What's up guys, eastlance! I'll take you on a tour of a unique river with a lot of history and stories to share. A river that had been well-preserved and was well-liked by the residents; having been voted one of the Top 100 Sustainable Destinations in the World on World Tourism Day 2016 and Best Community-based Tourism at the ASEAN Toursim Awards 2017.
Aloguinsan, a town on Cebu's west coast, is home to the Bojo River. Bojo is a minor barrio in the municipality of Aloguinsan; the river's name is derived from the barangay's name. From Cebu City, it takes around 2 hours to get there. I live in Pinamungajan, which is close to the municipality of Aloguinsan, and driving to it takes about 15 minutes. The highlight of the Bojo River tour, also known as the Aloguinsan River Eco-Cultural Tour, is a river ride with local fisherman who discuss the local history, plants and animals of the river ecosystem.
A beautiful nipa palm boardwalk will be seen at the entrance of the Bojo River. It's a hundred meters long; this spot reminds me of the Bantayan's Mangrove Garden (Camp Sawi) It was really pleasing to my eyes, as I enjoy looking at green plants and trees.
Wearing a life jacket throughout the tour is also required for safety reasons; the Bojo River is 10 feet deep. We brought a waterproof bag and phone case to protect our belongings and allow us to use our phones while on the ride. The Bojo River Cruise package service and environmental instruction will take around 2-3 hours to complete; it cost 400 per person (minimum of 8 persons per boat) plus 200 pesos if you'll use the boat with glass bottom. Also, we brought 1 galloon of water to keep us hydrated 😊
We stepped into a glass-bottom boat and set sail on our Bojo River. One of the most remarkable aspects of the Bojo River is that it employs members of the local community, to serve as protectors of the area. These are locals of Bojo Aloguinsan who learn everything on the river's history.
They assume that monkeys have already overcome the river. The river, as you can see, was full of rocks and had holes in it. This may be a little frightening for me because I am not a big fan of monkeys, but it was incredible to learn that monkeys dwell in the river; I had assumed they only lived in the rainforest. Locals think the monkeys vanished as soon as the river was discovered by a large number of people.
There is also a hole in the river where they believe someone is living. You can borrow anything you want, as long as you return it, by whispering to that hole. Nobody has seen who was behind the hole. However, after one borrower failed to return the item he borrowed, the people were no longer allowed to borrow anything. The strange entity then vanished. I was just thinking about how fantastic it would be if we could still borrow things from it until now.
I was astounded by how welcoming the residents and fisherman were to us. They go through customer service training as well as a session on their history and culture. I was overjoyed to see the fisherman instructing us on the scientific names of each tree we passed. I'd like to thank the municipality of Aloguinsan for their excellent work. Rather than hiring tourist guides, they have villagers and fishermen run the tourist destination, allowing them to work and venture outside of their comfort zones. This might be passed down to the next generation, and I believe their culture will endure in perpetuity.
We arrived at the highest point of the river after 30 minutes ride. We stopped there for a while and went for a swim. You can actually take off your life jacket at this time so that you can swim properly; just make sure you're confident enough to do so; however, I never do because this place is new to me and I have no idea what's underneath.
They also believe that sharks used to live in the river's deepest area, but that this is no longer the case. I was a little afraid because sharks could appear out of nowhere; I'd never had a training session on how to deal with sharks. But I believe that, despite being wild animals, sharks are still safe.
We actually traveled outside the river's crest; it's already the sea. Once you're outside of the river, you'll find Hermit's Cove, one of Aloguinsan's most famous white beaches. Massive corals can be seen on the river's outer reaches. Only approved personnel were allowed to jump on that region; otherwise, we risked destroying the corals, which take 10,000 years to form. The creation of coral reefs astounded me. I recommend to choose the bottomed glass boat to witness the beautiful coral reefs.
We only have a limited amount of time to linger on the river's edge and on the outside, which is why we were already heading back.
I tried to remember the scientific names of the trees that the fisherman told us about on the way back, but I forgot most of them LOL That's why I was so impressed by the locals' and fishermen's efforts to study everything, and I can see how proud they are of their place
All of the lessons I've learned and the lovely things I've seen on this journey have left me speechless. It was worth it, especially for first-timers. It was more enjoyable when you were with the people close to you. It was our first visit, and we're excited to return soon.
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