T'daan Kini Falls is located at Barangay Lamlahak in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. Reaching this remote place will take you about forty-five minutes of brisk walking from the main pit stop at Sitio Talubek, passing straight through the rural village at the foothills of a scenic, rolling hillside. In the local dialect, "T'daan" literally means the "meeting of cold and hot water."
T'daan Kini Falls in Lake Sebu
The Cold Plunge
However, despite its namesake, the water at the falls is nowhere near being hot—it's as cold as ice! But once your body is fully dipped under the surface, the initial piercing sensation of coldness completely goes away. Your body will shake naturally for a few seconds before it fully gets accustomed to the refreshing low temperature of the river water.
The small plunge basin was just shallow enough for my feet to clearly feel the rocks at the bottom, making it perfectly safe for non-swimmers like me. The lush environment surrounding T'daan Kini Falls is an absolute haven for nature lovers. Our guide, Jerson Ungal (a DOT-accredited tour guide representing the 'Discovery and Expedition Team'), told us that a vast, uncharted system of caves can be found nearby, and they were actually set to explore it a week later. Furthermore, a few other spectacular waterfalls can be found hidden just an hour away from T'daan Kini.
The guides also told us that the area is currently being aggressively courted by a number of commercial coal mining companies—something the local community has successfully shut down so far. It's a great defensive move, as heavy mining contributes massively to environmental imbalance, ultimately causing catastrophic environmental disasters down the line.
The T'boli Heritage and the Trail
Along the way, we passed by a group of local T'boli tribe residents making intricate wood carvings—one of their main trade items supporting the community. I bought a wooden carving of a fish resting on a small boat with the words "Nomadic Experiences @ Lake Sebu" finely etched onto it. It now rests securely on top of my office table, forever reminding me of the great, free outdoors that patiently awaits me just outside this prison-like cubicle of the corporate world.
It started to rain heavily right when we began our short hike to the falls. It didn't matter, though, as the raw charm of a new place always stays far ahead of whatever temporary discomfort traveling brings. If I were to make a comparison, the rain is just a tiny speck of dust compared to the sheer ecstasy of being on the road and seeing wild, untamed places for the very first time.
We carefully crossed small streams over slippery wooden bridges and breathed in the crisp, clean air cascading down from the highlands. I thought to myself in that precise moment: this is exactly what I want to do every single chance I get.
The Call of the Nomadic DNA
This is the exact kind of traveling I want to do over and over again, much like Wilt Chamberlain would want to bed beautiful women time and time again. Well, if I can somehow manage to have both, then I'm totally set in this life! Haha!
Unlike Charlie Sheen, I don't have "Adonis DNA" nor "Tiger blood." What I possess is "Nomadic DNA," perhaps. I'd love to get lost far more often in wild places like this. Traveling has taken me deep into this small, lovely town in South Cotabato, and just as I wrote in my earlier blog entry about Lake Sebu, the place has wildly exceeded my expectations and presented me with a new image entirely contradicting the prior misgivings I had regarding South Cotabato. I genuinely want to set out further and push way beyond.
One of our guides was "Sara," an active member of the T'boli tribe. She hiked with us fully dressed in striking tribal clothes, and she was particularly engaging in telling us the deep oral history behind every spot and trail we passed by. She even gamely posed for my friend Olan, who took a stunning portrait of her standing proudly by the waterfalls.
We had a late lunch right by the waterfalls, consisting of freshly caught tilapia and chicken adobo. I savored both the warm meal and the cool, serene place at the exact same time. Soon, we would be heading back the way we came, and just as the never-ending sound coming from the water stream persists, the road stretches on forever.
South Cotabato truly feels like a phenomenal place to be out on the road. I'm profoundly glad I signed up for the Soccsksargen Experience Tour Part Deux (SEX Tour II)—an immersive cultural and geographical awareness tour conducted jointly by the local government tourism offices of Maitum and Kiamba (both in Sarangani) and Koronadal and Lake Sebu (both in South Cotabato).
If these falls could talk, they would probably be yelling, "Pack your backpack and come to this part of the world!" right about now.
