Cos I Can Conquer You Balingkilat

You wont be so tough anymore. You looked very ominous when I first sighted you. The dark mountain by the right, peaks covered with gloomy black clouds thundering it’s height. A scenario as if transported from the reels of Sauron’s dominion - tropical version.

But tomorrow you shall be my conquest. Your magnificence will be where I shall borrow strength from.

A good timing to forget the city light’s harrowing metaphors and blurs. No internet, no electricity, none of the superficial and shallow pursuits people busy themselves with.

And then as if to quench my beach yearning, Nagsasa Cove… no matter if this typhoon’s a threat. 

This will be the ultimate nature commune - to be humbled by the forces only God could make.

Cinco Picos: I Love the Nightlife

Ayan hapon na ulet. Iba na ang network ko kaya nde na ulet ako maka-access sa MTalk. Ok lang sulat ko nalang ang part 2. So san ba ako  nagstop? Paka-dating sa Campsite. 

Astig talaga. As in, wala namang ulan. Pero we are in the midst nga ng ulap kaya woohoo. Yun tipong kung may bangin nga sa may bandang dako dun, nde mo malalaman kasi mahamog. Kanya-kanyang pwesto. Buti nalang kahit  isa ako sa nahuli maayos napwestuhan ko, kahit may bato ba yun o kulumpong ng damo sa mag saktong hihigaan ko at di gaanong pantay ang lupa. kinaylangan ko pa ngang umikot ng konti hanggang nahuli ko yun tamang pwesto: medyo sakto sa may lower back ko yun kulumpong ng damo kaya parang may unan lang. 

So ayus ayos lang ng gamit, tapos kinalat ko na lahat sa loob ng tent. hahaha! ayun, niluto ko din yun sinulat kong recipe last week dito kaso bwiset at kulang ng olive oil!!! kapos!!!! badtrip talaga pero ok narin. ayun ginawa nilang meryenda. taob ang kaldero sa sobrang gutom ng lahat. pati ako muntik nang di makakain.

Nakita nyo yung fog sa daku paroon??? Bangin na po kasi yun , buti nalang sa bangin lang nagkakaron ng fog. (lol)

Tradisyonal na sinigang, sinaing, longanisa, ayos. habang naghihintay maluto, nagpahinga ako, nakatulog din. so fast forward nalang kasi may drama echos pa akong ginawa pero di na mahalaga yun kasi pakakain ko masaya nalang ulet ako.. nagipon ipon na ang lahat.. nilabas na rin ni Mark ang mga lobo, si Eman ang party hat na dala nya at idinistribute na sa lahat. Nangangate na kasing uminom, kaya ayun, PitO!!! Pwersahang ginsing ang natutulog na NT, at pakadilat nya ng mata, ayun, isang masibagong Happy bertdey na kanta ang sumalubong sa kanya.. adju adju talaga kasi amfness ang ngiti eh, parang bata. hehehe. Ayun masaya na sya.

Di Kami masyadong masaya noh?? 

Lasheeng ang itawag mo sa kanila. hahaha

Si Kuya, isa sa mga guide namen.. HIndi po yung nakapink ah. hahahaha! 

So diredirech sa socials, namangka si C2, bangka din si Reds, nagpapana ng bigote si Berto dahil binabasag sya, at eto pa, may Dance Fight pa silang nalaman. Kung akala ko na sa pelikula ko lang makikita yun, nagkamali talaga ako. Wa ako ma-say sa kilos ng da-moves ni Reds at C2! hahahaha ayus ang performance level. Ay naku Radical Sana nga talagang naligayahan si NT sa surprise echos na yun.. na kun tutuusin kulang nga pala.. hehehehe!

So malamang kasama nanaman ako sa last three standing. Bwiset na Ross, ayaw magpatulog, talagang hihilahin nya paa ko at nakikipagagawan pa ng zipper ng tent ko! Natakot nalang ako nun nagbantang, “Huhugutin ko yun Pegs mo!” Amf, edi nawala sa korte ang tent ko.. ayun. Tagay naming tatlo nina NT? Tubig at Ice tea. Akalain mong tumba ang 4 na litrong GranMa at 2 boteng Bar Gin.

Kinabukasan, syempre agahan, luto, picture picture, ligpit tent, picture ulet. Grabe, malapit na nga pala talaga yun Nagsasa Cove, sayang kung hindi lang namin iniwan sa jump-off yun iba nameng mga gamit, malamang dun na kami nagdaan pauwi, para magside trip sa dagat.. (dala ko pa mandin ang panligo kong bagong biling two-piece! hahaha! pakshyet na frustration at hindi nakapagdagat sa nagdaang summer).

nyahaha.. antok pa ko leche.. pero etong isa, astig talaga etong kuha ni Ninya. AyLabet! Apir! Kaya tinatanaw ko nalang yung dagat.. frustrated sa beach!!

Lakad lakad.. Hay naku ang pagbaba talaga ang isa sa pinakapaborito ko next to Socials at Dinner.. ang bilis na eh!! yun tinahak namen ngmga 2 hanggang 3 oras Isa nalang.. aybaka may halong exaggeration na pala. hehehe. pero basta mabilis na kami, if wala ka dun, pasenxa nalang. So ayunmalamang nasa huli pa rin ako kahit mabilis na ang phase kasi hayun pa at naligo pa kami sa “Resort” ito yun area na dulo ng River Trail kun paahun ka ng bundok. So malamang kun pababa na, eto yun simula ng river trail. Tama naman diba? Medyo may mini lagoon kasi na hanggang bago mag bewang.So naiwan kami dun, kulitan lang, pichure pichure ulet. buti nga at leats kasama na si Shali, Jin, Eman, kapatid ni Eman, Mark, Reds at Crich this time. Nung una kasi lima lang kami nina Berto, C2, Jags, Macao. Hehe, naging masikip yun maliit na “Resort” pero ok lang masaya naman. So lakad lakad lakad sa ilog.At napakaraming kasamang dulas.Pagdating sa medyo may clearing ng konti andun na ang lahat at nagpapahinga, naliligo, tawa, blah blah. 

Trail pababa na kami.. Paolo nangunguna eh o, o ha oha! 

Lakad Lakad. malamang ginagawa pa rin namen ang Pito Prusisyon. pantanggal pagod din ito kahit panu.. Naglunch dun sa may “Falls.” Napaka ganda talaga ng Nature. Promise. At, muntikan pa akong maubuan ng lunch. Pagkatapos magluto amf, uubusan ka lang. kaasar yun diba?? So anyway, medyo tagal ng isang oras dun, kahit mainit, sa gitna kami ng daan kumain -  baket ba, eh wala namang dumadaang kotse dun.

Ratrat na pabalik ng bundok, pero malamang nasa hulihan pa rin ako. Ngunit eto ang masaya talaga. Dahil sa napakabrilliant mind ni Berto, may naisip syang magandang ideya kun panu tumawid sa “major ilog.” Oo ideya nya yan, muntik ko na ngang mabitawan ang bag ko!!! akala ko tatambling na ako sa current ng tubig hinayufak na yan. Pero basta masaya… hehehe tignan mo nalang picture para maniwala ka. Yun nakaputi sa dulo basta ako yan at nde pwedeng kumontra ang hindi kasama sapicture except kay Crich kasi sya ang kumuha ng pichure.

masaya diba?

ayan at sa wakas nakatawid na rin. (from left to right lang ha: Crich,C2, Reds, Ako, Berto,Mark)

Ayun kaya pagdating jump-off, kami ang nahuling nakaligo, huling sumakay ng Jeep at hinhintay na ng lahat. Di Balemasaya naman.

At aba’y kala mo nde pagod dun sa “Jeep No.2″(jeep namen - parang yun pang field trip lang kasi na buses na may Bus Number) wala, pati si manong driver napapakanta samen.. Listahan ng mga kinanta:

• Magasin
• Silvertoes
• Pare ko
• Huling El Bimbo
• Chiksilog
• Elesi
• Top of the World
• Ako ang Kapitbahay Mo
• Ang buhay ng Kristyano ay Masayang tunay
• Ang mga ibon na lumilipad- hanggang isda na lumalangoy
• Medley ng Sa may Bahay ang aming bati, We Wish you a Merry, Thank you thank you, ang babarat ninyo Thank you
• Kalimutan ko na yun iba

(Hindi lahat ay tinapos ang kanta kasi tinamad na dahil nde alam ang lyrics, at yun iba naman alam ang lyrics)

Forever nang memorable ang jeepney ride na ito para saken kais eto ang pinakamahal na sakay ko ng jeep. basta di ko na sasabihin, secret lang kung baket.. pero di bale, iniisip ko nalang na kun sino man makakuha nun, mas kailangan nya yun.. (**hikbi hikbi** dahil sa malaking katangahan ko-naalala ko na nasa Manila na akalain mo yan. Gutom na talaga ako nun).

Ayun, pakababa jeep, kain Greenwich, sakay bus, tulog.. oops di rin. Bawal nga matulog.

Paka-stopover sa Lubao, ayun at nanggulo pa.. ilalagay konalang an gmga pictures sa susunod para mas lubusan nyong maintindihan dahl walang kwenta kun ikukwento ko lang. Hindi nakakatawa. Hmm. At OO nga pala, yun mga koryanong nasa likuran nakaupo-sa harap namen sa Victory liner na bus na sinakyan namen. Ilalagay ko nalang din ang picture next time ng lubusan nyong maintindihan.

Ngayon ako ay antok na… nasa opis pero inilatag ko ang tent ko dito, masikip kasi sa bahay, kaya dito talaga ako naglalatag para mailigpit ng maayos.

Photo Credits: NT, Ninya, Mark

Indulging in Food: Backpacking Style 2

I’m planning this for our next climb. To do Pasta - I shall beat you to it Sir Marts. I think I shall lay low from sabaw. But nothing invigorates a cold chilly night other than the trusted Soup. Maybe IF I have room for one more recipe. But for now. I hope they shall like this dish I constantly do.

TUNA LINGUINE IN BASIL, TOMATOES AND MUSHROOM

Ingredients:

Can of Tuna (It would be cost effective to buy the “In Solid” one. More Tuna, More sangkap)

Linguine (or whatever pasta you fancy, I just so happen to love linguine above spaghetti and fettucini)

fresh basil

dried mushroom

tomatoes

Garlic

Pepper, Salt

Olive Oil

Nothing to do at home but just to segregate everything  properly. You could also break the pasta in half for better storage.

AT CAMP:

Soak the dried mushroom. Cook the pasta to al dente. (trick to make it not somewhat bitter, boil water first with a bit of oil. After boiling, place the pasta. wait for it to boil again before putting salt) Mince the garlic, and quarter the tomatoes. If you want it smaller, you could do so. But not too much. Slice mushroom once tender. Prepare the basil. Once done, set aside the pasta. heat the pan with olive oil, and saute garlic (I prefer lotsa), toss in tomatoes, and after a few seconds of sauteeing, the drained tuna. toss the basil as well and Mix for a while.the Basil and Garlic would balance out the Tuna’s “fishy” aroma. Toss the Pasta and mix it. Add Olive Oil and Basil if Desired. Adjust flavor with Salt and pepper. 

Always serve hot. Chow!

MT BATULAO: My Mudslide Exposure (April 18-19 ‘09)

And so the journey continues.

Being my  second climb, I am even more excited. I feel slightly more prepared: with my new Conquer 30L TechPack assuring my load this time. Hence the cat calls from my usual group who are fast becoming my friends, even if we’ve only seen each other for the second time. Started to get in line for the bus ride at around 11am, we finally took off at about 1:45pm! It was a very uncom fortable wait as we cant get out of theline so we have to endure the bright noon sun rays.

During the bus ride, we encountered this group of climbers who took the same bus, chanced upon it even if they have to ride it while standing just to reach the destination: Evercrest, Nasugbu. Turns out they too will be trekking Batulao but will do so on a night trek. Our group compromising of 9 people with boys as majority, became those ‘gentlemen’ and offered the coveted seats to the other group who majority are girls. They finally experience the bus seats in Sto Tomas, Batangas, where few people got off.  This bus ride, would prove to be a turning point. This group of people, would in the future, will become not just acquiantances but further more, climb mates.

But apparently, the heat of the Metro didnt quite prepared us for what we are about to encounter.

As we neared Tagaytay, I woke up in the bus and the magnitude of the rain  took me by surprise. I have not bargained for this, yet everything is becoming exciting. The rain didnt stop but just ceased to a tolerable downpour. Having no choice since we didnt opted for a night trek, we started the ascent, though trying hard as possible to secure my things, I was still  very worried that my load would get the beating of the rain. And so started the muddy assault.

Even before we reached what I’ve dubbed “the grassy lands” we were dripping wet and our feet were all covered with mud. Batulao have been known to be a scorching place to trek, but under this kind of weather, we were battered as well. Though we’ve only trekked the new trail, it still is an experience to beckon with. Walking amids flattened ridges, having both sides of the trail as cliffs.

When we reached the campsite, it was pitchin dark already.. I’m practically almost blind as I dont have my own head lamp yet. Fearing rains would struck again, I was advised not to pitch my own tent and shared C2’s instead which is more reliable. So much for the extra load on my back. Socials as usual is a blast. Our in-house Gournet cook, Berto, prepared a delectable Bicol express con tuna dish which spiced up everyone’s meal. Thus, becoming my inspiration on coming up with my own improvised recipes for next climbs. (There was talk that night about having Pundawuit-Anawangin to be next on the list, and me promising I shall prepare something of my own cooking, but the constant weather didnt permit this). 

This Batulao experience opened me up to different aspects when it comes to climbing, whhich also reaches out to the people you enjoyed it with.

Waking up so late didnt give us the opportunity to summit. It disappointed me but then it became a promise that I shall one day return there. 

Taking the customary group shots before we break camp, we just indulged ourselves to the view of Batulao’s majestic and scenic peaks. It would be too hot if we dare to summit so we decided to descent instead. Going down, the mountain presented its reputation of being the hot trek. Well, everything is still fine.

Our sidetrip, as I have learned is common when climbing, is going to the nearby (a 30-minute jeepney ride without traffic mind you!) nasugbu beach strip This is where we changed our sweat-soaked clothes and dipped to the actually above normal rampaging tides of the sea (having experienced rains the day before). It was refreshing and salty, as only the sea could give.

Oh and that also concludes my sea escapade for this summer. Pointing out that this is the first ever summer, that I have not experienced and soaked myself properly on the hot shores of an ocean. Sad, but well, the consequences of my new found love.

BATULAO ONE CAST:

NT

C2

Berto

Julie

Mark

Macao

Janis

Ross

Gina

Shain

Manabu: The Experience of the First Timer Wannabe (March 14-15 ‘09)

A balik-bayan officemate asks me, what do you think what’s nice to do on a weekend? Thinking someone like him wont exactly be enthralled with shopping I rattled my brains to give a suggestion. So I answered, “Do you do mountain climbing?” He shook his head and I said “Neither do I, but if you want to try, I might know the right person to ask.” And so the concept of a long ago interest buried deep within started to rekindled. I contacted a college friend and turns out a a week from then, a climb will commence, though she herself cannot join the climb. I begged for her to come, thinking of my inane insecurity of meeting strange people, but to no avail. I really didnt mind the days approaching as the weekend neared. But I was told that there was shortage of tent, and if i could provide for myself it will be better. And so I scampered to get myself one, the cheapest I could find. It was at that moment, when I held my first tent that I really did feel, excited after all. 

Saturday came. My bag is a disater. Looking at their packs and then back to mine, I wondered, should I really be doing this? Dont get me wrong I love that purply adidas sports back pack, but it aint no pack. And then to top it up, no one seems to know everyoneexcept for the group at the side, we were like bunched into 5 groups. Though some would occassionally acknowledge each other, the comparison i saw is that me and my officemate, Felix, we really didnt know anyone. Anyway, even if I felt so out of place,even if I cringed in embarrassment with my things, obviously being a newbie, I breathed and said “let’s rock.”

Destination is Sto. Tomas, Batangas, but we have to go thru Lipa City.  Commute isnt so bad.We got off and had breakfast at the Fiesta Mall. I still am not talking to no one. Until someone went outside and had a cigg, I went outside, half thankful that someone smokes, half thankful I’ve found a way to socialize. Her name’s Angel. Younger than me but been a climber since. She didnt exactly became a friend or something but Im happy that for the first time, I got to talk to someone, except for the occassional answer to the question “Are you guys ok?” asked by NT, the organizer.

 The Jump Off. We stretched a bit, applied the Off Lotion,  and being the pasaway that I am managed to lit a stick. tsk tsk. I know.  So the ascent commenced. I couldnt basically remember every happeningof each step but just that by past 4 pm, we reached the campsite and was really really really happy that my feet could finally rest. As it turned out we had a very long trek because of the continuous stops we did, the length of each isnt exactly the usual, hence the less than 2-hr climb became a lot longer. We’re a group of 15 and 3 of us the first timers. It was a nice, grueling, tiring, stretching your limits first assault. And it felt good.

Dinner and Socials were even better, I never imagined it would be like that. it is something people took for granted yet when you’re up there, it’s totally different. We conquered the summit the following morning. There was a cross built on top of the mountain. It’s just sad how irresponsible other climbers are; writing their names as if it would leave a momentous event for the world to see. 

The view was simply spectacular, though not offering a 360 degree view, it’s still breath-taking. I felt I could spend an entire day just looking at the view.

Going down we took a different route. Though it’s much longer, i loved the surroundings, we even sighted an eagle flying while we took a rest on a grassy knoll, invigorated by the fresh breeze.

There wasnt much to tell anymore but just that it was an exhilirating experience. And thus started within me a passion.

OH yeah, I forgot! Being a balikbayan, Felix turns out to have never tried Fishball, Kikiam, nor Squidballs or Kwek Kwek. Hungry as bears, the guys (they included me to their count actually, those brats!), feasted on Manong’s goods. Haha, no This isnt on top of the mountain, but at the base.

THE MANABU CAST:

Director:

NT

Cast:

C2

Macao

Mark

Julie 

Felix

Janis

Ross

Karen

Kim

Mitch

Roni

Paolo

Angel

James