I was walking the streets of Pagsanjan, Laguna when I got a call to accompany a friend to go "shoot the rapids.” Totally unprepared, I didn’t have any gear with me. I thus went to the market and bought me a pair of shorts and slippers; and of all things – I didn’t bring a camera. I had to go find one I could barrow.
From the concrete streets of Pagsanjan I was taken to a spot where I was to meet my companions; there were “bangkas”, small boats, waiting for us. It was quite an amazing experience to see how the “Bangkeros”, boatmen, who guided us and maneuvered the boats took us through this adventure.

Away from the sights of the concrete jungle, Pagsanjan is home to Pagsanjan Falls. Here “shooting the rapids” took us about two hours to complete. Seated in the Bangka, I didn’t mind getting wet – as the cool breeze, the rushing sound of water, surrounded and covered with nature – “walls” of rock and trees, and several “small” falls along the way – kept me entertained and awed at the beauty that is hidden like a buried treasure in this province of beauty.

Pagsanjan, the Tourist Capital of Laguna, keeps within its territory places still undiscovered by many. Though Pagsanjan Falls is known much around the globe, and is visited everyday by hundreds of tourists, it’s beauty and majesty is just as it was; being here makes one forget time – being drawn into nature’s call to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.

This is one experience I keep close to my heart. To commune with nature and its beauty; to forget, even for a moment, the troubles and worries of the day, this is one experience I wouldn’t mind going through again and again.