#TheClimb Mt. Pico de Loro Day Hike

It has been my dream to climb a high moutain since when I was still young. The only mountain that I was able to climb back then was a mountain of sand and gravel whenever there is a construction in an area. It was fun, though.

I thought I wouldn't be able to do this due to some reasons. It was December of 2015 when we planned this hike, but because of the changes in the schedule, some weren't able to come. We opened the invitation to other people from other company. With the newely met friends, we went to Mt. Pico de Loro in January 30, 2016.

● Water
● Energy drink
● Sun protection
● Set of clothes
● First aid kit
● Food

Mt. Pico de Loro (Mt. Palay palay) is one of the beautiful mountains in Luzon. It was named by Spanish which means "Parrot's Beak" because of its triangular shape. It is situated between the province of Cavite and Batangas. The monolith sitting beside the mountain is something to reckon with.

About 4:30AM, we completed the group at Coastal Mall Provincial Terminal. Past 4:30AM, we embarked on a bus going to Ternate Cavite. Bus fare is 84.00/pax airconditioned.

We arrived at Ternate Cavite past 5AM already. From there, we hired a tricycle to bring us to DENR. The tricycle fare is 85.00/head maximum of 3pax per travel. The travel going to DENR was a challenge. Since there was no sun yet, the weather was so cold, and I was sitting at the back of the driver, so I could really feel it. I regret not bringing a jacket. From the outside, you could see the cliff, which will make you realized that you are running on a high ground.

We reached DENR at about 6AM. We stopped there for a little while to take breakfast and buy gloves for protection. Soon after, we had ourselves registered for 20.00/pax. (Environmental Fee)

About 6:50AM, we started the trek. On the initial part of the trail, we saw a stream of running water which is clear. We're not sure if the water was fit for consumption, but it can be used to wash yourself.

We never got worried about not being familiar to the trail and getting lost because there were lots of mountain climbers walking the same trail. They came there by group like us. For a first time climber like me, I could say that the first part of the trail was easy. It was an up and down walk. There was an easy part and there was a somewhat steep part. I was amazed at the large trees and unfamiliar plants. Large stones welcomed us along the trail. I thought I would be able to see wild animals and weird creatures, but I didn't. However, we used to hear birds chirping really weird. Aside from the trail's difficulty level, the good thing about it is, it's forested.

We used to stop during the trek so that way, we could somehow rest our feet and gain strength. We wanted to be refreshed after trekking less than half of the trail; luckily, there was this man "kuya" to quench your thirst. He was selling ice cream. I brought a loaf of bread and it was very useful. hahaha. Truly, you won't feel the stress if you are with happy people.

Be advised that there is no signal during the trek and observe the "Leave no Trace" rule.

About 9AM, we reached the campsite. There, you could see bunches of climbers. Some are amateurs and some are pro. There were also stores and food stalls that offered drinks, meals and snacks. I was a bit curious how they brought merchandise up there, so I asked the lady. She said that they use to hire people to carry the stuff up there in exchange of some money. So, do not be surprised if the price of each item is almost doubled.

From the campsite, you can clearly see the summit and the very famous Pico de Loro Monolith. It is a very good spot to take photos because of beautiful scenery. You can wholly capture the summit and the monolith.

After a long rest and photo opp, we started the treacherous assault to the summit. It was an up and down walk again going there. The way up to the summit was so dangerous due to lack of stones to hold on to. There were little stones which were very loose and slippery. I had to cawl up so as not to lose balance and not to be swayed by the strong wind that added to the challenge. The steepness of the trail was almost 90°. A wrong move could lead us to fatal fall. We finally reached the summit at around 10AM. I was exhilirated when I saw the monolith too close to me. The view was indeed stuperfying. From the summit, you can overlook the nearby provinces. Thumbs up!

Some people opted not to climb the monolith. For me, this trip wouldn't be complete without trying the big stone. We had to climb down to reach the foot of the monolith. The trail down there was dangerous as well. I had to hold grass and bamboo as not to slide down. When I was almost there, I took a photo of monolith in worm's eye view. So astounding. I used to ask myself in my mind if this stone was like this when God created the Earth.

Whenever I see astonishing view of nature, I remember the great Creator.

About 10:30AM, we reached the monolith. Unfortunately, we had to wait in the queue for almost an hour to climb up the stone. It was dangerous yet challenging to climb the big stone because the place of the queue was an open cliff, and we had to rappel with no harness or safety gears. In other words, an erroneous move could make you fall.

We reached the very top of the monolith at about 11:30AM. Yahoo! The feeling was like, I fulfilled the life's greatest dream. Lol. Am very proud of myself that I made it. Of course, we did picture taking. (Taking selfie or group shot is something you should never miss when you are at the top of the monolith). We stayed at the top for more than an hour because we waited our other colleagues to climb up. From the top, you can see the province of Batangas and its enticing white beaches. The picturesque view of nearby mountains and beaches was dumbfounding. (Picture perfect) The heat from the sun was scorching, so if you plan to climb the monolith, you better bring jacket or scarf to protect you from the direct heat of the sun.

Traverse is also possible for this trip, but we didn't do that due to lack of preparation, and it was not part of the plan. Traverse is reaching the other side of the mountain. If we did, we could have reached Nasugbu Batangas and enjoyed the white sand beach. If there is a chance, I will definitely do the traverse.

The way down from the summit was harder for me because I had to crawl down in sitting position. I almost slide down to the cliff because of the loose stones. Karen who's a second timer was guiding me where to step. When we reached the campsite, we stopped there to take our late lunch. I was very hungry that time. Too bad, lunch meal ran out. We had no other choice but to eat the barkadas all time favorite pancit canton. One pack of pancit canton cost 25.00. Not bad if you realized how hard it is to bring these merchandise up there.

We started the trail going back at around 2:30PM. In my experience, descending was harder than ascending because I have exhausted most of my strength already. During our walk along the trail, we could see some climbers taking off their footwear, maybe because of sores and opted to finish the trail barefooted.

It was past 4PM when we finished the long trail and reached DENR. It took us at least one hour and 20 minutes to finish the trail going back. We logged out from the registration and cleaned ourselves. Taking a bath has a fee of 10.00 and 5.00 for peeing and changing clothes. It was past 5:30PM, we left DENR.

It was an energy-draining, yet fulfilling experience. I did it, I did it! Making yourself proud is priceless. Credits to my climb buddies, you've been so amazing, chums. Looking forward to more mountains to surmount. Thanks God cause none of us got harmed.


BREAKDOWN OF EXPENSES
● 40.00 bus fare from Farmers Cubao to Coastal Mall.
● 84.00 bus fare from Coastal Mall to Ternate Cavite
● 85.00 tricycle ride from Ternate to DENR
● 20.00 environmental fee
● Meals prices may vary from 50.00 to 100.00

It was a budget climb, though.

Thanks for taking time to read this. More blogs to post.

#TheClimb
#MtPicoDeLoro
#MyFirstIn2016
#AssaultToTheSummit
#Monolith

#SquadGoals Hundred Islands Tour

Hello, this is my second travelogue after my Cagbalete Island adventure with my workmates. It's been almost 3 weeks of planning and we made it. Me and my crazy friends had been dreaming to travel out of town since college, but we never did until my friend Rica brought it up. Well, summer wasn't over yet and we still had a chance to deep our feet in a sea water. I know it's christmas and we were supposed to be with our family, but our motivation to have it done was so strong. haha

We went to Hundred Islands, in Alaminos Pangasinan last December 26 to 27 for our Christmas break. We planned this trip almost 3 weeks prior to that. Rica, my friend, was the one in charge for this trip. She has made all the necessary research and consultation until we had our first and last meeting.

Less than a week before the departure, some unwanted circumastances occured such as fully-booked trips, high cost due to peak season, budget-related matters, but nothing curtailed our determination to have it done. Low budget? What friends are for? Hahah!

Since we are not familiar with the place, we opted to take a tour package that we saw on the internet for convenience because we knew that it would be a hassle for us if we would just walk in. Tropic Island Hotel and Resort is the name of the hotel we sojourned. They offer tour packages for Hundred Islands trips.

Hundred Islands National Park is protected by DENR. It is located in Alaminos Pangasinan. According to Wikipedia, it is composed of 124 islands and islets at high tide and 123 at low tide. Islands are scattered in Lingayen Gulf and only three islands were developed for tourism.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org

After making a deposit, printing vouchers and trip confirmation, we relaxed and made ourselves ready.

This is it! 12AM we reached Victory liner for our departure from there to Alaminos. We knew that the bus would depart at 2am, but we had a leeway of 2hours, considering the passengers' queue since it's Yuletide season. The fare cost us Php 393.00 (one-way). The bus departed the terminal past 2AM.

The travel took almost 5 hours. We have reached Alaminos bayan at 7AM. First, we had to take our breakfast, so we looked for some cheap food stations; we found one beside the old church of Alaminos. After breakfast, we took a tricycle ride to bring us to the hotel (Island Tropic). The fare for the tricylce is Php 100.00. The hotel is just across the port to Hundred Island. We approached the reception to get our room and to settle our payment (since we only made down payment).

It was 9AM when we started our tour. After the bangkeros (ferry man) set our boat, we traveled on the beautiful Lingayen Gulf. I was so amazed when we passed some island and islets. I could say to myself that God is really amazing and mejestic. The first island that we passed by was the Monkey Island, and according to kuya (ferry man), there are lots of monkeys inhabiting that place and no one is allowed to enter the island.

Finally, we have reached our first destination which is the Governor's Island. Here, you can do trecking, swimming, caving, and zip-line to the other island. The top of the island was so awesome you could overlook the whole ocean and start counting the islands. (We joked that if the islands didn't reach a hundred, we would get our money back. Lols). Thumbs up for that place.

Our second destination was the snorkling area. That was my first time to do snorkling. Unfortunately, I didn't have "go pro" to take underwater shots. I had so much fun seeing corals and giant clams underwater. The water was deep and clear. Fish were tickling my legs as they join me swimming on the water. We had to wear closed shoes or footwear to protect our feet from sharp corals. There were also foreigners who did the same thing, and they seemed to be enjoying their time.

After that, we headed to Quezon Island for our lunch. Our bangkeros were the ones finding a place for us. It was so cool to eat lunch at the beach. It's warm and windy that time; I liked it. We were at the balcony, therefore we could feel the sea breeze. Thumbs up anew.

Soon after, we went to a shaded part of the island for photo shoot. Lols. I enjoyed the cold water. I even took off my shirt and beach shorts so I can feel the coolness of the water. I was not shy to wear only brief since there were no people there aside from us. We also did zip-line activity at Quezon Island and it cost us Php 100.00 each. I was thrilled to do it because it's too high and there were no life vest. I made it, though.

We decided not to visit to Children's Island since we were chasing the time. We opted to visit Cuenco Cave in lieu. I really love that Island. The cave is really astounding because of its unique formation, though it's not that deep and long I still find it dumbfounding. There is a cliff at the end of the cave which I and my friend enjoyed a lot. The cliff is at least 20meters high and the water is deep so life vest is of high need. Once you jump over, you can go to the neighboring island by just swimming through the water. Lots of islands haven't been named yet. The wonder of the place left us startled. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the Bat Island and we were told by our bangkero that the bats on that island were dead already due to typhoon. I really felt bad hearing that.

At about 5PM when we agreed to go back to our hotel. We gave our bangkeros 100.00 each as our tip. They are amiable and lenient with our request and queries. haha. During island hopping, we used to entrust our belongings to them. Needless to say, they deserved to be given the tip.

We washed and took a rest in our room as we waited for our dinner. It was past 7PM when we took our scrumptious dinner and we loved it. They didn't thwart us for food. After dinner, we went outside to roam around the area and watch the full moon.

Lights off at 10PM. Unfortunately, wifi connection could not reach our room, so we had to go downstairs to connect to wifi. We had a great day with the astonishing islands that made our body so weak and tired. It felt like my legs are swelling due to continuous stamping in the water. We woke up at 9AM and took our breakfast. I was so delighted with the meal, though we can have this kind of food in Manila but still it's different when you are at the beach and nature.

Check out time would be at 12PM so we had to rush and packed our things. We rode tricycle again going to town proper and visited the Cathedral of St. Joseph which was built in 1985. The church is located just across the Alaminos City Hall. We embarked on the bus (5 star) going back to Manila. Bus fare is Php 393.00 (at the time of writing). We reached Manila at about 8PM and had our dinner.

It was an amazing Hundred Islands experience with my crazy friends, and we look forward to more trips and out-of-town adventures. Hundred Island is definitely a perfect way to relax and temporarily forget the laborious city.

I'm indeed thankful to God for flaunting me once again His splendor glory through His jaw-dropping creations. All for His glory!

#Achieved #SquadGoals #HundredIslandsTourIsLove

#TeamChill Cagbalete Island Experience

Have you heard about Cagbalete Island? Well, for some it may sound strange but for expert travelers it sounds haven. I’m just a simple guy who loves to work and stay at home. Work, house and church is my daily itinerary. I don’t travel that much, but since many of my friends in person and in facebook go on out of town trip, I somehow dream to be a traveler or backpacker.

Due to lack of chance and budget, which I think the utmost reason, I could not travel for leisure. Traveling out of town specially with your crazy friends could be one of the priceless experience in your life. Since I switched job from office staff to a contact center agent, I began to get a reasonable pay that makes me save some for leisure. In line with that, I wanna share my travel experience to one of the beautiful and serene island in Quezon Provice, the Cagbalete Island. I’m gonna share the cost and the travel as well.

We went there as a group since that was our Team Building/Christmas celebration.  I was with my supervisor, teammates and other managers in our site. To reach that destination, we had to ride a bus from Cubao to Grand Terminal in Lucena. We departed Jac Liner Cubao Terminal at around 1AM for a fare of 218.00/head. It was a 5 hour travel.

We reached Grand Terminal in Lucena at around 5AM and from there, we took a bus ride anew going to Mauban Quezon for 54.00/head. The travel from Terminal to Mauban took 2 and a half hours. Upon reaching Mauban Quezon, we went to Tourism Office of Mauban just a few steps away from the terminal. We had to pay 50.00/head for environmental fee. Once you’re paid, you can take a tricycle ride to bring you to the port, and that’s gonna be 10.00 each or you can just walk if you don’t have heavy stuffs with you. For us to reach the island, we had to ride a big boat from Mauban port to Cagbalete Island. The boat fare is 50.00/head (not bad). Take note that the boat trip there has a schedule, 9am and 4pm. At around 9:30AM the boat departed from Mauban port heading to the island. The sea travel took almost 3hrs (ample time to rest).

About 12:30PM when we arrived at Cagbalete Island, but the place where we landed was not the actual beach. It was a resedential area where most are fishermen and bangkeros. However, the water is so clear and attractive. It was green and the seafloor is appearing for sight.

Though it’s kinda chaotic there due to plenty of boats and fishermen, I wanted to stay there and swim. haha There are also kids who will ask you to throw some coins and dive into depth to hunt for it. It was a cool experience, and it reminds me of Badjao kids when we went to Davao.

There are two ways for you to reach the resorts, one is a boat ride and the other one is carabao ride. Since it was a bit rainy when we reached the island, we opted to take boat ride for 100.00/head. I indeed enjoyed the travel going there. The water is so transparent that made us able to see the seafloor and the sea urchins as well. Finally, we arrived at Villa Cleofas Resort.

The resort was so silent and calm because very few people are coming there. It was like we owned the whole place. Moving forward, we stayed there overnight, and the cost of the room is 5,500.00 good for 20 pax. The room is made of cement and wood. It has no aircon but it is well ventilated. There is no elevated bed in the room, only matress and pillows on the floor. Nontheless, it was nice and clean. There are also rooms there good for two and five, the cost is 1,500 to 3,000.

I’ve been to some beaches in Zambales and in other beaches in Luzon, but this one is far different because the island is tame and quiet wherein you can relax yourself and escape from chaotic scenes of the city. What I like about Cagbalete the most is, it is not commercialized unlike other beaches. No videoke, beer houses, and very few people. The sand along the shore is beige, but the sand under the water is white. There are also some destinations in that island to visit, like bonsay island, young in mangrove forest and Cagbalete river which is connected to the sea. The river is almost 900meters away from the resort, but you can ride a carabao to bring you there. For young in (mangrove forest on white sand), you can take boat ride for 300.00/head.

My favorite part, and the one that amazed me so bad was the bonsai island. You can see that island from the resort, but it’s too small because of its distance. No need to take a boat ride to go there. You can just swim or walk through the water; somewhat scary at first because it’s far. Bonsai island is approximately 900meters or so away from the resort. You will be amazed when you get there. It was called bonsai island because it is the only islet that has bonsay plant in the middle of the sea. That islet composed of rock formation but it’s flat. When we were there, we felt like we were stranded on an island because the neigboring islands are so far. No one can hear you even if you shout at the top of your voice. It’s a fascinating place to visit. There, you will certainly enjoy the fresh cool sea water (the water is not that salty, and painful in the eye).

Cagbalete also has a pefect view of sunrise and sunset. Powebanks are necessary there because the electricity will only work during night time. Of couse you dont want to be hassled by depleted battery and will absolutely ruin your selfie plans. That place is like a precious gem yet to discovered. People living in that island are also good, they will accommodate you at their best. I remember when I left my phone somewhere and no one got it for a purpose. It’s a safe place I can say.

We had our late lunch at the resort. Villa Cleofas got a reception hall that has a kitchen wherein you can cook. It would be better if you’re gonna bring raw food and cook them there because there is no grocery store or even wet market around the area. Prior to arrival, we bought raw food at Mauban Market so as not to waste our time traveling back to buy goods. We had pork, chicken, fish, veggies and some snacks. Utensils are available for use in the resort, but do not be surprised because the use of gas stove is for a cost as well, 50.00 per 30mins.

Too bad because were not able to do the planned bon fire because all the woods and twigs got wet due to rain haha but nothing has stopped us from having smores.

We stayed there for 2days and one night and it’s all worth it. We packed and left the island at around 1PM. Some took boat ride to the island’s port and we took carabao ride. The road was bumpy and muddy which made the ride an adventure fun. The kariton almost turned upside down when the carabao knelt to wet itself on the mud.

We took another boat ride from the island going to Mauban port. From there, we decided not to take a bus ride going back to Manila, rather we looked for a van to contract so to bring us back to Manila. 

We stopped at Lucban Quezon (near Municipal Hall) for our late lunch and for pasalubong as well. From there, you can just walk to see the St. Louis church; one of the oldest church which was build in 1593. It was a wonderful experience for me yet cheap. I spent less than 2,000.00 for out of town adventure. I had so much fun and experienced relaxation. It’s a best way for us to relieve ourselves from stress of taking in calls and sitting for 8hrs in a close airconditioned room. haha (Taking calls is fun too :D )

As a Christian who believes that God created the Heaven and Earth, it’s so fair to travel and witness His fascinating creations and continue to believe that He has made everything perfect for our pleasure. If time permits, I’d go back and be mesmerized again.

#TeamChill
#CagbaleteIslandPhilippines