Mash Up Adventures: March to May Travel and Hiking Round Up

May has come and gone and it's the start of another month! We are almost halfway through the year already! It's mind-blowing how fast time flies. In all that time, I did quite a lot and didn't have the chance to share it, coz well, life is faster than my ability to write.

Anyway, a quick round up of some of the trips that I did since Project Bohol in January and Mt. Pulag in February:

1. March - Mt. Mariveles a.k.a Tarak Ridge in Bataan

My friends from the office organized a hike to Mt. Mariveles in Bataan and I must admit that trail wise, it was much more challenging than Mt. Pulag. In my short track record of mountain climbing, Tarak Ridge is the hardest I've ever done because of the steep assault to the campsite after the Papaya River. The climb to the summit required us to scramble and really hold on to rocks, else fall off the edge. The view from the ridge was spectacular and the wind gave a good kind of chill. It was a different sort of fun too, because despite the difficult trail, the climate was more forgiving and I slept quite soundly in my tent because I didn't have to share it with 7 other people. We had a chance to also swim in the cold river when it was time to go down, so it was super refreshing and it gave us a boost to push further, even if we were dead tired from the descent. (Hello ailing knees!). A sense of achievement was had, because apparently, it's a major climb according to Pinoy mountaineer, Gideon Lasco.

Cue music: Is this the reaaaal liiiiiife? Is this just fantasyyyyyyy? Even my bangs were impressed. Nag standing ovation sa view.

Oh you know, it's just me and Jim hanging out at some rocky edge at the mountain. No biggie.

Leslie and Ronnie and the obstacle course that is the Mt. Mariveles trail

View from our camp site. Is this awesome or what?

My 40 Liter Conquer backpack. Tested if for the first time during this climb. Will give a review soon!

Papaya river! This is where we refilled our water bottles for drinking. Look ma, no tummy aches!

Group rest, coz you know, we've been at it for 3 hours already. 

View from the summit

2. April - Mt. Maculot in Batangas

My mom turned 64 last April and I remembered a conversation with her that she wanted to climb a mountain at least once in her lifetime. She hails from Cuenca, Batangas so the decision to do a day hike at Mt. Maculot made perfect sense. The Rockies were super near our house in Cuenca and my uncle knew people who could give us a tour of the mountain. I initially thought Mt. Maculot was a fairly easy climb similar to Mt. Batulao, but found out the opposite. Apparently, they created a new trail to reach the Rockies and we ended up hiking at a more difficult one. The good thing about it was that there were several buko juice stops throughout the hike, and because it was a day hike, we didn’t have a lot of stuff on our backs. I am exceptionally proud of my mom and titas though! Aged 64 and 51, defying limits and conquering the rockies, y’all! And to top it all off, my nephew Yuan at age 5 was able to do his first hike without so much as a complaint for tiredness. That boy will go places, I know it.

Hugfest with my mommy

My family being weird and mature at the same time. 

Hello Taal Lake, nice to see you!

 Color coordinated. May production number kami sa bundok, hindi lang namin kayo nainform agad.

 Scrambling up the Rockies. Nauntog ako. 

My 5 year old nephew Yuan and his boy bawang. :) This kid!

3. May – Ilocos

An awesome adventure with my best friends that took 6 years to happen. Sleeping at the beach, eating tons of awesome food, sand boarding for the first time, celebrating birthdays with family—so many memories were made in 5 days! Well this requires a different post on its own.

Photo sharing shall commence instead.

Cape Bojeador. It was being renovated at the time so we weren't able to go up.

Photo sesh against the brick wall and the distressed windows

Okay so my friends are also weird. What did you expect?

Paoay sand dunes and the super fun (yet kinda dangerous) 4x4 truck ride

Bangui Windmills! I-avail ang electric fan!

Blue Lagoon beach. It's more commercialized now, but my bandmates and I still had tons of fun here. Photos in another blog post!

It seems that every month of 2014, I have been doing a quick out of town getaway, from week long volunteer work (Bohol) to simple 2 day hikes (Pulag) and a sandwich of the weekend to visit some places I've never been to before. It’s no extraordinary feat compared to seasoned hikers and travelers, but I am thankful for these weekends that break the monotony of corporate life. I will probably always be inlove with nature and I will forever crave the outdoors. Living in the city may have strengthened this craving, because despite the convenience and the ease of daily routine in the city, I tend to appreciate life more when I'm somewhere near the mountain or the sea.

Now I can’t break that once a month streak, can I? Planning for a surf trip this June and a weekend in Mindoro in July! Can't wait!

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Mt. Pulag: The Sea of Clouds and 8-Man Tent Experience

This is a long overdue post, but I want to share my experience and a few photos from my hike to Mt. Pulag in Benguet last February. It was a last minute trip that was organized by my cousin Bea. Another cousin of mine Carlo, who came home from NYC, wanted to do something for his birthday weekend here in the Philippines. Due to the fact that the schedule wasn't flexible and Carlo only spends time in the Philippines once every two years, I was definitely up for a weekend getaway. A few emails and facebook messages later, we had booked a bus ticket going to Baguio for my first hiking adventure in 2014.

I've done a few hikes before, but I definitely do not fall into the category of seasoned hikers to say the least. The last trek that I did was Mt. Pinatubo last year, and we hardly did any physical exertion during that trip as we ended up riding the truck 80% of the time. Prior to Pinatubo, I did beginner hikes at Mt. Batulao and Mt. Gulugod Baboy in Batangas in 2010 and 2011 respectively. That pretty much sums up my track record in the mountains.

Suffice to say that Mt. Pulag intimidated me. It's the highest mountain in Luzon and the 3rd highest in the Philippines at 2,922 meters above sea level. What does that mean? Well, it means it's so high that when you're at the summit you can actually see clouds beneath you. It was an awesome thought, super mario-ing above the clouds; but when I look back at what I did while I was at the summit, I hardly moved not because of exhaustion but because it was so darn cold, I held onto Jim and my sister for body heat. More than the physical effort, the biggest challenge during the Pulag hike for me was the near-freezing temperatures at the mountain.

But I digress. Let me start from the beginning.

Bus ride date on Valentine's Day

We were supposed to take the 10PM schedule which arrives at 4:00 AM in Baguio, but the 10PM schedule was fully booked so we resorted to an earlier ride. Our group left the Victory Liner Pasay Terminal at around 7:30 PM  for Baguio on Valentine's day. Jim and I had brought the ever romantic combination of lugaw and siopao for dinner to be consumed during our 5 hour bus ride to the north. He even created a playlist with cheesy love songs that we could listen to during the ride but knowing us both, we just ended up sleeping throughout the trip. We arrived in Baguio at around 1 am and hung out at the Victory Liner terminal til 4:00 where we met up with our group, Club Travel Now. While waiting, I changed into my hiking clothes and organized my bag in a manner that would be convenient for me to get jacket and gloves when it got colder and my jelly ace/ granola bards when I needed energy. Hashtag: Takot magutom! Hihi

DENR/Visitor's Station

From Baguio, the ride to the DENR Visitor station was around 3 hours, and it was there where we got schooled by the candidly funny DENR Superintendent Emerita Abas about Mt. Pulag National Park and the rules surrounding the area and its locals. The orientation lasted for about 45 minutes because of her quips about the climbers that she encountered in all her years as a superintendent. One thing that I noticed when we were at the station was that no one from Club Travel Now was really coordinating with us. While other groups were getting acquainted with each other and having group photos we felt that we were left to ourselves. There were A LOT of visitors during that weekend--probably more than 100 climbers hitting the Ambangeg Trail had the brilliant idea of spending Valentine's day above the clouds.

(L-R) Randy, Maria, Carlo at the back, James, Me, Jim at the back, my sister Kat, and Bea

Ranger Station

It took us another 1 hour jeepney ride or so to reach the Ranger Station which is the jump off point for our trek. This is also where we had a chance to eat and do our final preparations for the climb such as restroom break and water refill. I brought 2 liters of water, some trail food e.g. jelly ace, granola bars and flat tops in my ever so reliable Jansport Backpack. At the Ranger Station, we also met the adorable sweet cheeked Kankaney/Ibaloy kids who were the inspiration for this post. I did not remember the Ranger station being too cold, but I always made sure my shell jacket and gloves were within my reach just in case it got colder during the climb.

Pretty local kids at the Ranger station

Isn't he the cutest? I wanted to hug him!

The Climb

We started walking on a paved road where jeepneys were parked and the landscape slowly changed into a dusty trail with a view of awesome greenery from below. We saw cabbage/lettuce patches, pine trees and wild flowers along the way. It was a pleasant walk on the rolling trails and I would stop once in a while to take photos. The view further changed into a mossy forest, the ground no longer dusty but covered with rocks, ferns and fallen leaves. As we did our hike, Jim and I did our usual clean up ritual: picking up trash during our trek. I love being surrounded by nature and it makes me furious to see cigarette butts and candy wrappers strewn about in some areas in the park. Mt. Pulag is considered sacred ground by its locals and is home to more than 500 species of plants including the Benguet Pine tree and 33+ species of birds. Reaching Camp 1 which was landmarked by a nipa hut, we lay on the grass, ate more trail food and rested our backs.

 I was a bit tired at this point and thinking in retrospect, I figured it was because of the following reasons:

1. I was not as fit as I had hoped. (Boo!)

2. I was ill equipped with my Jansport Backpack which did not have any provision for shifting the pack weight to my hip and chest. (Ouch!)

3. I was not used to the high altitude and was in the process of acclimating to the weather. (Brrrr..)

Just a few species of flora found at Mt. Pulag National Park

Needless to say, we continued with the climb, making sure we were properly hydrated and my group called for breaks whenever it was necessary. It was starting to get chilly after we passed Camp 1 so I started putting on my second layer of clothing. We reached two water sources between Camp 1 and 2 which was a huge relief because I almost emptied my first bottle of water during the ascent. From the second spring water source, we reached the grasslands in Camp 2 after 15-20 minutes. For future climbers, the second spring water source is a really good sign!

Campsite 2 and a Big Small Tent Issue

By the time we arrived at Campsite 2 at around 5:00 PM, there was a sea of tents already put up by other Pulag goers and we had no clue where we would set up camp. I knew then that we will not have flat ground to sleep on, as we tried to look for a decent spot to settle down. After the almost 3.5 hour hike and the decrease in temperature, all I wanted to do was find shelter where I can rest and keep warm. My sister, my cousins and I sat together at one spot and tried keep warm using our body heat while waiting for our contact from Club Travel Now to provide tents.

To give you a brief background, we paid Php3188 pesos to Club Travel Now for this trip. The payment did not include our bus tickets which costs around 450 for a one way ride. I knew prior to this trip that it was a bit expensive compared to other Pulag climb organizers, but my cousins and I figured that we needed to take the offer since February 15-16 was the only free weekend we had. Included in the package were the guide, the registration to DENR station, our meals, the jeepney ride from Baguio to Ranger Station and back as well as the tents that we would be sleeping in for the night.

Carlo turning 30 and the two most uncomfortable boys of that hour

 Imagine our surprise when our group of 8 were told that we would be sleeping in a single 4-man tent! It was hard to comprehend given that we registered beforehand, and the organizers should have known how many tents they needed to bring at the campsite. It would've been fine if it wasn't freezing cold--I would've volunteered to sleep under the stars, but given our situation, it was necessary for us to stay inside the tent to protect ourselves from the elements. We immediately asked why we were given a 4 man ten, even if they knew that we were 8 in the group. It turned out that Club Travel Now rented tents somewhere else, and their supplier did not deliver. I hated complaining about things like this, and I what you may want to call a non confrontational person, but the whole situation pissed me off. To be fair, the guides were nice and apologetic about the whole thing, but it the end, I just did not get the value for my money. Safe to say that I won't be booking any trips with Club Travel Now moving forward.

Despite the extreme discomfort because of the cold (by this time, I was already wearing a shell jacket on top of my fleece sweater on top of my long sleeved cotton shirt on top of my dry fit tee) , I was happy to be sharing that experience with my sister, 4 of my cousins, my cousin's friend, and Jim. We sat together inside the tent and bonded over our leftover trail food, some stories from our childhood and more silliness while waiting for my cousin Carlo's 30th birthday on February 16th. Big three oh at the highest peak in Luzon, I think, is a nice way to spend moving up day.

Mt. Pulag gang waiting for the sunrise

Summit and The Sea of Clouds

I hardly had any sleep that night, but we all got up at 3:30 AM for the assault to the summit. I put on another pair of socks, a bonnet, my gloves, leggings underneath my hiking pants, and 4 layers of clothing to keep myself warm. I kid you not when I say that after all that layering I was still feeling like my ears were going to fall off.

The hike to the summit took us another hour and 15 minutes. In the darkness, I saw a long line of head lamps moving towards the peak of Mt. Pulag. It was a pretty sight and a bit daunting too, because from where I was, I could see a large number people ahead of me and they kept moving up up up! It was a never ending line, I tell ya. I hardly saw anything else except for their head lights and the person walking in front of me. At one point during the assault, I felt a little breathless. The slightly steep area during the assault to the peak combined with the change in altitude caused me to feel my head and chest pound for a few minutes until we reached an area for resting. At 4:30 AM, we reached the summit and strategically searched for front row seats to the sunrise and sea of clouds.

Sitting on the grass on what felt like the top of the world, I had an epiphany: I wanted to collect mountains while I have the desire, the health and the time to do so. My track record at the mountains is not impressive, but I'm definitely excited to add more hikes to my short list. And so I added a new goal to my bucket list for 2014: I will do more hikes (at least 3-5) and spend more time with nature this year. (This prompted me to stalk follow Doc Gideon Lasco of PinoyMountaineer.com, days and weeks after the Pulag Climb and I can see myself referring to his experience for my future climbs as well).

Sea of clouds and hiker party at the summit

After a few minutes, we saw the horizon light up. A small yellow line of the sun that slowly converged with the blueness of the sky--it was like looking at the vignettes of a lomo photograph. Then I noticed the clouds, like dry ice emerging from below and I knew it was a blessed day. A mountaineer friend mentioned that some people aren't so lucky. After the whole journey to the summit, some hikers end up with just the bragging rights of hitting the summit, but not the privilege of seeing the sea of clouds. Sure you can see them in photos and yes, I can tell you the story, but they don't do justice to the experience because you had to be there and see it for yourself.

Cheesy photo op! Haha

Our Mt. Pulag via Ambangeg Trail Itinerary

Day 0
7:30 Take bus to Baguio City - Victory Liner Pasay Terminal
Note: You can take the 10 PM bus, but they ran out of seats, so we had to take the earlier schedule

Day 1
01:30 Arrive in Baguio City. Breakfast, freshen up, sleep til 4:00 AM
04:00 Meet up with climb organizers
07:00 Take chartered jeepney to DENR Station
10:00 Arrive at the Mt. Pulag National Park Visitors' Center for registration/orientation
11:30 Leave DENR for Ranger Station
12:30 ETA and lunch at Ranger Station
13:00 Start hike
15:00 Arrive in Camp 1
17:00 Arrive in Camp 2. Set up camp
19:00 Dinner at campsite; socials
21:00 Lights out

Day 2
03:30 Early morning trek to the summit
04:45 Arrival at summit
05:45 Sunrise and sea of clouds
07:00 Start descent from summit
08:00 Arrival at Camp 2 and breakfast
09:30 Break Camp and start descent to Ranger Station, freshen up/restroom break
12:00 Back at Ranger Station; Settle guide fees; jeepney descent
13:30 Back at Visitors' Center; tidy up and log out
15:00 Head back to Baguio City
18:00 ETA Baguio City. Dinner at Vizcos, get Strawberry short cake!
11:40 Head back to Manila via Victory Liner

Day 3
05:00 Back in Manila

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Psychedelic Adventures: Mt. Pinatubo Travel Diary

I was anticipating a very rigorous hike. It was my chance to jumpstart a much needed exercise regimen after the food trips that me and my friends have been getting into for the past several weeks. My college friends and I were discussing the idea of going on a day hike to Mt. Pinatubo one evening and I remember its epic eruption way back in 1991. I woke up to a white garage and I thought it was snowing! It was the second biggest volcano eruption in the 20th century, according to The National Geophysical Data Center and had caused multiple deaths in the area due to collapsing roofs and health issues. More than a decade later, Mt. Pinatubo doesn't seem very intimidating anymore. I have visited its crater in 2009, trekking through 7km of ash and stone and just last week, I had the chance to marvel at its crater for the second time.

Jim and I attended a wedding at Fernbrook Gardens the night before and I arrived home at 10 pm. Shortly after, I started preparing my things--dri fit clothes, arm sleeves and sunblock for UV protection, cap, linen pants, band aid, Jelly Ace for my trail food, a couple of bottles of water, shades, slippers, running shoes. I was to meet up with my college friends at 2:30 AM and head to Capas, Tarlac to touchbase with the Pinaykeypoint Tour Guides by 5:30 AM.

After signing the waiver forms, we were given a short introduction and what to expect on this trek. The skies weren't cooperating, and dark clouds loomed above us. I prayed that the weather won't force us to circle back to the Pinaykeypoint Headquarters before getting a glimpse of the crater. Our group was divided into two--Jim, Miwa, Chiqui and I in one 4x4 jeep while our other friends Cha, Prech, Louison and Fetz in another.

Each jeep had a Pinaykeypoint representative, a driver and a local tour guide. They involved locals in the tour as a way of providing a living to Aetas in the area. The 4x4 jeep was subjected to much tossing, and it was kind of difficult to stay still. The view was boulders and boulders of ash and stone with a bit of plant life sprouting everywhere. I remember the contrast of the scenery when I went to Mt. Pinatubo in January 2009. It was very hot and the place was so dry, I hardly saw any grass in the area. We were lucky that it's the not-so-dry season, so the ash didn't go to our eyes too much. The ride was an adventure in itself, but I was looking forward to the trek as well.










At one point there was an argument between the driver and the Pinaykeypoint representative. She was urging the driver to continue with the 4x4 ride, but the driver said we were supposed to be dropped off and start the trek. Apparently, we were still in danger of not being able to reach the crater on time because the impending rainfall. We were forced to ride the jeep all the way through the main drop off point, which was just 30-45 minutes away from the crater.

Well, so much for putting on so much SPF! Haha.

Similar to what I've done in Bohol, I started picking up trash along the way. Jim also followed suit and we collected enough to fill a small plastic bag. There were candy wrappers, cigarette butts and it infuriated me to see a Piattos wrapper squeezed between the stones beside our trail. How hard is it to carry your own trash and find a proper place to dispose of it? Hay, people.

As Jim and I were exchanging frustrated thoughts about travel ethics, my bad vibes left me for a bit when I saw the water.




I've seen this before, but it's still breathtaking.

Unlike my first visit to the crater, travelers are no longer allowed to swim in the water. The local government already implemented a law against swimming in the 300ft crater because there were a couple of death incidents just earlier this year. Hearing about the newly implemented law, I was glad that I got to swim in the crater at least once in my lifetime!


The crater also has more space to set up tents for travelers. In 2009, that beach-like area in the photo above was filled with trees and grass. We slept under the natural shade which was also a very organic way of enjoying the place. We felt like legit hikers then. Our backpacks served as our pillows and we brought our own sarongs to cover our faces while we slept. The tents were c/o Pinaykeypoint and it was still a very welcome change from the 10:30 AM heat. We had lunch after taking photos then took an afternoon nap.

After an hour and a half, we were woken up by the tour guides and signaled that it's time to go. Before heading out to our jeepneys, I stopped and took some last minute photos. I chanced upon these two Aeta kids who gamely posed for the camera. They were scrawny as hell and didn't have any slippers on but their smiles were all good vibes and sunshine.

As part of our itinerary and Pinaykeypoint's advocacy, a seedling was planted in our name at the drop off point. It gave me comfort that we were giving back something to Mother Nature after this trip. I hope that all agencies also take after Pinaykeypoint's cause and encourage travelers to take care of Mt. Pinatubo. :)

Read more about Mt. Pinatubo here and learn more about Pinaykeypoint Mt. Pinatubo Tour Packages here.

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