Mighty Mt. Pinatubo

Dreams do come true. :)

I can't remember the time when I saw images of Mt. Pinatubo on one blog, and instantly, I fell in love with it. Excitement grew inside me. And thankfully, the dream of seeing the beauty of Mt. Pinatubo in person for a long time has finally became a reality.

(Ako, si Chito, Dugal, Joy, Elaine at Aldin sa McDo Ortigas Jr. corner Emerald Ave.)

May 6 of this year when I and 8 more friends joined some groups for a tour to the crater of the great volcano. We left Manila 2AM in the morning and arrived 5AM at Capas, Tarlac. I'm not sure if I had enough sleep since I was all thinking about what I am about to see in the morning. 'Excited much?' Haha.

6AM the facilitators have already organized our papers and paid environmental and DOT fees so we're good to go! One of the most exciting part in Pinatubo trek is the 45mins to an hour of 4x4 ride going to the jump-off. But I found it a little more like a cradle that made me drowsy. Haha. But don't get me wrong. The bumpy ride to the 4x4 truck traveling the wonders of Mt. Pinatubo landscape is a very rewarding moment that you don't want to miss. It's like you're in the land of Lord of the Rings. Hehe.

After almost an hour of 4x4 ride, we're finally on the jump-off. My feet is as excited as my eyes to see the sorroundings of Pinatubo as it started walking the very moment I got down the vehicle. Hehe. So much of that.

(Yan ang excited magtrek magpa-picture)

From the jump-off, it would take about 2-3 hours of trek for you to get to the crater that is purely depends on how much time you expend in picture taking. Haha. As for us, it took us 3 hours. Alam na. Be sure to have enough water supply and apply sun block as you will be walking under the scorching heat of the sun with minimal shade on the trail. Buti nalang may dala akong payong. Wahahaha. (Evil Laugh)

(Oh di ba. Inggit sila! Haha.)

(See me? Syempre ako yung nakapayong. Haha.)

You will never get bored trekking in Pinatubo since all you can see is a breathtaking view of landscapes and rock formations that is as other calls it, 'out of this world'. However, I find it very tricky. I mean I can't even tell if we're ascending or we're really going to the crater since all I'm seeing is wide path of sands and a long and winding rocky stream.

When you reached the shady part of the trail where trees and bushes grows, you're almost on your destination. The trail then will lead you to a steep concrete stairway which leads to the entrance to the crater.

And gwolah! Behold the enchanting crater of Mighty Pinatubo.

You are free to swim in the lake as long as don't go in the middle as from that point currents might pull you down underneath. Nakakatakot. Hehe. You can also rent boats that may tour you to the other end and leave you there of the crater for P350 per person.

As we head back to the jump-off, heavy rain poured on our way making us all wet. Yes, I wasn't ready. Thunders and lightning striking on both side of the trail really scared us. But it somehow help us to hurry. Haha. What our guides are telling us is that the stream on the trail can be very strong due to rainfall that we may not be able to pass through it if we don't walk faster, which scared us more. (eto na nga nananakbo na!)

Luckily, we're still alive and got home the same day. Hehe. I must say Mt. Pinatubo is a great place to visit. Specially if you're looking for a different kind of nature trip. But you might want to plan a visit soon, as I've seen on the trail, trees and shrubs are already growing along the way and the landscape may no longer be the same in the future.

 (Group pic habang kami na lang ang hinihintay ng lahat. Pasaway! Haha. Sowee)

(Our poor coordinated jump shot. May sariling mundo ang bawat isa)

Notes:
1. Our group get a tour package from a group buying site for this trip which costs us P2000 each. That is inclusive of the 4x4 ride, tour guides, permit, packed lunch and transpo.
2. Wear comfortable trekking shoes. Sandals or slipper is ok but it may hurt your feet when it gets wet.
3. Bring cap, hat or umbrella (like me, haha) to cover up from heat.
4. Water, trail food, towel and sunblock.
5. Extra clothes for swimming.

Manila: How the mighty are fallen!

(Calle Escolta during American Occupation of Manila)

"The Pearl of the Orient", "Queen City of the Pacific", "The Paris of the East" - these are just some of the titles given by the world to Manila before it became the second most destroyed city of the World War II. Manila that was once the most beautiful, healthiest, and safest city in the Far East is now just a shadow of her old glory.

(Binondo Area)

Through the Royal Ordinance by King Philip II of the Monarchy of Spain, Manila has became the new capital of political, military and religious power of the East Indies colony of the Spaniards. With this victory, the Islamic Kingdom of Maynila were eventually converted to Christianity, and a new fortified city known as Intramuros was built to house the seat of government of Spain. Missionaries arrived eventually which was followed by the establishment of schools and churches spreading throughout the city and beyond.

(Sto. Domingo Church and Santo Tomas Plaza, Intramuros)

(Pasig River, Magellan Monument, Aduana Building, Santo Domingo Church, Jan. 15, 1925)

During 15th to 18th century, Manila was the center of trade in the Orient. From Asia to the Americas and Europe travelling across the Pacific, the Caribbean and the Atlantic, the Manila Galleon have truly made its reputation in maritime trade. The route made by the Manila-Acapulco trade was not only the longest in its time but also the first global trade route in history.

(Manila Galleon used in Manila-Acapulco Trade)

(Downtown Manila has resemblance with European cities)

(Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines, Early 20th Century)

Early 1900s, the U.S. troops took control over the city following the defeat of Spain. And from being another magnificent european-inspired city, Manila was changed to a grand metropolis of the modern American Age. During this time, American government commissioned Daniel Burnham to create the master plan for the city. With monumental buildings like of Washington DC, boulevards like Paris and canals like Venice, Manila was a masterpiece of the early 20th century.

(Finance, Legislative and City Hall building, Luneta)

Burnham plan for Manila was never completed. War came unexpectedly. Just ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Manila suffered from aerial bombardment. Knowing that they could not afford losing the city, the American declared Manila as an Open City to spare the city from death and destruction. Despite this, the Japanese Imperial Forces continue to bombard Manila. The Battle of Manila has been the most brutal, sorrowful and the most difficult period of our history.

(Philippine Legislative Building after World War 2)

(Buildings and Bridges burnt)

After the war, the city of Manila underwent The Golden Age. It was revitalized and became once again the Pearl of the Orient. As the home of the first and finest (during its time) international airline in Asia, Manila became THE place in the region to come for shopping, entertainment, leisure, business and even to obtain higher education. But after several decades of its re-establishment, these characters of Manila are gone with the wind.

The city that is full of promise before became the city of what we know today. Congested, unorganized, polluted. These might not be the proper descriptions for all districts of the city but that's how I see most of it. Discipline of the people I believe is what's lacking for Manila. You see, people are throwing their garbages everywhere, men are urinating everywhere, they're spitting everywhere, and there's more! there are lots of robbers, snatchers and crooks in most places. Even those who are in public office steals what's should be for the development of the city and its people. The traffic are depressing. Buildings are sprouting everywhere. Public facilities and domains are poorly maintained. And where we are now? Manila was left far behind by its neighbouring cities in the South East Asia. It is just sad to see Manila in this state, knowing her glorious past, it would've made her truly the Queen City of the Pacific.

*** I am a Filipino. I have nothing againts the city of Manila or its people. I just want to share my thoughts and I do not intend to cause harm to anybody with my post. ***

Calinawan Cave

This is part of our Tanay Nature Trip.

Like me, many are not aware that Tanay Rizal have lots of natural wonders. One of these is Calinawan Cave that is located at Barangay Tandang, Kutyo, Tanay, Rizal. I just knew this place when my friend sent me a website link where some of the natural tourist attractions of Rizal are listed. And at that moment, we started to plan out of going to these places as soon as possible. Hindi kami atat. Haha.

From EDSA crossing (Starmall), we took the van bound for Tanay Rizal and from Tanay Market, we hire a jeepney to bring us to our destinations. It is much advisable to bring your own car when you're a group going here because there are no available public transportation to and from this point. Or you can hire a jeep or a trike from the market just like what we did. Going to Calinawan Cave will take you 15 to 30 minutes from the market. And there are few houses along the way where you may ask for the right direction getting there so you don't have to worry.

It is my first time to get into a cave and it really excites me. The moment we get off the jeepney, we started walking to where we believe the entrance of the cave is located. Then I heard these kids that offered us earlier to be our guide that we rejected asking each other, "San sila pupunta? (Where are they going?)". Not knowing that the very entrance of the cave is a small ground hole that we missed even if we walked beside it. And yes, it seems like we really need a guide. Hehe.

I like the fact that the entrance to this cave is partially hidden since from what I've learned from the internet, this cave is once a hideout of the Filipinos during the Japanese occupation. It deceived us really. So we hire one guide for the tour and the moment you get closer to the entrance, you will see this little hole that is dark inside and feel this cold humid air coming from the cave. Its kinda creepy at first. Hehe.

The rock and mineral formations inside is marvelous. It's good to have a headlamp or a flash light here because some parts of the cave are unreachable by the sunlight. There are passages in the cave where you have to walk sideways or downcast  which adds drama to your exploration. After less than 30 minutes of walking inside, we came out in this two large rocks that are around 30 feet high which is a great scene for photo ops.

Prepare P20 as registration and any amount for the guide.

Mt. Batulao

The cool breeze same as of Tagaytay plus the spectacular view of the mountain range and fields around Mt. Batulao sets her as my most favorite mountain I've climbed so far. I fell in love with this mountain the first time I saw it when I'm browsing the internet for Caleruega. Then the dream of getting there started to flow in my spirit.  And fortunately last November, I had the chance to make this dream a reality.

Though the plan of climbing Batulao has reached me shortly before the scheduled date, I did not hesitate to join. Kasi naman baka abutin na naman ng matagal na panahon bago ulit magka-schedule dito kaya sige sugod na! Haha. Anyway, I joined the second batch of our group that will trek during the night since they are occupied during the day just like me, so its kinda convenient on my part. To get there, we took the bus bound for Nasugbu, Batangas in Pasay Terminal. It costs us P110. After a 3 hours trip, the bus dropped us off to Evercrest Golf Club Resort (Jump-off). You may hire a tricycle that will take you to the end of the road. But in our case, we decided to get there on foot.

It is my first time to do a night climb, and it's really exciting. The main advantage of hiking at night I think is that you will not get tired easily and you can reach the summit in less time since you have a little photo opportunity, hehe. Not like the first three climbs I had, there was no rain that night. And the view of constellations are just magnificent to behold. The trail is very well-established but it is important that you wear long pants or tights since Mt. Batulao is mostly covered by cogon grass. Our night trek was fun and 'cool', thanks to the cool breeze of Batulao and to our newly met friends Reg, Kat and Jessa. They've also shared their night snack with us. Hehe, ang PG (Patay-gutom). We reached Camp 10 at 130AM and I think we slept at 3AM.

At the morning, Mt. Batulao greeted me with her panoramic view of boulder formations as well as the plains of Cavite and Batangas. A great view plus a hot coffee in the morning is just perfect to start the day. We started our ascent to the summit at 1030AM and got there after an hour since we spent most of our time in posing for pictures. Haha. My most favorite part of the trail is the roped segment that is part of the old trail. There are also stores on some part of the trail that sells water, mountain dew soda, buko juice and even halo-halo. Kulit di ba! Hehe.

All in all, Mt. Batulao is perfect for anybody who wants a minor climb with beautiful views to see.

Mt. Maculot

Sa sobrang  lakas ng ulan nung Saturday, akala ko hindi na kami matutuloy mag-climb sa Maculot. Pero buti nalang at kasama namin sila Ron at nahiya kaming mag-cancel. Hehe. At yun na nga, kahit gano pa kalakas ang hagupit ni bagyong Mina, hindi pa rin kami napigilan. Nakarating kami ng bus terminal sa Buendia ng mga bandang 8:45AM, at sa palengke ng Cuenca alas-onse empunto. Late kami at walang-wala na sa schedule. Haha.

Sa palengke na rin kami nag lunch para bawas dalahin sa itaas. Ahi! Sa sobrang lakas pa rin ng ulan, ni ang paanan ng bundok na aakyatin namin ay hindi ko na makita. Kaya kahit mga tindera sa palengke eh nagtataka kung ano bang nakain namin at sobrang desidido kaming umakyat. Pero eto kami, dedma. Ahaha. Sumakay kami ng tricycle papuntang jump-off at nagparegister sa baranggay outpost. After several minutes, we're ready to ascent!

Nung una yabang-yabangan ako, mabilis pa ko maglakad. Pero ng nararamdaman ko na ang bigat ng bag ko, walang pang 10 minutes, hingal na hingal na ko. Yak! Ang bilis kong napagod. Wala ring saysay ang nabili naming kapote sa vente, mas makapal pa ang plastic labo. Haha. (Nagreklamo pa eh bente nga lang yun) Kaya ayun basa din ako. :(

Half way to the campsite, ramdam ko na ang panginginig ng tuhod ko. Siguro dahil narin sa ulan at basang-basa na ko. (Weh, ang totoo wala kasi akong exercsie. Ehe.) Minsan hirap na hirap din ako i-angat ang sarili ko sa matataas na part dahil sa bigat ng bag ko. May mga trail na umaagos ang tubig dahil sa ulan. Meron naman sobrang tataas ng pagitan. Ibang-iba talaga 'to sa mga unang akyat ko, bukod sa bumabagyo eh tanghali narin kasi kaming nagsimula paakyat kaya hinahabol namin ang liwanag.

The trail is very well established from the jump-off to the Rockies. Hindi ko lang alam dun sa kabilang side (Grotto). Meron ding mga stations na pwedeng pagpahingahan when you get tired along the way. I think there are about 6 of it before the campsite which is a great relief dahil sa tagal kong hindi umakyat eh ang bilis kong mapagod.

Cooking dinner has been a great challenge for our group since we only have 1 stove. Samahan mo pa ng masungit na panahon eh mapapadasal ka nalang talaga para makaluto. Pero mabuti na lang at may magaling kaming cook (at si Alvin yon, hehe) at kahit papano eh nairaos namin ang aming hapunan. Lights out!

Sunday morning has been a relief. Paambon-ambon nalang at wala ng masyadong ulan. And the best of all, wala ng fog! Yipee! Nung sabado kasi para na kaming nasa langit sa sobrang kapal ng ulap sa paligid. Hehe. At ayun, we ate our breakfast at hindi na namin pinalampas ang pagkakataon at nagpunta na kami sa Rockies! Weeee!

The Rockies. Do you see mountaineers going down the trail?

The Rockies is 5 minutes away from the campsite kaya walang kahirap-hirap ang pagpunta. (Naks! Ikaw na!) You will have to cross a narrow path and climb on the steep rocky trail going up. It's a bit challenging lalo na sa may mga takot sa heights but surely all efforts are worth it when you get to see the view on top of the Rockies. Breathtaking indeed!

My estimated budget was roughly P500 for the transpo and food. Pero eto, P1,200 ang nagastos namin sa hindi malamang dahilan. Haha. But at the end of the day, this amount is worthless compared to the joy and fulfillment God has blessed us in this climb.

Mt. Maculot on the background. (Cuenca Public Market)

Notes:

Bus (JAM) from Buendia terminal to Lipa - P124
Jeep (bound to Lemery) going to Cuenca market - P20
Tricycle from market to jump-off - P20
Registration - P10

***Thanks to Shelly for my pictures. Siya ang naging tour guide ko at photographer sa taas ng Rockies. Hehe. Thanks Alvin for the dinner and breakfast. Thanks Chito sa pagpapahiram ng tent at cookset na sana sinama mo na ang stove, haha. At thank you sa iba pang nakasama ko sa pag-akyat. (Ron, Grace, Aldino, Jojo, Kuya Eboy, Monch) Until next climb!

CamSur Watersports Complex

Nung una akala ko ang CWC eh nasa tabi ng dagat, o ng lake. Yun pala nasa gitna ng Capitol compuond. Hehe. At napa "OH?? (with matching panlalaki ng mata)" talaga ako nung malaman ko na ang first-class complex na 'to eh operated ng local government. Ang galing! (hindi ko naman minamaliit ang gobyerno, nasanay lang kasi ako na kapag ang gobyerno nagpapatakbo ng business, it's either napapabayaan o nebebenta) But really, kudos for the local government of camsur. It is such a wonderful place.

Naisip ko nga, "Dati naririnig ko lang kay Dyan Castillejo ang CWC. Napapanood ko lang dati sa Sports Unlimited and now I'm here! I'm here!". Ang sarap mag-wake. Yun nga lang masakit sa braso sa una. Mantakin mo ba namang hilahin ka ng kable. Tapos dapat sa una mahigpit yung hawak mo sa cable, kasi mabibitawan mo talaga kung hindi. Ok din naman ang price, P160 yata per hour, nakalimutan ko na. Hehe. For 2 hours, you can use the pool for FREE. Oh di ba pwede na!

Ako yan naka blue!

Naks! Ganyan ang tamang pag-ikot.

Meron namang magtuturo how to do wakeboarding. Sa una as beginner, yung naka-luhod muna. Then if you think kaya mo na ng nakatayo, you can try. Yun nga lang I think it's really not that easy as it looks. So 1st hour namin we tried yung nakaluhod, then for the second hour dun naman kami nanggulo sa nakatayo, pero dun kami sa beginner pa rin syempre. Hehe.

Medyo nakakalito sa una kasi hindi mo pa alam ang gagawin. Sasabihin sayo nung trainor na wag daw hilahin yung cable eh ang kaso kapag palubog ka na ang tendency hihilahin mo talaga yun di ba! haha. Pero after several times of trying, nakuha ko na rin sya at tama nga si kuya, "wag hilahin ang cable". Kasi kapag hinila mo sya, lalo kang lulubog. Sayang nga lang na twice lang ako nakatawid. Kung kelan naman kasi kaya na namin ni Monch at nag-eenjoy na kami tsaka lunch break na pala. Hayyy. But atleast we've experienced na nakatayo. Hehe.

It's been a fun-filled day with my friends. Sinulit talaga namin ang bakasyon sa CWC. Sabi nga, minsan lang yun. Maghapon kaming nagbilad sa araw. (kaya pagbalik namin sa Manila para kaming inihaw, hehe) Tinry din namin yung mga activities sa Lago Del Rey. Swimming, Trampoline, Obstacle race, kayaking. Ang saya!