Around 7:00pm, we were fetched by the tour shuttle service to be brought to Iwahig River for our Firefly Watching. Our tour guide is still Ate MaiMai, same guide in the Underground River.
It was a 45min-drive from our resort to Iwahig River. Along the way we saw that it’s full moon! That means little fireflies can be seen due to the moonlight. Ate MaiMai told us that the best time to see the fireflies is when it’s 1st or 3rd quarter moon where there is only a little moonlight so many fireflies can be seen. It is also best to go during October to December since it’s their mating season I think.
We arrive din Iwahig River around 8pm. It was just a couple of minutes away from the Iwahig Prison & Penal Farm. We waited for the boats to arrive. We paid Php 800/pax for the tour. It’s quite pricey compared if you do it on your own. However, you might need to contract a tricycle going there since it’s far from the city. I think if you rent a tricycle, it will just cost you Php 700 then the boatride is Php 600/boat maximum of 3. Since we can’t do it on our own because other guests in the resort will be joining us, we have no choice.
(Left to Right: Piers, Gregor, Seth, Lorrin, Kath)
We waited until 9:00pm for our boat. Good thing our new found foreigner friends have lots of stories to tell. The 2 men from the UK were stuck here in the Philippines since their flights were cancelled due to the erruption of a volcano in the UK. It was a good thing for them though, they already went to Boracay before going to Palawan. Then the other one was from the US whose girlfriend is a Filipina. All of them loved the island the whole Philippines as well. Piers, one from the UK wants to live and settle down in the Philippines! (imagine a lot of Filipinos wants to settle in other countries instead of their native land)
The first batch was Gregor, Seth and Lorin and us together with Piers will take the 2nd boat. The river was still with the moonlight as the source of our light. It was so calming and peaceful. You can just feel the cold breeze and the sound of the nature. There were lots of stars in the sky. We were star gazing and looking for constelations. We saw the Big Dipper and another one that looks like a cross and can also be a kite. We also saw the brightest star. I know it’s Venus but the boat man told us that it’s the Dog Star. It was my first time to hear that.
After the star gazing, we saw the fireflies on top of the mangroves. The boat man was prepared when Piers asked them why the fireflies glow. The boat man said that it is because of the chemical they have inside of them and reacts when they inhale oxygen. True enough, when I googled it the same reason appeared. Bravo “Kuya Boatman”!
The boat man also made a joke about fireflies. The reason why the fireflies are called “alitaptap” in Tagalog is because they can be seen on “top” of the mangroves. Then he directed us to some fireflies that are found under the mangroves. He said to Piers, “Sir, these are different species. These fireflies are called “ali-lowlow” since they are found under the leaves. Infairness, Piers laughed at his joke.
Also, we were amazed when we saw some planktons in the river. It is like a fireworks when you play your hands in the river. It is not that visible since it’s not too dark.
Another cool thing that the boat man did was when he played the flashlight’s light on and off. The reverse happens to the fireflies’ lights. They were like dancing to the beat of the light. The boatman said that it was also their defense mechanism. They thought that the flashlight was an enemy so they try to defend themselves.
How will you know if the firefly is a male or female?
You can determine their gender depending on their capacity to produce light. The MALE fireflies produces more light than the FEMALE fireflies.
I’ve learned a lot that night. I was like in a field trip about fireflies. We really had a great time!
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