The year is about to end and I wanted to climb one more mountain before 2015 bids farewell. No particular mountain in mind, just one more adventure that will be worth blogging. I sent Rovie a message and asked him to accompany me on the weekend for a day climb. He suggested to climb Mt. Talamitam. He's that one friend of mine whom I've met online in a mountaineer group in Facebook. He is also the same guy who was supposed to be part of the Maculot climb in September. He overslept and missed out on all the fun. This time, I was too makulit and made sure he does not oversleep again. Anyway, the day came and thank goodness, Rovie showed up! He and another guy (Ghor) met up with me and we started the day with a bus ride from Coastal Mall to Nasugbu, Batangas. Unfortunately, we rode a bus with a very inattentive driver. We can already see Mt. Talamitam outside the window, but the driver continued driving despite being told to stop at the jump-off. We noticed that he drove further and further away from the mountain, so we stood up and confronted the driver. Indeed, we were a few meters away from the jump-off already. We went off the bus and took another jeepney ride to the jump-off. We arrived at Km. 83 Sitio Bayabasan in Nasugbu at 8:20 AM. We registered at the jump-off and hired a guide named Joel. We started trekking at 8:40 AM and reached the summit at 11:00 AM. The trail starts in a man-made bamboo bridge and into a forest for about an hour. As soon as we reached the top of the hill, everything we saw were open fields of green. It may have taken us 2 hours to reach the summit but it's not like the trail was so hard. It was easy actually, but we had to stop and take several minutes to enjoy the views both behind and infront of us. Even when we were still in the bus, Talamitam already seemed very tantalizing. It looked so beautiful from afar, and it even looks a lot better up close. It's another one of those painting-like images that got stuck in my head for a couple of minutes. Green in all shades can be seen on every angle. That's the amazing view we had to appreciate while we were on the way to the summit.
Just when I thought that the view infront of me was spectacular, it was even just as amazing when I turn around. From afar, I saw the first mountain I fell in love with-- Mt. Batulao! That other view behind us was so beautiful, I was mostly lost for words. This is why I love mountains. It gives me that feeling of peace that I don't normally get elsewhere.
We spent about an hour and a half on the summit. My companions took a nap while I was busy taking selfies. It was just so beautiful. Perfect weather, perfect day!
Took us an hour for our descent. Along the way, I can't help but fall in love with everything my eyes laid upon. Nature is definitely an art of God! We have such a beautiful world. And that's my last mountain for 2015. Mt. Talamitam, you were lovely! I will certainly be back. - - - - - - - - - ACTUAL ITINERARY
6:00 AM - Bus left from Coastal Mall to Km. 83 Sitio Bayabasan, Nasugbu, Batangas | P120 8:20 AM - Registered at the jump-off point | P40 8:40 AM - Start trek | P400 for the Guide (minimum of P300) 11:00 AM - Arrived at the summit 12:30 PM - Started descent 1:30 PM - Arrived back at the jump-off and took our lunch 2:30 PM - Left for Pasay Rotunda | P120 5:30 PM - Arrived at Pasay Visit the Pinoy Mountaineer website for more details about Mt. Talamitam: PINOYMOUNTAINEER.COM - Mt. Talamitam
Christmas is a time for celebrations. For me, it's one of those times when I expect to have my much-needed break from all the hustle and bustle in the city. I've been living in a jungle of buildings and each time I get an invite to explore a new place, there is no room for refusal. Actually I was made to choose between two parties to attend. Both in the same company, but different departments. One was in BGC Taguig, the other in Punta de Fabian Resort in Baras, Rizal. I chose the latter. I have always been fascinated with the different places in Rizal, but I've never really explored the place. I've been wanting to experience hiking at Mt. Daraitan and Tinipak Falls, also a visit to Daranak Falls and the windmills of Pililla. Unfortunately, I haven't had the liberty of time to explore any of those. The moment they mentioned to me the venue, all I can think about was the possible view of the resort which was situated overlooking Laguna de Bay and the mountains of Rizal. I had no hesitation. I joined the group's Christmas Outing in Baras. As soon as we arrived at the resort, this was the only view stuck in my head for a few minutes. I was in awe of everything my eyes saw. It was like standing on a summit with a great view and an infinity pool!
I explored the place for the next hour or so. I just couldn't get enough of the panoramic view infront of me. I sat on one corner beside the pool and started guessing the names of every peak or mountain in that painting-like image. Not to mention the amazing sunset that followed. I needed that break. I truly did.
We held our Christmas Party on that same evening-- exchanging gifts and videoke. I had a few drinks and had a lovely talk with one of my friends while lounging on the pool and staring at the black canvass of stars up in the sky. It's been a while since I last saw the sky so clear. I was blessed to have had a moment for myself and to have enjoyed the tranquility of everything around me. Early the next morning, I woke up as early as 5:00 AM and waited for the sun to rise. It was another amazing view to remember. I was trying to guess that it was Mt. Daraitan on one side and the sun rising beside it. The silhouette of the Pililla windmills made it more dramatic. Fog was starting to appear and it felt like being on top of a mountain. This was effortless. A view like this wherein I didn't even need to do a hike!
I spent time that morning in the pool, gave myself a tan and rinsed my body with chlorine!
Before we headed home to Manila, we did a sidetrip to Tanay, Rizal and visited the famous Regina Rica. After a fun-filled day, it was quite good to have had time to light candles and do pilgrimage to Mama Mary.
It wasn't really quite an outdoor thing, but having a taste of the Rizal province wanted me to explore it some more in the coming months.
At the age of 5, my daughter has been hooked up to the internet. She has her own Facebook account that she can use, but only for viewing. She is aware of all my escapades for the year and even scolds me for climbing mountains without her! In one of our Cebu trips, I got an idea of having her climb Osmeña Peak. The moment I asked her if she wanted to do it, she was frantic. "Yes! Yes! Sure mommy!" And so, the mother-daughter adventure began. As early as 4:00 AM, I woke her up and we started preparing. We arrived at the Cebu South Bus Terminal around 6:00 AM. The bus bound for Dalaguete left at around 6:30 AM. For most of the ride, my little Andi was asleep. At least she had enough time to rest and gain strength for what lies ahead. It was her first and I didn't know if she could make it to the summit. Andi does have the tendency to get tired and to prefer going home. We arrived at the crossing of the Dalaguete-Mantalongon Road at 8:00 AM. We were greeted by habal-habal drivers who obviously knew we were headed to Osmeña Peak because of our attire. Since I had a child with me, I asked our driver to take us to the nearest point to the summit. It was another hour from the crossing to the foot of the mountain. Andi was wide awake since it was her first time to ride a habal-habal. She wasn't complaining about the heat since she enjoyed the view of the nearby mountains and the steep slopes. This kid did have the same enthusiastic spirit as me. She showed no signs of boredom. She loved the whole thing as much as I did!
As soon as we arrived at the jump-off, we registered, hired a 10-year old guide and started trekking. At first, Andi was getting tired, but didn't give up. We had occasional stops and just as she saw the sight of the summit from afar, she got excited and walked faster than me. Oftentimes, she'd even drag me and complain that I was walking too slow. At 10:30 AM, we arrived at the summit and spent an hour just enjoying the view of Badian, Moalboal, Alcantara, Dalaguete and even Tagbilaran City from afar.
It was indeed a truly memorable climb since I had the chance to do it with my daughter. We seldom see each other so moments like these are quite special.
As soon as she grows older, I'm pretty sure we will share more adventures together!
- - - - - -
ACTUAL ITINERARY
6:30 AM - Left South Bus Terminal for Dalaguete
8:00 AM - Arrived at crossing for Dalaguete-Mantalongon Road
And so, my adventure continues. When I started my fascination with mountains, I've always had that urge to climb Mt. Maculot. I love summits with amazing picturesque views and Maculot is one of them. For a typical newbie, there's always that bucketlist of mountains to climb. Of course, Everest isn't on my list. That's basically hardcore. In my age and for my capacity, I can only do less. So my list of mountains aren't really that amazing. Maculot is on my top 3. I'm really glad I had the chance to climb it. The summit and its view is literally to die for.
For the month of September, I tried to convince my friends to hike with me. Any mountain will do. But none responded to my messages. I was seenzoned. Then I searched for a local Facebook group with active mountaineer members. Someone told me to join the group CLIMBER. And indeed, everyone gave updates on their upcoming climbs, sold gears and even posted great pictures of mountains they hiked. It was that haven of comfort wherein you also see other people who share the same interest. I've been scanning posts for several days, hoping I can join in a group who will do a Mt. Maculot climb. Finally, I saw this comment on a post by a guy named Rovie and invited people to join them in Maculot on the weekend. I inquired and immediately, I was added to their FB chat. They were total strangers but everyone on the thread seem to be very jamming, so I felt more excited to do the climb. Our meet-up was on the morning of September 27 at Cuenca, Batangas. I was supposed to meet them in Cubao but I insisted to ride a bus from a much nearer terminal. I arrived at Cuenca around 9am. The rest of the group arrived an hour after. The guy I was in contact with (Rovie) overslept and failed to come. So I was left with Bianca, Jimson, Dominic and Louie.
We registered at the outpost at 10:00 am. We then proceeded to the jumpoff where we took our brunch and took time to get to know each other. Unexpectedly, Dominic was a close friend of my close friends in Bohol. Indeed, it's such a small world! And just that quickly, I felt comfortable with the group. We started our trek to the Rockies summit at 11:15 am. The trail was a continuous ascent on a lush forest which reminded me of Pico de Loro. Being the oldest in the group, I admit to having blackout moments. Lucky enough, they were all concerned to keep me back on my feet and in no time, I felt better. At that time, it was raining for a few days and there was even a storm warning. From below, we saw fog all over the summit. It rained as well and made the trail muddy and slippery. After several stops, we reached the peak adjacent to the Rockies at 1:30 pm. We took our lunch and took a rest. Thinking that the Rockies summit was just a short walk from the hut we were resting in, we decided to walk around. The boys took off their shirts thinking it was just near (explains why all my summit pictures had shirtless boys). When we realized that it was still on another peak, we then decided to go ahead with it. It was also too slippery to go back to the hut. Good thing I brought my phone and selfie stick with me. In less than 30 minutes, we reached the foggy Rockies Summit of Mt. Maculot. It took a while before we got a clearing. As soon as the clouds disappeared, we hurriedly posed and took photos. I was even brave enough to stand on the end of the rocks for a picture. And there it was, that view which I only saw on blogs. I now had the chance to see it for myself. I don't call any mountain safe. But climbing a mountain with fog everywhere and a muddy trail, that's really quite a risk. I am again thankful for the safe travels and adventures.
All five of us only chose to do the Rockies Summit and no longer do the traverse. We spent two hours being mesmerized by the view of Taal Lake. At around 4:30 pm, we started our descent. We safely arrived at the jumpoff at around 6:00 pm. We cleaned up and went on a food trip to get a taste of Cuenca's lomi and goto.
And then again, I gained another set of friends. I'm blessed to have been part of this group for this climb. I had so much fun with them and laughing along the trail is perhaps the easiest part of the experience. Maculot's summit was breathtaking. To sum it all up, I had such a great time and my love for mountains grew even more. Another mountain conquered! - - - Here's our actual itinerary for this climb. 6:45 AM - Left JAM Liner Terminal in Pasay | P117 9:00 AM - Arrived in Cuenca, Batangas | Tricycle to outpost | P30 10:00 AM - Brunch at jumpoff 11:15 AM - Started trek to Rockies Summit 1:30 PM - Lunch 2:00 PM - Reached the Rockies Summit 4:30 PM - Started descent 6:00 PM - Arrived at jumpoff | Clean-up | P20 7:00 PM - Food trip 9:00 PM - Left for Lipa City | Jeep | P20 10:00 PM - Left for Manila Visit the Pinoy Mountaineer website for more details about Mt. Maculot: PINOYMOUNTAINEER.COM - Mt. Maculot Rockies Summit
One afternoon, my sister invited me to book a trip to Sagada.
First thing that popped up in my head were scenes from the movie “This Thing
Called Tadhana”. I envisioned clouds over mountains, hanging coffins, lovely
sceneries and a whole lot of opportunities to do some muni-muni moments while hanging out with nature. So in an instant,
I said yes!
We invited some other friends of ours to join us. Most of
my sister’s friends (who were also air traffic controllers like her) couldn’t come with us since they were attending the Bohol International Marathon on the same
weekend. In the end, our initial count was 6 pax. We tapped the services of
Viajero Gabrielle Travel and Tour, as suggested also by a friend. More details
on how to contact Viajero are on the bottom of this page.
However, the final count went down to 4 pax. Team Bohol, as
we called ourselves, consisted of myself, my boyfriend (Chris), my sister (Jinyang) and her
friend (Mike). Otherwise also known as Team Sore Eyes since I was basically a walking virus and it was my goal to infect the three at the end of the trip. #BITTER
The thing about this trip is that everything sounded so
easy at first. Reading their sample itinerary somehow gave me that feeling that it’s
just going to be like Baguio and we’d be enjoying the cold weather. None of us
read in advance on what to expect for this trip.
Little did we know that we were in for an amazing adventure that we will never ever forget! And when I say adventure, it really wasn't a walk in the park nor a simple trip to begin with.
This is Viajero's sample itinerary.
Day 00
0900pm: Assembly
MOA (JCO next to Goldilocks and Hypermarket)
1000pm: ETD from MOA
Day 01
0600am: ETA at Banaue, Breakfast, Picture Taking
Viewpoints
0700am: ETD to Sagada
1000am: ETA to Sagada Check-in
1200am: Lunch
0100pm: Proceed to Lumiang Cave and Sumaguing Cave
0500pm: Estimated time of return from the cave
0530pm: Back to Lodging (Wash up)
0700pm: Dinner
Day 02
0600am: Wake-up call. Breakfast
0700am: Proceed to Falls jump-off
0730am: Start of Falls Trek
0830am: ETA Falls, Swimming, Picture Taking
1030am: Trek back to Jump off
1200pm: ETA Town
1230pm: Lunch
0200pm: Proceed to Sagada Weaving, St Mary's Church and
Echo Valley
0400pm: Visit Pottery House
0530pm: Sunset Viewing Lake Danum, Picture taking
0700pm: Dinner / Souvenir hunting
0800pm: Socials
Day 03
0500am: Wake up call, Check out
0545am: Sunrise Viewing Kiltepan Tower
0630am: Breakfast Rock-inn, Orange Picking in the
Orchard
0730am: ETD from Sagada to Baguio
1000am: Early Lunch La Trinidad Jollibee or Mcdonalds
1130pm: ETA Strawberry Plantation
0200pm: Visit The Mansion, Burnham Park, Mines View
0300pm: ETD from Baguio
1030pm: ETA to MOA
Sounds simple, huh?
To be honest, the itinerary changed a lot. But nevertheless, it turned out much more efficient and more enjoyable.
DEPARTURE TO SAGADA
The group met up at SM MOA on the night of August 28. Chris and I were already at the meet-up place as early as 8:00 PM. Jinyang and Mike took a flight from Cebu which arrived late, and they also got more delayed for not being able to get a taxi for about an hour. As soon as we were complete, we met Kuya Ave (our driver and guide) at the parking lot. We paid our fees and took our seats in his black Toyota Grandia van. We took off around 10:30 PM. Supposedly, we would take EDSA but it was the same night when Iglesia ni Cristo decided to camp out at Shaw. Thus, we took a different route in Manila, along Bonifacio Avenue.
It normally takes 8 hours to reach Banaue. In our case, we encountered 3 hours of traffic at Nueva Vizcaya due to a road accident. From then on, the whole itinerary shifted.
BANAUE AND ITS BEAUTIFUL RICE TERRACES
After several stops and comfort room breaks, we finally arrived in Banaue. And there it was, my first look at the famous Banaue Rice Terraces. For most of my life, I only saw pictures of this place on my Social Studies book and the old 1000-peso bill. But it was beautiful!
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
It was just a short stop at Banaue. We left and traveled another 2 hours to reach Mountain Province. The zigzag road we took was one of those scariest places to drive on any time of the day. As I looked on the left side, we were amazed by the wondrous landscape of the province, the high mountains and the lush forests. But as I tried to look down, I got that feeling of being on top of a building. It wasn't such a good view for anyone who is scared of heights. On the right side, we saw views of the rocky and muddy slopes of the mountains and had mini heart attacks for every landslide we passed by. Unfortunately, I took no pictures of the road. Let my words explain further why it was the dizziest part of the ride.
ARRIVAL AT SAGADA
Finally, after hours and hours of enduring back pains, we arrived at Sagada. It was around noon and Kuya Ave dropped us off at Salt and Pepper Diner for us to take our lunch. After which, we checked in at Pinewood Lodge.
Since we already ran out of time, Kuya Ave decided that instead of doing the caving on that afternoon, he told us we'd do the falls trekking.
We prepared our things and took off around 2:00 PM.
THE TOPLOAD EXPERIENCE
On our way to the falls, we came across a landslide. So we had to leave the van and walk to the other end of the road. From there, a jeepney was to pick us up and bring us to the jumpoff point.
While we were waiting, we came across the idea of climbing on the top of one of the jeepneys which were parked on the side of the road. We were making fake poses while on top. Yes, fake. The jeepney was (at first) just parked.
Since our chartered jeepney was taking too long, Kuya Ave then told the driver of the jeepney (the one which we were on top of) to take us to the jumpoff. What was once a drama of riding topload ended up for real!
Other members of our tour group(Khamille, Ace and Bon) also joined us on top and we were laughing all the way with such a funny experience. Watch my sister's face. Epic! LOL
TREK TO BOMOD-OK FALLS
When we left, the weather was fine. Since we were going to a waterfalls, we all wore shorts and imagined ourselves bathing alongside the falls. We thought too that it was just like a short trek or something. Well, we were wrong.
We arrived at the jumpoff at 3:00 PM. We were given a local guide (sorry forgot her name, she was a very kind woman), and also had been briefed about the trek. As we started to descend on the concrete pavement, I realized that the falls was on the other mountain and it was FAR!
We weren't even halfway when the rain started to pour heavily. None of us brought jackets. So just imagine how colder it was. We made use of some plastic bags we brought to secure our cellphones and other valuables. Good for me, I had my waterproof Nikon Coolpix AW120 handy.
After an hour, we reached Bomod-ok Falls. And damn, it was beautiful! The tiresome trek was worth it, seemed like nothing else mattered because the cold never bothered us anyway!
SEA OF CLOUDS AT KILTEPAN PEAK
It was Day 2 of our Sagada tour. Wake up call was 5:00 AM. We left for Kiltepan Peak to watch the sunrise. The place was famous for that scene in the movie I mentioned earlier. As we walked, I imagined shouting at the top of my lungs like how it was done in the movie. But to my disappointment, there were more people in Kiltepan than those rallying in EDSA (exaggerated of course). So I just shut it and enjoyed the view.
THE DEATH-DEFYING EXPERIENCE | CAVE CONNECTION
We went back to the lodge and made ourselves ready for the Cave Connection. In my own understanding, the terms "cave connection" meant two or more caves connected as one. So as you enter one cave, you come out on another. Well I was right. But just by definition, and as to how our local guides tried to explain it during the briefing, it sounded as simple as this-- wear slippers (not our Merrell shoes), careful not to trip, stay with the group and keep your head away from the rocks. Our guides, Gian and Geefford, tried to keep it as simple as possible. They said what we are going to do will take 4 hours, and should we choose the easy route, there's another option which will only take 2 hours.
Seven of us took the 4-hour challenge. The other two took the 2 hours instead.
The adventure started at Lumiang Cave. After a short trek to its opening, we saw the burial coffins which were mostly undisturbed. Best though if they are kept that way. There's so much history in itself, making the experience more interesting.
The guides prepared the ever-dependable Petromax which served as our light source for the next 4 hours. And so the caving begins...
As we started to descend on the large rocks, we realized that this whole thing is not as easy as it sounds. We had to climb rocks, rapel ourselves up and down in certain points, glide against slippery walls of rocks and dive into freezing water. Too cold that according to Jinyang, it froze her nipples. And I'd say too that it was extremely difficult to pee since everything down there is basically frozen!
Words can not explain much of what we went through so we took a lot of pictures to give ourselves more memories of that epic caving experience. And again, thanks to my waterproof camera, we didn't have to worry about having it wet or frozen inside that really cold cave. And by the way, a friend of mine (Charles), already warned us a day earlier to not bring cellphones as these might get wet. Good thing we followed his advice!
Our guides were so funny that we laughed most of the time. Geefford's corny "OLRYT ROCK AND ROLL TO THE WORLD" jokes and Gian's funny expression each time he tries to carry me unto the rocks were just priceless. It made us less tense and more agile to continue and reach the end.
That was really the most difficult yet adventure-filled part of the whole weekend. I couldn't really believe how I was able to fit my large body in those tiny holes in between rocks! But not to brag, I didn't feel any of my muscles ache right after. Perhaps because I've had several climbs lately. It really helped a lot. But the sad part, my leggings got so ripped that I had almost exposed what doesn't need to be exposed! It was that intense.
Let these pictures tell you more of the difficulty level of the cave connection. I can't say more. Just this... AMAZING!
And finally, after 3 hours, we successfully made our way out on the other end, the Sumaguing Cave. Glad that we made it out an hour earlier than the usual 4 hours. Perhaps because there weren't as much people as compared during the summer. As per our guides, traffic inside the cave can even delay it up to 7 hours.
THE HANGING COFFINS OF SAGADA
We were all exhausted from the caving but Kuya Ave and our guides decided to take us directly to Echo Valley, instead of the lodge. With this, we can finish the day's itinerary and have the rest of the afternoon as our free time.
From the St. Mary's chapel, we trekked again for another 30 minutes along Echo Valley to the site of the Hanging Coffins.
THE BEST PLACE FOR A FOODIE
During our free time, we explored the town proper for great places to eat. We heard Sagada has some of the best-tasting food, and it surely didn't disappoint us.
We were able to dine in some of the restaurants near our lodge but our favorite was Yoghurt House. It's definitely a must-try!
After all the uncontrollable food intake, wherein their rice servings are as large as the plate itself, we all decided to unwind back in our lodge and had a few drinks. And thus, Team Viajero was born. In every tour, the very best part is always the one wherein we gain new friends.
At the end of the evening, one of us got so drunk (name undisclosed for privacy purposes) and vowed to treat everyone to a trip in Bohol, with matching paperworks. A contract was made and signed by each one on this table.
Looking forward to seeing all of you again soon!
LEAVING SAGADA
On our 3rd day, we checked out of our lodge and left Sagada at 7:00 AM. Initially, we were to take the same route on the way back to Manila because there was an advise that roads leading to Baguio were not passable due to landslides. But in the sudden turn of events, the weather and other conditions permitted us to go to Baguio City. We then made a sidetrip to the Strawberry Farm and other parts of the city. The trip back home went on safely. We arrived back in Manila around 9:00 PM. And this is the part when I can really say......
WE SURVIVED SAGADA!!!
* * * MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE TOUR
Here are some details of the expenses for this trip: - Tour Fee (via Viajero) = P 2,899.00 (per person) - Tour package includes round trip van transfer, 3D/2N accommodation, 2 days tour in Sagada, Side trip in Baguio, toll fee, gas, driver's meal and accommodation - All meals are under the participant's account - Local Guide at Bomod-ok Falls = P 500.oo (divided by the group) - Local Guide for the Cave Connection = P 450.00 (per person) Here are the details of our travel agency:
