I think I just saw heaven.

I’m not sure how it’s supposed to look like or how other people imagine it to be. My mere inference is that it probably looks perfect and unreal. And those are the two words that could possibly come close to my perception of the Enchanted River of Hinatuan.

The river was easily labelled enchanted due to the legends spoken about it. That illusion of an ivory-skinned lady appearing when the sky loses its glimmer is a perpetual image that gives an eerie feeling when faced with this sanctuary.

But linger and you’ll see the golden outline from the crystalline brook flowing and wading through the clearly visible gliding fish. Dive as deep as you can and know that isn’t the deepest it can get. Hear the echoing screeches of the kids who’ve become so accustomed to the cold, they don’t bother testing it anymore. Lie still on your back and let the stream slowly caress you as it thrusts you from your starting point to the rope that you can later cling onto in case you get tired from paddling your legs to keep your head on the surface.

Having your ear submerged in the water will give you goose bumps because of the sound of what may be swerving fish.  But once you open your eyes, you see the bent over towering trees with crisscrossed branches that peep through the sky above it. It seems like seeing through an embroidered piece of clothing, facing west, dangling on a clothesline, right before the magic hour. Uncanny, alluring, dumbfounding.

The descriptive sights stop there and you realize no words will ever be enough to bring out a close-to-accurate depiction of the place. And then you simply resort to claiming you’ve seen heaven.

*Photos by Dijo Songco