It’s not goodbye but au revoir - Mt.Makiling Traverse

Completing Mount Makiling traverse was always going to happen.When I am determined, dedicated and driven the mountain is mine! It was on my bucket lists long before I even stepped foot to another mountain and it just so happened that my cousin Reynald is in town for vacation and ask for a climb.

I like to be fully prepared when I decided to do makiling traverse, unfortunately jackie cant make it so i have to reorganize and ask assistance from other mountaineers ( Thanks so much Madam Cheng).

And so I had my plan locked down within a couple of hours. Sir Ernie Fines and i agreed that we will be doing the Sipit Trail and he will meet us at Brgy. San Miguel by 6 am.


APRIL 27, 2014

8:00 Am. On our way to the jumpoff at San Miguel , we were greeted with a nice view of Mt. Makiling, we passed a variety of mountaineers going both ways.Looking at the mountain i couldn't help but think if i can finish the traverse due to fever and severe headache.

The path began easy enough.We walked along on flat grounds , introducing ourselves to one another since this is the first time that i will be doing a climb with Sir Ernie together with his twin brother Sir Rommel and Sir Melvin.Soon enough, the terrain began to change. It also rained on our way up and silly me didn't pack a rain coat.The first half of the trail is a private property, and after 30 minutes the real trail will come into way.The trees in this forest are tall and the trail paths are relatively muddy and open with some obstacles like fallen trees, branches in your way and the steps are quite high. I began panting after a fair bit as it has been quite a while since I have my last climb.

At first,station 1 to 6 is relatively easy. and, from station 7 we took our lunch before continuing our trek ( Ang Daming Limatik Dito sa station 7).From station 7 this is where the upward ascend starts, craggy rockscapes to virgin forest is visible.One step missed means a few hundred meters of rolling down the mountain.So i have to be very careful with my every step , but throughout the trek, there were occasions i can almost feel that i am going to drop off the edge.The climb is steep and strenuous in parts, and it’s only when you look down that you will understand how sharp an incline you are in.The thin tree trunks and branches are the only support we have to balance ourselves.and I also noticed that the ground is wet, and I started seeing moss on the trees and dew forming on them and on spiderwebs. They made really pretty patterns of droplets.I took short breaks when I reached every new mountain station, I factored in small stops to refuel my energy with snacks and gatorade, I walked at a steady pace and drank lots of water.

I proceeded the rest of the way alone.I climbed into a tree and perched on a branch for a while since the group left me behind already, and I enjoyed the remoteness of being miles up into the forest alone.But, Why was I so nervous? Because I was alone?,  Though I’d done plenty of crazy things in my life before, this one took the cake.

I Do note though, the summit is constantly blanketed by clouds of cool mist so i know from there might not be a clear view. This didn’t deter me, my mild asthma and fever never stopped me from climbing, and it did mean that I had to take care to know my limits.Then, I took my chance to finish the traverse and catch up with the group at the summit.

Over the difficult trail full of steep drops, rope-ascents and descents, and ankle-twisting narrow ledges of rock and slopes of loose dirt and mud I plunged ahead without nervousness but with readiness, thank god the group is supportive of me.

It wasnt a easy walk though.The descent was steep and slippery.When we started our descend i started feeling it.I would gasp for air and collapse to the ground trying to catch my breath during short breaks we had,but i still carried on. And from Agila base the trail going down is actually much different from the summit,though going downhill is always a little hard on the knees.Anyways, this is what happened to me, but i think i climbed better that i expected.

Simply said - Makiling traverse was awesome and amazing. Although I’m sad at the prospect that I may not return for a couple years.

It’s not goodbye but au revoir - Mt.Makiling Traverse. As the saying goes, let us not say goodbye, but as the French have it, "Au Revoir! ...Till we meet again.

My Strawberry Shortcake from Vizco's

Baguio is one special place for me and my wife Rochelle, and when i say special it means a lot. And one of the many places that i often visit when i go to the city of Pines is Vizco’s restaurant. Vizco's Restaurant and Cake Shop is a convenient location for a great snack and home of the best desserts in town.

The restaurant is located along the infamous Session Road.

As many of you know, it can be difficult to decide how to get the best value with your money for food while in Baguio City. And while you can get a lot of fastfoods and restaurant, i really wanted eating  at vizco's for a big treat.

Upon entering at Vizco's, the first thing that would catch your eye is the delectable display of cakes and pastries that will make you want to have your dessert right away. One of my very favorites is this Strawberry Shortcake, which has quickly reached mania favorite status for repeat guests like me. Cant decide what to order ? The Strawberry Shortcake is the right option. A slice of cake is very light, soft and moist, not really too sweet, and the cake was topped with fresh strawberry slices, the cream is also light.  Everything is perfect.  My every bite of the cake makes me want to have more of it. 

If you want to bring one home for pasalubong, it's best to call ahead to make sure you get a fresh one upon pick-up since they sold out quickly.

Having trouble picking "pasalubong" for your loved ones from baguio? Strawberry Shortcake from vizco's is a real treat.

My Heaven Bar... Rebel bar from Purple Oven

Who doesn’t love a sweet, little piece of brownies? My sister texted me that she brought something for me a box of rebel bars from Purple Oven.

What else can I say, I love chocolate! I was always been a huge fan of brownies or any other chocolate bar cookies,and the more chocolate involved, the bigger the likelihood that I will enjoy it.

Revel bars consist of two layers of oatmeal cookie dough sandwiching a fudge-like chocolate filling. It's crunchy on the outside & moist on the inside. I love the taste of that fudgey filling! These are crazy delicious. They are like the oat fudge bars at Starbucks, but purple oven's only better.

Revel bars is a sure blockbuster! Actually...anything and everything in Purple Oven are worth trying and eating! Surely a value for your money! :-)

It's been a while and I always have some sort of excuse when I disappear for an extended period of time, but I really do think that this one is valid. WHY ? My  trips is not just to complete the climb/traverse but to also bring smile to little kids in their community. Why is it that this children makes my heart leap? Believe me this children can change you profoundly.

I learned a lot from this kids.. seeing them smile makes me jump for joy. My trip is over but the smiles from this little kids stays with me forever.

My Travelogue... Trio lakwaksero = 1wf1m2c (May 19 2013)

Finally, I managed to finished my travelogue to Mt Humarap.. Really having difficulties to write since I really caught up with some personal issues.  Although it has been 9 months pass, the sweet memories during my visit there seems like only a few days ago. I really love to visit this place again and hopefully complete my visit to magnificent old chruches of Rizal and Laguna (completing it is next in my bucket lists).

If I was to use one word or two to convince you to visit this city, what word would I choose…… old churches?  lakeshore?

No, the most persuasive word I can think of is Panungayan (we met a this old man selling panungayan on our way up to Mt humarap). The fruit is a round to oval single seeded berry. The leathery skin is reddish and covered with fleshy pliable spines, panungayan really looks like and taste like rambutan.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from my trip to Paete – I knew it was famous for its woodcarving and some pastries. Jackie and Kenneth (my best climbing buddies) is joining me in this trip. Our first stop is the old church of rizal San Ildefonso Parish Church, then off to Mt Humarap via Maybunga falls then our last stop the old chruch of paete Saint James the Apostle Church.

If you’re a sucker for anything woodcarving related, make sure you visit Paete's woodcarving stores and their market, the market has a huge collection of colourful fruit and vegetable stands and just about every other culinary offering you could imagine. It would be easy to spend an hour or two here strolling down down the lane-ways, stopping for some food taste along the way. Eventually the food stalls give way to a full-blown flea market which is held every Sunday. 

Some of the houses were built with "through" walkways, so people could get from one street to another, and this is what we did on our way up to Mt humarap and maybunga falls and on our way to the center of Paete's municipality.

The trip ended at the Saint James the Apostle Church, which is very impressive. It sits directly in the center of the town, high above everything else. It was originally built  in 1884. The church is Paete's most significant building. There are still several masses a day, and masses on Sundays. The church facade is still amazing and magnificent to the eyes, i think it is possible  climb to get a view over all of Paete. I didn't have time and permission to climb up, but i did go inside for awhile.

The old style churches tended to be not that tall and not that wide. They included vertical lines in the architecture to draw your eyes upwards, and a tall spire.Maybe they believed that the taller it got, the closer you got to God as well??. Amazing that a church like that is still standing after hundreds of years.  

A word of warning before you go to Paete – try not to compare Paete or Pangil to Pakil or Mabitac. These municipalities are completely different and both worthy of a visit for different reasons.

Surviving Survivor..... A Chronicles of Enchanted Cagayan

                                                   

From Kamias, I took a 50 minutes taxi ride to Pasay Victory terminal (due to florida closure going up to cagayan is quite a hassle). It was certainly a long journey to balintawak from pasay because bus will depart at 6:30 and heavy traffic is waiting for us in edsa, but it did not deter my determination. And, luckily the seat at de luxe buses of victory liners are pretty comfortable. I felt great when I reached tuguegarao after 13 hours because my direction sense has definitely improved tremendously.

Usually being more of an active traveller, I was looking forward to spending a few days lazing about on a white sand beach, feet dangling in the water or trekking, I was antonished by the silence of Anguib and how its beauty seemed to have calmed down my mind and body. For a while, I thought everything is good, but looking back at the sky and the different shades of clouds that is visible in the sky, I was brought back to the reality of a bad weather waiting for me at this cove.

The water in anguib is a real emerald green colour, which is complimented by deep white sand. The beaches are surrounded by some rock formations that jut out of the water, covered in patches of greenery stone. The setting is enchanting, and gives a completely different feel to the other beaches that i been.I presumed all of these destinations would be stunning and 'same, same, but different'. But as it turns out, there is no 'same, same' at all, only beautiful and different.

11 AM off to Palaui. I passed by the crodile island and decided not to drop by since there is nothing to see there and explore except for a crocodile like shape island (mukha nmng hindi crocodile). The waves is alarming on my way to Palaui. There were very big waves, and there was water in the boat from spray. I slowed right down and im very wet so i hold on very tight.There was one very big wave, and a second wave was so close behind it.

I crossed a short hanging bridge before reaching the fork (Leonardo and Lagunzad trail). Leonardo's Trail was considered a difficult trail among this 2 trails going to Cape Engano, Tatay Belo is also telling me how steep the trail is , so i decided we take the lagunzad trail.

While through-hiking the Mountains to beach front trail is not really tiring, this site focuses on shorter hikes featuring segments of the trail - possibly linking with other trails as well. I really love this trail ! It's 4.2 km (not sure if it's 4.2km there and back or just there).The trail is mostly covered with trees, and I love going under the trees. It's a great trail if you are not in a good condition to hike (like I am) because the views from the cove and it's trail mostly straight (but some hills). 

Palaui’s wildlife is a constant surprise to my senses. At any moment i spotted different kinds of animals. The trees are massive, some of them in primary rainforest, and there are such a big variety of plants and beautiful flowers espescially in leonardos' trail.This is the hiking option, for those who are looking for something a bit different and well off the beaten track. 

Palaui is an island that invites you to relax but is also a destination that offers a complete range of experiences and exciting new sensations. From tiny villages to deserted stretches of golden sand it is impossible to visit Palaui and come away indifferent.

One of the island’s main attractions is the Cape Engano lighthouse and Engano cove (actual survivor shoot location) in the far north.The old lighthouses of Cape Engano still stand proud as they have been use gracefully rather than replaced by modern radar and satellite navigation. It’s an area of outstanding natural beauty and a fully-protected National Marine Reserve. One of its highlights is its impressive lighthouse which doubles up as an interpretation centre that displays all of Palaui’s natural riches and features.

The island is now becoming widely known among nature lovers (this is after the hit series survivor palaui and survivor cagayan), and people who love to spend time surrounded by its undisturbed natural beauty.

So my asthma combined with the risk of altitude sickness and overexertion weren’t things I could take very much lightly. And I have to be honest, there was a part of me that was a little worried that I just might not make it back to the jump off. But if it really came to that, I had consoled myself with the idea that I would just need to be kind to myself and I could always try again in the future.

Upon return from Palaui island a swimming pool and a private beach for some relaxation at Jotay Resort is waiting, as well as a restaurant (wifi free) where you can eat for a cheaper price and chat about the day’s highlights. I love it as it represents everything a beach holiday should be: relaxing,fun, a little indulgent and exotic. It’s where the dream becomes the reality – what more can you ask for?

I’m often asked by my friends which are my favourite destinations. Hmmm, it’s one of those questions I dread, as it is really impossible to choose! I like so many destinations for so many different reasons. When really pushed though, I suppose there are two or three places that really stand out from the rest, either for their unique scenery and extraordinary ambiance.

I’m going away for a while,but i PROMISE our relationship is not over and I’m already looking forward to hearing the words “Welcome back”. I know that you know, but I’m going to say it again anyway– I’m really going to miss you.Thank you so much Palaui.

Throwback Post : Climbing Pico de loro

This is part of my ongoing attempt to corral all of my travel/climb photos on this blog, I give you...Pico de Loro

The best climbing experience happen when you see the beauty in a challenge. Whether its conquering Pulag, trekking Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales or doing a fun climb in Batulao, your memories of a climb become more intense and unforgettable when you know you faced the risk head on and completed the climb successfully.

Similar to many February mornings, I was awaken by a text message, Jackie and Kenneth is confirming if our first ever climb for 2013 will push through. Well, what would have been next if I changed my mind and cancel the trek.

"R u Sure?" Kenneth had muttered, remember i was just out of the hospital a month ago and they worry about my condition if i can make it. Well, I have make sure I'm good and prepared for this.

To get to Pico you can ride a bus from Baclaran going to Naic , and from Naic you need to take a tricycle going to DENR office via the not so famous magnetic hill. It was a good one and a half hour ride from Baclaran, the morning air chilling the sweat on our backs, on the bus we meet a new friend Sir Jojo who is climbing alone after a long time. Other than me, Jackie and sir Jojo, it is their first time climbing Pico de loro or Mt. Palay Palay. Its name speak of its uniqueness.

I had a great experience with this climb. Meeting new friends is fantastic. Thank you so much sir Jojo for making this climb memorable (KHIT GINULO NMN IT MO).

Pico is incredibly a majestic and beautiful mountain and the experience for me was magical. We made our way up to the monolith as a group, an experience that I'll never forget. I would choose them again if I wanted to climb Pico again. Since many others have written about Pico already I thought I would just provide some information that might be helpful if you are considering this climb.

1. Weather – Expect sun, heat, rain, and muds. You will probably get some of each on your trip. Make sure you check the weather forecast and have what you need.
2.Water - is a commodity at Pico. Unless you want to end up paying 30 pesos for bottled water or softdrinks, I suggest you bring 3 liters, food is also a good idea.
3.Clothing - ensure you have suitable footwear, as well as appropriate clothes. Be prepare to pack necessary essentials either your up for a day pack or a night pack.
4.Safety - The aim is to anticipate and always avoid potential injury. However, it is best to use common sense and to be safety aware.
5. Enjoy - most importantly, be sure to have a great time on your climb.