According to Google Maps that was not too reliable during our Apayao trip due to intermittent mobile signal, it would take 15 minutes from the ruins of Mataguisi Church to our next destination, Hutungan Hidden Paradise. To be fair, it was a smooth and straight-forward drive. Getting there was one thing though; finding it was another matter.

I parked the car on the side of the road and asked Ran to stay in the car while look around. Being in a relatively remote place far away from home with just the two of us in sight, leaving the car may not be a good idea until such time that we become certain as to where exactly we were going.

I looked around where Google Maps was pointing us, but I could not really find the place. I was pretty sure though that we were there, because apart from what Google Maps was telling us, there was a tire signage that was pretty reassuring that we were getting it right. I must admit though that initially, I thought the signage was a sign for a vulcanizing shop.

The tire was surrounded by nothing but grass, and there is no paved path anywhere near it, hence a part of my brain was telling me that it cannot be the spot. I was looking around when I noticed something on the other side of the road across where the tire was: the cliff barrier has a gap. I went on the other side of the road and lo and behold! It was indeed hidden!

Upon seeing the stairs, I almost shouted Eureka! I went back to the car, parked it properly, then told Ran that I have found the path to the so-called hidden paradise.

Sure, it got us at hidden, but how about at being a paradise?

It is hidden, and it is a paradise!

Hutungan is an Isneg term which means big rocks, and it aptly describes the place. Rock formations, formed by thousands or even millions of years of weathering caused by the constant flow of the river, provide a natural landscape to the place.

Very much like our Mataguisi Church Ruins exploration, we were alone in the place, that was until when we were about to leave when we chanced upon other people who just arrived. With the hidden paradise all to ourselves, we walked further upstream to appreciate the natural wonder we haven’t even heard before.

I told Ran to take the lead.

We continued walking upstream until something caught Ran’s attention. That, however, is an entirely separate story that deserves an entry of its own. We could be in denial during that time, but what happened next scared the two of us.

Natakot kami, legit.