Fresh from a two-day shindig at Kalanggaman Island, we pit-stopped for a night in Tacloban City to load up on Giuseppe’s pizza and pasta. The next morning, we all hurried out of bed just before sunrise planning to cross an iconic bridge and kayak another one. Since we’ve all been to San Juanico Bridge before, we decided not to stop and proceed directly to the town of Basey, Samar. Known for its local industry of banig (mat) weaving, Basey is also the jump-off place to Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge Park.

Before we proceeded to the tourism office of Basey, we dropped by the Spanish Colonial-era Saint Michael the Archangel Church. It was originally built in the late 18th century by the Jesuits on top of a hill. Because of its strategic location providing a good vantage point to view the quaint town below, it doubled as a watchtower to guard against attacking pirates back in the day. Walking around the town reminded me of my earlier visit here a few years ago.

Despite leaving in a hurry for Sohoton Caves, we made sure to come back later in the day to buy some banig from the weavers inside Saob Cave—where the women weavers prefer to work due to its conducive conditions in keeping the tikog grass soft and bendable. I ended up buying a two-person banig from one of the mother weavers.

After registering at Sohoton Visitor’s Center we took a short walk to the floating dock of canopied outrigger boats ferrying tourists to Sohoton Caves. Our boat ride lasted almost half an hour cruising over the calm waters the locals refer to as "Golden River". The water was so calm, it appear like a giant glass reflecting the thick rows of coconut trees along its ridges.

The calming scenery persisted until our guide pointed to us where the verdant surrounding made way to massive limestone walls. A few moments later, our guide ordered us to get out of our boat and transfer to two-person kayaks docked on a rocky bed.

This part of the river is where the Pinahulugan Cliff can be found. According to local history, this is where Filipino guerrillas fighters used to hide from the Japanese during World War II. They would ambush the enemies by dropping bombs at the mere sight of them through the shallow water passageway from the top of the cliff.

From here you will choose what to do first: Spelunking or Kayaking. We opted to explore Sohoton Caves first. We hiked up a short trail until we met two guitar playing men yodeling a harmonious Waray tune. We later learned that they were employed as part of a program by the local tourism office to also promote Waray culture.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the two men, we entered the mouth of Panhulugan Cave. If you've done your fair share of spelunking trips before—especially at the more technical and larger caves in Samar such as Langun-Gobingob—you will have a much easier time inside this cave.

There's no duck walking, rolling on the floor and inserting your body through narrow openings here. In other words, you don’t need any cheat codes in here as the cave only requires a chill kind of caving exploration.

Notwithstanding the cave's easy level, there's plenty to see and marvel at inside. We saw a few speleothems such as the usual suspects, the stalagmites and stalactites (actually, the only two kinds of speleothems I know of)

Inside the cave there's a natural formation resembling the Holy Family. Adjacent to it sits a natural altar where devotees would leave rosaries and coins as offerings. We also encounter some of the cave’s dwellers: a weird looking frog—a Walter’s limestone forest frog—bats, of course and other insects.

After more than an hour of spelunking we made our way and proceeded to the fun part of the day—kayaking and swimming into the Sohoton Natural Bridge.

The day’s second venture with the waters of the Golden River took us to the crystal clear part where you can see small fishes and the pebbly river bed below. Meeting the streaming waters as we paddle upstream, the surrounding turned more picturesque. In no time, we found our group heading to the famed archway that appears like a well, natural bridge when seen from a short distance.

“Locals love coming here even before it became popular” our guide told us in Tagalog. As far back as the 1960’s as evidenced by an unfortunate memento left as graffiti scrawled on one of the walls that says “1968”.

I played with the kayak by paddling round and round going under the natural bridge and back. Afterward, we took our much needed refreshing dip to cap our Samar and Leyte adventure. 

It was a long week for me coming from the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo to joining my friends Gay Mitra, Edgar and Reginald for a trip to Kalanggaman, Tacloban and here in Sohoton.

The closest airport to Sohoton is Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City. From there, just take a van or a jeepney crossing the San Juanico Bridge and into the town of Basey, Samar. Register at the Tourism Office where you can also rent an outrigger boat and a guide going to Sohoton Caves. 

I woke up with a runny nose and a slight chill brought upon by a night lacking in oxygen, reduced to inhaling the cold fake vapor of the air conditioner inside the small room I rented. I thought about sleeping till early afternoon; I felt weakened by a virus I caught somewhere. Yet, the urge to cross San Juanico Bridge into the province of Samar was a decision that felt as if it had already been written in stone. For good or for ill, I had to make the crossing, as I have planned it many times—walking back along the whole 2-kilometer stretch of the bridge from Samar and back again to Leyte.

I dragged my butt out of bed and into the hot shower. Dizzy spells and all, I grabbed my backpack, headed to the main terminal, and boarded a van going to Basey, Samar. I sat beside a young woman with a boyish haircut; she seemed new to the place like me. She spoke in Tagalog when she asked the driver certain directions. A few minutes later, the van was filled with passengers. I sat at the back with just enough leg space for me to feel a protruding piece of metal pointing sharply at my knee. 

As the van rolled along, I could see the imposing steel structure of San Juanico Bridge from a distance. My jaw dropped as I stared at the impressive structure which was then above us, as the van stopped near a checkpoint outpost manned by members of the Philippine National Police. The young woman with the boyish haircut got off the van and, knowing I am a traveler passing by, told me to "enjoy your trip." (You can find out what she did next on this post). The trip lasted at least half an hour, and soon we were driving along a sleepy town with old houses on both sides, entering the van terminal at Basey, Samar.

I was starving, so I decided to look for a cheap carinderia when a group of tourists asked me if I wanted to be a part of their group going to Sohotan Cave, located inside the Sohotan National Park. They offered me to pitch in for the total cost of the motorboat rental, guide, and entrance fees. I would have loved to go with them because it was an opportunity to visit the place at a lower cost, but I was feeling too sick at that moment, so I politely said no.

After I ate a small serving of pancit, I dragged my feet around the town. I saw the old church of Basey (Saint Michael Church), which was locked from the inside that morning, so I just circled it and proceeded to walk the side streets. Passing by rows of old houses, I found out that Basey is popular for its exquisitely handwoven mats. I stopped by a random bench and sat beside an old man facing a community health center. There was a long line of people by the entrance; most of them were young mothers carrying their babies, and an old woman, stone-faced with watery eyes staring blankly into the distance, caught my eye. 

Just like on cue, the old man smiled at me. I told him I'm Tagalog and was just passing through. Pointing at the queue of people, I asked him, "Libreng pagamot?" (Free medicine?) He nodded and said, "Sa tanda kong ito, ngayon lang kami nagka-ganyan dito. Programa ni Pangulong Noynoy." (At my age, we have only experienced free healthcare like this just now, because of this program by the Aquino administration).

We talked for a few minutes before the old woman from the line called his name. He excused himself, leaving me to ponder how critical I often am of the administration. For all its structural shortcomings, I realized that in a random, quiet municipality like Basey, its presence was genuinely being felt. The health workers who are volunteering for the government's health programs are truly helping this nation move forward. Sadly, these grassroots government programs and heroic efforts by volunteers often go completely unnoticed by mainstream media. In a landscape frequently filled with stories of misused funds and bogus operations, the quiet reality I witnessed in Basey serves as a vivid example of exactly how taxpayer money ought to be spent.