They laughed heartily. Kubli was a the name of a place a few minutes away from the town by tricycle. It sounded interesting enough, so that afternoon, we negotiated for a driver to take us there and wait so we can have a ride back.
Kubli is a privately-owned place located in Dagatan. It is adjacent to a place they call Crusher. Enroute to the place, I realized why they called the area is called as such. It was a place where rocks are harvested and broken into smaller, manageable pieces used in construction work. It was like an open pit mining operation going on in the area. My wife who hasn't been there in ages was also quite surprised at how extensive the excavation has progressed through the years. We crossed a bridge, and she marveled that the free-flowing river they passed through as kids was now reduced to a slow stream.
The tricycle cautiously made its way though the dusty road; we saw dump trucks and bulldozers busily hauling off boulders for processing. We stopped by the side of the road eventually, then we took a short walk through a narrow pathway. I was surprised to see a river running through a shallow valley. Beyond the river was the woods. It was as if the river was standing guard against the human contraptions from going beyond the vegetation on the other side.
The river was beautiful. Its clear waters gurgled merrily amongst the rocks strewn about its banks. There were bamboo pipes pierced against the earthen wall, and from it burst forth a healthy gush of fresh water. I washed my face and drank from it ... refreshing!
We crossed the river and trudged our way up the slope to the woods beyond. We were greeted by these triangular huts. It was a delightful sight. Guests here need not worry about bringing their tents!
We lingered for a few more minutes then went back to our ride. It was a mixed feeling for me, seeing a wonderful work of nature right beside a site where man has proven dominance over all.
I was deeply saddened at the sight of the excavation area. While I would like to hastily judge the "mining" operation, I sincerely hope they have the necessary environmental permits and has a rehabilitation program in place.
My biology professor once told me that you gotta be careful when drinking from rivers. even though they're tempting and look clean, there could be parasites there so boil it first if you're going to drink it. :)
ReplyDeletei've read about Kubli spring in Anton's blog and how he rave about having dinner there (with their feet submerge in water). for P500 one can have a set dinner there (thru Kinabuhayan Cafe) that includes garlic chicken, risotto, grilled lamb steak, salad, fruits, etc. one of these days, we might go to dolores and try having dinner at kubli. :)
ReplyDeleteWil: Yep, that's the way to go these days. Another way is the purifying pill. I've drank from such water sources before especially from our treks; I guess it's a bit reckless. I'd better be more cautious next time.
ReplyDeleteZherwin: Yes, that's right. It was unfortunate that my camera's batteries went dead when we went to Kubli so I used my wife's phone camera. I no longer took photos of the table placed right smack on the river.
ReplyDeleteI echo the safety precaution Surfer Wil said. With smog, global warming, and several pollutants affecting the environment, we just need to be extra careful. Times are changing and not for the better but worse.
ReplyDeleteAs always, great pics! Goodhealth..
ooops, i drank a lot of water there...dear, nice shot yung nakasahod yung ulo mo sa tubig... hehehe
ReplyDeletetina
TruBlue: I agree. Times are changing, and not for the better. Thanks for the concern, and the compliments!
ReplyDeleteDear: Hmmm... bili tyo ng purifying tablets next time. hehe
nag-browse ako sa mga previous post mo kuya, ang gaganda ng mga views!! i've been there sa Dolores, Quezon before but sobrang bata pa ako non! di ko pa masyadong na-appreaciate yung mga pinuntahan ko!
ReplyDeletepero ngayon... wow!! ang laki na ng pinagbago! thanks for sharing the nice photos kuya..
Roanne: You're most welcome! Marami talagang magandang puntahan sa Pinas! Masuwerte lang ako na dun prubinsya ng misis ko kaya napupuntahan ko :-)
ReplyDeletehi nick, that's a lovely name, kubli. taga quezon pala wife mo. nice pics! oo kakalungkot nga ang sites affected by mining operations, lalo na ngayon at liberalized na ang mining industry. yes you're right, let's hope & pray environmental safeguards are in place.
ReplyDeletesarap naman maligo jan ;)
ReplyDeletesa Lucban pa lang ako nakapasyal
makapag-kubli nga sa susunod na
bakasyon heheh
Tito nick, kaw ba yung sumahod sa tubig? Di pa ako nagagawi sa mga place na yan, dito na lang muna sa blog mo ako mamamasyal sa Quezon.
ReplyDeleteDonna: nagulat talaga ako sa nakita ko. The mining operation was very near the river. I do hope pinag-aaralan nilang mabuti ang operations nila.
ReplyDeleteRacky: Maliligo ka sa mineral water! Imagine that. hehe
Ann: Kung tutuusing, malapit lang ang Quezon. Or is it because panay ang byahe ko sa Baguio kaya parang ang lapit lang ng Dolores?
mag-kubli na rin ako
ReplyDeletemy memories of Quezon were mostly like that: streams and trees and nature...refreshing indeed!
btw, is it ok if we exchange links? :P
Looks like an interesting place to visit. Good to know that there are still places in the Philippines where you can drink water from the river.
ReplyDeleteang sarap naman ng mga adventures mo.. hey, how tall were the huts? may nagsstay talga dun for picnics?
ReplyDeleteTutubi: sure, let's exchange links! Naka-link ka na
ReplyDeleteWinkel: There was a time when we drank from the faucet in Baguio. Now, that is no longer possible. I hope the environment in Quezon is safeguarded.
Dessagirl: The flooring can accomodate 4 people side by side for sleeping. They are quite big actually. Really nice.
Don't drink the water! It might be okay to drink snow melt from higher climes, but even then...! Big risk to do so anywhere in the tropics.
ReplyDelete"...I sincerely hope they have the necessary environmental permits and has a rehabilitation program in place."
Don't hold your breath Wat!