Ugong Cave Tour

     My dad and I are the only two in the Resort signed up for the Ugong Cave tour, so I thought that it would be like when the three of us (Dad, Rebecca, and I) were the only ones signed up for the Mangrove Tour. We were the only ones there. This was not true. 

    It was a half hour drive to the Ugong Rock Tour. We took the one road and turned onto some dirt road into a village. There was again a large wooden sign with Ugong Rock Tour. The place was filled with people. Families, couples, people by themselves, you name it. Nothing like what I expected. While the Daluyon employee, Che, deals with the paperwork and the woman in charge of the sign ups, we don our protective helmets. Of the two zip line options to get off of the mountain, we choose the Superman option. Think about it. Dad and I are lumped into a group of fifteen or so, and we cross the small bridge that leads to the entrance to the cave. We spend the first five minutes or so letting the tour guide take pictures of families and couples, and whoever else wants pictures. We continue on our way into a tunnel where the guide explains the name of the cave. The cave is called Ugong because some of the rocks are hollow, and when you bang on them they make a noise similar to when you blow into a bottle but quieter. Ugong is the Tagalog word for resonance. 

    When the trip should have taken 30 minutes, it was lengthened by the mass of people all slowly trying to go through this cave system and strapping up to climb a wall 15 feet tall. I believe that my group was slowed down by a particularly photogenic group in front of us. Every minute, they were taking pictures. Every minute.

    Anyway, after we got out of the cave, you could see for quite a distance. All of the land by the Ugong cave was rice paddies. We went to the little desk to verify that it in fact was us going on the zip line and that we did not mysteriously die in the cave. The harness for the Superman zip line (in case you haven't figured it out yet, it means you lie down) was a much thicker and complex harness than any I have seen. There are really thick shoulder straps and two waist harnesses, and you get a little parachute to slow you down during the ride. I decided to be a clown and "swim" during the ride, which my dad said earned some laughs. But this zipline lasted only around 30 seconds. I think that I prefered this one, not only because of the position, but also because the fields of cultivation, in my opinion, are prettier than ocean.