The Ambongdolan Caves of Tublay, Benguet: Bengaongao Cave

I thank the powers-that-be that I am not claustrophobic; otherwise, I’d have missed out on a lot. Checking out caves being one of them. It’s certainly not the most glamorous of activities. Not the cleanest, either, so it’s not for the faint of heart. Or clean-freaks. In fact, the dirtier you get, the more fun it is. …OK, that… sounded wrong. Let’s just get to exploring Bengaongao Cave, shall we? 

Picking up from where I left off in my last #itsmorefuninbenguet and #itsmorefuninthephilippines post, where we paid a visit to Paterno Cave, we resurfaced and went back up to the main road to make that short walk and descent to the entrance to Bengaongao Cave.

After 15 minutes, we arrived at the entrance. But wait, it’s time to have a late lunch, so we went to the river nearby, and made short and efficient work of our food, prepared by our companions.

The water was so inviting, and we were tempted to play around for a bit, but our guide said that it looked like it’s going to rain, and it would be a good idea to finish the cave exploration before heavy downpour, well, pours down. Apparently, there are some “dangerous” areas inside the cave that could… cave in (sorry, I’m running out of creative words) when water seeps in.

It was a very quick meal, then we went in. We left our stuff by the entrance, guarded by some local kids, and we just brought our flashlights (I didn’t have one, hah!) and cameras.

Your eyes don’t deceive you. I went caving using my Arashi flip-flops, courtesy of my fanfriend Hazel. Haha!

Now. Bengaongao Cave. I am an Ibaloi, but I was born in Baguio City and grew up in La Trinidad, so I admit that my Ibaloi speaking and understanding skills are not even 30%. (I can get by, though.) But when I asked my mom what bengaongao meant, she said she doesn’t know. However, it seems that its root word means “echo”, so it’s probably a very old Ibaloi word that is not really used much these days.

I think it’s a very fitting name, considering how sounds echo within its dark walls and high ceiling. And yes, it is high. The entrance is huuggge. Or should I say tall? (Then again, everything seems tall to li’l me.)

Bengaongao Cave is a much trickier and tougher nut to crack. It’s definitely longer than Paterno Cave. Also, it’s darker, and lots and lots of wet areas. So it’s muddy, and slippery in many places. If we were relatively dry and just had to worry with dust at Paterno Cave, this is where we got really down and dirty.

The rock formations, however, are much more impressive.

There was a wishing stone type, where drops of water fall continuously from the ceiling of the cave, creating the multi-cratered formations atop the flat surface. There were even tiny coins in there, fitting perfectly. Clearly, many thought it’d work like a wishing well. Hmm… I wonder if it works. I, for one, didn’t bring any coins, so yeah, no wishing for me.

Again, don’t be fooled by how it looks bright. It’s the camera flash at work. It’s actually close to pitch black so, when the light is off, I was constantly afraid that I’d step forward and step on… nothing.

I’d like to give lotsa propz to the guide, our distant relative July. He did a masterful job, despite the fact that he only had a flashlight when he was guiding us. He was quite eloquent, and he said that they have been sent by the local Tourism office for trainings and observations (an example is to the Palawan Underground River) to learn the ropes on how to be guides inside caves. He was doing a good job. I’m pretty sure he’s much better by now. (This was more than a year ago, by the way.)

Oh, and THANK YOU for having a sense of humor. You must NEVER leave that out if you’re going to be a tour guide.

There was another notable area that had formations that resembled a human heart. That makes it the heart of the cave. 🙂

It was a continuous exercise of staying on both feet, without slipping. Of course, that did not really hold out until the end, because I remember slipping several times. I blame that on inappropriate footwear and clothes. But I have learned my lessons since then and invested on the appropriate gear for adventures such as these. (That does not mean the slipping is completely over, though.)

And there were steep ascents and descents. In the dark. In the slippery dark.

It was fun, though. Take my word for it.

One thing I like about going inside caves is the fact that you are isolated, without feeling isolated. You know what I mean?

Let me try to explain it better.

You are inside a cave, and you are literally cut off from everything and everyone outside the cave. It’s like you are in a completely different world or dimension. But, at the same time, you do not feel completely disconnected. Aside from the fact that there are people with me, when I speak in the cavernous space, my voice echoes right back at me. So, yes, for me, that definitely lessens the sense of isolation one would normally have under the circumstances.

We came to an area that is mostly made of marble and maaaaan~ it’s not everyday you get to frolic in natural, 100%, free-from-human-engineering marble, right?

From the time we entered until the time we rounded right back to the entrance, it took a little more than an hour. We even had to hurry along, because we wanted to get back to entrance before it rains.

When we got back out, though, it appears it already rained when we were inside, so the water on the river was brown…. which means we couldn’t swim in it. Haha! Oh well.

In recent months, I’ve heard of more gradual developments happening in the Caves, making it more welcome to visitors and adventurers. I think this is a good move, especially since the entire province of Benguet is starting to market its eco-tourism industry. I can only hope that it will not become too commercialized like, say, Sagada’s Sumaguing Caves?

Some more snaps.

If you’re planning on visiting the place, I suggest you coordinate with the local government beforehand. Don’t do what we did and just show up there. Give them time to be more prepared so they can give you the best possible service. 🙂 There is also a minimal fee to be paid to the Barangay and, if you want, you can give a tip to the guides. We weren’t able to pay the fee to the Barangay (it was closed then) so we just decided to make payment directly to the guides.

For more information, check out the website for the town of Tublay. You may also call the telephone number [074] 424-117 and have them redirect you to their Municipal Tourism Action Officer. DIY trips are good, but if you really truly wanna help (y’know, while having fun), do it right.