Mt Romelo..a decade after...

April 18, 2013

Sometime in April i receive an invite for a dayhike to Mt. Romelo. I said to myself It had to happen sometime, and it seems to be starting to happen now soon. I remember the last time i've been to famy ( this is what they call this place before ), and checking the net for famy now my once favorite ‘secret’ spot in the Laguna area is gradually becoming known. Romelo's waterfall in Siniloan is the perfect destination for a hike during a boiling hot Thursday in April, as the only way to it involves a short but fun hike to Mt. Romelo and with three (yes three! Buruwisan, Batya-batya and sampaloc ) waterfalls waiting, and this place never fails to enchant me.

The seasonal nature of Romelo's series of famous waterfall never ceases to surprise visitors, many of whom have been known to inquire earnestly.  “But where is Romelo's Falls?” This waterfall is dry during summer and a roaring cascade in during rainy season.So, if you want to see it in action, it’s best to come back in the rainy months.

Well, doing a dayhike is good for Mt. Romelo, there’s now a sign marking the all-important, turn off to the falls, the trail itself is much more obvious, due to mass hikers walking this way now (daanan din ito ng kabayo ! :) ). Jc , jackie is joining me in this trip and its been months pass since our last adventure.

Our short hike started at 10 am and we reach the campsite at 1 pm (napakadaming naming stop pver.. punong-puno ng buko tiyan nmn ) . We cross a mildly dense forest and after that besides some coconut fields, then we again hit the forest, this time pretty dense.Humidity is at its peak and temperature is 36C.  We reach the campsite at 1 PM, i expect so much from this place and remembering my first trip to this place the waterfalls is attractive and this one is no exception (maybe).

To my surprise the first thing i notice is too much garbage on the campsite.Why is this trash found throughout the campsite ? plastics of different kinds can be found from upstream .

If your not satisfied with buruwisan , as if this wasn’t enough another two beautiful waterfalls lie on the same stream, one above and one a kilometer or two upstream, and the three can be connected by a cool and extremely fun river trace ( pampalubag loob).

Next thing we did is we went upstream all the way to batya-batya falls. But everything has change already, the once majestic beauty of romelo is now gone. Too much disappointment so we decided to go home rightaway. 

We saw more trash on our way down, and complained a little less about it, as it seemed like a fair prize to romelo's 5 minutes of fame. and , Even in rainy season when the cascades roar if hikers dont do their duties eventually romelo's beauty will be gone forever..

The Rice terraces Cluster

Who would have thought that someone’s life could change in just one week? Well, mine did .I went on a 1 week trip to BANAUE alone with just a little information of the place. I traveled all over cordillera region, from nueva vizcaya, solano,bayombong,  dupax del sur to banaue, batad, mayoyao, hapao, then bontoc. I visited places I only usually see on the television screen. I even climb the 412 steps on the world famous batad rice terraces. I truly enjoyed visiting the rice terraces cluster. That visit was very educational and interesting, especially when I finally got to see the most famous rice terraces, the one i dreamed to visit after seeing it in textbooks wayback my elemntary days.This once in a lifetime trip changed my life for the better in only 1 week.

Stairway to heaven : Amazing Batad

It was almost 5 years ago when I first visited Banaue just to look around. I was immediately fascinated with the place and the enchanting views it offers.

I vowed to myself that I shall return to Banaue and Batad and be on of those that can proudly say “I was there”. This self-commitment was achieved last March 2013 when i return to Banaue and Batad.

Though I usually hike with a group, I know that hiking Banaue/Batad was more of an experience to be shared with friends or colleagues.But , i decided to do it alone.

Arriving at around 5:45 am at Banaue, the climate was a mixture of fog and light rain but not as bad as what i have anticipated (my first trip in 2009 is unsuccessful because of heavy rains in banaue), the mountain was still visible enough for day trip visitors to photograph. I knew that i still have plenty of time to waste before i start my trip to Batad because the public jeepney leaves at 1 pm, so i had breakfast at people's lodge (remembering my breakfast in 2009 at the same restaurant), roamed around, and i meet this group of french students (2 girls and 1 boy) who is looking for some tourists who can joined them in renting a jeepney privately so they dont need to wait for 1 pm departure for Batad.

Cagbalete 2013 in pictures

Arriving right before sunset, I was happy to be back in Cagbalete.  There were handful of tourists guesthouses already. 

Cagbalete become popular already, but I was happy to see that the sand looked exactly the same as the photos I have wayback 2010.The only down side to being a famous destination is the crowds that flock to cagbalete.

I , together with Taloloy, Rowena, kenneth, Jo and Josh walked around to the east side of the island to get a better view of the sunset. We walked through a line of pine trees until we reach the best part of the island.

For me, the beach front after Pansacola resort is the major selling point of cagbalete. This is without a doubt the most stunning part because the stunningly blue waters and white powdery sands is at this point. 

For the time being however, cagbalete is still available –but for a price.

Chasing Waterfalls Series : Amazing Tappiyya Falls

"Life is a waterfall, we’re one in the river, one again after the fall."

There are several ways to explore Batad and in particular the Tappiyya falls. You can trek for 2 hours going to the famous waterfalls.The surrounding environment of the falls is covered in a dense jungle, (the hike is bearable though i have some struggles reaching it) and it is the best way to experience the beauty and marvelous nature of the Tappiyya falls.

There are several travel companies that offer travel packages to this destination. In addition, in the recent years several camps and accommodation facilities have been established within the waterfalls, however as of  February 2014 the projects were stop.

In my mind while trekking going to the falls, getting to Tappiyya falls was not easy by any stretch of imagination.

Even though there was enough infrastructure (the man made stairs) to make the falls accessible to nature lovers without unreasonably risking lives, i still had to spend a more effort, and time to finally lay my eyes on this amazing and mystical waterfall. But mind you  the scene is breathtaking, surreal, and larger than life.

To give you an idea of the trekking involved, i've broken down my experience below.

*my trek started from Ramon's Homestay and restaurant, from Ramon's Homestay the views of the mountain trail is visible, i was told it was a short, easy walk to the falls.That wasn’t too far from the truth.
*up,up,up i climb , one step at a time, the views from above is a lush, diverse scenery of the mountains.Just a few steps from the trail , is a cliff and it will change you forever for a single wrong step.
*I stayed right behind my guide for the first hour. Over some huge rocks, through streams, water canals and hovering over rocks, I held my own.The way that i maneuvered the treacherous rocks, was amazing.
*up and down the narrow terraces i went, passing by clusters of small native ifugao houses and seeing some old native women in their ifugao customes ( walang pang itaas).
*reaching halfway of the trek signify an easy trek going down the falls but mind you going back is a big trouble.
*Descent, of course, is undoubtedly more easy but i still need to take every step with utmost precaution.
*I take a lot of pictures, but i know that there is no way for me to capture the glory and impossibility of it all. Sitting on the edge of the cliff, hearing the noise of tappiyya falls, I feel a profound sense of awe, wonder, and humility.
*going down the waterfalls and seeing the glorious view of the falls clearly is a pretty special experience, one i'll never forget.
*The water from the falls is a little bit colder but its really clear and its was surrounded by nestle panoramic valley
*This is the absolute best falls Ive ever been to yet- the trek to it is a must - the one i did was somewhere from 2.5 to 4 hours maximum but it was quite muddy, humid and at times tricky.
*going back to Ramon's Homestay is a different story ( naubos ang pasensya ko). The walk going back is tough. Very steep back up the steps.

Waterfall Information 

Name: Tappiyya Falls
Starting point: Batad Saddle
Getting to the Falls:The hike down (2 hours) and up (3 hours) to the falls is very challenging but it is sure worth it
Hiking Technique: Difficult

Writing about something more fascinating is difficult, my stay with Batad was one of my best experiences in my life.

If this has tickled your travel taste buds for a true adventure, then go for it – before the rest of the world discover it.