I've heard about Maria Cristina Falls as early as when I was still focused on toys and playground noise. Chances are, my old Sibika at Kultura teacher hadn't even been here back then. But the way she described it while reading from the book sounded like it was truly a sight to see. It was one of those moments at school when my mind would travel far and wide, beaming with rich imagination. I would constantly paint a picture of Maria Cristina in my head and wonder if it ever matched its real image. I find it fascinating now that I grew up and was blessed with an opportunity to actually visit the places I once learned about in grade school.
Eyeballing Maria Cristina Falls
The Roar of the Agus River
During my week-long Mindanao backpacking trip with my girlfriend Lauren, I finally had my chance to eyeball Maria Cristina Falls up close. Fed by the Agus River in Mindanao, the towering waterfall—standing three hundred twenty-one feet high—stared back at me, roaring with a monstrous water flow. I directed my eyes back in a locked stare-down. However, unlike a pair of prize fighters looking at each other with bad intentions, my gaze was injected with nothing but pure admiration.
Together with my girlfriend Lauren, Dennis, and our friend from Iligan, Lisa Marie, we explored the site. Although she wasn't in her absolute full glory that day, on any given day, her famous "twin falls" apparition greets visitors. Her raw display of power largely depends on the amount of rain from the previous day, or whether the management of the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant decides to release more water from the river dams above.
I find Maria Cristina to be a bit stylish; she loves green accessories and seemingly collects gigantic rocks for her jewelry, which she scatters playfully around her base. She never allows anyone too near her, but provides a generous amount of electric power—measuring around 200 megawatts—to the aforementioned Agus VI Hydroelectric Power Plant, which is heavily operated by the National Power Corporation.
Exploring the NPC Nature Park
Located just fifteen minutes away from Iligan City proper, Maria Cristina proudly resides inside the NPC Nature Park, where other smaller attractions can also capture your interest. We spotted an ostrich near the entrance, which was genuinely my first time seeing one outside of television and grade school books. There is also a small butterfly garden that forms part of the Biological and Zoological Park inside the complex. To comfortably go around, you need to ride a shuttle service for fifty pesos, which is charged on top of the thirty-five-peso entrance fee.
There's a multi-level viewing deck—about three stories high—situated directly at the Maria Cristina Plant where visitors can have an immersive, eye-to-eye contact with Maria Cristina herself. It's simply impossible not to fall in love with her. Of course, I didn't tell her that out loud, lest I tragically become a character in a local legend as the love-struck man who was cursed into a human-like rock resting forever at the heels of her waterfalls.
Childhood Imagination Brought to Life
Besides, I could not be happier being there while holding hands with my girlfriend, Lauren, and enjoying the company of new friends. For me, the visit was essentially a nostalgic return to my childhood—finally finding closure from all those days I daydreamed about the geography I learned and the places mentioned by my grade school teacher, trying to picture it all in my developing mind.
The feeling of finally being there physically added a profound sprinkle of delight to the normal pleasure of traveling to a new place. It's like finally placing a real face to go along with a familiar name. If we routinely mention the names of great historical men to young kids inside their classrooms, I figured it is very much justified to continue doing the exact same for iconic natural places like Maria Cristina Falls.
Who knows how many of the young kids of today will someday finally see the real image of a place and excitedly compare it to the deeply imaginative version they once held in their heads.
This is part of a series about my week-long Mindanao backpacking trip in 2012:
