The sun was dying by the time we went back through the same route going to the Cambugahay Falls. But we had to stop along the way at the fantastic Lazi Convent and the St. Isidore Labrador Church, both built in the 80’s [19th century] and just across from each other in the small town of Lazi. Acacia trees framed every possible photograph and made one feel like being in a vast auditorium; you were inside a sanctuary that was most improbably outdoors. The low, wide walls marking off the metes of the properties made me feel like a giant kid as I leapt easily over them. I also remembered to make a mental note of landmarks leading to the area in case of an aswang outbreak later on during the trip.

Although I only asked our tricycle chauffeur-guide to take us to see the Convent and the falls, he nevertheless had us make pitstops at the viewpoint for Crocodile Island… and the island’s 400-year old balete tree. Which happened to have a wake at the house fronting it. It lent something to the atmosphere, along with the full moon that night. 

We finally reached our resort at about 8 in the evening, where a parrot greeted us while we were checking in. Dinner was by the sea and the great beyond, the stars melding with the water until you didn’t know where one ended and the other began.