{Happy anniversary, co-LPers! Time really flew fast, but I am so happy to be part of Litratong Pinoy a few months before it was established. Anyway, there is no particular theme for this week, so I decided to share this picture instead:}
Ang Tangadan Falls ay matatagpuan sa municipalidad ng San Gabriel sa probinsiya ng La Union. Ang San Gabriel ay isa sa mga lugar sa La Union na hindi pa namin napupuntahang magkakapatid kahit isang jeep ride lang ito mula sa aming lugar sa Bacnotan. Isa ito sa mga nais naming mapuntahan dahil nabasa namin sa mga Souvenir Magazines ng aming tiyahin na may mga magagandang nature attractions doon. Nang tumuloy ang aming pinsang si Mhai dito sa amin ng ilang araw, nabanggit ko ang San Gabriel sa kanya, at masaya niyang sinabi na may mga kaibigan ang kanyang kapatid doon at gusto rin niyang makasama kami sa paglibot doon.
{The Tangadan Falls is located in San Gabriel, La Union. San Gabriel is one of La Union's towns that we still haven't seen even if it was basically a jeep ride from our place in Bacnotan. We always wanted to set foot here ever since we get to see some pictures from the La Union Souvenir Magazines owned by our aunt, and we were very happy that our cousin Mhai said she would love to explore San Gabriel with us, too.}
Ang nabanggit kong lugar na nais kong mapuntahan sa San Gabriel ay ang Lon-Oy Springs, pero bago kami magbakasyon ng aking kapatid pa-norte, nag-text ang aking pinsan at sinabing i-search ko raw sa Internet ang Tangadan Falls, dahil iyon daw pupuntahan namin. Isa lamang ang nakita kong litrato, pero sapat na iyon para naisin kong makita ang lugar.
{I told my cousin that I wanted to see the Lon-Oy Springs in San Gabriel, but a few days before sister and I went vacationing in La Union, she sent me a text message asking me to search for Tangadan Falls on the Internet. I only got to see one picture, but it was enough to fuel my urge to see the place.}
Kasama ang aming pinsang si Mhai, kapatid niyang si MC, at ilang mga kaibigan, kami ay tumahak papunta sa lugar. Nauna na nilang sinabing aabutin ng mahigit isang oras ang pagpunta roon at kinakailangan namin sumuong sa gubat, pero sinabi naming nakahanda kami para sa biyahe. Tunay ngang naging mahirap ang aming biyahe, pero nang makita namin ang falls, kakaibang saya ang aming nadama.
{Together with cousin Mhai, her brother MC, and MC's friends, my sister and I trekked to Tangadan Falls. They already told us that the whole trek would take us more than an hour and we had to cross rocky water trails, forest areas, and uneven bodies of land, but we told them sister and I were prepared for this trip. Truly, it was a very difficult trek, but when we saw the falls, our happiness was just overflowing.}
Ibang ruta ang aming tinahak pabalik at pag-akyat sa mga bato nakita naming may isa pang maliit na falls sa bandang likod, pero hindi ko na nakunan ng litrato dahil binalot ko na sa plastic ang aking camera at cell phone dahil nagbabadyang umulan. Naging mas mahirap ang aming biyahe pabalik kaya hindi ko alam kung kakayanin ko pang bumalik dito. Siguro, kahit hindi na ako makabalik, masaya na ako sa litratong ito, pero siyempre, ipinagdarasal ko pa ring makabalik dito.
{We took a different route back, and as we climbed the boulders, we got to see a much smaller falls, but I wasn't able to take a photograph of it because I already wrapped my cell phone and camera in plastic, as rain was about to fall. The trek back was much more difficult, and because of it, I don't know if I can still go back to this spot. I guess, even if I don't get to set foot here, the pictures I took were enough to make me fulfilled, though of course, I still pray for a chance for us to trek back here.}
*** Jenn ***
