I know it's just been a day since I shared Part 2 of my Ilocos Norte trip but guess, I just couldn't stop talking about my Ilocos trip. Maybe I'm so excited to bring you to my favorite places in my country such as Sagada in Mountain Province and Batad in Banaue. But in order to get there, I had to chronologically narrate this trip, from one destination to another. That's just how my brain works! I couldn't be jumping from one to another.
On our way out of Blue Lagoon Beach, we pulled over a random street. I was shocked that we stopped; it's been less than 5 minutes since we left Blue Lagoon. What could be here?, I wondered. From the road, it looked like there was nothing there actually. Sure, the road's overlooking the Pasaleng Bay and huge waves were still prevalent even if it was almost noon, but it was nothing magical, or maybe I got immune to Ilocos' charm at that point.
We paid a small amount for the entrance fee and our driver (who was also our guide) led the way. We descended to the beach. The tide was starting to change which I discovered worked for our advantage. We don't have to fear that the waves will splash all over our dried clothes.
It only took split seconds to realize what we were visiting that morning. The minute I turned my gaze towards the cave, a certain excitement kicked inside me. Despite having fears of enclosed spaces, I've seen a lot of caves in my life but this one was one of its kind. And I had a feeling that if all caves only looked like this, I had long bade farewell to my fear of caves.
Bantay Abot Cave is the cave's name. And according to what I've read online, its name meant "mountain with a hole". And that's exactly what you'll see, a part of a mountain protruding in Paselang Bay with a huge hole in it, enough for people to comfortably walk through it and reach the other side.
It's amazing how such a structure was naturally formed throughout time. We walked closer and closer until we reached the other side of the cave. There we found huge and small stones piled one after the other. It's only logical to think that those stones used to be part of the piece of land/mountain and due to some tectonic movements, they may have collapsed thus forming a perfectly huge hole in Bantay Abot. Well, that's just my theory.
It may have been a typical cave but given the view of Paselang Bay with mountain ranges in the background, it's like staring at a picture-perfect painting freshly pulled out from a creative mind. I climbed the highest stones I could climb just to play with my GoPro and ended up with some awesome angles from the cave.
We didn't stay long, of course, a handful of tourist destinations were waiting for us in Burgos. Hint: Windmills! 😁