There’s new tambayan/tindahan at the foot of Mt. Maculot and it’s a good thing for those who hike during the weekends when all these so-called mountaineers’ stop-over get crowded a lot. This one is very near the trail head, way past UWAC but before the fallen milestone with written acknowledgements. The good-mannered, elderly man who owns it told me to just call him Tatay Ed. He actually sells bottled water, soda, and even cooked food during the weekends. Unluckily for me, I climbed on a Thursday so I didn’t get to taste his cooking. Tatay Ed said he’s constructing a toilet for the mountaineers. And we can use it for free. I just hope his free toilet wouldn’t smell. For those who bring vehicles, he also charges nothing for parking within the area of his store. “Bumili lang sa akin ay tama na,” he told me when I said sayang ang parking fees. Anyway, I already saw his store when I climbed the Rockies last June, although I didn’t think it was a store because it didn’t ...