Of Gentle Giants and Lights

Donsol, Sorsogon Philippines

Fuel for 13 hour drive to Donsol: Php 1000
Woodland Resort Accomodation & Meals: Php 2,000
Swimming with the whale sharks: PRICELESS!

What a weekend! It was filled with ‘firsts.’ The best of which were: first visit to Mayon Volcano, first Firefly river cruise, and best of all – first time to swim with the whale sharks!

After a very, very long drive, we arrived at the Woodland Beach Resort in Donsol, a seaside town in the province of Sorsogon in the Bicol region, about 550 kms south of Manila. We arrived at 7 pm, just in time to have dinner with those in our group (we were 38 in all! – mostly foreigners working with the UN or ADB) who had either taken the bus or flown in. The rest of the gang was arriving the next morning, we were told.

Beautiful SunsetWe putt-putted our way from the resort and into the mouth of the river and under a bridge. Here we were met with a scene reminiscent of the movie “Anaconda”, and I half-expected the giant snake to burst up from the unassuming waters and swallow us up. When I succeeded at pushing this thought off my mind, I took in the scenery.

By this time darkness had set in and the sound of crickets filled the air over the din of the banca‘s motor. The sky was completely covered in stars, I had never seen anything like it! I’m talking gazillions!! It was so beautiful. Van Gogh himself would have been inspired. We stared up at the sky almost forgetting what we came here for until our the voice of our bancero (boatman) brought us back to reality.

He called our attention to a nearby tree along the river bank where a number of firelfies were dancing. I loved it! I think I could stare at them for hours. Did you know that in Japanese poetry, the firefly is a metaphor for silent yet passionate love? We lingered here for a while watching this romantic courtship of light before we continued on down the river.

If you drag your hand in the water, you can create a bright silvery effect on the surface because of the presence of luminescent plankton. I like to think of it as liquid moon. I was so fascinated by this phenomenon that I removed my flip-flops and dragged my foot as we cruised along.

Every once in a while, we would spot a tree filled with fireflies and we would dock the banca there for a bit and just watch. Sometimes they would fly above our heads, dance at our sides and skim the water beside us. Our boatman caught one for us, and we passed it around gently before letting it go. It was like being in a planetarium, only this time there were stars above, around and below you! It was surreal. I felt this rush of emotion course through my body. I now have a newfound deeper respect for nature.

Just when we thought this whole night couldn’t get any better, we saw the first of many local fisherfolk scouring the river for shrimp and crabs. You see, they aren’t your everyday, run-of-the-mill fisherman. These have a kerosene torch (gasero) strapped onto the top of their heads, and they wade in waist-deep water. They use a sudsud, a V-shaped net to catch their harvest.

The glow of the torch casts eerie shadows on their faces , and their slow wading movement in the glassy water makes them seem almost supernatural. I wish my camera could have captured this sight! Seeing them in pairs and then in groups was just amazing. We even had the boatman kill the engine, just so we could watch them in silence.

Each element of this journey – the fireflies, the stars, the plankton, the fishermen – possessed its own magic, but all of it put together made for one unbelievable, magical experience!