The Blue Lagoon and 100 steps of Maguindanao

It's been a 12 hour ordinary bus ride from Manila to Legaspi, followed by a van ride to Donsol, and then I need to wake up at 6am tomorrow, but just before I closed my eyes to sleep, I remembered about these places i was brought to in Cotabato. I don't want these places to end up in my memory, just like the other places I have been too; Especially that these are the places I'd like to be sharing about, to ease up the notoriously portrayal of these cities and/or province.

I was in Maguindanao last month for the Bakwit feeding session and just on our way back to Cotabato City from the Datu Saudi Evacuation centers, I asked my peers if they have been to the blue lagoon in Maguindanao. I was told that we can drop by as it is just very near the highway.

In fact, it was a short 2minute walk from the Datu Odin Sinsuat highway. 

This lagoon don't come close to the blue-ness in Hinatuan River but, still amazing how it could reflect blue when the surrounding is a barren brown hard soil.

It seems the lagoon is a water source for the locals, having spotted kids fetching water from the body.

Then, they asked me if I have heard of the 100 steps. I said, I haven't. I asked what it was all about, and I was told it is just spring water like the blue lagoon. It's close by, just about 4kms away from Blue Lagoon, so i did not bother complain.

I was not expecting it to be any better, but with their eagerness to show me, well... after all there's not really so much to do with the rest of my afternoon, so I said let's see.

This lagoon is also just right next to the highway except that there is 100 steps descent before reaching it. From the start of the staircase, there won't seem to be anything interesting at all; But as you come close, you suddenly wonder what is that sparkling clear blue thing you see down there... and next to molds and ricefields.