It has been ages since I last posted an entry but my recent trip to Italy reminded me how small this world is. A week before I left for Europe, I met the owner of an art gallery in Manila. Silvana mentioned that her daughter lives in Florence and maybe I can meet her while I am there.
A pity that I only had a short time in Florence, that I was not able to contact her. But as I was checking out of my hostel in Firenze. The receptionist said Salamat po. We started chatting and Rosa mentioned that her best friend is Pinay and that she has been to Manila twice. She narrated places that she is familiar with. And also casually mentioned that the dress she is wearing that day was given by her friend's mom.
Fast forward, when I went back to Manila, I added Rosa in Facebook and was surprised to see that the gallery owner was a common friend. Guess what? Rosa's best friend is the daughter of the gallery owner.
Rosa was also surprised when I told her the story and she asked "Is Manila small?". I laughed and I said yes with more than 10 million people. Small world indeed.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Mt Apo - Philippine's Highest
Mt Apo, the Philippines’ highest, has been an elusive
mountain for Nadine and I. We have been planning to climb it since 2012.
Beginning of 2014, we planned to climb it in January, our birthday month. But
there was bad weather at that time in Mindanao so we had to cancel the trip.
But after that postponement, we made a promise to ourselves (my kaibigan
actually made a promise to me J),
before the year ends, we will climb Mt Apo together. And so we did.
Less than three months later in April, we found ourselves in
Davao City with our backpacks, trekking poles and ready hearts. All set for
another adventure, both of us are going to remember for a lifetime.
We arrived in Davao city on Araw ng Kagitingan, April 9,
interestingly exactly four years after we first met in a camping trip in
Caramoan. Our guide Albert met with us at 6pm in the D Counter dormitel to
brief us on the three-day climb. After which we decided to buy last-minute
items in Gaisano (raincoats, gloves). Gaisano is a throwback mall with
displays which made us feel we were in the 1970s. We had early Kilawin dinner
and some drinks before calling it a night.
Prost to friendship!
We woke up at 430am on the next
day (April 10) in time for the 5 am pick up in the dormitel. Albert introduced
us to Roy, our main guide. We then picked up the big group and departed for
Kapatagan at around 6am. We arrived in Kapatagan Travelers’ Fastfood around
9am, bought our packed lunch and also had our breakfast there. We waited for
the vegetable truck that will pick us up and take us to Baruring, the
jump off point. As we sat on the truck, I looked at the clouds and they looked
promising (Been monitoring the weather report before going to Davao). I
have been praying for good weather for this climb since there was an incoming
tropical depression and in the middle of April! This mountain has been elusive
for so long that we kept the faith that it is time to reach the
summit.
Our P15 breakfast
The first hour of the trek took
us through traditional farmlands and small communities with natives who are
probably used to the sight of backpack-laden climbers passing by. After an hour
or so of walking through villages, we started our ascent in the jungle of Mt.
Apo. This is the part where I felt the weight of my 12kg backpack and the lack
of proper ramp training prior to this climb. After a while, my body adjusted
and maintained a steady pace.
The vegetation became denser as
we climbed further and our main guide Roy’s mood began to lighten up. He became
talkative, introduced us to the creatures in the jungle and shared his many
climbing experiences. He has already climbed Apo so many times, he lost count.
When we reached the lunchbreak area, everyone welcomed the customary break.
Majority of the first day of the
hike was mostly through dense jungle. I was amazed how huge the trees were and
how dense the jungle was. Roy pointed us some unique tress endemic to the Mt.
Apo National Park. The weather was not so hot and there was even a slight
drizzle in the afternoon. We arrived on the first campsite at around 3:30 in
the afternoon. Nadine and I immediately pitched our tent and mingled with the
jovial bunch of guides and cooks who have lots of stories to share. The cooks
prepared a very delicious Sinigang na Baboy that night! A nice treat after more
than five hours of uphill ascent. Salamat gyud!
We were told that the second day
of the hike will be more challenging. And it included an 87-degree wall or was
it 89-degrees?! But the scenery was worth every sweat. After an hour or so of
trekking on the second day, boulders began to appear on the trail. As we
reached a small dried-up creek, one of the guides told us that we are nearing
the boulder section. And the sight of the boulders upon boulders amid sulfur
vents, transported me to a different world…a different planet. Truly, Mt. Apo
is a unique mountain with its out-of-this-world giant boulders and sulfuric
terrain. With the two-hour or maybe three-hour of boulder trekking, we savored
every bit of the adobo that the cooks prepared for lunch. Thank God, the
weather cooperated with us on the second day, just enough shade but at the same
time the sun would peek once in a while to show us blue skies amidst the
glorious landscape.
No words for this landscape
After lunch, boulder trekking
resumed and we reached the old crater and rested there a bit. I remember how
the mist floated on the surface of the lake…..it is truly a magical place. Felt
so blessed to have reached a place, what only a few people (ok maybe a handful)
have. This is a point in the trek where we literally paused and spent a moment
to reflect. Nadine and I did not talk about it, but I felt this is a very
poignant point in the journey. A time to pause and reflect on this amazing
journey so far (not just Apo).
After the crater lake, the summit
was less than an hour away (by walking of course). Our timing could not
have been more perfect that as soon as we reached the second campsite and as
soon as we pitched our tent, rain poured. Heavy rain poured that we were
afraid, we are going to get soaked since water was going inside the tent
already. (Watch your head!)
Since the rain did not stop until
dinnertime, the “Kuyas” were nice enough to bring our food to our tent and we
had a small pasta picnic inside the tent. And we also brushed our teeth (not
inside the tent) but inside the vestibule amidst laughter.
We called it a night early
because we will wake up early to catch the sunrise on the next day……. in the
highest point in the country! After the heavy downpour the night before, I was
not sure if we will see any sunrise. But God had a nice surprise for us, He
blessed us with a very beautiful sunrise at the summit of Mt. Apo. We enjoyed
the 360-degree view from the summit which showcased the silhouette of Samal Island,
the nearby mountain ranges and the seemingly perfect cone of Mt. Matutum. So
blessed we are.
Glorious sunrise
The trek going down on the third
day means that we will cover the same distance we hiked up in the first two
days, in just a single day. Going through the boulders again did not diminish
their grandeur the second time around. But going down was quite a challenge for
our knees which have been subjected to two days of climbing already. We felt
like we zoomed by the jungle part and arrived at our jump-off before sundown.
Nadine and I saw a small church on our way down and offered a prayer of thanks
to God for an awesome and safe climb. After drinking soda at the first
sari-sari store at the foot of the Mt. Apo, Nadine and I headed to Baruring passing
thru the communities again at dusk, singing a childhood song….It only takes a
Spark in two languages.
I know going up Mt. Apo is an
experience we will always treasure until we are Omas (Grandma in
Deutsch) along with so many other memories……..…until our knees would not allow
us to climb summits anymore……. Mt. Apo was definitely worth the wait and the
challenge. Thank you Albert, Roy, Jun, Adel and the rest of the team! Grateful
to God for this experience of a lifetime for me and my best buddy who deserves
a big big hug especially today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)