Zipline @ Tagaytay

subtle ride...

a new way to view the

famed taal lake>

:)))

Picturesque Batulao Took me Peak after Peak

this post was a week overdue since we were up this helm 28th of march.. and yet after more than a week, i can still feel the gruelling midday heat that we tried and victored on..

we took the new trail up and unlike the previous mountains that we hiked, this one took us through 10 peaks, some just couple of meters from the ascending point. but the sun at 2pm did exhaust us more than anything. and after i lost count of all the stops that we had, and when i started to feel my legs crumbling under me due to strains of ascent and descent, i was rewarded with the most scenic mountain silhouette this part of luzon.

on the peak, i could make the outline of the taal lake, taal volcano, nearby batangas mountains and the outlying towns. being on the summit without cover by 4pm was a sweating retreat. i basked under the sun, had a grab of a clubhouse sandwich we packed and took my nap.


an hour later, we decided to go down the old trail where the initial descent was steep. steep. steep. whereby on the new trail was marked by peaks, the old was marked with camps. I could say that this mountain had been taken care of well and good. each camp was marked by a rock under a talisay tree. and upon reaching the first camp, indeed it was the best-maintained and cleanest campsite i’d been to.

Much as i want to dwell and stay overnyt, this was not an option. I had work eary the next day, and for the first time i experienced a night hike. i forgot all about my aching limbs, for the moment, for the coward in me began imagining things. In the dark…
don’t be threatened by the foolish me though, this mountain is adaptable for night hike especially with full moon.

unexercised fellows like me however, got a dose of my own medicine. with the help of two tablets of alaxan, life did move on.


to get there:
from Alabang:
airconditioned van to tagaytay: 65.00 (1.5hr)
tagaytay to evercrest- batulao : 23.00 (30minutes)
evercrest to jump-off- tryke: 80.00-100.00
hiking fee new and old trail : 20.00 each
freshen up at the sarisari store in front of evercrest for 20.00
(new trail takes less time but if staying overnyt, the old trail has charming camp1)

alternate route:
take a nasugbu bound bus and alight at evercrest.

Random Hike - Bundok ng Mag-asawang Bato

We were having refreshments and supplies from the nearest store on the afternoon after we climbed down from Mag-asawang Bato when an ex-counselor of Tingloy approached us and introduced himself. He gathered we were the ones camping by the beach. Although the place is generally safe, he obliged himself to let us know that if need be, we can come to him for any assistance.

during the course of the conversation, he managed to share with us bits and pieces of the mountain. according to him, the last time he trekked up was when the town-council agreed to look into a proposal to put shades on the track and rehabilitate some areas. We agreed that would be a good idea granted that these shades blend into the environment otherwise it will just ruin the setting. Not everyone would be happy about that come holy week when some locals hike to adhere to a yearly pilgrimage. Also he said that there were actually three not two giant rocks coupling on the peak (which we had previously noticed when we summitted- so it's not really a mag-asawa, is it?).
What escaped us though was the giant clam shell (kima) underneath these rocks. A huge shell up about 600MASL, now that is interesting.
What happened in this town years, maybe centuries ago may likely caused this. Tsunami?

That thought can send shivers camping on the beach. not for us though. We had a nice three hours trotting up and down that mountain, and about the same time swimming. you can only guess how far we had already drifted to sleep before we could even be bothered.

on the other hand: i still think it's unfair that while i was panting during the hike, JR, 11-year old boy who was newly-circumcized- and i mean newly, was running around the bushes like he was in the park...

1st link: Camping on Masasa Beach, Tingloy

Tingloy Island - A Humble Rural Town

Christmas and two weeks holiday...
A wanderer that i am i felt i had to go, leave the city, and enjoy the year-end outdoors. But i don't have such a privilege. My work needs me when at least most of our "kababayans" are out for the holidays.. Sigh, sigh, sigh.. I have plans ahead of me but for now, i shall content myself to go back to the place worthy of one's return. Only a few seconds into the photos, i feel i was gifted to have been to one humble town where simplicity is the way of life...
Maricaban island- "where part of Marina teleserye was shot, where beautiful white sand beaches lie in wait for the nomad's soul". i'm no Marina fan but i was in search for respite and surely one unpopulated beach would have cured my then weary soul. And the mountain too was a welcome hike.

On sunday morning, we set out for the Maricaban Island. It was a gift for my birthday. The anticipation was more exciting than opening a present. All-in-all it was a five-hour ride including the stop at Balagtas, Batangas city for a quick bulalo. yumm. (the popular place is where you see two large cauldrons steaming on the road towards the town's port).

On to Lipa city, where we transferred to a puj going Anilao, Mabini. To a port where the passengers know everybody else. While waiting for the boat to fill up, we felt like intruders. Though that welcomed a different kind of fun. Adventure perhaps. Everybody had themselves picked up by locals, some walked to nearby houses.We came ready to camp but where here was the Maricaban's famous beach and the low-key mountain called MAG-ASAWANG BATO? And where under this midday sun is the restroom?

First inquiry solicited a disheartening response- "no, Maricaban is unaccessible by tricycle. two mountains or a boat will tackle such course." The second one elated us. MAg-asawang Bato jump-off can be reached through tryke.


Slowly, the town had as calmed. at times, i wondered how drivers here were able to gp past through one-way narrow streets sometimes even unpaved. We already learned that Maricaban, with the famous beach is on the other side of the island and we are in Brgy. San Juan. I felt connected here so maybe Brgy. Maricaban will have to wait.

The Bundok ng Mag-Asawang Bato like the town was a little mountain with its own story. And after trying to hike the first half- and taking lunch uphill, we decided to check-out the beach. We camped on one of the shades. the only facility near us was a fresh-water well about 200m from the shore. We met new friends, young children who frequented the shore. The kids were sun-burnt, their laughters so much warmer than the light. it was them, the twins, and their older brother RR, their young lady pals, their neighbor JR, who made camping so much more comfortable and lively. they helped us start our fire and cooked two different variety of pasta meals (one with meatloaf, the other with tuna) which we feasted on. it was a hit with them. we also cooked fresh squids and galunggong i bought from mr. fisherman. and of course, they helped me pick the prettiest of the shells..

Two days of pure delight, playfullness, endless swimming, and repose during the night. the sea was clear, the seawall behind are black as hawk, the white sand was rich with shells, i can hardly say goodbye.

it was such a joyful place. It was the Masasa Beach. in the town of Tingloy.
the locals return. who am i to say no?


1st link: Random Hike- Bundok ng Mag-asawang Bato, Tingloy

Best Bulalo @ Jake's Grill

Since my sixth grade @ Naty's restaurant in Famy, Laguna, i had set my standards for my bulalo- none of the sweet and artificial flavors both of vegetables and seasoning, just the plain goodness of natural beef broth with tiny little beef fats to melt in my mouth.


It took me 14 years before another Bulalo impressed and indulged my taste buds.

Jake's Grill was well-situated near the town terminal of Lipa City (in front of Robinson's and Shakey's). The place was aptly named since they specialize on anything grilled and if you're lucky, serves specialty seafood like blue marlin. Could have taken them if only i was not craving for bulalo. And i was not disappointed.

At 165.00 per serving (good for 2-3pax), i think they deserve all the loyal customers that patronize them. Not only was the food inexpensive, it was impressively tasteful. The place has both air-conditioned and smoking areas. They also serve beers at a very affordable price. Yummy!

St. Isidore Parish Church (Cuenca, Batangas)

After the successful overnight climb at Mt. Maculot, we find our way towards the town parish where a wedding was to take place that afternoon. And if the mountain is the town's shield from the nature's forces, the St. Isidore Parish is the testament to the unwavering faith of the local folks.

Mass Time:
Sun: 4, 5:30, 7, 8:30 PM ; Mon, Tue, Thursday - Sat: 5:30 AM Wed: 4:30, 5:30 AM

Mt. Maculot (+ the Rockies) Revisited

this mountain is Ecology's Club adoptee, a high school club where i was a member, and the first time they brought us here, i enjoyed the bonding of the group more than i appreciated the oneness of nature with us. After 11 years, i finally came back. there was a kick in me aside from the excitement. it was an awareness of how connected we are to the environment and how we live coindependently.

Mt. Maculot (830MASL) is a fairly easy hike, with moderate ascents except for the hot cogon area up before the shoulder. With well-threaded paths and easily identifiable markers, this mountain is witness to many mountaineer wannabes' initiation, it being safe for beginners even on a night climb.


The hike began with registration at the brgy post, then at the mountaineers store for last minute buys, then through a dirt road. It was actually a leisure climb. Along the path were many resting stops, some just poles placed atop small branches, and others complete with make-shift tables which I had of course taken advantage of.

Of the highlights of every Maculot climb is the superb vista on the ROCKIES (635 MASL). From the campsite on the shoulder it was only 10-15 minutes toward these rocky hill, but beware since the slope was steep and the rocks were hard to navigate. Once you got here, you will be taken by the scenic and breathtaking Taal Lake protecting the tiny Taal Volcano.


To get here:
1.Take the Lemery-bound bus from Cubao (Php 150) on to Cuenca Municipal Hall or a Bus to Lipa (Php 130) then to a jeepney from lipa on to Cuenca (Php 30)
2.Take a tricycle from Cuenca Municipal Hall to the registration post then to jump-off (Php30)
Others:
there is a mini sari-sari store on the campsite by the shoulder were you can have one 1.5L coke ice-cold at (Php90), sadly, the trash were not managed properly and you can see candy and snack wrappers all around the area.

"TAKE NOTHING BUT PICTURES, LEAVE NOTHING BUT FOOTPRINTS, KILL NOTHING BUT TIME." Practice leave no trace policy, we all want to enjoy nature. Don't be selfish with the coming generations, do not abuse our environment.

The Tale of Lost Diners ( Kainan sa Dalampasigan, Nasugbu Batangas)

a sample of owner's investment to give this place a unique appeal and its guests something to talk over while enjoying the house specialty recipe of tanigue)

I fell in love with the motiff, looked really enchanting with those vines, fountains. And added to its favor is the proximity to the beach.. ooohh dat has taken me of course.i said, one day i'l dine here. and so i did. and the experience was more than unforgettable.

We actually toured the coastline of batangas!! talkin bout love of food and beaches!

We started from a bus from Alabang, and a jeepney towards Lemery. After two more jeepney stops and four hours later we did after all reach the town(Balayan) that would bring us to Nasugbu in another hour. (mind you we were still lucky at that coz we actually beat the last trip!)


By the time we arrived, we were hungry so we headed for the restaurant in the heart of the town, Kainan Sa Dalampasigan. The placed seemed to cater to a wedding just that afternoon and the fountain ain’t got a drop of water but yes the place was very unique and the crawling plants were all over the place including the pillars which we thought were purposely built for them. We had a filling meal of kare-kare . The food was homey although by this time we were so tired to truly appreciate the taste.I couldn’t tell much about the beauty of the place similar to the raves, though the restrooms were designed to make it look quaint and old yet neat.

My immediate need right after i was able to fill in the hunger was to set my weary foot in the sand and to ease the worries of the travellers in us. I thirst for the sea. and the beach which we thought was just footprints away is actually about 300m far along.( or was that more?)

I have always love the feel of the sand on the sole of my feet, the chill of the breeze of the sea and the saltiness of the air round me. The night is dim, cloudy and wouldn’t show us all of the constellation, but it was enough to see the shadow of the stillness of the water beyond me. The silence, the peace, you know what it can do. I found myself reflecting. this day had been a cluster of emotions, and i embraced the faults and victory of this day..

and so the journey had to go on. The last trip was 8pm and we’re an hour late. what did we do in this ungodly hour in a province where people sleep after only the 7th hour passed noon? we hired and bargained with two separate tricycles so we could reach the junction separating lian from nasugbu, where manila-bound vehicles pass. and there waited for our last ride.. at past 10pm and after a couple of not so fun thought (actually scary) of being in the darkness of this foreboding road, two man-angels in a jeepney full of sacks of variety of fishes stopped to give us a hitch.. I couldn’t give enough tale of that experience, seated beside the driver, talking just about anything, with the stench of the fish all around us. It was a long uncomfortable ride thru rosario cavite but it was uncomfortably fun. I forgot the names of these two people but the ride which took more than an hour, though physically numbing is very memorable.

Someone, hand me a map please!

Pico de Loro Traverse (Batangas and Cavite)

My first official mountain climb is the PICO DE LORO along the borders of cavite and batangas. The mountain is level II, just about 664 MASL. Minimum day required is 1day, maximum of 2days.

To give you a little history, this mountain is said to be the look-out point during the japanese occupation and during the 2nd world war. Being the highest point in the province of cavite, this served the military purpose.The name is said to originate from the way it resembles, a parrot's beak. With its proximity to manila, it is among the most acccessible mountains to climb and with the government already doing their part in making this an eco-tourism destination, this mountain is gaining its glory.



I accidentally browsed thru the net and came to read one mountaineer's experience in traversing this mountain. It aroused my interest that from its summit, it offers a 360 view. Including a fantastic sunset on south china sea. I thought if i could climb this, it will be my 1st experience of a mountain sunset. I only had three days planning, and mostly it was of making itinerary. It was discouraging that i did not have any experience with mountains except that during my high school days i once went to hike up Mt. Maculot. Also, I doubted my stamina since i had fairly limited exercise.

Yet, I was encouraged to face this fear of unknown and explore a new environment. Moreover, I decided i would want a traverse. To travel on foot from one province to another felt like im going way back to living like how it was a century before.

And it happened. On friday morning, i buckled my bag and went to Zapote to ride a bus going ternate cavite, This was where we are going to ride a tricycle that would bring us to the jump-off point. Manong driver was more than helpful with our last-minute prep for the climb. When he dropped us in the magnet road he even advised us to follow the red-marked trees. (However, time might have erased this coz the only marked tree we saw was the one he pointed out).


The first leg of the climb was fairly easy and about 35 minutes into the trek, we reached the first basecamp with the kubo.We ate lunch here and replenished water since this is the only water source along the way. By 130pm, we resumed our climb. The last leg was supposed t o be 2hrs but we did it very leisurely stopping from time to time and making a break on a little waterfall for refreshing. The water was a welcome sight after all the sweat.


After which we passed thru 2 wooden fences ( a private property there) and a couple of Plant-a-tree projects. (Thanks to those advocates who fights for our environment.) About an hour later we came to a fork (The other trail was going to the mother of our tiny falls.) It was steep ascent after and by that time I was already hearing the beat of my heart drumming my ears. The fruit of no exercise there, we had stop a couple more times and by eternity, we finally came to the camp among the bamboos. Exploring further, we came to another campsite on the cliff. It was breezy and already, the view here was beautiful.


It was another 20 minutes steep climb toward the peak and it was all worth it. We got to get a glipmse of the the magnificent view. IT WAS SURREAL. The huge monolith on the south was really dramatic. I knew this climb had made an impact in me and i knew that this was not the only mountain id ever climb. In my 25 years, I felt fullfillment in experiencing the great creation around me. To my papa, i Knew he was up there looking at me and i knew he was also happy in sharing the joy i felt at that moment.


I had not seen the sunset though, the fog was thick and the air was already chilly. We decided to advance down toward the outcrop on the other side and I felt like doing a cliffhanger. After a couple of picture taking, we went back up the peak and down to the campsite on the cliff and pitched our tent. We camped overnight and i was scared and excited. The fear grew more as the night went deeper, and we had early lights out afraid that the mountain will reveal us to its dangerous allies.

The next morning we woke up to the mount-chattering cold and ate our breakfast of crackers and in can. We started to pack for traverse 830 am and by 9am we were already climbing the peak again. We stayed an hour here waiting for the fog to clear a bit. I got a view of a ship leaving the dock in manila. The view here commanded of the caraballo mountains on the north, the maragondon town on the east, nasugbu on the south and the south china sea on the west. I took the time for photos, and one last look.


By 1030 am, we were already on our way down to a remote brgy of nasugbu. We thought descent was going to be easy, but it was even harder than the climb. The dried bamboo leaves were slippery and the trail was obscured by vines, and bamboo growth. We hardly talked during the whole time of descent except when we asked if we were still on the trail. At one time, we lost our way and backtracked. What made it even harder was we were running out of water and our legs were already crumbling. We knew we were nearing our destination when we heard vehicles. But at that time we thought we can no longer make it and we were deciding to make a long rest, but we saw one reflecting light in between trees and leaves. I felt so relieved to see that it was the road and craved for liquid. we had no water by this time and i could gulp the whole sea if someone did just bring it on.


But again, when we were nearing the limit of our human strength, SOMEONE is always providing us. Just beside the road we saw this little spring of water which refreshed us. WE stayed here a bit longer before we walked and hitched a van along the way. the group of teenagers were again another blessing. The 14-yr old driver agreed on 300 bucks to drive us to nasugbu town proper. From there we went to a resort and swim and enjoyed the waters like we never did.

Looking back on that mountain, I was overwhelmed. I can not believe still that I did it yet. but God is Great and He provided us what we need all along. It was my 1st and it was heartwarming.

Chaperoning My Nephew

The itinerary covered chips delight(laguna), apolinario mabini shrine (batangas), bluroze farm (lipa, batangas), and gardenia (laguna).

As fate would have it, at 6:00 am I was abound bus #12 with my pamangkin and his bus group of grade II, III, VI students, four teachers and 10 companions. Being the first for him, I saw him eagerly on watch and keen on pointing me places familiar to him.

1st stop:

Chips delight Laguna. upon reaching the first leg of this trip, Ms Kay the tour facilitator gave us briefing and then the students were given each a white hair net and ushered to the tour site to get a glimpse of how their "favorite snacks were made". We were initially informed that we were not allowed to tour and were directed to the kiosk which sells their product at discounted prices. (got to buy there a pasalubong for the twins).

2.The Apolinario Mabini Shrine

My role here was to take pics and to take care of my nephew, but since this was his first, he was so scared of being left by our bus. he kept reminding me its #12. So when I said pause for a pic and smile, he ran toward the classmates.

This place is small but it houses a couple of mabini memorabilia and a hut which is a replica of his original. there is a lifesize statue and a couple of paintings which relates his life as our hero.

3. Bluroze Farm

This i loved the most. The place is an excellent team-building setting with its wide selection of activities. We took our lunch there, then proceeded to our tour. we were rounded (all the trippers, a couple of hundreds participants) and were shown the place highlights. we were first let out to see the bird varieties, bats, monkeys. Then we passed thru a garden that housed lifesize saint icons, then thru the biking area, the huge snake and ostriches. There were also wild boars, and sheeps. (my pamangkin and my 1st time to see them). We were then guided to the deck area, however the kids were not allowed to went up the steps. Then we went to the maze (like that you saw in harry potter 4 where harry nd cedric find the portkey, only it was smaller) and find our way out. The trick, we walked on all fours and glided thru a make-shift tree-trunk tunnel. Whew!

I was amazed and of course curious as to what to see up in the viewing area. The first chance I got when we were given time to relax after the exhausting walk-around, i settled my nephew in the bus and went to see what's up.. Haha. I understood why the children were not allowed there since the steps were not concrete, and it was a possibility that they will slip in between the flights. There are 6 flights, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9 steps consecutively then another 4 steps and 9 then voila! u get a 360 view of the surrounding mountains of lipa city. I did want to stay there longer but there were lovebirds before me and well, i left the place to them.


4. the Gardenia

Last stop for us was the very efficient and organized tasty making and packing company. the tour area was very neat (showing how they have really prepared themselves to this kind of informative tour, and to their potential investors). there is also an area to have souvenir photos taken. however i had already been battery-emptied since we left the farm. So what lingered was the softness and the aroma of the newly baked breads they gave us for free taste. And it was really delicious, yup the commercial is right, no spreads needed. Yummy.

In conclusion, im glad i did become my nephews chaperone today. Im grateful to witness such childish joys and innocence and curiosity. To be a part of his journey on that day, guiding and sharing with him his fears and taking part in his happiness is a fulfillment in itself.