Post Pulag Post

First things first, I have to say a big thank you to Encircle Mountaineering Club and my new found mountaineering friends for sharing the experience of Mt. Pulag. Now on to my post...

How to get to Mt. Pulag - Ambangeg Trail (a rough itenerary)
1. Take a Victory Liner bus from Cubao to Baguio
2. Hire a jeep to take you to the DENR visitor center for registration/orientation (might be best to arrange the jeep hire beforehand and call the DENR center informing you of your arrival)
3. Take the same jeep to the Ranger Station jump off point
4. Hike up the mountain
5. Go down the mountain
6. Make sure you asked the jeep to take you back to Baguio
7. But probably stop over the DENR center first for some freshening up and chow
8. Take the Victory Liner bus back to Manila (you may be waiting for a few hours in Baguio though, depending on the time of year)

So, with that in mind... can anyone climb Mt. Pulag? I would say yes. I may be a reasonably fit person, but I have minimal cardiovascular endurance and definitely not a mountaineer (even though I have climbed a few mountains in my life). Here's my quick guide on how to survive Mt. Pulag:

1. Organize yourselves. I do not believe in a single leader in any expedition, but you can have an organizer with a couple of team leaders. That should help distribute the effort, especially for non-hardcore climbers. Things such as transportation, food and personnel issues fall into their area of responsibility.

2. Get enough rest. Sleep as much as you can during the trip. In the bus, in the jeep, after breakfast, after lunch. That is why sharing responsibilities helps.

3. Get enough energy. Forget the diets, you need energy to climb the second highest peak in the country. Eat lots of carbs. I swear by Ricoa flat tops, jellyace, beef jerky and peanut butter sandwiches for trail food and power food.

4. Climb the mountain at you own pace. This makes the climb easier and a lot more fun.

5. Bring the correct gear. A good bag is in order to carry all your stuff. Local mountaineering bags are pretty cheap anyway. Bring clothes that will help you with the cold. Bring a good tent, trust me you do not want to spend the night soaking wet in any mountain. An earthpad is a must.

6. Make sure someone brings a decent cookset. You will want some comfort food once your up in the mountain and in the cold.

7. Prepare for the climb. Yes it is easy, but all the preparation helps (I did the Men's Health Urbanathlon and jogged a few times).

8. I suggest climbing it in the summer months. I know Boracay or Palawan is beckoning but this should definitely be one for the books (and its cheaper :P). Going in summer brings up the temperature a bit and the chance for you to enjoy the views the mountain has to offer.

That's it I guess. Again thank you to my new found mountaineer friends and hope to see you guys again next time! I enjoyed climbing Mt. Pulag and will definitely go back given the opportunity.

Mt. Pulag climbed! the last part

And so it was, we where ready for our first night at the top (sort of) of the mountain. I changed into my evening clothes: thick wool socks, thermal underwear, tie-die pants, an old pair of jogging pants, thin long sleeved shirt, thick long sleeved shirt, sport hoodie jacket, TNF (The North Face) rain outer jacket, and boonie. It was quite ok, my feet were a little cold but should be fine with the malong. Or so I thought...

Somehow my malong was damp, probably got wet when I was setting up the tent. And I had to get up and out of the tent to take a piss and for Verchie to get settled in. So I got wet, our bags where damp, some of our clothes was damp and Verchie was wet (he went in and out of the tent from time to time).

Despite all that, we somehow managed to get through the night fairly well. Our tent did not get as much water as the others, and I stayed warm by eating beef jerky from time to time. I also wrapped my legs in a plastic bag to trap the heat as my socks where already wet from going outside for dinner and stuff. Verchie and I also brought out our secret weapons in the early mornings. A candle and trioxane for some hot soup and chocolate drink.



Soon after that we assaulted the peak of Mt. Pulag. I didn't bother changing to my hiking pants, I figured I would be fine. I was wrong again. The rain didn't quite let off and I was soaking wet when we came back. And it was probably a good 3 hours (?) before we arrived back in Camp 2. It was pretty surreal at the beginning as it was still dark and we couldn't see much with the fog. Until I realized some of the places we where walking through was a long ways drop off the mountain! It was pretty cool though to see glimpses of the rolling grassland of Mt. Pulag. It was still nice with the fog and rain... only when I decide not to hunker down from the rain and cold hehehe. I could only imagine how nice it would've looked in broad daylight.

After getting back to camp and drying off (to some extent), we had a quick breakfast of hotdog and peanut butter sandwiches (FTW!). I was hoping for it to stop raining completely but it was still drizzling a bit when we finally broke camp. Verchie, Benny, Katja, Trinka, Narod and I decided to head down ahead of the group as we where all geared up and just about ready to head home. As usual I started to lag behind a bit and found myself trekking somewhat on my own although there where a few times I was with a group. The descent was pretty fast actually, the weather somewhat cleared a bit and showed us bits of beauty of trekking Mt. Pulag.

Unfortunately I had no pictures as my batteries (2 of them) ran out... stupid me failed to fully charge them before leaving for the trip. Luckily I got my Holga out and took a few snapshots. Hopefully I get them developed soon.

It was quite uneventful heading back to Manila though. We got cleaned up in the DENR visitor center and had a late but wonderfully lunch. A 4 hour jeepney ride to Baguio, probably a 6 hour wait for the bus and another 6 hour bus ride home. It was fun. And I can actually say that despite not seeing how beautiful Mt. Pulag can be, climbing it was fun in itself. This is probably one of the best climbs I've done (not that I've done a lot). Would I go back? Sure why not, this time I want to get a chance to see the grasslands, the view from the peak and take more pictures.

The end. (But watch out for a post climb post... pun intended)

Mt. Pulag climbed! part 2

Unfortunately it was starting to drizzle even before we got started, and a few hundred meters into the hike I was already feeling my heart beat faster and some strain in my legs. I was screwed. I started thinking about how the altitude might affect me, all the travel just to get to the jump off point and the weather. Somehow I managed to keep going without being a complete wuss, I simply willed my heart to slow down a bit, kept the slight cold at bay and enjoy the limited view somehow. It was different from all the other climbs with the pine trees and all.


After that scenic part of the hike, we proceeded to get into the actual forested trail. It was pretty nice and reminded me somewhat of the Mt. Mansfield trail in Vermont. It was a bit rocky (and muddy), with lots of moss on the rocks and trees. It was colder here though, but it might probably be due to the rain (Mt. Mansfield does get covered in snow during the winter though).

In any case, I trudged along with the group for a while and somehow lost Benny, Trinka, Katja, Verchie and Narod as we really did not go as a group. I somewhat ended up alone with the rest stops we took. I actually liked it better that way, I was able to walk at my own pace, have stops as often and as long as I wanted. It was a lot more serene for me, and I enjoyed the hike a whole lot more. It was a bit daunting at one point as the trail seemed to be going down when I should've been going up. I was starting to wonder if I should start reversing all my clothes hehehe. I later found out that there was another girl who was also alone and thinking the same thing!


I knew there where people in front and behind me so it's either I will catch up with someone (highly unlikely) or someone will catch up with me. But I was starting to think about the possibility of being alone in the cold, rainy mountain trail. Survival mode! Luckily there was only one trail, and a few people decided to rest at the only junction.

I was getting really hungry at this point but luckily I had some Safari chocolate bars and beef jerky on hand. These things, especially the beef jerky, are really helpful in situations like this. But I knew I wouldn't last longer and I had to get a decent meal of sorts. Fortunately the lead group stopped on Camp 2, just before the start of the Grasslands of Mt. Pulag. There I found Benny and our stash of peanut butter sandwiches. I tell you, peanut butter sandwiches and beef jerky are lifesavers!

It was getting pretty cold up there, I was hungry and a little tired. The initial plan was to camp at Camp 3, however the weather was catching up on us and it was decided to camp right then and there. It was a good thing too, as it started raining just as we finished setting up our tents.

... to be continued again ...

Mt. Pulag climbed!

It's been a couple of days since I came back home from the Mt. Pulag climb early Monday morning, and still I am unsure about my feelings about the trip. It definitely was an experience though.

It started early evening Friday when I headed off to meet Verchie and Benny in Gateway, Cubao for some heavy carbo-loading in Italiannis. Benny and I also prepared our peanut butter sandwiches (more on this later) while we where there. We headed off to Victory Liner Station, which has a hefty walk from Gateway, which was quite ok as I checked the weight distribution of my bag which seemed fined. We met up with the rest of the group there, and to my surprise included Narod, an officemate of mine! What nice a coincidence.

From there it was a 2 hour wait for our 6 hour bus ride to Baguio. We arrived to a very cold Baguio morning and loaded onto our jeep that would take us to the jump off point. We had a two hour jeepney ride to our first stop over, the Ambuklao dam. Thank God for that stop over as I was ready to puke anytime. The smell of the clutch was pretty bad inside the jeep, not to mention the Initial D-esque driving style of our driver. I later found out that nearly everyone had the same sentiments.

not our jeep

After a few minutes getting our heads together, getting a few snapshots we headed off to the jump-off point. This time a group of us decided to "topload" or sit up top the jeepneey and our bags. Unfortunately I took no pictures as I had my camera in my pocket and I was holding on for dear life (just kidding). Too bad since the view from the top of the jeepney was really nice.

the only "topload" picture

We stopped over for breakfast in one of the towns along the way and proceeded to the DENR place for a lecture and registration. After that it was off to the Ranger Station, our jump off point. Some last minute preparation and a quick lunch (say hello to to peanut butter sandwiches) and we were off to take on the second highest peak in the Philippines.

Ready for Mt. Pulag

More than a week out, yet I am very excited for the climb up Mt. Pulag. It's been a while since I went hiking and despite my previous disposition of not climbing anything higher than Level 1 (ok maybe 2), I am ready to embark on a Level 3 climb that spans 3 to 4 days. Of course half of the time is just getting there, but it's all good.

A few worries though are:

1. My knee. I've had this problem for the longest time and I just hope it stands up. It hurt a little during the Urbanathlon last week, but not as bad as when we had the Jungle Survival Training way back when.

2. Food. I am a relatively big eater. Or better yet, I get hungry every 2 hours. And if I don't eat, I shrink hehe. And will all the hard work I've put in to gain weight, I don't want to loose it with just one hike. I also need a lot of food to sustain me through this adventure. Not quite sure if I can stash enough food (and the right ones) in my bag.

3. Temperature. I hear it goes down to 6 degrees Celcius up there. I have been to Vermont and it's sub zero temperatures but I had some winter clothes then. I don't want to lug all that bulky and heavy clothing up the mountain. I just hope what I brought would be sufficient.

Despite these concerns, I am good to go! Mt. Pulag here I come!

The real Wrath of the Lich King

With the recent release of the Wrath of the Lich King, there has been a recent influx of gaming traffic on the WOW servers. Yesterday, I had to wait nearly an hour to get in (only to play for a few minutes before heading out to do some personal stuff).

Now I am waiting in line yet again to level up my character. And I haven't been up to level 70 yet! 3 levels to go...

Urbanathlete

I just came back from the 2nd Annual Men's Health Urbanathlon in UP Diliman (actually a few hours ago... had net problems). It was a nice experience and I would like to thank Verchie Totanes, Benny Alegre and his officemate Jericho Santos for sharing the experience with me.

I may not have made it alone so going as a team really helped. My right knee is a little stiff, I have put it to a little too much stress. Hopefully this prepares me well for the next adventure... Mt. Pulag!

Will post pictures as soon as I get copies of them. Unfortunately we had to make do with Verchie's cell phone as nobody bothered to bring a digital camera... but it's all good I suppose.

Spot the difference

What is the difference between Ricoa Flat Tops and Ricoa Curly Tops?

Apparently nothing...

I want!

This is a representation of a VW Kombi that I dream of having one day. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted one. Now it seems that that dream is closer to reality. Damn you Justin for showing me the dark side!

A VW bug is a nice alternative as well though... DAMN YOU JUSTIN!

Blast from the past

Found this in Cherry's Facebook:


hehehe... kids! This must've been taken at least 10 years ago.... daym!

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The assassination of JM Taylor

The history:
Suspect JM Taylor is leaving the Philippines for the Land of the Rising Sun for a good solid 2 years. His close "friends" wanted to send him off in a body bag.

The preparation:
All the agents that where to be involved were informed weeks prior to the operation. Operational directives were given and Go/No Go statuses confirmed. All agents were in place on the day of the operation, and the key proponents of the assassination convened in the command center (the same command center where the takedown of the Druglord was planned years ago). Various plans were drafted, each with its own set of pros and cons. Murphy, however, was at it again and each time a specific plan was close to being finalized it had to be abandoned. Finally, on the 11th hour, a decision was made and the necessary events were set in motion. The team gathered their gear and prepared for the mission at hand.

The package contents:
1 Rubik's cube
1 numeric keypad
1 "unknown" medical tablet
1 LED light
1 bottle of water
1 bar of chocolate
1 set of instructions to get in the trunk and lock himself in

Mission parameters:
1. Agent V will retrieve the suspect's car keys from his traitorous father (yes his father was in on it, as well as his mother, sister and household help)
2. Mom was to ask suspect to go retrieve "something" from her friend's house
3. Agents V, B, A and S will proceed to pick-up point, and wait for suspect to enter the house. Upon entering the house, Agents V and B will drop off a "package" in car's trunk and proceed to covert observation point.
4. Agent S will send out an anonymous message for the suspect to check the trunk
5. Suspect reads the instructions included in the "package" and knowing its consequences, follows it to the letter.
6. Agents V, B, A and S will proceed and drive the suspect and his car to a safe house and conduct interrogation and torture methods with the "organization".

The events as they transpired:
1. Agent V retrieved the suspect's car keys from his traitorous father
2. Mom friend was not yet home. SNAFU
3. Agents V, B, A and S proceeded to pick-up point, but returned back to suspect's house where the car was parked and droped off the "package" in the car's trunk.
4. Suspect proceeded to usual area of physical training, unaware of his cargo
5. Agent S sent out an anonymous message for the suspect to check the trunk
6. Suspect does not comply and proceeds with his PT. TARFU
7. Agents V and B commandeers the suspect's vehicle and parks it in a more secure location
8. Agent S sent out another anonymous message for the suspect to check the trunk
9. Suspect does not comply and Agents V and B nearly got compromised. Agent A had to perform an evac and pick up the two agents. FUBAR
10. Other communication methods were utilized and intimidation tactics were employed. Comm methods were ineffective.
11. Suspect finally opens the trunk and package. Suspect does not comply with instructions. SNAFU
12. Agent V confronted the suspect personally and persuades the him to get in the f*****g trunk. Suspect complies after nearly an hour and half after the mission started.
13. Agents V, B, A and S proceeded and drove the suspect and his car to a safe house and conduct interrogation and torture methods with the "organization".
14. Interrogation and torture successful. SNAFU

happy birthday!

... finally something that she can call her own...

green-eyed monster

I heard yesterday that a friend of mine won accommodations and tickets for the first ever Formula 1 night race in Singapore in the next couple of weeks. Damn, I am dying with envy. All he needs now is to get plane tickets to Singapore, but that is chicken feed compared to being able to get and pay for accommodations and tickets during the race weekend.

Plus he has a chance to meet Lewis Hamilton in person! I wouldn't say I am a Hamilton fan, I know he is good but I am rooting for another guy to win the championship.

Man, I just can't say how much I would like to go to Singapore for the race. It has always been one of my dreams to watch a Formula 1 race, wherever it may be. But Singapore is the closest and so far seems to be very prestigious as it is the first night race for Formula 1. Perfect timing for him I guess.... dude, take lots of pictures! And give Hamilton a sneaky elbow to the ribs for me hehehe

getting back in shape

Ever since I got back from US, I have been greeted with comments such as "You've lost weight!" or "Man, you're shrinking!" and even "Dude, your dark!" (from my skin color hehe). And I do see and feel that I've lost weight... not just weight, but my muscle mass.

A couple of months not going to the gym and the stress of work does that to you. So now I am back to the gym with a new trainer trying to regain all the hard work I've put in. First few sessions was painful. It has been a long time since I got that burn. It doesn't feel good.... but at least I know it brings with it the thought that I will get in shape again.

Good thing about working out hard again is that my appetite is coming back. I need to eat a lot in order to work out, but the problem with me is I don't eat a lot if I don't work out. And I can't work out hard enough if I don't eat. That is where the trainer comes in. You are forced to work out since you have an appointment to make, and the fact that you paid for it.

So I will be in a lot of pain for the next month or so until I get back to my peak, which is all good. But my wallet is getting a beating as well though hehehe

Boracay day 7 and departure

Boracay night 6 (continuation of Boracay day 6), Socs and I went out on a date. Sounds weird, as the Boracay trip is pretty much an extended date, but this night was a little bit more special as we decidedly dressed up (island style) and went to the Bamboo Lounge for dinner and a couple of drinks. Food was expensive but good, I recommend the Lotus fried rice. Good thing their "Happy Hour" went until 1030pm.

Day 7 started off with a massage by the beach, and some more time to soak up the rays (yes I am now a bronze god hehehe). We had Gasthof's for brunch before heading back to the resort. I stopped by to buy a pair of board shorts, even though it was going to be our last (full) day in Boracay. I've always wanted to get another pair of a different shade of color than my current one.

Back at the resort, we rested for a bit as we had a reservation to rent an ATV. We initially thought of just renting one ATV for the both of us, however we ended up getting one each as it costs pretty much the same. We rode up to Mt. Luho to have a better view of the island. We also headed to a couple of other beaches Boracay had to offer. Little did we know it took us a little over 2 hours instead of the one hour we budgeted for (Socs was a little hesitant on the throttle). So we ended up paying twice what we planned, but we it was all good as we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly (Socs was even starting to speed up a bit on the road).



Dinner was on a low budget restaurant in D*Mall (plus a couple of isaw sticks for me) and it was off to bed as we had an early flight the next day. We had breakfast at the resort, and it was pretty good. It was done outside our room with the morning sun shining down on us. Perfect way to end the week in Boracay.

Boracay day 6

A quick recap, Socs and I went to eat at True Food Indian restaurant last night and we can probably say that it was the best dinner we had so far here in Boracay. It was a bit expensive compared to the other restaurants but well worth it. The lamb rogan josh and the motabhal combination together with their Naan is highly recommended.

Today we had a simple breakfast in one of the shops in station 3. It was cheap yet good enough to start the day. We spent most of the morning hanging out in the beach and working on our tan. We then headed back to D*Talipapa to grab some lunch. As promised we got lobster and clams.

The lobster was a little more expensive than what we initially thought it to be and the restaurant took a bit more time getting it out but was all worth it.

It was then on to more sun soaking time, this time in Station 1. We stayed there so we can get another round of Jonah's shakes (Avocado Banana is a new favorite) and take some pictures. We were hoping to catch the Boracay sunset, however the weather wasn't cooperating. We ended up simply snapping random pictures.

I did had to have a picture taken of me "conquering" Willy's Rock. It didn't quite come up as I imagined and I got more than a few cuts (that rock is razor sharp!), but at least I know it can be done... next time...

Again, I leave this entry open ended as Socs and I will be heading out to dinner in a bit...

Boracay day 5

Today started off a little slow... but it started pretty well. Around 930 Socs and I headed off to D*Talipapa and bought 1 kilo of huge prawns and another kilo of oysters from the wet market and had it cooked in one of the "cooking service" restaurants nearby. I thought we bought too much food, but it turned out to be just enough (I may have been able to eat a few more prawns or oysters though). It was a seafood craving resolved.... but we may go back tomorrow for some lobster and clams hehe

We took the opportunity to take pictures of the abundant seafood being sold in the market. Unfortunately we only took pictures using the Holga and Topeng's 350D (thanks by the way!) which is not recognized by Socs' laptop (we didn't bring a card reader either). So settle for the cooked food instead:

We spent the afternoon soaking up the sun and get more tanned (I need more color). Manong Ice cream man passed by and we had our share of ice cream to cool ourselves from the hot sun. Still no plans for dinner though, but we'll figure something out...

Boracay days 1 to 4

Socs and I are currently in Boracay and it is already Day 4, halfway through our well deserved vacation. Here's a recap of what transpired the last few days.

Day 1: After meeting each other in Ayala MRT station, we took a cab to NAIA Terminal 3. The cab driver insisted taking EDSA on the way and we ended up taking a little more time getting to the airport if we went through C5 or Pasong Tamo. In any case, our flight was delayed for an hour and a half. At least the airport was world class and waiting wasn't too bad... except for the steeply priced airport food.

Once in Boracay we spent the first few hours settling the resort and had one round in Bomboms during happy hour. We slept early as we knew the following day was going to be much more fun.

Day 2 was met with rain, but that did not prevent us from exploring the beach. Boracay changed a bit from the last time we where here. Breakfast at D*Talipapa, a little frisbee time, and lunch at Jammers sums up half of the day. We then met up with some of my college buddies who coincidentally was spending the long weekend here. We had dinner in Agee's place (a friend who went Boracay local after college) and a couple of beers as well.

We then headed off to Hey Jude! to get hammered. And so we did. Shots all around, beer, dancing... more shots. Lost of fun... and lots of headaches the following day.

Half of Day 3 for me was spend sleeping and recovering from the monster headache from the previous night. At around 3 pm we were able to head out and have something to eat, as well a glass of the famous Jonah's shakes. It was back to Bomboms for a drink before we headed out to Juice bar for another night of drinking. We had one round of Adios Mother Fucker, which does bid you Adious and makes you say Mother Fucker after finishing the glass (if you do). We had a few more shots and a beer. Socs retired early, but I stayed on until around 3 am. It's been a while since I've been with these guys so I stuck for a bit. Luckily (and surprisingly) I didn't have a bad hangover the following day.

Today was spent pretty much hanging out on the beach. I needed to work on my tan so we spent a good hour and a half just sitting on the beach. Socs and I plan to work on our swimming skills while we are here so we might be heading out in a bit.

banzai!

Just a few days of coming back to the Motherland, JM and Verchie invited me to head off to the island of Corregidor. JM had some Japanese friends visiting and wanted to visit Corregidor (oh the irony), and since Socs and I have been wanting to go there for some time now we accepted the invite.

I love what they did with the island, preserving as much of the history as they could so that future generations could remember and understand what happened during World War II. There was a lot of respect for those who died, and survived the War. I could only imagine the horrors that the island went through during those times. It was a bit surreal as the island is now lush and green, with paved roads leading to the various battery emplacements, memorials and war torn buildings. It is like one huge museum... but with real bullet holes, real machine gun emplacements, caves and war damaged stuff.

My friends know I am fascinated by war, but seeing the shrapnel damage and bullet holes all over the place was awe inspiring. Makes me wonder what actually transpired during the exact moment that happened. It must have been hell.

The day tour of the island was too short in my opinion. A lot of places can be explored, do some introspection, and take lots of cool pictures. We might be heading back there, perhaps to spend the night and imagine the Japanese attacking...

banzai!