horse Shoe Rock. But I think it’s more like an Elephant Tusk. What do you think?

Rock formation inside Sohoton Cove.

MAGKUKUOB CAVE:

At the entrance of Magkukuob Cave.

Oh my God! This is one of the best experiences ever. 🙂 Going inside a submerged cave, called Magkukuob. It’s named as such because there’s a portion inside where you have to duck to get in or you would not fit. Magkukuob means “go under” in english. 🙂

But believe me, it’s like a cathedral inside. High ceiling with small bats. And what’s cool (literally and figuratively speaking) about it is that you’re half submerged in water too. My brother inlaw Ruben, joked that this is when he remembered the slithering anaconda eating the people in a movie. LOL I said, anacondas mostly live in  rivers. Not the sea, right? haha…  Oh well, the water was so clear and you can see your feet at the bottom. So it wasn’t scary at all.

John and Me at the entrance of Magkukuob Cave.

Ok, so the guide said, we need to climb up and once on top, jump back to sea. Easier said than done. My nephews, Blaire and Matt, went first. Followed by my sister Daisy, Nanay Ligaya (she’s 60 years old) , Ruben and Kuya Dodong. John and Me? We went back . Booo… lol

I’m afraid of heights. And John will not leave me alone. So he came back with me. We just waited at the opening and had fun watching everyone jump. 🙂

The ledge on top of Magkukuob Cave. When you look at it from below, it looked so near. But they all said, it looked higher while they’re on top. Weird huh?!

I’m so lucky to have an adventurous family. Or this vacation would not have been fun!

My sister Daisy. 🙂

My 60 year old aunt, Nanay Ligaya.. hehe..

Nanay Ligaya has a minor heart problem. We told her not to go inside the cave. And of course, not to jump because you know, we’re very far from the hospital, if something happens to her. But no, she wouldn’t consider the thought of missing this experience. She said, I only have one life. I’m old. So I’m going to enjoy this vacation. And she thanked us for bringing her with us.

Looking at our pictures, I am still smiling and laughing. It reminded me how all of us had fun. 🙂 And no, we’re not done yet. It’s far from over…  he he

HAGUKAN CAVE VIDEO:

You’ll hear from the video the distinct sound of the cave as the water gets inside it. The locals call it “hagukan cave” meaning “snoring cave”. 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo0Z6wsHE1w&feature=plcp

From Hagukan Cave, we went out  Sohoton Cove. And proceeded with our island hopping. I’ve seen the waters turned from emerald to turqouise . And then back to blue again. It was just so beautiful.

We stopped in one of the islands to swim. 🙂 And take pictures, of course!

The other islands infront of us. Pretty sight huh? 🙂

One of the most important realizations I had during this trip is that as our family travelled together, we grew as a family together. My sister, Pearlie overcame her fear of the sea. John is now ok with smaller boats. I didn’t jump at Magkukuob but I went inside it. 🙂 My first time was in Malaysia but this experience was so much better.

I know I will treasure this memory for the rest of my life. And I thank God for the protection and for allowing us to have fun at the amazing and enchanted Sohoton.

Indeed!

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com