My first Trek: Anawangin Cove Via Mt. Pundaquit (March 31- April 2, 2012)

I grew up from Baguio.  I always enjoyed walking on grassy plains shielded by the pine trees from the sun.  It has been so long since I last had a great walk!  I used to walk hours and hours across hills back at the highlands, and I miss it so.  The cold wind blowing through the hillside, listening and feeling it on top a ravine, and standing at the peak where the wind blows from one side with so much power and all its marvel; while on the other side of the summit, the air is as peaceful as a melody.  So I started looking around for a way to feel that again!  I talked to my friends and asked who would like to experience how it felt to walk hours and hours up a mountain- who wants to trek!   My friend Peter decided to tag along and he was as excited as I was.  We looked for others who have the experience who can guide us on the right trail to get to the top and succeed in this expedition.  After days of looking around the net, we we’re able to get in touch with one of Peter’s old colleague and friend, Denz.

Denz welcomed us to join their next trek with their group, TripPeros Mountaineering Club.  We were so glad and so excited!  The route would be from San Antonio to Anawangin Cove via Mt. Pundaquit, and based on our schedule, it’s going to be a night trek!  Then we camp at Anawangin Cove and enjoy the beach!  My girlfriend and I started our preparations for the trip.  We would need lights for the night trek and the camp, a tent, trekking shoes, and a backpack.  We were told that the trail is on a beginner’s level and is rated as a number 2 from a 1 to 10 difficulty, 10 being the most difficult.  It’s good that we were able to join an easy path campaign, I was not ready for anything more than that!  Our gear was nothing special: regular sneakers, denim shorts, casual shirt, travel backpack, dome tent, and rechargeable lamp.

We arrive at San Antonio and prepare

We take the San Antonio bus via Olongapo City from Cubao at 3pm.  It takes an almost 6 hour ride to San Antonio where we are joined by our local guides.  We take the tricycle to the starting point of the trail where we take final measures and double-check our equipment.  We are guided by local trailblazer Manong Tony.  We have a moment of prayer before we go forth to the dark hills.

Everyone's geared-up and ready to go!

The first few minutes of the trail is just composed of a dirt road: grass, sand, and dirt.  As the minutes pass by walking, laughing, changing stories- the night gets deeper, the darkness seem to grow, it’s like the more we walked, the less light there was.  Then not long after, we hit the end of the dirt road.  The previous laughter and humor has faded, we knew it gets serious from here.  We reach our first stream and take a few minutes rest.   I am already sweating through my shirt, and it has just been half an hour.  I wash my face on the running water and we move on.  Our trail leads to shrubs, trees, and dried river beds.  We need to keep up and pace with the rest of the group or we may get lost.  The more we walk, the danger gets serious.

Some of the lights in our group have failed or ran out of batteries.  We had to share the lamps, and this makes things more complicated.  We had to position the lights so that everyone can see the trail, these are the times when you just wished you brought more lights.  The longer we walked, the farther we reached, the less light we had, the more complicated the trail becomes.  We soon reached a hillside, I am not certain how we got there but we have reached the windbreaker side of the hill.  Strong winds blow against the bushes, trees, and us.  The wind cooling our bodies down helps us revitalize for the big one- the long stretch to the summit!

The first few stops were fine

The trail leads to higher grounds, and the more we climb, the more I feel my legs ache.  It is each trekker’s worst nightmare- my legs are starting to numb.  Tired and exhausted, we take a rest every time we get the chance.  When we start to climb again, we climb and nothing else- not even a word spoken.  When we need to rest, we pat the group member in front of us to signal that in front of them to let them know we need to take a break.  When we take our breaks, again we speak less.  We take those precious seconds to psyche up.  There is nothing more we can do about our weary bodies, we can drink all the water we can but that will not make a difference, it is all up to the mind now.  We continue our advance to the summit, Denz and his brother, Johnny would try to cheer us up and keep our guts.  Every so often, they would try to remind us that the summit is just a few more meters away.   This is when I figured out, the summit is really just a few more meters away! Above!

Our bodies are close to giving up, we take a couple more stops on the way

We are worn-out!  I have never been so tired in my whole life!  I think I sprained my thigh, it hurts like hell when I try raising it too high.  I must have strained it on one of those steep paths we passed earlier.  My balance is also starting to get dull, but I must maintain focus.  At this rate, I may not be able to get to the summit, or even if I do- reaching the summit is just half of the trail, we also need to head down to the base of the mountain to get to camp.  Peter and my girlfriend Kat are also very drained, but I can’t let Kat and the others see me giving up.  I stand and walk, I want to feel the winds at the peak, I want to push myself to the limit, I want to reach the summit! 

We have been walking for almost three hours uphill this dark trail.  It may have been a level two trail, but add the absence of light and it becomes more of a level seven to me.  One wrong turn and I can head tumbling down to whatever unseen bottom there is down the slope there, we are technically in a ravine.  My leg is failing me; sometimes it does not move how I want it too.  Then light from above blinded me, “We are here!” the lead guys cried out to us. I am aggravated and agitated!  We gave it one last burst!  The wind started to blow wildly uphill as if carrying us to its crowning glory.  We finally got to a flat surface, I bend down tired, my hands on my shaking knees.  I slowly raise my head, stood straight, and yelled on the top of my lungs!  I am not sure what I shouted that moment; I think I blanked out for a moment when I realized I was finally at the summit.

At the top, baby!

This is what it would have looked like if the sun was up.

We took about 20 minutes to enjoy the summit and the satisfaction of finally reaching it, took our pictures, sat down and wondered how we got there, hard to believe that we are capable of such feat.  There I felt it: The cold wind blowing through the hillside, listening and feeling it on top a ravine, and standing at the peak where the wind blows from one side with so much power and all its marvel; while on the other side of the summit, the air is as peaceful as a melody.  Then after we had our time enjoying the summit, we head down the mountain through the trail on the opposite side of the hill.  The trail down was steep, but it was a lot easier going down than climbing up.

The way down was different from the trail up.  It was mostly a rocky slope; some have unstable grounds so we have to be very careful with our footing.  It took us just an hour to get down the mountain, although it still was tiring.  Some of our fellow trekkers got mild injuries on the way down like bruises, cuts, or grazes.  Good thing they brought first-aid kits.  Soon we were on flat ground, a few minute walk to the camp.  Along the way, we passed a dried-up riverbed where local Tamaraws or water buffalos were resting under the shadows of the trees and bushes.  We need to be swift and quiet, we do not want to get their attention that may startle the beasts, last thing we needed was a stampede and we would not have a chance to outrun them with our large bags and tired bodies.

A new day, a new adventure.  Fresh pine breeze by the beach.

When we got to the camp, everyone was exhausted. It was 4am, I setup our tent right away and got ready to rest while some of us still had the energy to party!  My energy reserves are dried up, I’ll party after I get some rest.  After 3 hours, I crawled out the tent to find the other trekkers still at it on the bottles!  These people are like energizer bunnies, they just keep on going and going!  We had breakfast, they offered sinigang which they cooked for us and was supposed to be for our welcome dinner but turned out we had a different schedule.  After breakfast, we head out to the beach.  Anawangin Cove’s beach has black sand which was actually from volcanic ashes from Mt. Pinatubo when it erupted more than a decade ago.  Instead of coconut trees, Pine trees cover the cove!  This brings out a fresh cold breeze unlike the other usual beaches.  The water here has a sudden depth when the tide is high, when the tide is low, you can walk along the shallow waters.

Ma'am Jo chilling under the pine trees.

Perfect weather at the cove.

Anawangin Cove

Sunsets by the beach are beauties.

Make sure to bring all that you need when you get to the cove, food, water, fuel, or light.  The only way to get supplies would be to go back to the nearest market via boat.  There are small stores at the cove where you can purchase canned goods, instant noodles, water, ice, alcoholic drinks and the likes but up to twice the normal cost.  If you get tired of swimming or baking under the sun, you can try checking out the lagoon, it’s a nice spot to take pictures of the place, the pine trees look magnificent above the water.  There are multiple outdoor baths and comfort rooms where you can wash after swimming.  When the sun gets too intense, it’s best to spend time under the pine trees.  There are locals who sell hammocks that you can tie between the trees and pass the time reading a book or just siesta the afternoon away.

Let the merrymaking, begin!

Denz asking Peter to do a double-shot (simultaneous shots of gin and beer)

And there's more!

Look how many bottles we downed! Hardcore!

In the evening, make sure you have plenty of light.  It gets really dark, especially since the pine trees can cover moon light so either light up your lamps or get that fire going.  They sell firewood at the cove, too so make sure to stack some.  When you’re in a place situated far from civilization, the best food is always the grill!  Nothing beats grilling or barbecue when we Filipinos are out.  When dinner is done, what do you expect, desert?  Nope!  The boys are getting ready for another round of night partying!  These trekkers are hard to the core, tough inside out!  They keep up with the bottles, even the girls can hold their liquor really good!  Tonight we party hard, because tomorrow, we have to get back to our real lives waiting for us here at the metro.

Anawangin's mysterious cove.

As we ride the boat back to Pundaquit beach, we pass along islets and black marble islands, and from the horizon, Mt. Pundaquit which is so much beautiful after we conquered it.

Another Trip to Calaguas (April 7-8, 2012)

Since my first trip to the paradise that is Calaguas Islands, I always had the itch to go back.  The fine white sand beach and the serenity that I failed to find in other getaways.   So when I heard that my old friend Danes is going on a week-long trip with Byahe Adventours for the holy week, I knew I had to find a way to join the party!  It is unfortunate though, that because of formula: BPO employee+ holidays= work! work! work!- That I will not be able to enjoy a week-long celebration in the island.  But still, I would be able to join them on the weekends- and that’s exactly what I planned to do.

The bangka from the river port will take us to the island

Just like before, Byahe Adventours took care of the ride to Daet, Camarines Norte and the boat ride to the island.  An 8-hour ride from Cubao to Daet and another 2-hour  boat ride to the island- and it was all worth it.  Just like before, the fact that I left the metro has already given me a certain calming feeling knowing that I am away from busy highways and crowded streets and malls.  We reached the port early morning, just as the sun was rising.  The boat ride again gave me that anticipation to lay my eyes on the island I have been missing for almost the past month.  Then, the waiting stops when we finally approach the island.  The boatmen drop their steel anchor to slow the boat down to a steady stop against the white sand.  And just like that, I almost felt like coming home.  Like the heavens’ gates opening, the soft rays of the sun showered the island and looked like a golden Eden.

Panoramic view of the campsite

This time we brought our own tent, although Byahe Adventours provides tents we figured to bring one along with us for privacy.  After setting up our tent, we were all eager to get to the water.  We ran towards the clear ocean like we were attacking it, hoping to conquer it and make it our own.  We rushed towards it laughing and in bliss as if cheering battle cries!  It almost felt like nothing could stop us, not even if they released the kraken!  We spent the whole morning just marinating in the sea and baked under the sun until Chef Janjie called for lunch.  What could be better than sitting down under the coconut shade indulging on freshly gourmet island-cooked meal with friends?  Buffet! Bon a petite!

Fresh as fresh can be

Just like the last time, you have the opportunity to take the afternoon learning poi dancing or skim boarding.  After a couple of attempts on the board, which didn’t go to well for me, we decided to try something else.  We took a walk around the island, crossing fields of local residents, and took pictures. We went up-hill to catch a glimpse of the sun just before it sets on the horizon.  This marks the end of the day and the beginning of another night-long celebration!  It was just after the critical days of the holy week so you can tell, everyone was up for one hell-of-a party!

Professional Photos taken by...professional photographers

Fire Poi in the background!

We head back to camp just in time for dinner.  Everyone is looking forward for tonight’s events.  We have cocktail-mixing, fire poi exhibition, and a long night of socials!  The cocktail-mixing was particularly special to some of our friends who successfully created their own unique concoctions!  Danes was able to debut his then-created Leme-quila!  A mixture of lemon and melon extracts on tequila which brought out a fruity-island cocktail with a punch.  The night went on, and so did the party.  It is absolute; nothing beats beach parties- correction: nothing beats Calaguas beach parties!

Mix your own, and down it!

What is the best thing about waking up the next morning after a long night of partying?  No hang overs!  That’s exactly what I always wake up to in the island.  We are scheduled to leave the island after lunch, and I already miss it.  I know that I will be looking forward to coming back to this beautiful place, the warm people behind each successful trip, the good food prepared on-site.  But before leaving this paradise, I had to make sure to leave a mark and make this trip far beyond anything else I have done.  By destiny, someone came up with a great idea.  The friends from Byahe Adventours decided to take island hopping!  If you think there’s nothing special about it, then you are highly mistaken.  We decided to take a trip to one of the near islands and back- swimming.  Yep, we are going to swim to near Balag-bag Island which is about 500-600 meters away.  That would be like a 4-5 minute walk, something like walking from SM Megamall’s building A to B end to end- give and take a couple of meters.

The island on the left is Balag-bag

For precaution, we took life vests as we are not professional swimmers.  This is not for the faint of hearts either, if you get stuck in the middle of the sea then try not freaking out.  Try not thinking of “what’s under me?” or “how deep could this be?” or my favorite “ouch! I think I got stung! There’s jellyfish here! Damn it!”.  As we take the few minutes on the water, it hit me- it really is harder than it seems.  I try to push myself, the waves going against us.  Each paddle of my arm seems to be futile, I have been paddling and kicking for the past 5 minutes but it seemed to be an eternity.  I can’t believe it, but my lungs are starting to give in- I have to catch my breath.  I lie floating to take a rest, the others are doing better.  I decide to keep going, keeping a watchful eye on the others and my girlfriend who decided to take the ordeal with me and I have to say, she’s doing much better than I am.  After 10 more minutes, we finally get half-way to the island.  I am running low on strength, the others are almost at the shores of Balag-bag Island.  I hear them cheer their morale up, and I do the same.  A few more agonizing minutes and I finally made it to the rocky part of the island, I didn’t have much vigor left so I was unable to get to the sandy shore.  To fully leave a mark on this trip, we had to get a-top the hill of Balag-bag.  With my almost no energy, I fueled myself with motivation to get to the top and finally claim what is mine by heart.  On top of Balag-bag, I stand a winner.

We took a couple of minutes to catch our breath, try to regain our strength, rest and enjoy the view and feel good of what we just did.  We took 20 minutes to get to the island, pusher ourselves to the limit, and succeeded.  We concurred ourselves.  Then it hit me, we need to get back!  Suddenly everything looked like it’s just beginning- we haven’t made a mark yet!  There is something better than swimming to another island – swim to an island and back!  With little regained from resting, we again push our bodies to the limits, in sarcastic humor, “it’s just another 20 minute swim anyway!”.  This time, the swim back feels easier than expected, I’m not sure if it’s because maybe the wave is helping us to the shore, or maybe our muscles have adapted to the water, or if our sudden vigor is caused by rushing adrenaline triggered by a sudden realization that we have bested ourselves and that we should keep this up.  With the final burst of energy, we find ourselves on the shore, sand on our faces- almost powerless to lift our bodies from the ground.  We take a couple of deep breaths and yell, “Is that it? What’s next?” as we all laugh and slowly stand up to get back to camp.

Back at the camp, still overwhelmed with the fulfilling-agonizing undertaking, we gobbled on our lunch with smiles on our faces.  After dinner, we head back to the boats.  Slowly as we drift away from the island, and the boatmen start the engines, I bid goodbye to this beautiful refuge for people looking for adventures, looking for answers, looking for themselves- “I will see you soon.”  Calaguas Island, you are full of surprises.

Leaving the island, exhausted but fulfilled again.

A Trip To Calaguas (March 10-11, 2012)

From the outside- the temperature was rising, the sun was at it's most grandeur; inside- the office is also starting to heat up.  What better way to cool things down on a summer?  Take a vacation!

It's been more than two months since I first went on the undertaking of giving myself a vacation.  It was the start of a long summer adventure. What is the best way to start a vacation?  Where could the best beaches be?  Maybe try something new?  Maybe just spend the evenings outside instead?  Come to think of it, I never tried organizing my own summer vacation!  I never went out-of-town and unwind by myself- I wouldn't have a clue on how to start.  The best way to start?  Ask around!

After spending hours online looking for the best destination this summer, I stumbled on an old friend, Danes Muñoz.  He was taking part on organizing a trip in behalf of Byahe Adventours.  They schedule trips for people like me (someone who has no idea how to manage vacations) and others who just want to go on another adventure.  Danes offered me the package worth Php 3,500.00 for a 2-day, 1-night Calaguas Island trip which includes the 2-way fare to Camarines Norte with the boat ride to the island, tent rentals and 3 meals.  Since it was my first time, I didn't expect too much.

We left Cubao at 9:00 pm and the ride took almost 8hrs!  Good thing I was from work so I made the best out of the trip- I slept the whole 8 hours!  After breakfast, we went straight to the port to ride the boat to take us on an almost 2 hour ride to the island.  The boat ride was already worth it!  After almost an hour from leaving the port, you would be in the middle of nowhere- you would barely see any shore for almost half an hour- just the deep blue sea.  But alas, the first sighting of the group of islands is a view worth the wait.  Beautiful islands, mostly of monolithic dark rock formations on white sandy beaches with green shrub hills that blend magnificently with the sunrise.

When we arrive at Calaguas Island, it was then that I knew I got more than what I paid for.  The island itself was a class by it's own.  Each step I took on the beach had a welcoming feeling- the clear tide washing on my leg, the fine white sand burying my toes, the wind blowing on the trees singing music to my ears, and the sun gently reaching down on me- it was nostalgic, that same feeling when you would have the chance to run around the park on that few minutes you escape your parent's watchful eyes when you were young.

The guys from Byahe Adventours would setup the tents for us, not because we're lazy but because setting up a tent is more complicated than it sounds!  It would be easy to setup a dome-type tent but what we had looked more of a cathedral-type tent.  There were parts of it I wouldn't even know where it goes to!

Me trying to figure out where this thing goes to

Almost done setting up the tent

The sun was up and the beach was set, and so were we!  The water was not rough, kids can easily enjoy the waves.  There are no sudden steepness or depth, there were no rock formations that can cause injury.  The sea bed was mostly covered with bits of shattered reef or sea shells.  The best way to enjoy it was to just float around!  Just make sure you apply sunblock!  Because once you get in the water, it's going to take a long time before you decide to get out.

When the sun is at it's peak, then it's just about time to get back to the shade.  Don't worry about missing out on the water, you'll be back in it soon.  In the meantime, let's check what's cooking!  Byahe Adventours' chef and organizer Chef Janjie takes care of that!  Fresh food cooked right on the island.  No fancy restaurants here, just plain old-fashioned pan-frying, pot-stewing and the likes!  And you get to watch it as it's done, from preparation to buffet!  Chef Janjie showcases his culinary talents and provides some cooking 101 tips.

Chef Janjie in action

After lunch, it's either back to the waters or relax under a coconut and read a book, take a siesta... or learn poi dancing! Yes, Byahe Adventours provide free poi dancing lessons.  They have their own line of professional poi dancers such as Star.  Star can walk you through from the basics to the advanced training sessions.  If you're up to it, you can try fire poi, too!  There's also free skim boarding lessons, see if you can find the surfer in you!

Surf's up!

Soon enough, the sun goes down.  I was thinking, "campfire!" because the island did not have it's own power source.  "It's going to be a quiet and short evening", was what's going on my head- I was wrong.  The team turns on a diesel-powered generator and the island lights up!  Bulbs on the coconut trees give the beach life throughout the night!  Music was on, too!  I was going, "Oh YES!!! Party! Party!".  After dinner, Chef Janjie again exhibits his culinary prowess through cocktail mixing!  Free tutorial for mixes from the basic Black Russian to Sex on the beach or "mix your own!"  Test your alchemy skills and be a mixing prodigy or knock yourself out with your own poison!  Just when things start heating up, once again the team lead by Chef Janjie and Star together with the other performers of Byahe Adventours exhibit their crafts on Fire Poi dancing to bring the party to a sizzle!  The party just goes on and on till the morning if you're up to it!  What better way to keep the memories than to capture them on high-quality photos taken by their professional photographer.

Got to admit, one of the best part of the trip- cocktail mixing!

Waking up at the island is never pleasant enough- no worrying of traffic, loud noise, being on-line for the next bus or train...just lie down and listen to the waves crashing to the shore and smell what Chef Janjie's cooking for breakfast.  "Just a few more minutes, call me when breakfast is ready...", is what lingers in my head as I turn still lying in the tent with a smile on my face, "I'm on vacation."