Stars and fireflies along the Ogod river in Donsol

The 11th Butanding Festival is a busy time for Donsol. There are film showings, a bikini open, a boxing tournament and of course, the famous whale sharks locally known as butanding. But what caught our attention in the list of activities was the first Wacky Marathon: it featured tourists racing from the Municipal Tourism Office to the town plaza in flippers and masks. The Wacky Marathon was set for three pm, just a few hours after we arrived on a twelve-hour bus trip from Manila. We were tired and sleepy, and after a delicious lunch at Shoreline Resort, we dozed off in our airconditioned room. It was a bright, sunny afternoon. There was hardly anyone on the beach except a couple of sunburned tourists and a dog. The water was calm, and it was very tempting to go for a swim. But nothing was more appealing than the freshly made beds, so nap we did. The only one who wasn't pleased with the idea of a nap was my seven year-old daughter, who, being tiny, had slept soundly throughout the bus trip. She designated herself as our official alarm clock, and at 3 pm, she began shaking us awake. Despite her admirable efforts, we were impossible to rouse, and when we finally got out of bed, it was four o'clock. Hoping to catch at least the tail end of the marathon, we piled into a habal-habal. It's like an ordinary tricycle in Manila, except the attached carriage can fit up to six passengers. The friendly driver was like the wind, but when we got to the town plaza, it was empty. "We're too late. Because you didn't wake up," my daughter told us. Ashamed, we looked around for something else to do. "Marami sila kanina," our driver told us. "Nakakatawa nga yung iba, tumutumba-tumba pa," he laughed. We resigned ourselves to the fact that we were late, then decided to walk around.

Butanding souvenirs "The butanding literally made this town," my friend told me. He had worked with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) on a project in Donsol years before, and eventually became close friends with some of the locals. On one trip, a fishermen had to rush home to his wife, who was giving birth. My friend accompanied him, and was made the child's godfather. Since then, he has been visiting Donsol regularly. We ate homemade buko salad ice candy while walking around. We were far from the water, but the butanding were everywhere -- in statues, souvenirs, posters, and murals on the walls. They must really love the whale sharks, I thought to myself. Not too long ago, it was a different story. The butanding were seen as pests, because when they swim close to the surface to get their fill of plankton, they scare the smaller fish away. The butanding have since become a big tourist attraction, and the main reason we were there. But it was almost evening, and the butanding only come up in the morning. We decided to have dinner, then take a boat down the Ogod river to see the fireflies. River cruise It was almost nine when we got to the river, and the sleepy seven year-old was getting cranky. But then we looked up and saw the stars, and it was impossible to be anything but serene. On a clear night in the city, you'd be lucky to catch a few constellations. But there by the river, the stars didn't dot the sky - they splattered and spilled. Street lamps were few, but there was enough light to see, thanks to the incredibly bright sky. After a while, our necks began aching from staring at the sky open-mouthed, but we simply couldn't look away. If we hadn't been able to see any fireflies, the trip would have already been worth it. But soon, our number was called and we climbed into a small boat, awkwardly bumping each other with our bulky life vests. Our guide was chatty, but I could hardly catch anything above the motor, and I was seated next to it. At some point, the boatman turned off the engine and we floated quietly along the river. I had already seen a couple of fireflies glowing in the trees, and they looked just like the ones you can sometimes see at the UP Diliman campus. "There are over 2,000 species of fireflies in the world," our guide told us. "In the Philippines, they're all the same. But they have colonies. They're like families, they stick together in one tree," he explained, gesturing to the mangrove trees along the river. Fairy party Just when he was telling us that the fireflies choose trees with plenty of worms, which they eat, we saw a tree glowing with twinkling lights. The entire tree was lit with fireflies, some blinking slowly, others quickly. Together, they looked like shimmering gauze floating in mid-air. I held my breath and smiled, pretending I had stumbled upon a party of fairies. Our guide explained that fireflies are misnomers, since they are actually beetles. Also, they emit cold light from their photic organs, where calcium, Luciferase and adenosine triphosphate combine with oxygen when the firefly breathes. Across the water, we could hear the other firefly watchers. As we approached, we saw them trying to take pictures. Our guide reminded them to refrain from using the flash, because it disturbs the fireflies. We waited for the other boat to leave so we could get closer to the tree, which was the most popular in the area. There were even more fireflies than the first tree, and we all gazed in silence for a while. "The females usually blink slowly," our guide told us. I began to imagine tiny fairies dancing in the trees, with glittery hair and glowing skin, sprinkling pixie dust. Then it occurred to me that the tree must have a lot of worms. One firefly floated toward us, spiraling a bit before finally settling on my friend's hand. He moved slowly, then pressed his hand against mine, transferring the firefly. Up close, it looked like a tiny salagubang. It stayed on my hand for a second before moving up and away, back to the tree. On the way home, our tricycle got a flat tire. We all got down and pushed it to a nearby garage, where a little boy vulcanized the tire without removing it from the tricycle. While waiting for the heat to do its work, he would tease the dogs, throwing stones in their direction then running away. We watched him, fascinated. He didn't look like he was more than ten years old. After a while, the tire was fixed and we headed back to the resort. That night, I fell asleep thinking about the fireflies, flat tires, and the starry, starry night. - YA, GMA News