One of the many attractions in the sleepy lakeside town of Lake Sebu in South Cotabato is the series of 7 majestic falls collectively called the "Dongon 7 Waterfalls" or simply "Seven Falls" (there is some confusion as to which of the falls is really called the "Dongon Falls"). The falls and its related river system passes through the hectares of land under the care of the Dongon family (pronounced as "don-gon" and not as "do-ngon").


I hiked here with my dad decades ago. There was no dirt road back then and we had to slash our way through dense undergrowth. I remembered passing through a bamboo forest with really huge bamboo trees. Nowadays there is a passable road (still rough but passable) going down to the 2nd falls. Its downhill all the way to the falls, with a deep ravine to your left and a mountain wall to your right.

Lake Sebu is a rustic town nestled about 1000 metes above sea on the mountains of the Allah Valley region in South Cotabato. It bears the same name as the largest of the three lakes found there (Lake Sebu, Lake Seloton, and Lake Lahit). It is a favorite summer destination because of its cool climate and its idyllic setting.

Cagbalete Island in Mauban, Quezon (eastern side of Luzon, Pacific Ocean) is one of my most favorite destination. Ironically I have not written about it until now (a friend wrote extensively about our sojourn there in his blog libot).