The Eight Virgins of Makiling

I was introduced to serious hiking August of last year.  I’ve been up and down the mountains for seven months already and still I hunger for more. A familiar silhouette has always intrigued me. Somewhere in the south resting in its grandeur is the mountain they call Makiling.

view at start of Sipit trail

Rising to 1,090 meter elevation, Makiling or Maquiling is said to be a dormant volcano and classified by PHIVOLCS as a potentially active volcano. Mount Makiling was the first National Park of the Philippines (Proc. No 552), prior to its transfer to the University of Philippines, Los Baños. In 2013, now known as Mount Makiling Forest Reserve, it is now declared an ASEAN Heritage Park. Thank you for the information, Wikipedia! J

It’s been three weeks since my last climb....three weeks!!!! Can you imagine how restless the past weeks have been to me!? For someone who’s been out there almost every week, it’s hell!

With just one goal in mind, I began my week-long posting of one-liners on facebook. See if I could stir some adventurous spirits from my dear friends. Luckily, a reply came in. And came another and another....and the rest was bedlam! Who would have thought that scheduling could be so time-consuming! Grrrr!!!!

After too much persuasion and disagreement, the date was set! Thank God!

the eight virgins of Makiling

Below itinerary is solely based on my personal climb. Explanations on the end part of itinerary. Feel free to comment.

Mt. Makiling Traverse (Sipit Trail)

Entry Point: Brgy. San Felix, Sto. Tomas, Batangas

Exit Point: UP College of Forestry, Los Banos, Laguna

LLA: 14.13°N 121.20°E, 1020 MASL (Peak 3), 1090 MASL (Peak 2)

Hours to Peak 2 / days required:  1-2 days / 8-10 hours

Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 6/9, Trail class 3 with roped segments

0600 Board Lucena via JAC Liner Buendia (Php 82)

0805 ETA San Felix, Sto. Tomas, Batangas (Sea Oil Gas Station) – got stuck in traffic due to Fiesta celebration

0811 Ride tricycle beside 7-11 to Eco-Park in Sitio Jordan (Php 20/each)

0823 ETA Eco-Park (jump-off and registration area). Register (No fee required). Secure guide (Php 70/head)

0835 Start trek to Sipit Trail

0925 ETA Station 2 (Kambingan area – rest station and last water source)

0935 ETD Station 2

0958 ETA Station 6

1012 ETA Station 7 (Junction of Palanggana  - left side and Sipit trail - right side)

1135 ETA Station 14. Early lunch.

1210 ETD Station 14

1216 ETA Station 15

1221 ETA Haring Bato. Start of Melkas Ridge.

1310 ETA Peak 3. Photo opt. End of Melkas Ridge. Start of Wildboar trail to Peak 2.

1440 ETA Peak 2 (Mt. Makiling Summit – not much view here L)

1455 Start descent to UPLB Makiling Trail

1503 ETA Station 27

1535 ETA Station 22

1615 ETA Station 14

1640 ETA Agila Base

1700 Rest at nearby store selling variety of refreshments including buko (Php 20). Habal-habal area.

1742 ETA Picnic area

1818 ETA jump-off/registration area of Makiling Trail. Hot shower (free)!

1900 Walk down the road. Wait for jeep ride to Grove (Php 8)

2030 Dinner at Sulyaw sa Grove (Php 58 – my meal)

2110 Ride jeep to Olivarez Plaza (Php 8)

2140 Ride DLTB bus back to Buendia (Php 99)

2250 ETA Buendia

2300 Home!

We left Buendia late as some participants did not make it on time....including me (8 minutes late. Late nevertheless!)

We arrived late (again) in San Felix due to traffic caused by re-routing of vehicles. It was the town’s fiesta! ‘Well, what do you know’! Good thing that the weather was on our side.

Drop off area to San Felix is at Sea Oil Gasoline Station. Beside it is 7-11 convenient store where tricycle terminal is located.  Tell the driver to drop you off ‘basurahan’  or Eco-Park. Although they are more accustomed to’basurahan’. 

Eco-Park building in Sitio Jordan

After 12 minutes, we arrived at the registration area. We then listened to a brief orientation and secure guide before starting the trek. I must say, the locals there are very polite and the guides are very attentive to us. One guide even gave us soursop (guyabano) that he found along the trail.

the virgins with the guides

Past 10AM when we arrived at the junction of Palanggana and Sipit trail. From there, we paid for the guide fee and bid ourselves goodbye to our guides. Reminders were given by our guides right before we proceed with our trek. Armed with not-so good navigational skills and some mountaineering instincts, ‘us’, the eight virgins of Mount Makiling continue our journey to Santo Tomas trail.

After an hour, we reached Station 14 and decided to take our early lunch. While eating, I tried recalling how many roped segments we've encountered so far. I lost count. I'm too hungry to even think. Cool breeze fanning over us was so inviting that we decided to extend our break from 15 to 30 minutes. During these times, we got to know our 2 new friends (ahem!), Sir Greg (wall climb discount!) and Sir Jorge (loved the camera).

the virgins with Sir Greg(grey polo) and Sir Jorge (orange longsleeve)

By 12:20, we arrived at Haring Bato. This is where we lost track of time (me, personally).  The view from here is so vast. You can see the Malipunyo mountain ranges right in front and Mt. Maculot on the right side. Even Peak 3 is smiling proud. The shots are endless! I didn’t mind getting roasted from the burning sun, besides, the wind made a good balance. Thank God for the perfect weather!

Rob at Haring Bato

Malipunyo mountain ranges as seen in Haring Bato

Mt. Maculot perfectly viewed in Haring Bato

We entered the ‘Wildboar Trail’ past 1 in the afternoon. There’s only two things in my mind, leech (limatik) and mud (putik). Guides informed us before the trek that ’limatik’ are nowhere to be found, at least for that week because there hasn’t been any rainfall for the past two weeks already. Hallelujah! But still I can’t help but check myself every 2 minutes. ‘Yeah, I’m that paranoid! It’s also the reason why I slipped four times. I’m caught between avoiding the leeches and protecting my camera, not a good combination! Note to self; bring a compact camera next time I come here.

the virgins in action!

the muddy 'Wildboar trail'

The Wildboar trail seemed eternal! The muddy trail made it more difficult to maneuver but we’re still very thankful that ‘limatik’ are not of our concerns at that time. Inside this wildest trail; we jumped, we ducked, we swung, we bent, we fell and got dirty, we got knocked by the unruly branches, we laughed and we never gave up! Finally, we arrived at Peak 2!

At Peak 2, all I can say is that, ’this is it?!’ Yes, its elevation is past 1000 meters. Small flat ground with bushes covering what might have been a good view. I didn’t even get to see the 3 white crosses up there or is it still there? A little frustrated and tired, we left five minutes after that with no pictures at all. Yeah, we’re that frustrated and disoriented if that really is Peak 2.

And as the old saying goes, what comes up must come down. We pull ourselves together for the last leg of the traverse. We reached Agila Base 20 minutes before 5 and started the nonstop rocky gradual descent to Makiling entry point. By 6:18, I officially finished the traverse.

KC at Agila Base

at the endless road to Makiling entry point

The hot shower was the best reward after that rocky downhill road. 7pm came, I’m squeaky clean and unapologetically hungry! The dinner at ‘Sulyaw sa Grove’ was the second best reward. Haha! For less than 60 pesos, I was filled. After dinner, we indulged in ‘Lety’s Buko Pie’ which was a present from Sir Arnel’s good friend, Ma’am Kathleen.

my dinner. ooops! forgot to take picture of  the 'imbudo rice'

Sir Arnel and Ma'am Kathleen with the buko pie!

I’m glad we pushed through with this hike. Some setbacks were ignored but a lot of reminders made this a big success! My sincerest thank you to all who shared their experiences, pitched in their ideas and gave us those friendly reminders.

to more mountains!

I’m more than happy that everyone was safe. My turn to pay the bus fare.....I’m dozing off.

Till then!

Laguna Weekend Getaway – Part 2

After our fulsome meal at Aling Taleng’s, we quickly got up and head on to our next agenda – The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery.

Just to give you a slight background on this historical landmark in Nagcarlan, the Underground cemetery was built and designed thru the headship of a Franciscan friar Vicente Velloc in 1845. It is actually a chapel with an underground graveyard 15 feet below. Inside of the chapel to the left is the flight of stairs leading to the tombs which housed 36 niches. Buried bodies are that of Franciscan priests, high officials and some elite Catholic families. The underground crypt also served as a safe house for guerrillas around 1896 (Filipino-American war) wherein meetings and battle plans are being devised. It was declared a national historical landmark by the National Historical Institute in 1978.

We were lucky to have been there because the shrine curator was present at that time. After the brief background and some rules while inside the chapel and underground, we began to take pictures of the place (camera flash is not prohibited) including the image of Santo Sepulcro.

the Shrine Curator

image of Santo Sepulcro

the original flooring are still intact

the famous hole on the chapel ground

the original wooden door of the chapel

The eerie and creepy underground crypts were too much for us. So after 5 minutes, we left the underground place and continue of photo opt of the chapel.

the underground crypts

the small arc to the crypt

According to the curator, the reconstruction of the inside chapel was put on-hold because of budget issues. You can also see vandalisms on the walls of the chapel. Too bad considering that this place was declared a historical landmark.

what's left of the original ceiling after the reconstruction 

rampant vandalism on the walls of the chapel. tsk! tsk!

At present, the chapel no longer holds regular masses except on the Feast of Christ the King and during Holy Week. The ‘senakulo’ or staged presentation of Christ’s last days during the Lenten Season is also performed here.

No entrance fees are collected and the place is open to public from Tuesdays to Sundays, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. They also sell delicacies and souvenirs inside the chapel.

souvenirs inside the chapel

We left the place past 4 in the afternoon and made our way to the last leg of our trip, Liliw!

Liliw, Laguna is known to be a haven for shoe aficionados, giving Marikina a run for its money when it comes to shoe industry. The shoes are lined up when we arrived there. They’re like inviting us and who are we to protest! And so, the hunt for the perfect shoe....began!

that's Kufi with my shoes!

After less than an hour, I gave up with just one pair of shoes. Tired but happy, we retreated back to Los Banos....but wait....there’s more!

This is it! The final, final leg of the day - St. Bartholomew Church in Nagcarlan.  This magnificent church was first built in 1583. It was renovated in 1752 but was partly destroyed by a fire in 1781. In 1845, it underwent reconstruction adding a choir loft to its original design. This project was headed by Reverend Vicente Velloc, who also built the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery. Such a visionary, if I may add!

image of St. Batholomew church

In spite of the rain, we rushed to the entrance of the church hoping against hope that the church is still open. Damn! The front door was closed! But we didn’t give up. We went on the right side of the church and talked with the church coordinator. We requested in our most polite manner and our most appealing innocent gaze (Push in Boots eyes) and viola, we’re inside the church!

The lights inside the church are all out except for the altar. We can’t help but marvel at the beautiful altar in front of us. Of course, we did not forget to utter our sincerest prayer and gratefulness for the safe activity we had that day. 

St. Bartholomew altar

On our way out, we were accompanied by an altar boy who graciously toured us to the wide choir loft and to the belfry. St. Batholomew’s belfry is known to be one of the favourite locations of movies and television shows included that of ‘Kampanerang Kuba’. The altar boy even told us stories, both educational and eerie while we were inside the bell tower. But that won’t stop us from doing the never-ending.....photo opt!

view from choir loft

markings on St. Batholomew's bell

Our day ended with dried-up clothes, drowsy feet, drained energy and a very satisfied smile.  Thank you to all my weekend warrior friends! 

Thank you, Pablo family for the 'uber' warm welcome! Love you, Lola Rosita and thank you for the words of wisdom.

with Lola Rosita

Till then!

Laguna Weekend Getaway – Pagsanjan Falls and Aling Taleng’s Halo-Halo!

Our Itinerary:

(Aug 17) Pagsanjan Falls – Aling Taleng – Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery – Liliw Shoes

(Aug 18) Makiling Botanical Garden – College of Forestry – Maria Makiling Entry Trail – National Arts of the Philippines --  Magnetic Hill --  Paciano Rizal Park and IRRI

Believe it or not, this simple 1-day trip was planned early of June 2013 and got to its boiling point by mid August. Personal schedules interfere mostly while planning this weekend getaway until finally; we've agreed to do it and set the date once and for all. The weather was too much to bear that this planned activity would be our oasis from the burning heat of summer, an encouraging breather on a monotonous 8-5 job.

Those long and often date-changing preparations made its clear course on the night of August 16, 2013 via HM bus bound for Olivarez. Our most willing and gracious officemate, Angela and her family welcomed us in their home (free board and lodging) with open arms! Angela and her mom even went their way to pick us up at Vega in the wee hour (12:30am, to be exact) of Saturday.

Before dozing myself off to dreamland, I set the alarm at 5am and reminded myself that we have a very busy day tomorrow (...or later).

Day 1 Itinerary – Pagsanjan Falls, Aling Taleng, Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery and side trip to Liliw.

The weather that greeted us was not the usual bright and sunny mode. It was more like a ‘so-so’ bed weather. Of course we didn’t let anything, not even a bad weather stop our vibrant spirit and so we went downstairs to formally meet our hostess....and the yummy breakfast!

Angela's mom busy preparing our breakfast

The 'simple breakfast' according to Angela :)

After the sumptuous breakfast prepared by Pablo family, we took off with our first agenda – Pagsanjan Falls.

the gang at Pagsanjan Arch

Marked as one of the most famous waterfalls in the country, this falls also known as Magdapio Falls is actually located in Cavinti, Laguna and not in Pagsanjan. And so, our journey started at the Pueblo El Salvador Nature’s Park originally known as Cavinti Eco-Park.

at the entrance of Pueblo El Salvador

Upon arrival at Pueblo El Salvador, we were assisted by the desk officer (Girly), got ourselves guide and of course paid the registration fee of Php 270. We were also given harness to aid us while doing the descent over the steep steel ladders. A few minutes after that, we started our trek (an hour, if I remembered it correctly) to the falls.

The trek started with a 15-20 minute walk down the cemented pavement. After that, came the forest and a statue of El Salvador del Mundo greeted us paving the way to the steel ladders. Did I mention – steep? Well, you be the judge.

At this point, we were geared up by our guide of our harnesses. 

Steep...ey!

view atop the enclosed vertical ladder

final descent to the falls...yes!

The endless metal stairs and two enclosed vertical ladders made us all weary. Good thing that the weather was not so sunny. In fact, it was starting to drizzle before we reached the ground.

And without further adom I give you Magdapio Falls.

And because we are up for the challenge....we braced ourselves and crossed the gigantic falls all the way to the Devil’s Cave which is hidden behind. It was exhilarating and scary (not everyone is a swimmer L ) at the same time.

After that adventure, we head back to the steep trails (again!). All soaking wet and still invigorated by the majestic view of Magdapio Falls, we had no choice but to push ourselves back to the top. Why in the world did we not go for the ‘shooting the rapids’? I suddenly dismissed the thought given that we are working on a very tight budget with this trip. L

Tired and exhausted and starting to dry up, we leaped the remaining steps to Angela’s car for our late lunch at Aling Taleng’s. My motto, ‘a great adventure always deserves a delicious reward meal.’

Less than an hour, we arrived at the famous Aling Taleng’s Halo-Halo!

It was an hour past lunch when we entered the simple and homey ambiance of Aling Taleng’s establishment. Mixture of wet clothes and chilling breeze coming from the centralized air-conditioning system made my tummy rumble all the more. The only thing in my mind is food.... nothing but delectable home-cooked meal paired with an offensive amount of steaming rice!

According to the food attendant, who was very accommodating to our group, the restaurant was actually an ancestral house and established around 1933 by Editha dela Fuente. Aside from serving food, they also offer room accommodations for a very reasonable price. The attendant was feeding us with lots of stories about Aling Taleng but my mind was too clouded with hunger. Food! Food!!!! After less than an hour, our orders are served and the feast began!

Of course, we will not leave the place without trying the ‘Best Halo-Halo in Pagsanjan’. And it’s truer than true! It was the best tasting, mouth-watering halo-halo I’ve ever tasted. For 75 pesos, I’m at lost for words!

with Kufi!

...to be concluded.

Till then!

In between letters and life

I looked up and see the sky...it spelled magnificence.

The old wooden door left open....spelled escape.

That guy in the avenue waiting for a cab....spelled boredom.

My bleeding hand fixing the box....spelled life.

I choked for an answer and got nothing in return....it spelled hunger.

The rustic pipe across the trail....spelled thirst.

The rash on my olive skin.....spelled beauty.

For every chance I've been given....it spelled life.

Popping those bubble wraps, crisp and loud....it spelled reflection.

The aromatic rosary I hold so tight....it spelled faith.

Those nasty thoughts I dared profess....it spelled human.

My nephew's irritating cry for milk.....it spelled life.

The alarm on my phone waking me up....it spelled new day.
The never-ending city traffic jam....it spelled chaos.
My tattoos written in different colours and sizes....it spelled individuality.
You reading this so-called poem....it spelled life.

The magnificence has helped me escape from boredom....it spelled life.
My hunger and thirst for concealed beauty....it spelled life.
Those endless reflections of my faith as human....it spelled life.
Waiting for that new day in the midst of chaos and individuality...that is - LIFE.

Till then. 

In the beginning....

Scale, go up, mount, ascend, clamber, scramble and rise. Those are the words synonymous (given by Word) to what I love to do – CLIMB! Somehow that sums it up... but not all of it.

My first experience with climbing mountains goes all the way back to the summer vacation in my mother’s hometown in Bohol. I, my youngest brother and mom were scrambling the sharp assault to visit my grandparent’s tomb. I remember firming my small feet to the loosed ground soil while my free hand is busy grabbing tree branches and the other one holding the makeshift trekking pole.

I do not remember how long it took us to get there or if I had injured myself along the way. What I do remember is that I feel elated and happy and content at that very moment. Walking with my mom, my brother and a relative (can’t remember my relation to her, though) that served as our guide.

Mom was talking to her non-stop. They were reminiscing the past. They were exchanging news and stories. They were laughing and giggling and I hadn’t seen my mom that blissful. I was smiling.... I was smiling because, the fact is that, I don’t understand what they’re talking about (they’re speaking in Visayan language). She looked years younger at that instant. They’re talking as if decades had not passed.  Too bad, camera was a luxury for us back then.

Families and friends often asked me why I find climbing so interesting. I stop and recollect all the memories I had with nature way up there and it made me.... smile. The excitement, the exhaustion, the assault and steep trails, the plateau, the old trees, the wilderness, the muddy terrains, the parasites (limatik), the floras and faunas, the unfamiliar happy faces of locals, the brewed coffee, the quick bath, the sometimes not-so-sturdy shoes, the revolting heavy bags, the weirdest rashes and bruises, the unrelenting winds, the scorching heat, the sweat and rain combined, the crisp sounds of chirping birds, the proud boulders, the unnerving cold nights, the hikers you meet along the way, the exchange of laughter, the socials, the tons of photo opt, the sea of clouds, the sunrise and sunset, the stillness and serenity, the reward dinner , the tired feet and victorious smug! I guess they’ll never know....I'm hoping they would – one day.

There are probably thousands of mountains in the world but as a good friend of mine once said “Akyat habang may bundok” (climb while there’s still mountains). With that in mind, I will continue to climb and never falter.

photo credits to Ken Mauleon

All it takes is a little courage, a slight push and off you go.

Till then.

Movies and my Childhood

After my Mt. Pulag climb last Chinese New Year, I made a mental note not to write about it until I've found the rights words.....exactly the right words of how I've felt. I'm try to stay away from my usual climb blog so as not to bore my non-hiker friends from reading this blogspot.

Let's try writing something close to me and you, of course -- MOVIES!
I'm a great fan of movies be it drama, comedy, sci-fi, action, cartoon, romance and horror. Well, who hasn't? Some people are drawn to movies inspired by true events, and mostly, I don't.

When I was about 3 years old, I remember watching "Panday" for the first time with my dad. It was a fad back then to watch a re-run because it's much cheaper especially when it's years after it was first shown. It was also my first time to ever watch a movie on a very huge screen. Everything seemed bigger and grand back then. Even the white lady that chased the young kid looked scarier. To cut the story short, I did not finished the movie as I was so scared that I opted to sleep.

It was in Grade 5 when we did our first "major" project. Our class adviser consulted the entire class to come up with a benefit project for our school library. Without batting an eyelash, we decided to do a film showing. The movie - The Land Before Time (sigh!  brings back good ol' memories!) The film showing was a success! Everyone was commended by our class adviser for a job well done. What's best about it...we get to watch the film for free! Mind you, it did brought me to tears. I can still remember.....still smell the fresh paint...the china had never been used.....the sheets had never been....(huh?! forgive me....t'was a different movie.) Seriously though, whenever I hear "If we hold on together" by Diana Ross, I just can't help but remember that cartoon movie.

Who amongst you remember "Biokids" back in the 90's? Well, I can't remember the exact story but I remember going to church and completing the "Simbang Gabi" praying that I'd be one of that cool super hero kids. Funny, you think? Back then, it wasn't....but now I'm so humiliated telling this to all of  you. At least I get to complete my first "Misa de Gallo."

Another movie that strike me as a teenager was "Now and Then." My best friend and I even tried to do the famous 'coke float'. And yes, we weren't aware that it is called an ice cream soda and is widely popular on the other side of the world. Such an ignorant me back then .... and STILL AM! That's the best thing about childhood. Everything you see and hear and feel is new, everything seems wonderful and good and perfect. The movie soundtrack was also awesome! My best friend and I were like listening to 'Knock Three Times'; 'Sugar, Sugar' for forever. And also, 'As I Lay Me Down'  by Sophie B. Hawkins was just perfect!

Movies made by Viva Films will always hold a special place in my heart and someday (if I'd ever get to download online) in my portable external hard drive. Movies such as 'Campus Girls' and 'DoReMi' (I'm mushy and cheesy and I like it!) will always bring back sweet memories of my high school days in Makati.

I'm a super huge fan of Julia Roberts romantic flicks! (as in!) Whenever I feel sad or just trying to be myself, I always end up watching 'Pretty Woman' and 'Notting Hill.' Thinking of it makes me want to watch it again....later. Can't help it! No matter how hard we try, there will always be that tiny little thought bubbles that will always pop out of our minds hoping that someday, somehow we'd be able to experience a certain love story like that. And that my friend, is the hopeless romantic in me.

Will I ever get to watch another movie as brilliant as 'Forrest Gump' and our very own 'Oro Plata Mata?' How long would 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' film series play a significant part of Filipino horror flick? When will I ever get to watch quality Pinoy action flick? Will the young generations of today be able to appreciate movies such as 'Jologs' and 'The Breakfast Club?' I have so many questions.....damn!
                               

One thing is for sure, I'll definitely write a part two (or even a part three!) of this. Audrey Hepburn once quoted 'Everything I learned I learned from the movies'. I guess she's right!

Til then!