Mt Kanlaon, The Final Climb

Date: Sept 16-18, 2012

Location: Wasay-Gintubdan Trail

Buddies: Levs and Chummy 

Day 0, Sep 15, 2012

     Our 2P913 9AM flight to Bacolod via Airphil was rescheduled to 2PM, which means I have ample time for packing. Levs and I arrived at past noon and waited for Chummy who arrived 10 minutes before the

check in counter closes. At around 3 pm, we arrived at Bacolod-Silay Airport. I texted my father and told him to fetch us at SM instead. Boarding one of the many vans parked at the front of the airport, we dropped at the Manokan country which is near SM Bacolod and had a well-deserved lunch at Lion's Park. My parents arrived later and we then proceeded to SM to do the grocery for our food and climbing supplies. After a sumptuous dinner, we then called it a day.

Day 1, Sep 16, 2012

     We have planned for a 4D-3N traverse trek but due to conflict of schedule we just reduced it to 3D-2N. I told Chummy and Levs that along with my climbing group, MFPI Grupo Trese, we were able to do a 3D-2N trek sometime in 2007.

I presented them that pacing would have to be a bit faster than normal if we are to plan the 3D-2N climb. So we all agreed to just give it a shot. We don't want to do "rat-rat" pacing because we wanted to appreciate more what Kanlaon have --- a magnificient view and rich biodiversity. So at past 5 AM, we boarded one of the Mambucal-bound minibus in front of our subdivision. At around 6AM, we arrived at the entrance of Mambucal resort and met two of our guides -- one of those was familiar as he was one of the guides we had back at 2007 -- Paulo. Paulo then greeted us and told us that we just need to rearrange our packs (some of our loads -- especially the food has to be distributed) so we unload some of what we brought in. At past 8AM, we started the trek from outside of the entrance of Mambucal Resort. We had an average pacing as the trail was paved and had to pass through the tiny communities around the area. After around half an hour, we then

entered a somewhat familiar sight to me --- a Twilight-inspired scenery --- tall and slim trees (dipterocarp trees I believe) separated by just a meter or so coupled with an eerie sound of crickets and different flying faunas. The trail was gradual & slightly manageable, giving us time to take pictures and keep an average pacing. After barely an hour, the trail slowly becomes slightly steep as we made  our way to the thick forest. We then took our lunch when we reached the main highway that divides the lower and upper portions of the forest. The highway, which provided access to the geothermal plant and other forest operations was a new sight to me. I couldn't remember seeing it way back in 2007, which our guide confirmed to me. I am not sure if I was happy at the sight but definitely the trail was significantly altered.

After a little rest, we then continued our trek up until the upper portion of the forest. We arrived at the river area at around 4pm and our guide told us we have 2 options -- to set out an e-camp as this was the nearest watersource we have before the next camp OR we continue with the climb but we will be reaching the next camp at past 7pm and there will be no watersource near the area. We had a slight downpour before we reached the river so we knew that the trail up would be steep and trekking at nighttime can be difficult. Although it was a bit early to camp out, we decided to take option 1. I had a little hunch that we might have difficulty following our original IT if the rain continues to pour and with the pacing, there might be possibilities of aborting the summit climb. Although too early to tell, the group wanted to pursue the original IT so we planned to leave early the next day to make up for the time. After setting the camp, we then decided to take a dip on the river -- a slightly chilling one but nevertheless refreshing. Dipping on mountain waters have always been WAY too different from the city waters. The former's refreshing appeal cannot surpass any man-made water structures ever created. At around 6pm, we then prepared our dinner and cooked our breakfast the next day to save much needed time in preparation.

We doze off at an early time -- sometime around 9pm amidst the soothing sounds of the raging river and the not-so-sleep-inviting chirping of insects & birds.

Day 2, Sep 17, 2012

     We woke up at past 5am and prepared for our breakfast. Not much work needed as we already cooked some the other night. After half past 6, we already started to do break camp and continued the trek around 7 in the morning. The pacing again was a little slow as the trail becomes moist and muddy. We started to enter the exciting part of the forest -- the rainforest area where one can find various flora and fauna sprawling

along the trail. This was also the trail that would give us an initial glimpse of the vastness of the forest and the start of a heavy steep terrain leading to the famed Hardin sang Balo (Widow's garden). As we were making our way to the steep terrain, rain started to pour and drain us down. We decided to stop at the middle of the slope and took our lunch. [We tried to maintain a close proximity to each other to avoid mishaps and to gauge our pacing] It was still raining heavily and we had to endure a chilling lunch. After all, what we need at that time was sustenance. Albeit the refreshing feeling, the rain slowed us down and made us endure the gruelling & slippery trail up. We we're partially soaked up so we knew we can't rest for so long as we could risk having hypothermia. After less than an hour of lunch and rest, we then proceeded to the next camp, in what seems to be a punishing 3 hour ordeal. When we reached the big camp (which was once the old NPA camp), we discussed the option of camping out in the area or to a small place nearest the Hardin sang Balo or to continue the trek but might pushed us to the limits and possibly reached PMS Lagoon (the next big camp) at roughly around 8 or 9PM. The latter option was automatically dismissed. It was way out dangerous and scary. We decided to camp on the bigger site, which I remember correctly was the same camp we had on our first night way back on our 2007 Kanlaon climb. From there, I knew we won't make it to our planned itinerary but there were no discussions yet -- all we need at that time was to settle down and rest. After setting up the camp, we headed down to the river and revelled in yet another refreshing dip of nature's bounty.

We prepared dinner early and our guide Paulo told me that we need to discuss our plans for the next day. So after a well-deserved dinner, Paulo and a senior guide/porter, recommended that we abort the summit climb. First, he asked us of our scheduled trip back to Manila and reasoned out that we won't make it to our trip back to Manila if we had to continue the trek. He enumerated 3 major reasons: weather, difficulty of the remaining terrain and the group's pacing. We we're silent at first. For me, the reasons were all valid and the way we all felt were like silent frustration. I know that Levs was personally excited for this trail as I always told him the Wasay trail was simply breathtaking & I knew how he felt. Chummy, having known her physical abilities, can withstand the weather condition and the strenuous demands of the remaining trek. But as per our assessment, our pacing were not enough to make our target IT possible. With a "heavy" heart coupled with sour-graping and sweet-lemoning, we all decided to abort the summit trek and start the descent the next day. To lessen frustration, we resolved to forgo the Hardin Sang Balo view as this was really the highlight of our trek aside of course from the summit itself. So after the much-needed discussion, we started heading to our tent for what will be our last night on the whole expedition.

Day 3, Sep 18, 2012

     Breakfast was a little bit late as we are not in a hurry anymore. Hardin sang Balo was just 15 minutes away from the camp so the trek wouldn't require much from us. After past 7am, we then headed to the

much-awaited and much-talked about Hardin sang Balo. Reminiscent of the "Lord of the Rings", "Twilight" and some fantasy Hollywood movie, Hardin sang Balo is a sight that cannot be found anywhere else in the Philippines, on any mountain that is. Greeted by quick sands and mossy forest trees, one would be rewarded with an amazing array of bonzai trees lying and sprouting below what seems to be a caldera. The big opening was a welcome respite to the gloomy trail we had earlier. It was like a light shining on top of us and allowing us to see the beauty before us. The bonzai trees were all immersed with rain water, preventing us to lay down and walk on it (which is what we did on my first Kanlaon trek, it was summer and the trees were dry that we literally slept on it, climbed some of it and run around like toddlers). Never dampened by the

condition, we managed to climb through some of the bonzai trees near the area and took exciting photos that somehow made our day complete. Seeing Hardin sang Balo for the second time was an invigorating feeling -- just what I needed.  After almost an hour, we then headed back to the camp. When we reached the camp, we took our brunch and prepare for our descent. We left the camp at around half past 10AM and confident that we can make it to the jump off before the sun sets, only to realize that we are to go through the same slippery & muddy trail again. We managed to have our pacing a lot better than yesterday and reached past the highway dividing the upper and lower slopes at around 2PM. We stopped for a late lunch at past 2PM amidst the heavy rain and chilly weather. I was getting worried if we actually can make it down before getting dark but we all got ourselves ready for the night trek. At half past 5, the sun started to set in and the sky finally had its tears all dried up. Donning on our headlamp, we continued the trek down but this time the pacing was extremely slow -- my knees were aching bad and Chummy had her feet hurt as well. Two injuries ---

not a very good sight to an already gloomy ordeal. Taking slow baby steps and armed with a "Slowly but surely" mantra, we managed to continue on with the trek down. When we got past on the dipterocarp trees, I had one of the biggest sigh of my life -- a sign that we are near the jump off. The pain in my knees were just overwhelming and moving on for the last stretch was like pinching on an open wound. As we waited for Chummy and the porter, I contemplated on having Mt Kanlaon as my last climb, not because of the ordeal we had but because I realized I had more than enough mountain climbing experience. For 9 years & more than 40 climbs, I knew my body was giving me the right signal to let go. And there is nothing more fitting than ending it on the most beautiful mountain in the Philippines & a nice hot dip in one of the Sulphur Springs in Mambucal Resort.   

The Singapore-Bali Adventure

The Singapore-Bali Adventure
Date: April 20 - 23, 2011 
Buddy: Ann Lachica

Day 1
April 20, 2011 

          My first out-of-country personal trip (my previous trips were business and were funded by my companies) was beginning to give me the ultra-adrenaline rush. My flight was scheduled to be around 6:25AM onboard Cebu Pacific Air to Singapore. Arrived at the airport at half past the hour of 1. Check in counter opened 3am and came into the boarding area at past 4am. At quarter to 10 in the morning, I got the glimpse of the beauty they called Singapore. From the plane you can smell progress and see order from the way the buildings were in place. Amazing! Yes, indeed Singapore is beautiful, from the cosmopolitan perspective that is. While I was at the immigration, I already took notice of my friend Cherrie Ann who was waiting for me. Damn, I think I forgot to update her before I left the house. So apologizingly, I hugged my friend the moment I saw her. So that was Singapore!!! Ah the air is different indeed! Cherrie Ann and I had a 6:35PM flight later that day going to Bali so we are short of time, so to speak. But holy cow, we still managed to do a little bit of city stroll. First stop was lunch at the building near her place. We then went to Chinatown and an Indian temple. After managing the short city trip, we got back at around 4pm and prepared for our Jetstar flight to Bali. At around past 5pm we already had checked in. Almost confusing trip as we we're looking for the "Bali" destination on the flight info. So yeah okay its Denpasar, the airport name that is. Good to go except for one thing --- I brought a new 500ml isoprophyl alcohol and never knew it was not allowed in Singapore. The officer apologetically explained to me that only around a certain mL is allowed. Oh crap forgot that thing! And yes my friend told me Singaporeans don't use alcohol... I should have left it and she could have used it instead. So seeing my alcohol literally being thrown at the trash bin ... that's a big OMG!!!!!! So now one lesson learned. 

         Cherrie Ann and I then boarded the plane at past 6pm and arrived at Denpasar Airport at past 9pm. While we are about to leave the last xray conveyor machine, we were stopped by 2 Indonesian officers after they checked on our passports. They instructed us to open our bags. We obediently opened our bags. We then noticed that it was only us who were stopped by these officers. What?? Why only us? My friend Ann was beginning to get irritated. I wanted to take things as calmly as possible but the way we are treated as compared to others can diffuse the most patient and understanding passenger there is. I need to be calm because my friend was getting angry already. Ann was complaining why only the two of us were stopped. The officers explained that it was a random check. Wow how random ha!!!! They place some purple light emitting gadget above our stuffs. They were checking for something. I was beginning to be scared. I don't want to be framed up for something I didn't commit. Oh I hate this moment! After checking the bags and running the gadget they had, one officer was looking at both of us and sort of reading our minds, maybe verifying if we looked like criminals. Oh no... Then after somewhat like forever - maybe the longest 10 seconds of our life, he said "Okay you can go now!" After closing our bags, my friend and I looked at each other and sighed heavily. Conversing in our local dialect (Ilonggo/Hiligaynon), 

"Ano to sya man? Gintulok nya lang ta tapos okay na? Ano to ya trip trip nya lang?" (What was that? He just looked at us and then it was okay? Was he just playing with us?), 

we expressed our frustation while walking away from the last exit. We then saw our local guide holding placards that bore our name. He told us he was beginning to worry about us. That's when we told him about our ordeal. While onboard the van, my friend Ann and I decided we didn't want to ruin the trip just because of some unfortunate airport incident like what we had minutes ago. After all, this is supposed to be an exciting trip. We asked our guide Andreas to drop us at some local restaurant. We were beginning to feel how hungry we were -- I guess that was the aftermath of being stopped at the airport. After the dinner, we then proceeded to our hotel which was located at the heart of Bali -- Melasti hotel.

   

Day 2

April 21, 2011 

          We woke up at past 8 and had our breakfast at around 9am while Andreas was waiting for us at the hotel lobby. We left at half past 9 for the tour of the day -- Bedugul area. We stopped by at Krisna, one of the shopping centers on our way to Taman Ayun temple. Woohhh early shopping!!! We managed to hold off that shopping blood in us as we still have a long day ahead of us. Tough act it is! Not wanting to spend all the money we had on Day 1, we decided to head off to Taman Ayun temple. On our way, our guide Andreas told us that all Balinese people have temples in every household. He also added that each temple usually consist of around 3 yards (area of land) -- the first yard have aisles and big houses for meetings and events, the second yard have gates that looked like two hands or palms separated & a tower, and the third yard having lots of meru or pagoda-like structure where the prayers are done. He also mentioned that temples usually have 3 openings, the middle for the priest and the left & right for the people. When we finally arrived at Taman Ayun temple, it was an exact personification of the temple that Andreas described to us.  Taman Ayun was a beauty in her own right! It stood tall amongst all the temples that we passed through along the way. It was classic and ethereal. Something divine and inspiring. Oh now I'm getting poetic again. Okay so after spending around half an hour, we then headed to Mantari restaurant around the Bedugul area where we are headed for the day's tour. Next, we visited the Monkey forest and had a "monkey feast" all to ourselves. Heading to one of our destination, we went past the picturesque Lake Bratan and welcomed by another amazing and unique site. Ulun Danu temple, a seemingly small structure was standing on the mainland surrounding the lake. What struck us and maybe almost all of the tourists around the area was the towering sight of a floating 11-roof meru (pagoda). Sitting on a small island meters away from the mainland and surrounded by the placid lake, the towering pagoda was surely a sight to behold! Such a serene and calming visual experience!!! After the visual treat, Andreas then told us we are off to our last stop - the Tanah Lot temple. Andreas said we need to reach the area before sunset to appreciate it's beauty. And true to his words, Andreas showed us one of the most dramatic union of sea, sun and cliff edged-temple - the Tanah Lot Temple. Located at the western part of Bali, Tanah Lot Temple sits on top of a big rock surrounded by sea water. When we arrived, I was simply awed! It was a classic favorite scene that every nature-lover ever dreamed of!!!! Whew I super loved it!!!! Ann and I tried to climb down the rocky stairs leading to the temple. It was low tide so we can practically walk around the small rock connection towards the temple. There were numerous tourists going down and climbing up the temple. After waiting for tourists to "subside" coming in and out of the temple, we decided not to proceed and instead enjoy it's beauty in the viewdeck. Sitting on one of the numerous restaurants atop the area, the view was just fantastic!!!! We lazily spent the rest of afternoon on the viewdeck up until sunset. We then headed to do some short shopping along the busy district of Tabanan before heading off to the hotel. Day 1 was super amazing!

   

Day 3

April 22, 2011 

          Kicking off our day 2 at Bali, we sat in one of the cultural presentations that is unique to Indonesia - Keris and Barong dance. It started off a bit boring but the theatrics seemed to get interesting in the middle. There were some part that was a little off to me but overall, the presentation went well. It was after all a cultural show meant to introduce the Indonesian culture to the tourists. At half past 10, we proceeded to a batik store named Sari Amerta where we get to see how the batiks were made from scratch. We also visited some of the art galleries and art painting stores. A heap of good artists indeed! Andreas then led us to one of the gold and silver stores along Bali, the Chilok Village. There were a lot of good finds of gold and silver on the village but jewelries were not part of my shopping list. :) Next stop was Bali's version of our Banaue Rice Terraces, the Tegalalang Village. The terraces were only a small area of the mountain and not as significant as compared to ours in Banaue. We then headed to Kintamani for the view of their famed Mt Batur. We dropped by one of the restaurants atop the Panelokan Hills for the much-needed lunch. The food was somehow decent (combination of Chinese and Indonesian flavors) but the place was not "appetizing" enough. It was somehow a bit deserted and unappealing. Albeit the small setback, the view from above was still a refreshing respite to enjoy with. We then proceeded to the lake surrounding Mt. Batur which proved to be more refreshing and oh-so-chilling. The temperature somehow dropped significantly. Whew...... At around 3pm, we went on to the Taman Agro district that is well known for their civet coffee and other natural produce. As tourists, we got to enjoy free taste to some of these produce --- ginseng, bali coffee, ginger, chocolate, cocoa, lemon grass tea. After half an hour of strolling around, we then moved on to Tampa Siring, a popular destination where you can find the Tampa Siring Palace designed by their famous architect Sukarno. The President, as Andreas explained can stay and use the Palace. We walk passed the Palace and went to Tirta Empul temple --- a sacred place for the Hindu Balinese where they get to gather for their bath and prayer. It was a totally new experience for both Ann and myself -- an introduction to the whole Hindu spiritual experience. Worthy educational tour indeed! After the temple trip, we then headed to Sukawati, the center of handicrafts, clothes, bags and other souvenir items. Andreas advised us to haggle as some traders would give a higher price to foreigners. Oh well, Ann and I are both used to haggling so that shouldn't be an issue. After a few items bought, we then headed to our much-sought Bali spa experience. Andreas said it was around 2-3 hours of sauna, jacuzzi, foot and body massage. So off we go to try out the authentic Bali spa - a much needed massage after 2 days of strolling around Bali. One word of advise though, do not get your expectations too high. I mean, I've been to a lot of different massage and spa back in Manila so I was kind of expecting a bit "authentic" or unique to the Bali spa. Truthfully, there was really nothing spectacular or unique to it. I mean it was good in a holistic way but that was it -- the same spa experience that you can get from Manila or anywhere in the Philippines. So a little bit of disappointment in that department .... Notwithstanding the too much expectations not met, Ann and I still managed to feel good after the spa experience. And now for our final evening in Bali --- a well-deserved dinner by the beach. Quite romantic except that my friend and I do not have our significant others by our side. Ann and I recalled a similar dinner-by-the beach experience in El Nido with some college friends a year earlier. So there we were, hoping that someday when we get back to Bali, it would be with our significant other...Before leaving for the night, we had a nice chat as well with our guide Andreas who was as accommodating and friendly to us throughout the whole trip. Walking passed all the tourists and locals alike in the beach shore, we headed back to our hotel and ended our last night in Bali with nice and memorable swim by the hotel pool. 

Day 3 

April 23, 2011 

          For our last day in Bali, Ann and I decided to stroll around the Legian beach which is the nearest from our hotel and did some last minute shopping. I am not sure if the beach that the foreigners are raving about was the Legian beach because honestly, it pales in comparison to the beaches in the Philippines. We saw a few Caucasians, probably Aussies who were enjoying the waves. Oh yes, I guess those were really for surfer type of beach. So yes, for Filipinos or tourists who have been to Boracay, Palawan, Camiguin, Caramoan, Cebu or Bohol, please don't set AGAIN your expectations too high. You might get disappointed big time. Really!!!! So yes, after a 4day-3night trip to Bali, my friend and I bade goodbye to our friendly guide Andreas and checked in for our flight back to Singapore. After paying the terminal fee (which we didn't see coming), we boarded the same plane (Jetstar) To Singapore. This time, we had a better treatment from the immigration officials. Big thanks to a popular Filipino singer Christian Bautista who was a favorite of the immigration officials who handled us. I actually got one of them to sing his favorite Christian Bautista songs. That was a better way to end an exciting Bali trip with one of my super best friends, Ann. :)