Boho River Adventure

Buho in Visayan dialect means “hole”. Somehow the word brought excitement upon knowing that our company will be having a mangrove planting in Buho River as part of our CSR program. I wondered what the river would look like.
We left Cebu City at around 6:30 am and we arrived at Aloguinsan past 8:00 am. When I’m travelling to a new place, I usually keep myself awake as I don’t want to miss the scenery along the way but this time I was asleep most of the travel time. The travel was smooth as the road was okay except for a short rough portion.

As we approached, the view was simply breathtaking. A clean river shielded between mountains lined with mangrove and nipa unfolds as we arrived. The clear water is very inviting.

We were welcomed at a simple nipa hut by a group belongs to BAETAS-Buho, Aloguinsan Eco-Tourism Association. Just before we started planting mangrove, an orientation was conducted by BAETAS officers. The history and objectives of the association were introduced and they lectured on different kinds of birds in which some can be found in the area.

The group was divided to five and I was assigned to white team. Our team composed of 6 employees, representative from our security group and three members from BAETAS whom also served as our guides. We walk on the river towards the assigned site for around 7 minutes. It took us an hour to finish planting 10,000 propagules on both sides of the river which is planted also with nipa. We took the same route going back to nipa hut station with a sense of accomplishment and excitement on our next activity unmindful of the minor scratches on our feet, legs and arms caused by sharp stones, leaves and twigs on the riverbanks.

Prior to our next activity, which is swimming, the locals performed a “Palina”. It’s an old ritual which invokes spirits for protection and blessing. After the ceremony the local leader gladly announce that river is smiling upon us and welcomes us to swim.

We traverse again the winding river toward the dipping site but this time we ride on a paddle boats with a local guide in each boat. Along the way our guide was telling us enchanting stories. He directed our attention to “Huwamanan”, a door like stone formation which literally means “to borrow from”. Based on folklore, people used to borrow utensils from spirits for special occasions like weddings and birthdays. They just need to post a list on what they would be needed on that wall then return the next day to get those items listed. The borrowing stopped with one incident when the utensils borrowed were not returned completely as one of the plates was accidentally broken. As we approached the mouth of the river (where the river meets the sea), the creepiness and the scorching heat of the sun (it’s almost noon) were forgotten as the magnificent view unfurl. The Tañon Straight and Negros Island is just across the dipping area. Swimming in crystal clear and cool water shielded in between rock formation, What a bliss!

After a while, we decided to go back for lunch. Drawing near the station, we’ve heard Visayan songs being sang with guitar accompaniment. They serenaded us with folksongs throughout our lunch. They prepared a sumptuous lunch consists of grilled fish and pork, monggo soup served on pumpkin, native chicken: tinola and fried. Then, we finished the meal with taro balls cooked in coconut milk. This is life!

At around 2:30 pm, we started our way home. With feelings of fulfillment and joy, again I spent the whole trip sleeping. It was such a fantastic day with such wonderful people. I can’t wait for the next activity.