profound bliss

Mt. Gulugod Baboy/Pinagbanderahan offers a 360-degree scenic view of Anilao. From the summit, you can see the nearby Batangas Pier, Maricaban and Sombrero islands, and even the distant Mt. Maculot, Mt. Lobo and Manabu Peak. Locals say it’s actually Mt. Pinagbanderahan that mountaineers go to, and Mt. Gulugod Baboy is the one behind it which is not easily accessible. Here’s how to get to Mt. Gulugod Baboy/Pinagbanderahan: Ride a bus bound for Batangas City and drop off at the Diversion Road. (from Alabang, fare is P110) From Diversion Road, ride a jeepney going to Mabini and drop off at Anilao junction (P29), tricycle are cheaper (P30/head) but scarce over there so you may want to just drop off at the Plaza where you can hire a tricycle for P140 going to PhilPan. Once at PhilPan, the path on the opposite side of the road is the one that leads to the mountain trail going up Mt. Gulugod Baboy. Before you reach the trail head, however, you will pass by Pabio’s store w...

I recently visited Lucban, Quezon with my friend K last month for the famous Pahiyas Festival. (Read about my Pahiyas 2012 experience here .) There’s a Sta. Cruz route but we opted for the Lucena route since I frequent that part and I think it’s the easier one for commuters. Just my opinion, though. We wanted an aircon bus cuz we left so early in the morning and we wanted to sleep through the trip to Lucena but the aircon one would leave at 5:00 AM so we opted for the ordinary bus which would leave sooner. A & B Liner left Alabang at 3:30 AM. Despite the hard seats, K and I were still manage to sleep through most of the trip. We were charged P147.00 each. K could have gotten a discount for being a student but the ticket has already been printed by the time he said “estudyante ‘yong isa.” We reached Lucena Grand Terminal at exactly 6:30 AM and rejoiced to know that Jollibee was open. Past 7:00 AM, the Lucban-bound jeep we boarded in the same terminal departed, and we we...