Puning Cave
There is something really cold and scary when it comes to caves�many people think of bats and other hideous creatures living in the dark, of monsters hiding away to come out when the night has fallen�. Caves are often pictured in movies and cartoons as such, but in reality, they are more than shivery, tight places. They are actually one of nature�s great spectacles, a phenomenon that only happens in a lifetime�a very long treasure to be created and found. Elements go through series of processes before a cave comes into being. I have never really anticipated how magnificent and amazing it would look. What an experience it was!
On our way to Puning Cave, I had seen the wonderful rainforests, which endow the beautiful district of Dona Remedios Trinidad. It was truly gratifying to feel the cool and moist wind touch my face under the light brush of sunlight while taking in the magnificent Sierra Madre. Dona Remedios Trinidad surely has lot to offer to people like me who would like to take a break from the demanding, commercialized and busy way of life back home. This fact became even more emphasized as I, along with everyone else, set on the very ground which will lead us to one of the famous caves Bulacan�the Philippines could be proud of. The trek on the mountain slopes of DRT was tiring but our effort, thinking about it now, had absolutely paid off.
Puning Cave is a glorious, well-preserved cave in Barangay Bayabas. It has a spring, running down from a mountain. The interior of this cave, like other caves, is divided into three zones. The environment of the entrance zone is as same as that of the surface. The real thrill of going into a cave is really by going deep inside and visiting the twilight and dark zone�where no coward will tread in fear of the bats and other strange creatures like the, blind or almost- blind fishes which lack pigment resulting to their pale and white appearance. What�s more special about the place is the unique condition of every species living here. Because green plants do not live here, fishes only depend on guano or bat droppings and foods that are washed by the streams or mud. Bats, in good weather, leave the cave daily to feed on insects or on plants. There are also many crawling insects, such as millipedes, beetles, spiders and ants. They are on the ground, waiting for some unfortunate newly- born or young bats to fall down. Once they do, they�ll be gone in minutes, eaten. The only evidence, which will prove that they even existed, are their bones.
A number of people explore caves in spite of the usual assumptions and speculations. And I bet that they had never regretted their decision to take the chance to see the other world, which many people do not bother about. To those people who fear caves, believe me, the juice is definitely worth the squeeze! So try it! Puning Cave would be just right for you.