pagnapagna: Sabado de Gloria 2014

"My first time to visit a waterfall during Sabado de Gloria"

-pagnapagna

"Sabado de Gloria", also known as "Black Saturday" of the Holy Week observance of the Roman Catholics is never complete without taking a dip in the waters especially for us Filipinos. Most of us go to the beach with the whole family and have a picnic while others just stay at home and take a bath on a big basin with a water hose or at the hand water pump (specially the young ones).

I should have gone to Ilocos Norte this Holy Week but fortunately, i volunteered in a sort of way to be a dog-caretaker of my sister's while they went to Ilocos Norte (i should have gone with them). Anyway, came Saturday, nothing to do, so I went to one of my favorite hiking-waterfalls destination to see how "Sabado de Gloria" is observed at the Tangadan Falls of San Gabriel, La Union.

Please practice the leave no trace outdoor ethics when going to these nature places. Let us not vandalize, put graffiti on their rocks and stone walls. Manage and dispose our waste products properly.

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-my pagnapagna-
(April 19, 2014 a Saturday)

From San Fernando City (La Union), after riding a jeep and arriving at San Gabriel (La Union) at around 9 o'clock in the morning, i rode a tricycle going to barangay Duplas (Upper) of San Juan, La Union. Barangay Duplas served as my jump-off area to hike to the waterfalls, passing by barangay Dagup of Bagulin, La Union.

Walked my way off-road to a trail along some rice fields that led to the riverside then crossed the river through a small irrigation dam where i have seen some people having picnic at the said dam (a total of 4 groups of people having picnic at the different areas of the river). I continued my walk at the rocky trail along the river and eventually reached the waterfalls area at around 10:30 am.

It was very hot in the area as there were no trees to take shelter on. The trees where all up in the mountain which are a little bit far away from the swimming area of the waterfalls. I just sat down across the waterfalls where behind me was the towering vertical side-wall of the other mountain. I just have to move a considerable distance away from that mountainside as ROCKS FALL FROM TIME TO TIME.

From where i sat, i talked to some people taking care of the area (locals probably barangay tanods) and they said that farther upstream from the waterfalls there is a cave where native birds take nest but you have to swim along the river to get into it as both sides of the river are mountain side walls. That would be interesting to look into (using a boat or raft would be the answer).

Lots of people were there at the pool area of the waterfalls swimming. There were also "ice buko" (ice popsicles on a stick) vendors.

The "Lifeguards" arrived at around noontime who i think came from the BFP (Bureau of Fire Protection) of San Gabriel with their equipment. I heard from the Tanods that someone almost drowned there on Good Friday.

It was really getting hot in the area as the noon sun shines directly above (from time to time it gets gloomy). The fun continued in the area. There were people diving from above the waterfalls while the crowd below cheered on to the spectacle.

Well, i did not swam or took a dip. I just went there to hike and observe the "Sabado de Gloria". I said goodbye to the Barangay Tanods and hiked my way back along the trail on a hot summer's day.

-end of pagnapagna-