Before Busay Falls, It was Oraz Falls

 I had so much fun in college. I had the pleasure of joining clubs that introduced me to first aid, survival, and mountaineering. I was able to go to destinations that no one ever in my age had. The best thing about it is I was able to use it to introduce other people to these places. It seemed that I loved exploring attractions not only in Albay but others as well. One of these Albay attractions that is now better known as Busay Falls is the Oraz Falls, which is believed to have 7 stages. I only had the luck to venture to the nearest the town of Malinao, Oraz Falls.  

The first time we ventured to Oraz Falls, it was on my 18th birthday. My friends and I were so excited, but expected a long walk that turned out to be just less than a kilometer from the drop off point. It was really not far and at the time, I was thinking of how lucky the people of Malinao, Albay are for having such a wonderful water wonder so near them.

Still, on our way to Oraz Falls, there was a river to cross which luckily has a coconut tree placed over it so people can cross conveniently. That is by far the only thing that separates the falls from the barangay proper. Today, you will wonder how you can reach Oraz Falls aka Busay Falls without crossing a river. Above is the picture of that river and the make-shift bridge.

 At the time, we only had to ask permission from the Barangay Captain and we trekked further to where the falls is and enjoy to our hearts' content. Since we had food brought with us, as well as drinks, we didn't need to spend anything more. Those were the days when every Albay Natural attractions were for free.

That Refreshing Falls in Malinao We Used to Call Palale

Back in the day, when mountaineering was all about passion and environmentalism, we frequent different places to plant trees and pick up garbage. One of the destinations I had the privilege to visit was Palale Falls. It is the second most frequented camping sites in the area of Malinao and in Albay province as a whole, the first being Vera Falls. It was a falls that require moderate trekking and hiking skills because of the long terrain walk, which is half walking and half climbing actually. I can still remember a couple of times we had to cross rivers, which now I believe is one and the same river but we cut through it twice during our trek.  

I can still remember how cautious our leader was in mountaineering. He would always lead us to the barangay captain to ask for permission and have our roster delivered to them to ensure that we can be traced in case of any mishap. Then, he would again lead us to the parish church or chapel to meet the priest on duty to give us his blessing. On the picture above, the man sitting at the far left in moss green stripes is the priest who blessed us before our ascent to Palale Falls.

Our trek to Palale Falls usually takes an hour or two, depending on the size of the group and the members' ability. I can say that is an exhausting adventure because of the slopes and the river crosses but once we are on the camping site, which is just right beside the bed of water where the falls drop, everything feels alright already. Here is a picture of the camping site and how close it is to the water bed, which is very cold so we use it to cool our fruits and drinks.

I apologize for the blurry photos and that there is no single photo I took with the falls itself. I was in for the moments and not the landscape in those days so there is really not much to show how beautiful the small falls was. I also hadn't ventured far so I wasn't able to see if there were bigger falls at the back of the small one that flows on the bed. I remember my friends saying there was a cave like a place underground that they dived into and the other end was that on the water bed we use as a swimming area.

This is by far the only photo I have that shows the small falls of the destination and the bed of water right below.

Our club was composed of Bicol Universitarians(BU or Bicol University), Aquinians (Aquinas University), and Divinians (Divine Word College).