Manabu Peak in Sto Tomas, Batangas

Manabu Peak is located in Sto Tomas, Batangas. It is an easy climb and recommended for those who are seeking weekend refuge or short adventure. You do not have to worry for obstacles and challenges. You must prepare though, when you go there during the rainy season as the trails get seriously muddy. You can find your way up to the peak even if there are no guides as the trails are established and equipped with signs. Mountaineers and other people frequent the mountain on weekends. Its status as a favourite hiking destination is equated with the immense popularity of Mang Pirying and his free barako coffee.

I left Los Baños at 0530H, took a jeepney to the bus stop (8pesos), rode the bus to Calamba Crossing (12pesos), dropped by a 24/7 convenience store for my trail food and water and went to the Calamba Central Terminal, which is juxtaposed to the Calamba Medical Center

We took a jeepney to Lipa (via Calabarzon) for 45pesos. We got off at the highway facing the Lipa Floral Garden (cemetery) and walked towards the Fiesta Mall. At the corner of the street leading to the mall, there is a tricycle terminal that can take you to Sulok, which is the jump-off point and located at Sta Cruz, Sto Tomas, Batangas. I do not know if you can take trikes from Sto Tomas Poblacion to Sulok.

Take the left-trails to the top. The first hut is under the management of Mang Pirying’s brother. There is a second hut at the site where the grotto is.

 

There are two grassland portions of the trail. At the peak is a white cross.

We took our lunch at the portion just a short distance down from the summit. We had a great time talking to some youngsters from San Pedro, Laguna.

After lunch, the rain started to bring its soft wrath. So we walked as fast as we could to reach the hut of Mang Pirying. I was so excited to meet him. When we reached his hut, there were a lot of mountaineers sitting and chatting, maybe waiting for the rain to stop. The barako coffee was great. We were also introduced to his brother, Faustino.

We left Mang Pirying’s hut with happiness in our hearts. Finally, I met Mang Pirying! It does not matter if he will remember me after the climb or not. As long as he keeps his good heart towards mountaineers and to other people, I am glad just to see him.

I would like to thank Mommy Leony for the ride back to Manila.

The Majestic Mount Banahaw

I tried retracting the pact I made with my mountaineering friends regarding the hike up to the summit of what most Filipinos regard as the holy mountain – Mt Banahaw. Reasons dominating my mind that time include academic and not-so-academic things like travelling away from life’s intricacies. Until the very last time, I pushed myself up and passed over the hanging land of burdens and commitment. By the time the clock ticked 1700H of 30 July 2011, I made my way to our meeting place. We rode a jeepney to the Alabang Terminal and boarded a Lucena-bound bus. The bulkiness and huge size of our bags gave us the only option of sitting on the back seats.

It was a bumpy ride. The world seemed like a rollercoaster ride of comfort and uneasiness. After two hours, we saw the neon blue lights of the mall in San Pablo. We got inside to buy energy drinks, had our dinner and followed the trails drawn by plastic yellow cones leading to the exit door. The bright lights was turned off, only the beaming lights from the signs were retained. And while we were sitting outside the mall with the cold wind trying to blow away the gloom surrounding me, workers rushed out of the building.

Moving forward to the base camp, we prepared for the big day like first-timer Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Scavenging through our packed bags, we chose to leave some things. For me, I left only the clothing ensemble for the road back home. It was still dawn so we were reminded to modulate our voices and keep the decibel as low as possible. Brgy Kinabuhayan is enforcing curfew for all ages.

The hike started in Sariaya, Quezon via the Guis-Guis trail. As we took the first group picture, it started to drizzle, “like a blessing” as they say. With our raincoats on full swing, we entered the majestic rainforest of Mt Banahaw. However, along the trail inside the forest, heat started to build-up in our bodies. So we stopped and removed our ponchos. We emerged into a river of boulders and sparkling water, along with the first rappelling section, a short one… an appetiser for the long and death-defying segments.

We passed by the portion where you could “see” at night the image of the Virgin Mary on the surface of a rocky wall. According to the guides, no cameras are allowed in this section during Holy Week. You can take a bath also at nearby mini-waterfalls. Further cadences could take you to the Dugo Falls, named as such because of the colour of the water and/or rocks in the area (scientifically, the colour might be due to iron oxide or other iron-related substances).

Trailing over loose rocks (read: big rocks) is never easy, especially when the rain is pouring down. There is always the tendency that these rocks roll, not in a rock-and-roll fashion, leading to one’s instant demise. The guides suggested camping at the Dugo campsite. We found out, however, that the area is not conducive for our group because it can only accommodate 1-3 tents. After haggling with a short 90-degree-rocky-wall, we proceeded to the Palacio campsite amidst heavy downpour. We had to endure the strong current of the flowing water and coldness brought about by the rain and wind. Before the end of the day, we reached Palacio and immediately pitched our tents. (As usual) Rey was the cook. Since I was fighting with mild fever, I changed clothes and rest.

Rain greeted us in our second day in the mountain. Our bags absorbed water that made them heavier, to our dismay. Well, that scenario was expected because of the weather condition. We could not complain because there was no one to attend to our needs. So we walked and started to trek, leastwise for us, the yet unknown trail.

Roped segments are numerous. The rain got heavier when we reached the dreaded rappelling section before the Durungawan areas. With heavy bags and pouring water from above (like braving the force of waterfalls), I made my first attempt in rappelling (very fatal). My knees were trembling. My body was so cold. I was like having chills while holding on to dingy and seemingly-unsafe ropes. Before taking on my first foot upwards, I was told not to rely on the ropes. The cold water was turning my body into a frozen item taken out of the fridge. My spine wanted to give up, but they told me not to withdraw support towards the rope. That whatever happens, never give up on the rope.

A series of roped segments followed. My hands were moving on their own (to produce heat) that I could not even hold the spoon right. I asked Tracy to put warm oil on my back. And geez! Her hands were cold. So we started our journey to the Durungawan area. Led by Dev, we had to pass through tall grasses and ravines of immeasurable depth. We could not see the crater because of the thick fog. Everytime we were given the time to take a rest, we hid behind the tall grasses to avoid the wind touching our wet and already-cold bodies. The rocks at the Tatlong Tangke Falls are slippery. The way back to Kinabuhayan is a long and winding road. Light from homes seemed so near, but only a quick turn at the next curve took us farther. The white lights were on and off as we trailed with our headlamps switched on.

The trail was muddy and slippery. The innumerable slides we did were priceless, though painful. The bruises we acquired were nothing but newly-added confirmation that we, indeed, are alive. I have gained new ideas like putting the strap of your bag near the edge of your shoulder in long walks so that the muscles adjacent to the neck would not be strained. A viper, or snakes in general, according to Bong, does not attack people unless they are provoked. But I was really frightened when I saw a green viper. I was not wearing my eyeglasses that time, but the sight of the serpent frightened me in a way that the Mt Cristobal was not able to accomplish with its silhouette radiating from a distance.

Lugar Lang: My (Gastronomic) Backpacking Experience in Iloilo (Day 2)

Day 2. I was excited to visit the old churches in the province. We postponed our breakfast so we could fit more places and sceneries in our itinerary. Near the market, there is a terminal bound for the southern towns of Iloilo including Miag-ao. On our way, we scouted the really amazing and eye-catching churches that included Tigbauan and Guimbal. It takes 45minutes to the town.


We got off at the entrance to the University of the Philippines in the Visayas.

It was Sunday so all the offices were closed and nobody was roaming around the campus, unlike UP Los Baños where students roam 24/7. It was my first time to see the Diwata ng Dagat.

When I saw it on the broadsheets when it was still newly-built, I thought it was so big. And I enjoyed the fish and fishnets at the bottom part of the structure. We then walked to the Miag-ao Church. And man, how I jumped out of happiness when I saw the façade of the church.

After our short affair with the church, we rode in a jitney to Guimbal for 15pesos. We got off just before the bridge in the town and walked under the scorching heat of the sun all the way to the market to the church.

The church is smaller than Miag-ao church but they have the same colour (almost!). The bell tower doubles the height of the main portion of the church.

The design of the poblacion is reflective of Spanish styles, similar to what you can see in the historic city of Vigan. The town is proud of their achievement as one of the cleanest towns in the country, most child-friendly and business-friendly community in Iloilo.

We dropped by the church of Tigbauan.

What I like about the church and its surroundings are the arches, which serve as gateways to the plaza, leading to the church.

Its physical appearance is reminiscent of unpolished concrete walls, like the churches of Molo and Jaro.

From Tigbauan, we went back to the city, took a quick stomach progress at REDS. Yummy native chicken arrozcaldo for 57pesos. Then we headed to Tagbak Terminal along Leganes Highway (fare is 20pesos). This terminal is like the central terminal of buses and jitneys to the different parts of Iloilo and nearby provinces like Aklan and Capiz. At exactly 1300hours, we left for Pototan. The rain started to pour, so I tried to close the window of the bus. And it brought back childhood memories of doing the same thing on Fridays that we (together with my brother and my mother) needed to go to Vigan.

After 40minutes, we arrived in Pototan and went directly to Loreleen’s Pizza.

The wide and clean road greeted me.

Jerry lived here before so he was ecstatic to see the town again. According to him, when he was still living in the town, he was very lonely because there was nothing much to see. He toured us around. Then we decided to go to Dueñas, where the legend of aswang originated.

It was Sunday and the church was closed.

In the plaza, all I could see were human species from Adam’s tribe playing basketball. The church is grand and overwhelmingly gorgeous. The door was closed but we saw some teenagers who went inside. So we made our way inside the church and tried to find the way to one of the bell towers. Eureka!

The upper levels were filled with guano because of the bats hanging from the ceiling. We left Dueñas (fare is 45pesos) and arrived in the Tagbak Terminal at 1700hours. Then we planned to close our Iloilo trip with a good body massage. For 500pesos, the hotel service massage was A+. Refreshing and rejuvenating!

It was indeed fun visiting Iloilo. For two days, I was able to see some beautiful places and structures, experience their culture and eat some popular food items from the province. And so I was very happy going to the office that Monday. I was not late! Parang nagpahinga lang ako sa bahay.