from the outside, timubo cave looked unassuming and pale with the dark hole promising not to hold any promises that might disappoint those who venture in.

no extreme spelunking is needed when exploring timubo cave. no ropes either. just bring yourself, as stairs had already been cemented along the path to ensure a comfortable walk for visitors at the expense of the stalactites and stalagmites which i gathered were already vandalized before this place even became a tourist attraction anyway. oh, and there’s no need for flashlights too. halogen bulbs lead and light the way.

you may, however, bring a hard hat. in case you’re paranoid about scalp lacerations, contusions, concussions, subdural hematoma, epidural hemorrhage — you know, those minor stuff. some of the stalactites do go pretty low in some of the cave openings but other than being extra careful with your head, all you need is common sense in lieu of a yellow hard hat which might make you look kind of silly unless you naturally, fashionably rock in it.

because we were the only people there at that time, the cave can be eerily silent and creepy if we stood still with it. i’m not a very superstitious person but some places, i believe, are enchanted. seriously. i respect that, as well as the invisible elements dwelling in those places. timubo cave was one of those places.

and really, with water like this, what supernatural being would not want to protect it from the foolishly destructive habits of man?

as the cliche goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. the external facade of the cave may not have held anything much but such facade worked out fine because in not expecting, you get blown away by the things you never expected in the first place.

in short, i. was. f*cking. blown. away! although “bombed” is much more closer to the truth.

fyi: in the past, this cave was an important source of water for the folks living in the area. people used it for drinking, washing clothes, bathing, whatever it was they needed the water for. how they accessed it without the convenience of a cemented footpath is beyond me but hey, it worked for them so kudos to those guys!