Climb #2: Mt. Sembrano

Invited by my friend, an AMCI member, Clyde and I was able to reach our first mountain summit.

Last December 26-27 2009, we joined a fun climb organized by AMCI. It will be our first time to pitch tents and sleep at the summit of a mountain. This was one of our "To do" list and finally, we can put a check on it. :D.

Upon arriving at the meeting place, we were stunned by their huge bags that our 35L Sandugo bags looked like the tiny babies of their gigantic bags. A little later after we arrived, the jeepney that was rented by our organizers arrived. We began to load our stuff (in our case, little stuff), made a few stop overs and finally we began our climb.

Note: You have register to the Brgy. Hall first for a quick briefing. Should you need a guide on your way to the mountain, ask the local officials and they'll be happy to provide you one. Environmental fee is PHP 20.00. Jump off point is Brgy Malaya, Pilila Rizal.

Here's what I've noticed with regards to the pro's equipment. (Note: I didn't have any formal BMC training, so listed below are just based on my observation)

1) All of them wears trekking shoes. Which is a whole lot better than my borrowed mojo slippers. The terrain was slippery and these kinds of shoes will provide a little stability specially during the decend.

2) Trekking Poles are sometimes a must for beginners with poor stability like me. It will help you balance your weight while trekking. But the pros are used to the weight and rough terrain so some of them opt to leave the poles behind.
3) Your bag contents should be enclosed by a plastic bag to prevent them from soaking wet from the rain or during river crossing.
4) Bring ready to eat foodies which you can chew while waiting for the meal to be cooked.
5) One portable stove will do for a group of 12.
6) Bring thick jackets and sleeping bags.
7) Bring atleast 2 litters of trail water. Qty of camp water will depend on the mountain's water supply. In case of Mt. Sembrano, each of us brought 3 litters including camp water.

We started our trek at around 2pm I think and reached the summit around 5 or 6 just before the sun set. It was a view to remember and made me want to conquer other taller mountain summits. The air was fresh, surroundings was quiet and relaxing. The long trek was surely worth it.

We cooked our dinner, ate and socialized with our new found friends. They began telling us their trekking experiences. While we were having such a great time when another group of mountaineers stumbled in our camp site. They did a night trek and reached the camp area which was a few meters away from the summit. I observed it was a mountaineer etiquette to offer any help to your fellow mountaineers and be courteous to everyone you meet in the mountain. However, upon seeing that our campsite has only a little space left for their group, they decided to pitch their camp in the adjacent camp site a few meters away from ours. We continued our socialization. Their warm companionship and openess made us fell so welcome that we didn't feel any awkward moment with the AMCI memebers.

The next day, some of the new AMCI members accompanied us to the summit of Mt. Sembrano. The trail was overgrown with tall grasses that can give you an inch and papercut like wounds. But nonetheless, we were decided to reach the summit and we did! Aside from the spectacular view from the summit, we've found some evidence that part of Mt. Sembrano is owned by a private individual (now why would anybody want to buy a mountain?). After taking lots of pictures, we headed back to our camp, continued to pack our stuff and started our decend, which for me, was twice tedious and dangerous than the assult. My foot slipped off the trail and into the cliff. Thank God for His protection that at that moment, despite my heavy luggage, the plant (whatever it was that I clinged into) was able to support my weight. The rest of the AMCI memebers instructed me and Clyde on how I'll be able to pull myself back to the trail and we continued our decend like nothing happened. In the end, I was still so happy that I can't wait for my next climb.

I'm still hoping I would be able to attend AMCI's BMC training. I know this group will be able to teach me and Clyde a lot on how we'll be able to enjoy our new found thrill the safest way possible. :)

Till then, Ciao!

(By the way, from Brgy Pilila, you can ride a jeepney going to Tanay the fare is around PHP 15.00 per pax. Then from Tanay, you can ride a jeepney going to Edsa Shaw.)

Updates:
14Jan2010: Although one stove is enough for cooking, it would be better to bring a spare stove just incase the first one gets busted. Also be vigilant and for the meantime refrain from doing overnight camping at the summit or the campsites near the summit. I've heared there has been several instances where campers are robbed during their socials or while they are asleep. Be vigilant.

Recycling Receipts

As a consumer, we are required if not obligated to bring home the reciepts of our purchases, so we can return defective or expired products back to our local supermarkets usually within 7 days. But what happens to these reciept after?

My sister came up with a creative idea. Why not use the back portion as a memo pad? Simple but ingenious. It started with her compilation of bank acknowledgement reciepts from her deposits and withdrawals. After a year of compiling these reciepts, she was ready to dispose them, but instead of throwing them straight to the bin, she used a durable clip ang hanged the bunch of papers near our door. My mom and I actually find it useful since we usually leave notes to each other. She also use those paper to write phoned in messages and post it in our fridge so we can read them. A few days after, I saw a bunch of reciepts in our cabinets. I cut  these receipts in half and added them in our supply of memo pads. Since then, whenever I purchase something that comes with a reciepts, instead of throwing it straight to the bin, I found another way to use these paper and again minimize our family's carbon footprint.

My next project will be to create a presentable personalized planner which I intend to use next year. Hopefully I would be able to find time to do them.. :) Till then.. Ciao!

Kalooban: The Filipino Soul in Dance

What: Kalooban: Filipino Soul in Dance featuring KALOOB Philippine Music and Dance Ministry
Where: Folk Arts Theater, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd Pasay City
When: December 4, 2009, 7pm and December 5, 2009 at 3pm and 7pm.

Tickets are at: PHP 100, 250 and 400

Quest for a greener Philippines

I was wondering how I would be able to better assist our country in recycling and saving the environment. I came across the site of papelmeroti and learned that there are several recycling centers even for styrofoams! Is it just me or are there several other millions of people who are not aware that the Philippines do have these kinds of facilities? We only need to put a small amout of effort in bringing our scrap and waste to these centers and I believe most of them will be more than willing to buy your trash.

If you are reading my post, I want to encourage you to do your part in saving our environment and make it a life long commitment to continually fight for our rights to breath a cleaner air and live in a greener Philippines.

Devastation of Typhoon Ondoy (edited)

Early Saturday, 26th of Septerber 2009, the Philippines, particularly those located in Central Luzon and Metro Manila experienced an event nobody had predicted would happen. After approximately 6 hours of countinous rain and with storm signal No. 1 raised by PAGASA, Metro Manila was drowned by typhoon Ondoy which carried an equivalent of 1 month of precipitation. This is by far the worst flooding experienced by Central Luzon in almost 4 decades.

Living in Quezon City, I was almost certain that our place is not suceptible to flood. However, I experienced first hand how other people feels when they begin to see flood water gushing in their homes. My mind was still refusing to accept the clear image of the water slowly climbing the steps of our door. As I feel the cold flood water embracing my feet, it dawned on me that I what I am seeing is real and that I need to move fast.

My mom and I began to carry as much stuff as we can upstairs. I began to rely on our cabinets to hold our appliances away from the flood. I thought the flood that invaded our house was more than enough but water kept on rising until our fridge began to sway. We had to support it with a wooden chair but as soon as we thought the fridge was stable, the washing machine began to sway together with the water as well. I felt hopeless and desperate. I can see my mom is also as helpless as I am. Amidst the chaos of our house, I began to see how our stuff turned into hopeless junks.

At times of desperation, all the material things you have becomes worthless and you'll only have your dear life to hold to. I am happy that even though almost all of our stuff was gone, we are all safe and we have peace in our hearts knowing that God had protected us from other disasters that might have happened. Inspite of all these, we are still blessed that my mom and I had each other during those desperate times and my sister and her friends are safe. Im thankful for my special someone, who inspite of the rain, flood and halted transportation on his way to our house, managed to rescue us. I believe God had sent him to aid us.

With the water continuously rising, my mom and I were convinced by my special someone and our neighbors to evacuated our house at around 7 or 8pm, which I think is more sensible than being trapped inside with no provisions. I packed up some clothes, prayed for our safety, and bid goodbye to the things that I onced treasured.

I am thankful to the good samaritans who have welcomed us to their home so we could change our drenched clothes and even fed us. It really was a humbling experience for me since I am not used to rely on other people for help. It was also through this family who "adopted" us for a few hours that we learned of what had happened to Rizal province, Marikina and the rest of Quezon City. It broke our family's heart knowing that we have friends residing in those areas but seeing that a lot of people taking the initiative to help our countrymen in distress had uplifted our spirits and I'm sure, gave other people hope.

To us who have been victimized by this typhoon, no matter how hard or how long, we will surely recover. As soon as we do, maybe it is time for us to consider what we need to do to prevent this disaster from happening again.

Note about the photos: Photos were taken early in the afternoon, before my mom and I realized how serious the typhoon was. I was not able to take photos during the later part of the day. I was worried I might damage my sister's camera who in turn might hate me forever.. :)

GastroAdvent #1: My pesto experience

Last week, I told my mom that I already know how to make pesto, although she seems pleased, she reminded me that knowledge is different from wisdom. Yesterday, I finally decided to try making my own homemade pesto and officially turning my knowledge into wisdom. After searching the net for the how to's and ingredients, just to confirm if the recipe that I have in mind is accurate, I headed to Robinson's Supermarket, crossed my fingers hoping to find the needed ingredients:

Ingredients:
   Fresh Basil leaves (cost about 12 pesos per pack or 300/KG)
   Pine Peanuts (I skipped this one, dunno if this is available in our local market but will check soon!)
   Olive oil (My mom got this as a gift sometime ago so no need for me to buy)
   Malunggay Bread (30 pesos/pack. Either pasta or any bread will do)
   Eden Cheese (32 pesos/block. Parmesan is better but much more expensive)
   Garlic (about 1 clove, depends on how spicy you want it to be)
   Tomato slice (I wanted to make tomato and cheese pesto)
  
How I did it:
Since I didn't have a food processor which would have made my life easier, I minced the basil leaves, garlic and the tomato. Then poured some 1-1 1/2 tbps of olive oil and mixed the ingredients. Chilled my pesto. After, I sliced 2 malunggay bread (burger style slice.. ehhe) spread the pesto, then add slice of cheese. Toast the pesto bread for about 4-5 minutes and then serve! :)

Note: Never taste the pesto as it is.. I didn't like the taste initially.. I guess the strong flavor of the basil should be blended with either pasta or bread with lots of cheese!!!!! Will post pictures later.

My Designed Chucks

I created my own Chucks design.. Estimate cost at $1= PHP 48 is PHP 2976.. Plus shipping... Quite expensive.. :(

A moment in a life, while riding a jeepney

When: 13 Sep 2009
Where: Jeepney Vito Cruz Mabini - Cubao route
What: Sa may metropolitan, habang yung jeep na sinasakyan namin ay papunta na sa tulay ng Quiapo, may sumakay na dalawang lalaki, magkahiwalay sila, yung isa sa may driver nakasakay (front seat) tapos yung isa sa likod ng jeep umupo. Ginising ako ni Clyde, sabi nya sa Quiapo na kami bumaba.. nagulat ako kasi alam ko hanggang Banawe yung binayad namin.. Saka ko narealize na may nakaambang panganib sa 6 na pasahero ng jeep, sa driver at sa "kunduktor" nito. Lahat ng pasahero biglang nakiramdam.. Thank God, nung malapit na yung jeep sa pababang part nung tulay, sabi nung lalaking nasa unahan.. "Tara lipat tayo.." habang nakatingin sa kasama nya gamit ung head mirror ng jeep. Pagkababa nung dalawa, nareact na yung mga pasahero, saka din sinabi sakin ni Clyde na holdaper yung kasakay namin.. Hindi ako makapaniwala kasi wala silang dalang kahit ano.. Ganun na pala modus nila.. Ang alam ko lang kasi dati, pag kahinahinala at may dalang bag.. dapat na kong mag-ingat at bumaba agad ng jeep. Hanep tong mga salot sa lipunan na to.. kahit sarili lang ang dala, at concealed weapon kaya nang dumale ng jeep! Pinaalalahan ako ni Clyde na mag-ingat lalo na't malapit nang mag December.. Siguradong maglilipana na naman ang mga kumag na nilalang, hindi lang sa Quiapo kundi kahit saan basta pwede silang mambiktima.

Hindi pa nakakalayo yung jeep, akalain mo, pulis naman ang humuli! Hindi ko alam kung anung violation ang naimbento ni mamang pulis (si Manong driver kasi tumambay pa sa Quiapo). Sa point of view ko, pinilit kikilan ng pulis ung driver, kinuha nya yung ang lisensya nung driver at saka lumayo.. Syempre alam na.. yung "kunduktor" nung jeep bumaba at pumunta sa pulis (sa pagkakadining ko eh may 50 pesos na dala yung "kunduktor", katumbas ng halos 2 litrong gasolina or lunch ng manong driver). May lumapit na takatak boy (yung nagtitinda ng yosi sa kalye) sa manong driver at nanghihingi ng pera sa kanya.. Sya pala yung KUBRADOR ni Manong pulis! Ahaha ibang klase din! Para nga naman hindi mahuli na nangongotong sila may taga kubra sila. Balita ko nireremit itong perang to sa "higher officials" parang suhol din ata ng lower class para hindi sila laging ilagay sa field duty. Grabe talaga!

Ang masasabi ko lang.. kawawang driver, nakaligtas nga sa holdaper pero sa buwaya hindi... May pag-asa pa kayang magbago ang mga taga-Quiapo?

Kimi Dora: Super Funny Movie

Just watched a movie entitled Kimi Dora at SM Mall of Asia with my friends. I can't remember the last time I laughed at a comedy movie which by the way, I do not find corny. I liked the main characters, the twins Kimi and Dora, both played by Eugene Domingo. Two thumbs up for Eugene for her wit and acting talent. I agree with the movie producer (Piolo Pascual). The movie's concept is quite different. It is not your average comedy film. With the right combination of casts, writers, producer and director (Ms. Joyce Bernal), I really recommend that you watch this movie.

My thanks goes to my friends for convincing me to watch this hilarious movie.

Till then.. Ciao!

Trip to Sagada

Last April 08, 2009 Clyde and I decided to continue exploring Luzon. After exploring Ilocos, we decided to go further to the North and experience Sagada. The 5 day trip was made possible by all those people who generously provided various information about this place and Wencel of Byaheng Pinoy blog who referred us to the Lemon Pie House for accomodation.

Some of the things I've learned when planning your trip to Sagada, which I know most people are already aware of are:
1) If you want to enjoy a serene Sagada, do not go there during Holy Week. This indeed is the peak season of Sagada tourism. I however, enjoyed the almost festive atmosphere even though it was Holy Week due to the numerous people who are all excited to explore this place.
2) Book your tickets early if you plan to go there during peak season.
3) There are 2 registered tourist guide associations in Sagada (SAGGAS and SEGA i think). They are all experience tour guides. Do not trek the high mountains by yourself specially if you are not an experienced hiker, (even though I admit it is more fun...). Behind the beauty of the mountain lies a great danger. I believe mountaineers can attest to that.
4) Accomodation in Sagada are so affordable (and I hope they'll be able to keep it that way).

Going to Sagada

We rode the Autobus bound to Banaue but you may also opt to ride Florida (cute pink buses). The bus left Manila at around 10pm. We slept almost the entire trip and woke up the next day at around 7am in Banaue. Since there's only the two of us, we were told to ride the jeepney bound to Sagada with 18 other strangers. The trip from Banaue to Sagada took us another 1 hour before we finally reached our destination.

Sagada Finally!
As soon as we stepped foot at Sagada town proper, we headed to the registration site. I later found out from our guide that registered tourist are insured by the Sagada government and will receive support from them incase any accidents occured during their tour provided they complied to Sagada tourist rules and regulations (I haven't seen the actual provision. This is only based on what I've heared).
We headed straight to the Lemon Pie House where our host Mang Joseph and Aling Katrina welcomed us. While waiting for our rooms to be prepared, we were approached by Jojo, who is also a Manileño and later became our travel buddy.

Touring Sagada

Here are our actual itenirary during our stay in Sagada:
Apri 8, Wed (10:00pm)
   - Departure from Manila to Banaue
April 9, Thur
   8:00am - Arrival at Banaue, breakfast, picture taking
   9:00am - Ride jeep from Banaue, Stop over at Banaue View point and Mt. Polis View point and Bay-ao rice terraces
   12:30pm - Arrival at Sagada, Registration, Rest the whole day since it rained that afternoon
Apri 10, Fri
    7:00am - Breakfast
    Morning activities:  Sumaging Cave spelunking, Sugong Hanging coffins, Lumiang Burial cave and Kapyao terraces
    Afternoon activities: Trek Mt. Ampacao, Visit Lake Danum and Sagada pottery
April 11, Sat
    Morning: Bomod-ok Falls, Undreground River, Sagada Weaving
April 12, Sun
    Morning: Echo Valley, Calvary Hanging Coffins, St. Mary's Church
    Afternoon: Souvenir Shopping

Estimated Expense for 2 people:
Fare               : 1,700 (two way)
Accomodation: 1,500 (at 250/head/night)
Meals             : 1,300 (@ 150/meal x 9/pax)
Tour               : around 3,000 or less for above itenirary and more.. :)

I can't wait to go back there and visit our friend and tour guide Bogan. It was really a lovely place to stay. Hopefully, our next itenirary would include camping in Lake Danum grounds and climbing the so called Malboro mountain where we can catch a glimps of the wild horses of Sagada.

Till then.. Ciao!

Camping at Taytay Falls

July 4,2009 - Since it was my friend Emz' birthday, Lian decided to celebrate it in Taytay Falls (a.k.a. Majayjay Falls) in Laguna. Our plan is to stay there overnight, rent a tent and experience nature. It was my first time to go on camping so I was really really excited. Days before the camp, we had meeting via YM. We distributed the things we have to bring, talked about our travel plan and talk some more.

The night before our departure day, we planned to stay at Emz but due to a series of unfortunate events, we decided to meet at the terminal instead.

(My version of Head Shot: Taken on the bus on our way to Majayjay)

The Trip
The next day, everybody showed up early (yey!) and we were able to leave for Laguna at 6am. From Buendia, we rode a bus going to Sta. Cruz Laguna and paid 148.50 each. Since we all had a long night (and yes I was part of the blame) we slept almost the whole trip.

(Attendance: Clyde, Alvin, Emz, Lian, PRESENT! Me, behind the camera)

Upon reaching Sta. Cruz, I realized I forgot to bring charcoal. Luckily one of the stores located in front of the terminal sells some so I bought 5 bags and sheepishly joined the group. :p A tricycle driver offered to bring us to the terminal for 100 pesos since almost all the jeepney that leaves the terminal are already full. Since we had no choice, we agreed and arrived at Majayjay in Sta. Cruz market. Emz and Lian bought 2 tilapia to be grilled since Emz forgot to bring the adobong chicken feet.. (Awwwww...).

The ride from Sta. Cruz to Majayjay town proper cost us 33 pesos, so I know its distance from where we rode the jeep is quite far. Again, I slept while waiting to get off the cramped jeepney.

 Waiting for us in Majayjay is another 15 peso jeepney ride to the falls. And again, I dozed off to fast forward to our final destination.


 The Arrival

We had to pay 30 pesos each for the environmental fee. Then requested the locals if we could rent a tent that the three of us (alvin, me and clyde) could share since Emz and Lian bought their own tent. As we finally spotted a suitable camping site, the tent builders came and assembled our tent. As soon as our stuff are settled, we started grilling the tilapia. They soon realized that I was not able to bring enough charcoal so Clyde and I hiked back to civilization to purchase some supplies. Clyde insisted on buying firewood which was handy indeed. We also bought rice, salted egg and some tomatoes and additional charcoal. As we travel back to our camp site, heavy rains poured halting us into one of those man made shelters where we waited for the rain to stop. Eventually it did stop, but not after several minutes (I was tempted to doze off again..)

Time to Eat and be Merry

(Grilled liempo c/o Emz and Lian)

As suspected, our co-campers were not successful in cooking the rice (thanks to the rainy forest). Thanks to Clyde for convincing me to buy some rice, we were able to eat a full meal. We had realized we were so hungry as we eat the fish, salted egg with tomatoes and 7 servings of rice. The rain has stopped after we have eaten our lunch at around 2pm (I think..). We continued cooking the rice, this time using the firewood. Surprisingly, the rice was well cooked, no rice was burnt and it was very tasty! We continued cooking/grilling the BBQ brought by Alvin and liempo from Emz and Lian. While the girls were busy cooking, the boys (Alvin and Clyde) went back to the upper grounds to get some more firewood for the night's bonfire and another 5 litter stock of water. We rested for a while before we tasted the chilling water of Taytay Falls.

Nightfall

As night approaches the rainforest, we started to build our camp fire. Emz bought a pack of mallows and BBQ sticks. She instructed us how to "cook" the mallows. The roasted outer layer and the soft melted outer cover enticed our tastebuds. I must have eaten quite a lot, enough to ruin my diet.

The long night began to crawl away as we began sharing stories and updates. Unfortunately, I had to hit the bunker early, and so I have no more stories to share..

The Next Day...

We woke up as late as possible. :) After we prepared our breakfast and drank our morning coffee, we decided to take a dip once more, this time in the falls itself. None of us dared to stay submerged on the falls' icy water. All we did was to scream was "Ang Lamig!!!", the dive, swim a little and then scream again until finally were too tired to further struggle to stay in the water. Since we planned to leave at around 2pm, we headed back to our camp site to prepare our lunch, pack up our things and say goodbye to Majayjay

(Noodles for Breakfast)

It was one trip where I had my many first experiences. This camping trip paved the way for my new found hobby.. Outdoor camping! I've already discussed some of my plans to Clyde who is ever supportive in his own ways , so expect more outdoor camping stories from this blog.

 Till then.. Ciao!

Before I forget: Here's the summary of my expense (one way):

148.50 - Bus to Sta. Cruz, Laguna (as of July 2009)

  20.00  -  Tricycle from drop off point to Majayjay Jeep Terminal

  33.00 - Jeep to Majayjay

  15.00 - Jeep to Taytay

  30.00 - Environmental Fee for overnight stay

150.00 - Tent rental

--------------------

396.50 ++

Side Stories:

The jeepney terminal in Sta. Cruz Laguna going to Majayjay is called MAJODA [eheheee], I think it was kinda funny cause it sounds like majonda which, if I'm correct is "matanda" or old people in Filipino gay lingo.