Arakan

ARAKAN, north cotabato- when i first heard the name of the place and considering its location, i can't help but play with the thoughts of the possible peril that this unfamiliar province might surpise us. just like what most of filipinos, if not all, think of this region, it's one of the common war zones where chaos brought by a group of rebels named NPA is widely rampant. at first i was hesitant to push through our scheduled escapade but after series of reflection, i decided to just go with it. danger is anywhere and everywhere, even to least possible place that you could think of and if it's already your time to return back this borrowed life, no one can hinder such thing to happen. and so, here we are at arakan! whew! it is really amazing to expect the unexpected. arakan is a place worth mentioning. as we track to the 1st stop, the wide array of cogon grass glimmering in gold displays an epic view. the towering-height twin water falls called matigol falls is breathtakingly unbelievable. not only we enjoyed the splash and the blue waters beneath but never did we imagine we could also reach up the three lagoons and even to the highest part of the falls. well, it wasn't an easy task after all because the steep trail where only roots and rocks were your only aid was such an obstacle. it literally defines life and death like battling out just to survive. one false move and it's bye2x earth! a number of Saints and Souls of our relatives were wished to be summoned just to guide us. some even cursed they wouldn't come back again. haha! thank God we were safe. We're now official mountain-climbers. DOT officials must come and see their natural gift. they should brag about their own wonders. muscle cramps, thirst, fatigue, and hypooxygenation were all over us. but what matters most are the experiences and the memories we've kept back home. at the end of the day, these priceless entities healed us, made us forget about all these pains and let us savor each moment that...