THE MARVELOUS MONOLITH | Mt. Pico De Loro (664+)

One weekend, I was looking for a thrill and so I decided to climb Pico. At first, I assumed I can do it solo, but perhaps being inexperienced made me have second thoughts. So I grabbed one of my personnel at work. Thanks, Louie! 

The usual routine, read about the mountain. It is important that you know more about the adventure you are going to take. In my case, I spent weeks reading these blogs over and over again, just to make sure I will be doing the right thing.

PINOYMOUNTAINEER.COM | Pico De Loro (664+)

MR. BRATPACKER | Pico De Loro (Traverse)

MAY 30, 2015 -- Louie and I left for Coastal Mall at 4:30 AM. We road a bus to Maragondon, Cavite. Just tell the bus driver to drop you off at the tricycle terminal which will then take you to the jump-off. The tricycle ride took around 30-40 minutes. At the Ternate jump-off (DENR Station), you can find a local carenderia which serves good food. They can also prepare your packed lunch. However, you'd have to expect higher prices. It even made me wish I just had bought a Jollibee meal instead while we were still in Manila. Anyway, no choice. 

We started the climb around 8:45 AM. We took the New Trail since the old one was no longer available. The trail goes through a vast forest. An indication that you are nearing the summit is the presence of bamboo trees everywhere. This is where the camp site is located. From there, you can see a great view of the famous Parrot's Beak and the Monolith. 

We arrived at the summit around noon. It was a panorama of the province of Cavite and the lovely coves of Ternate. Just as we settled at the summit, I witnessed a wedding proposal. Congrats to this lovely couple!

We spent an hour at the summit. It took a while before I decided to climb the monolith. And just as I decided to line up, the rain poured really hard. There were too many lining up to climb the famous rock formation. Finally, I decided not to climb the monolith. The slippery rock was too scary for me. Some other time, I guess. The view itself was enough.

At the summit, there were teenagers who offered as trail guides for the traverse trail to Nasugbu. Thing is, I ran out of cash. According to them, if I go back to Ternate, I can't find an ATM machine there. So he suggested to take the traverse and head for Nasugbu. We figured that maybe he was right, so I took him as a guide and made the descent through the traverse trail. It took us another two hours under the rain. Finally, we arrived at the base and a trike took us to Nasugbu for P500. From there, we took a bus back to Manila.

To summarize our itinerary and expenditures (good for two):

4:30 AM - Left for Coastal Mall | taxi | P150
5:30 AM - Bus left for Maragondon | P160
7:00 AM - Arrived at Maragondon | Tricycle to Ternate Jump-Off | P300
7:45 AM - Breakfast near DENR Station | Bought lunch also | P600
8:45 AM - Registered at DENR Station | Started trek to summit | P40
11:00 AM - Arrived at campsite | Picture taking
11:40 AM - Arrived at the summit
1:30 AM - Started descent via Traverse to Nasugbu | P500 for guide
3:00 PM - Arrived at DENR Station | Logged out | Tricycle to Nasugbu | P500
3:45 PM - Arrived at Nasugbu
4:30 PM - Left for Manila | P200
8:00 PM - Arrived at Manila

All of these will be made cheaper if you go with a group of at least four.

Here are some of the pictures I took at Mt. Pico De Loro.

THE SPLENDID SIDETRIP | Zambales

This is Day 2 of my weekend after conquering Mt. Pinatubo.

For a whole day at Mt. Pinatubo with no signal, my hands were itching to open my phone browser and search for nearby places to visit. Since I had the whole weekend off, I might as well make the most of it. The idea of dropping by at Subic was an initial plan, but I wanted something else-- a place where I have never been to. A few weeks back, some friends were telling me about the many coves in that area. That actually sparked up my interest. So Zambales it is. Without a doubt, it was a very good choice!

While nearing the Pinatubo jump-off, I was relieved to see a signal from Globe. I quickly opened Google Maps and zoomed in on Tarlac... then on Zambales. I tried to figure out the nearest terminal. As soon as the bus left Capas, I told our guide to drop me off where I can catch a ride to Dau Terminal in Malacabac. He did just that.

From Dau, I took a van going to Olongapo. I assumed the ride was quicker than taking the bus. I arrived at their Olongapo terminal around 4:oo PM. I figured that I still had time to go directly to San Antonio, Zambales rather than staying overnight in Olongapo. So I took a local bus to San Antonio. From the main road, a tricycle took me to Nora's Beach Resort in Pundaquit. 

The next morning, I rented a boat at P2,500 which took me to Nagsasa Cove, Anawangin Cove and Capones Island. I skipped Camara Island since I had to leave Pundaquit by 3:00 PM in order to catch the late afternoon bus back to Manila. I only had a day for Zambales and doing an overnight was not an option. The big waves also got me dizzy. I'm not quite a beach person, sad to say.

I really forgot most of the rates on that trip already. But you can read here for more ideas on how to do a solo trip to Zambales. Rates may vary though. 

THEPINAYSOLOBACKPACKER.COM | Zambales

Here are the beautiful pictures I got on that amazing sidetrip. Jumpshots galore. Everything was just SPLENDID!

Nagsasa Cove

Anawangin Cove

Capones Island

THE PICTURESQUE PINATUBO | Mt. Pinatubo Crater Lake (960+)

I'm not really one of those hardcore mountaineers. One, I started this passion really late. Just this year though. And second, I'm just one of those weekend warriors who make the most of a weekend after a tiresome week at work. I work and live in a hotel as their project engineer. 80% of the time, I am confined to the four corners of the building and I hardly breathe fresh air. So once I get the chance to unwind, I always choose to explore the beautiful places of this side of the country.

I am a proud Boholana, born and raised in the famous island of the Chocolate Hills. All my life, I have taken pride in that wonderful wonder of nature. The moment I got the chance to work outside the province, I have always had that urge to take on random adventures. And besides, I am also a single mother of one. While working away from my daughter, I need all the other possible reasons to smile instead of being so melancholic about homesickness.

Anyhow, this is quite a late post. But I've decided to do a blog about my experience in Mt. Pinatubo (960+ MASL) since it was one of those really amazing places I have been to.  It's like looking at a postcard or something. The pictures turned out so well that there was absolutely no need to edit anything.

All pictures taken with my Nikon Coolpix AW120 camera.

You can always go on a trip to Mt. Pinatubo through any of those travel agencies on the internet. The whole trip will cost you around P1,200 to P1,600. In my case, I stumbled upon an offer by one of them to join their Public Tour. It was also the same time when KathNiel made the line "A BEAUTIFUL DISASTER" so famous. I actually wanted to do my own version of it. Oh well, I did!

Read more about Mt. Pinatubo here:
PINOYMOUNTAINEER.COM | Mt. Pinatubo (960+)

The meeting place was in Ortigas at 2:00 AM. The guide provided the group with an ID, waiver and all the needed instructions along the way. We left for Capas, Tarlac at 4:00 AM. We arrived at the jump-off at around 5:30 AM. The guide took around 30 minutes to arrange our 4x4 rides. I was assigned to ride jeep #8 with four other passengers.

The off-road ride began at 6:00 AM. That time, I read less about what to expect on that trip. I underestimated the weather. The ride was extremely cold! I had to regret why I wore shorts and outdoor slippers. My Uniqlo jacket didn't even keep me warm at all. 

Despite the dust and cold weather, the view along the way was too beautiful to ignore. For an exhausting two hours, you will be in awe with the unbelievable landscape of volcanic sand, clear streams of fresh water and a palette of rocks in various colors. 

We were given a choice if we wanted to trek a trail a few kilometers away from the mountain's base or at the base itself. The five of us on the jeep decided to go directly to the base. From there, the trek took us an actual 40 minutes to get to the crater, not the 20 minutes which the signboard said. Of course, you should expect a lot of picture-taking while on the trail. I was mostly amazed at the stream and the colorful rocks everywhere -- yellow, red, gray and light green. The rocks were like crystals which glittered under the sun. 

There was that sense of excitement in me while I knew I was almost at the crater summit. And then... there it was. One word: BREATHTAKING!

It's that one moment when you wished your whole family could see what you were seeing, that same moment when I imagined my daughter uttering "WOW"...

We were given an hour to bask under the sun and cherish this wonderful view. A concrete staircase will lead you nearest to the crater. At that time, a signboard said it was not allowed to go swimming in the lake. Well good for me, I don't swim. So I consumed most of my time mastering my jumpshots.

Take note. No shouting please. Noise can cause soil erosion!

We started our descent at around noon. It was important to be back at the jump-off before 3:00 PM since rainfall was normally expected in the afternoons. After the trek to the base, we were back in our 4x4 vehicle. This time, it was extremely hot. For another two hours, we breathed in dust and stared at light gray walls of volcanic ash.

We arrived at the jump-off around 4:00 PM. The travel guide gave us our individual Certificate of Conquest. After which, the bus left for Manila.  

And since I was already at Tarlac area, a sudden idea of doing a side trip to Zambales came up. That's another story to tell. Thus, making that weekend another feat for an adventurous weekend warrior!

Day 2 here: The Splendid Sidetrip | Zambales