What do Maculot, Romelo and Manabu have in common? - Part 3

This is the third of a series of posts, and I really hope will be the last, about ‘peculiar’ things that I have experienced in the mountains.

So I am/was fond of climbing alone, but only in mountains that I already know the trail of, and which I label as ‘safe’ because of easy trails.

Two mountains that I climb alone (and without a guide) were Maculot and Manabu Peak. I already blogged about what happened during my last Maculot climb which actually triggered my desire to write about my ‘peculiar’ experiences. You can also read about my Mt. Romelo experience here.

This time, however, I’m gonna write about a very strange thing that happened to me in Manabu.

I arrived at the jump off past 1:00pm of September 20, 2012. Based on previous Manabu climbs, I only needed at least three-and-a-half hours for a ‘round-trip’ (that doesn’t include the ‘summit time’) so I was sure I’d be back at the jump-off way before 6:00pm.

It had just rained the previous night so the trail was wet and the stream to be crossed was a little deeper (below the knee) than usual. It had always been muddy in Manabu, anyway (or at least every time I went there), so the slippery trail was nothing new.

A few meters past the last occupied house (Mang Pirying’s hut not included) but before the split in the trail that will lead you either to the grotto or to Mang Pirying’s hut, I noticed a very thin dog off to the right. He (instinct told me it was a he) ran away as he saw me, but only far enough that he could still see me and bark. His voice was weak and kinda muffled. I think there was something wrong with his tongue. My guess was that it was cut off because his bark was very unusual-sounding.

Being a dog lover, my heart almost broke at the sight. He was so thin so I guess no human was taking care of him. Or perhaps he was disowned. I had in my backpack three pieces of boiled eggs that I bought from the vendor on the bus on my way to Lipa. I decided to give one to the obviously starving dog. He was still barking nonstop at me, but he didn’t go farther away as I dared to get near.

I already have an HRIG shot anyway so I’d just need a booster if ever he was rabid and bit me.

About three feet away, I softly tossed the peeled boiled egg his way. He started to run away perhaps because he thought I would hurt him, but then he saw the egg and stopped running . He still kept on barking at me and I realized, given his situation, that it was hard for him to trust me, or anyone for that matter.

I gathered he wouldn’t eat the egg with me there so after saying goodbye, I walked on so he could eat the egg in peace.

I wanted to take the trail that would pass by Mang Pirying’s hut, and go down that way as well because there was this dark part in the other trail (the one with the gigantic boulder) that just gave me goosebumps everytime.

(I would like to build up suspense on this part but really, I wanted to just get this post over with because I’m having a hard time writing this. So without further ado:)

But lo and behold! I just found myself looking at what I didn’t want to believe was the grotto already!

I literally stopped in my tracks and looked around. How could it be the grotto when I haven’t yet passed that split in the trail that would lead me to either the grotto or Mang Pirying’s? Could I have missed it, really, despite the bench and directional signs? And on my numerous trips to Manabu Peak both alone and with K, walking up to the grotto couldn’t have taken that short a time!

I didn’t wanna scare myself so I just continued walking, past the grotto, past that eerie boulder, and onto that little grassland where that Cooperative Planting Project banner could be seen.

I walked fast, focusing on how to catch my breath as I didn’t want to think about how I was “teleported” some 30 minutes forward. I didn’t wanna entertain the idea but later on, I asked myself if it was the dog. It may be funny to think and I initially didn’t want to write about this thought but, was the Virgin Mary at the grotto pleased at my actions that she made my trek faster by cutting the trail short towards where she was?

It was a lonely hike overall, and eerie for that matter, because not even Mang Pirying was in his hut when I passed by on my way down. I found a black cat and a black dog in his house, though, which made the experience eerier (although we at home also own a black cat).

And then there was this caged “wild cat” also:

As I got near that split in the trail on my way down, that Twilight Zone theme (I am a fan) was playing in my head. I almost didn’t want to look. But it was there - the bench, the signs. How could I have missed them on my way up?

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What do Maculot, Romelo and Manabu have in common - Part 2

My Mt. Maculot traverse experience with K reminded me of my very first mountain climbing experience in Mt. Romelo. It was August 2010 and I was supposed to go to Taytay Falls but the friend I was supposed to go with stood me up so I decided to just go somewhere with fewer people - the mountains.

I hired a guide who perhaps had a third eye as well, the reason why he saw what he did.

We were walking towards Lansones Falls, he was like ten feet ahead, when I noticed that he kept on looking back towards me. I thought he was just checking on me as the thought of "stuff" like that in the mountains hasn't really occurred to me at that time.

Had he told me he saw something right then, I wouldn't have allowed myself to take a dip in Lansones Falls' catch basin and enjoy its very cold water. But since I was unsuspecting, I even asked the guide to take pictures of me as I posed with the waterfalls as my backdrop.

There was one part of the area, however, that was full of orbs when taken pictures of. It was called “grotto” because it was like a carved area in a wall of rocks.

Anyway, as we were eating pancit canton and rice at the small store back on top of Buruwisan Falls, he told me the story. He said he saw a man in green shirt following me, hinting that it wasn’t really a man per se because when it ran to the far side of the river to hide from the guide’s eyes, it vanished.

Now, I haven’t been back to Mt. Romelo after that. I would love to go there again, though, because I failed to go to Batya-Batya Falls during my first visit. The next time, however, I don’t wanna be with just a guide.

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What do Maculot, Romelo and Manabu have in common? - Part 1

I climbed Mt. Maculot every week last December to lose some inches on my tummy. And because not everyone likes to climb the same mountain over and over again, and because I'm really a loner, I climbed those four times alone.

The Rockies campsite is safe to climb alone. (I can almost hear my few more experienced mountaineering friends disagreeing with me.) The trail is wide and there are no forks aside from one early in the trail, but there’s an arrow pointing to the right direction so I really don't see how anyone could get lost.

My first two weeks were bliss. I was literally alone at the campsite aside from a big tuko on the first and a monkey on the second week. I was able to pray (which I do secretly when there are mountaineers around) for the safe climb, lie down on the tables, close my eyes and savor the quiet sounds of wind on the trees and the idea of being alone 300+ meters above sea level.

But was I really alone during those times that I thought I was?

I'm going to fast forward to January 3 because my third and fourth solo climbs on the third and fourth weeks of December were full of happy mountaineers along the trail and at the campsite. They were really friendly, aside from a few shy ones, but I wish I could teach myself how to become a large group type of person.

Going back to that first Thursday of 2013, it was a happy climb for me because after a little more than a year, I was able to climb again with my climb buddy K. He became so busy when he transferred school because he went back to playing the quinta drums and couldn’t find time to climb anymore.

After the holidays, though, he was a little less busy. And even if it was the last mountain we climbed together, we chose Maculot again because (1) I told him I will show him the "dila" part of the Rockies; and (2) we will do the traverse which he hasn't done yet.

I have traversed Maculot in 2010 with Danilo and a kid guide starting from Brgy. Pinagkaisahan to the Rockies down to Brgy. Tico, and I decided to do it the other way around this time. Little did I know that we really couldn’t start at the Brgy. Pinagkaisahan jump off because it is currently closed aside for foreigners. But that's another story.

After taking pictures at the so-called "dila" of the Rockies, K and I set off for the traverse at exactly 9:38 in the morning. K was excited to use for the first time his Casio altimeter watch that his father gifted him with last Christmas.

We occasionally paused to take pictures and/or admire the surroundings. A little over 800 MASL, we again stopped to admire a tree with a bunch of round fruits that looked like grapes. I took a photo of K by the tree and also took pictures of the wet surroundings.

It was raining and oh-so-foggy that day. It was bearable from Brgy. Tico up to the Rockies, but it was wet and muddy after the Rockies campsite onwards.

After taking photos, it’s time to continue walking. “Let’s go,” I told K who was in front of our two-person line. He turned away from me to resume the trek but suddenly turned back again, his gaze searching somewhere behind me.

“May tao sa likod mo,” (Someone’s behind you) he told me in his typical flat tone.

Thinking he meant there were other mountaineers behind us, I turned back as well to search for them at the trail behind. There were none, though, and when I turned back to look at K again, I sensed through his tensed expression that it was something else.

I’m not a mind reader, but the two of us have climbed mountains as a duo long enough to read each other’s thoughts just by the movements of our eyes.

At that point, I was reminded of the “green man” my guide saw was following me during my Mt. Romelo climb, reason why from there, I told K I’ll take the lead (I was the one who knew the trail, anyway). I also knew better than to talk about “what” K saw while we were still in that mountain.

We didn’t stop walking again after that, climbing at least a hundred MASL straight until we reached the summit. We became more quiet, more cautious, and perhaps more aware of what’s around us.

We stopped at the summit for a while. There, we ate our Jollibee cheeseburgers (K is a sucker for burgers, BTW) and took pictures. When my jaw started rattling at 24 degrees centigrade because we were all wet, I decided it’s time to start the descent to Brgy. Pinagkaisahan.

The trail on that other side was as steep as I remembered. However, the rope segments were more difficult going down than how I remembered it going up.

After the second and steeper rope segment before the grotto, we bumped into a Kiwi on his way up. He was being guided by Kuya Jun. I remembered the guide as the one at the registration during my 2010 traverse. He was also the one who gave me the 14-year-old Denver as guide. He remembered me as well and he talked like an old friend, explaining why there was a new fork in the trail near the summit and why they don’t allow mountaineers to start trek at Pinagkaisahan anymore.

I wonder why he gave the mountaineer from New Zealand a special consideration, anyway. And with that, your guess is as good as mine.

The area around the grotto was devoid of trees and the wind was particularly strong. We decided to eat K’s pancit canton there. After taking a lot of pictures, that is.

We completely forgot about what K saw until we were already comfortable eating burgers (again) at McDonald’s in Robinsons Lipa some three hours after.

“Ano’ng nakita mo? Naka-green?” (What did you see? Someone wearing green?) I asked K, thinking it was the same “thing” that followed me in Mt. Romelo on my way to Lansones Falls in 2010.

“Naka-white,” he answered, and I got instant goosebumps upon hearing that.

“Lalaki?” (A man?) I asked again because the one in Romelo was male, but perhaps I was also hoping the Maculot entity wasn’t what I thought it was.

“Babae.” (A Woman.)

I had more goosebumps after that, especially when K said the woman in white was standing to my left but a couple of steps behind.

All K could describe was black hair and white clothes as he said it immediately disappeared when he turned to look at it again.

I believed him, as I’ve also seen “things” like that on several occasions, the last of which was three days before this posting. But again, that’s another story.

Back at home, I told my friend Mylene about the white woman in Mt. Maculot. Mylene was a mountaineer before she married and gave birth. And then she told me a story of her mountaineering buddies hearing marching footsteps and Japanese voices during an overnight at the Rockies campsite.

My Mt. Romelo and Manabu Peak “goosebump-y” experiences coming soon.

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A new mountaineer's stop-over in Mt. Maculot

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 look like one back then. It also used to be on the left side of the road. It’s now on the right.

Anyway, I’m sure Tatay Ed will sooner or later become a byword to those who frequent Mt. Maculot. Especially that he can also provide guides for those new to the mountain. It’s just sad that he didn’t have a cellphone yet. He could have been a very good contact person for mountaineers.

I’ll update this post as soon as I can get his number.

His guide rates are as follows:

P100 – up to the part na may ligaw (or where the trail splits into two)
P300 – up to the Rockies campsite
P1,000 – traverse (from Brgy. Pinagkaisahan to Brgy. Tiko)

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How to get to Mt. Gulugod Baboy/Pinagbanderahan

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 which you won’t miss because he’s the only one with a tarp displayed with the picture of the mountain and himself on it. See below.

Pabio is a guide and a porter and he will entertain you with his stories about the mountain and his experiences as a guide. He also knows the history of Mt. Pinagbanderahan with the guerillas and the Japanese of the World War II, he would even show you the site of a plane crash.

What’s more, he’s a nursing aid graduate so he knows first aid and the likes that may come in handy when you’re in the mountains.

You may contact him in advance before heading over to Mt. Gulugod Baboy. Guides can be very busy especially on weekends (and long weekends at that). Pabio’s mobile number: 0921-2656466. His photo below.

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Mt. Gulugod Baboy – The Search for a Leaf

It wasn’t a usual climb for me when I went to Anilao, Batangas last Thursday. Although I admit I miss the mountains as much as perhaps every mountaineer who had been deprived of the chance to climb for quite a number of months, my goal in Mt. Gulugod Baboy was to look for a medicinal plant that we would like to use on my mother as an alternative medicine.

I brought Melford along, who’s now in college, since it really worries Nanay everytime I climb alone. Worry her at this time is the last thing I’d like to do.

I’ve been to Mt. Gulugod Baboy last year with K (sadly, it was one of the many climbs that I haven’t blogged about) so I’m already quite familiar with how to go there and even the trail. K and I didn’t hire a guide even if it was our first time in that mountain last year, just like in all of the mountains we have climbed together. Honestly, we’re so adventurous when we’re together that we even got lost in Mt. Kalisungan and found our way to the summit through a vast area of cogon.

Back to Mt. Gulugod Baboy, I was surprised to see part of the cemented path that connects Philpan to the mountain trail covered in what looked like a landslide. It was confirmed by a very friendly guide named Pabio when we stopped by his store for bottles of Coke.

Up to that store, however, I hadn’t seen the plant I was looking for. I read somewhere that it could be found along the trail but since it bears very attractive upside down flowers, I thought I could find it in front of someone’s house before I reach the actual trail going up the mountain.

Showing Pabio the photo of the plant I found on Google that was taken in Gulugod Baboy, he told me that it was in one of the group of houses in the middle of the mountain. And since I had been up there already, I suddenly remembered the small village he was telling me about.

It was a rather cool ascent. The sun wasn’t that harsh at all, with refreshing wind blowing our sweats away. We reached the small village after a while, and I was relieved that the plant was there in the far side from the entrance, easily recognizable because of its flowers.

It didn’t catch my attention last year because, as the above photo shows, it didn’t have flowers yet at that time.

Good thing the elderly male resident we found lounging there that morning agreed when I asked for a bunch of leaves which I said I would use as alternative medicine for my mother.

Locals are really friendly and kind. I ended up giving one of the kids a bar of Snickers as a token.

After thanking the man, and asking if I could have a branch that I could plant at home on our way down, Melford and I proceeded to the summit. It was almost zero visibility when we got on top and it took some waiting before we could finally have decent pics taken.

After much picture-taking and rest, we started walking back. The man at the small village gave me a small branch and I gave the kid again my last Snickers bar.

Pabio was still at his store when we got back. Famished, I asked if we could have noodles cooked (because Lucky Me Pancit Canton was the first thing in his store that caught my eyes) but he said his house was so far from the store and just offered to accompany us to a carinderia that cooks pancit guisado.

Before the pancit, though, we took a bath in his uncle’s house for P15 per head. Not bad actually for a civilized bathroom with hand shower.

Pabio entertained us with his stories about the mountain and the mountaineers who have hired him as a guide and porter. Over pancit canton guisado, Melford and I came to know this kind and funny soul that I regretted to not having brought him along as a guide during the climb.

He is also a nursing aid graduate so he has first aid skills that could come in handy in the mountain. If you want to hire Pabio as a guide or a porter, you may text him at (+63) 921-2656466. He only charges P350.

By the way, he told us it was really Mt. Pinagbanderahan that mountaineers go to and not Mt. Gulugod Baboy.

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Going back to Mt. Maculot’s Rockies

I went back to Mt. Maculot two Saturdays ago (June 9) with a friend who has never climbed a mountain before.

It wasn’t planned, actually. I was looking at my mountain climbing photos Friday night and decided I will climb the day after. I logged onto Facebook, checked who’s online and messaged random friends. Diego responded positively and we left a few hours later.

We were at the registration in Cuenca by 6:30 AM. I actually intended to get there earlier but I still had to do so much that we were able to leave Taguig at 3 AM.

Why I wanted to climb early? Because it was the Freedom Climb weekend.

We were the first to register that day, but I was particularly slow due to not having even a minute of sleep (oh, reasons!) and I was with a virgin (it was Diego’s first mountain) so a group of three girls from Team Injury plus a solo hiker from Muntinlupa went past us. LoL! That made me miss my climbing buddy K. He wouldn’t let anyone do that to us, so he’d push me in the mildest possible way (so I wouldn’t get mad and leave him to summit alone) to keep on walking.

We reached the Rockies campsite just a few minutes (in fairness) behind the girls and the solo hiker. The four were resting in the cottage together with a couple who spent the night. Diego and I didn’t wanna waste time (hah!) so we headed straight to the Rockies.

It was a clear day, no fog at all and the sky was crisp blue and the clouds few and picturesque. I wanted to take opportunity of the weather because the Taal Lake was covered with fog when I first went there, and it was stormy during my second visit.

The four followed after a while and I was thankful to them that on my third time at the Rockies, I was able to go as far down as the “dila” (or whatever it is called). It wasn’t windy at all. I wouldn’t dare tread the edges of the Rockies if it was.

Diego was ecstatic. I knew the Rockies was perfect to introduce newbies to mountain climbing. The thrill (of climbing the almost vertical wall of the Rockies and being on edges of big rocks) and the fantastic view of the lake and Taal Volcano will encourage them to climb more.

Anyway, after taking gazillion pictures, we were back at the campsite at exactly 9 AM. And since we literally had no food and Diego’s water bottle was already empty, we hurried back down.

It was sad, however, that I have a very sensitive stomach, so I chose to just eat at downtown Lipa. Safest for me, aside from Nanay’s cooking, are fastfoods. I hate to say this but even the hotdog sandwich in MLQU (during one of my trips up there for hiking activities) made my stomach upset.

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Revisiting Kamay ni Hesus

As a side trip to our Pahiyas Festival 2012 trip, I took K to Kamay ni Hesus. I had been there two years ago but it’s always a good thing to come back and be a tour guide to a friend.

It was the middle of the day, the sun was shining oh-so-brightly and I was feeling like fainting. We’re so used to climbing mountains at that level of heat, but it’s really different when you’re up several MASL than when you’re enduring heat in the lowlands.

The Noah’s Ark was still under construction when I first visited the place but it was all done now and being used as a retreat house.

We didn’t have any tripod and it was a good thing someone asked me for a favor of having their group photo taken. I also asked her to do the same for K and I at the doorstep of Noah’s Ark.

Despite the heat, we proceeded in climbing the steps towards the Ascending Christ, which is the third biggest in the world.

We passed by stations of the cross along the way but we didn’t pause to pray due to the scorching heat. Climbing the steps at that temperature was sacrifice enough, really.

And as a self-confessed photog wannabe, I took assuming shots. LoL! I kinda played around with  Photoshop so forgive me for the pics if you didn’t like them.

 

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Pahiyas Festival 2012

Pahiyas Festival is celebrated by the people of Lucban, Quezon on the 15th of May every year. It is in honor of their patron saint San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidore the Labourer), who is also the patron saint of all farmers.

Lucban was described as a quiet farming town, and the Pahiyas Fetival started in the 16th century to celebrate a bountiful harvest and to give thanks to their patron saint.

The Lucbanons during the early Spanish times used to give an offering to an anito asking for a good harvest. After harvest season, they would gather their produce in a church and they would eat and drink together. Their belief is that this kind of merry-making would please their gods and in turn bless them with good harvest the following season.

The celebration has evolved overtime and has become the famous festival foreign and local tourists flock to during the summer month of May.

Residents on the designated streets would decorate their houses with agricultural products as well as the famous kiping (leaf-shaped decorations made of rice). Judges would go to each house and the best decorated house wins.

Not all of the houses in Lucban decorate their house during the festival. A certain route is determined and only the houses along the route are obliged to do so. However, some people with houses outside the route choose to adorn their houses out of free will just for fun.

And why the route, you may ask? Because it costs a lot to decorate the houses that it would be so hard (financial wise) for a homeowner to shell a big amount every year.

Most homeowners allow tourists to enter the house, look out the window to have pictures taken with the decorations. Some houses yeterday, however, were closed. An indication that the owner didn’t want any uninvited guests.

Almost all of the houses were grand, but, of course, some were more festive than the others as they try to outshine one another for the coveted title of having the most beautiful decoration this year.

Below are photos of the houses that I found so appealing.

This street was the most-packed yesterday morning, and the house in the foreground was most photographed (also shown third pic from top).

And Jollibee also has a house in Lucban!

Popo was dancing in front of the house, to the delight of kids and kids-at-heart, when we passed by.

This man was having a last-minute touch-up.

St. Louis de Toulouse (Lucban Church), home of San Isidro Labrador, the town’s patron saint.

It was bustling with activity yesterday. So glad I had a more quiet time visiting the place in 2010.

In front of one of the corner houses along the Pahiyas route, a band was playing. I couldn’t actually understand a word in their songs, but they repeat the word “haribon” over and over.

We left a little after having lunch of the town’s famous pancit habhab (because there’s no fork you have to eat it directly from the palm-sized piece of banana leaf) and buco shake. We didn’t wait for the parade anymore cuz Kenneth still wanted to drop by Kamay ni Hesus.

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