The lunch at Ate Sidang’s homestay was a feast in more ways than one. Apart from lots of sumptuous food, it provided a window to a culture that was wholesome, welcoming and warm. The ambient warmth of the surroundings, however, was doused by a downpour. It was raining hard. Such rainfall proved to show how far we were from the Metro, where the heat index had been hitting record-high levels.

The downpour would not stop us though. Not now. Our Tawi–Tawi adventure has begun!

We started in the beginning of time, where human settlement in Tawi–Tawi supposedly begun. Some 16–minute drive away from the homestay lies Balobok Rock Shelter, a landmark where not only does the land meets the sea, but also where antiquity meets the present.

Discovered in 1963, further exploration in the Balobok Rock Shelter indicated that is among the oldest human settlements in Southeast Asia, dating between 6810 to 3190 B.C. Located in Lakit–Lakit, Bongao, Tawi–Tawi, it is a cave system located by a cove facing Sulu Sea.

Signages along the trail leading to the cave entrance.

The rain has already stopped when we reached the rock shelter, but the downpour had wet the ground, making it slippery. Short as the trek as it was, it became extra challenging though. Regardless, in not more than a couple of minutes, we reached the entrance of the cave network.

The entrance to the cave and its ceiling inside upon entering.

The cave system was reportedly large, hence in the 1970s, during the height of the secessionist movement in Mindanao, it was used as encampment by the Moro National Liberation Front. We do not have sufficient time to do fulltime spelunking though, hence was not able to see much of the features of the cave. To what we can reach, we took photos.

Since the Balobok Rock Shelter is located right by the sea, one would hear the thunderous clashing of the waves whispering though the walls of the cave. Apart from the rain that we experienced, the wind was rather strong, making the waves unusually strong and high. As soon as we were done spending time inside, we then headed out to the part where we could see the sea,

Our visit to the rock shelter was a fitting start to our journey in the island province of Tawi–Tawi. As we began a journey of discovery, we were led to a place where tracks of human civilization were uncovered, offering a window to a distant past. It was a point of convergence where a retrospective and reflective mind could see how prehistory connects to the present, on a spot where land clashes with the thunderous whispers of the sea.