Sidetrip: A Magnificent View of Mt. Samat

Since we were already at Clark for the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, we decided to take a sidetrip somewhere. A popular option would be Subic especially Tree Top Adventure. But because some of us have already been there, or are afraid of heights, and/or are on budget mode, we chose the option less picked, in Bataan. I first heard about this place when I had my immersion among the fisher folks in Abucay.

The drive to Mt. Samat from Clark took over 2 hours because of the heavy traffic at Clark. The place was quite easy to find just look for the 'Dambana ng Kagitingan' sign. It's a very tourist-friendly place, and for only 20pesos entrance fee. You can take your vehicle all the way to the top, saving you around an hour trek (from the bottom) or 15 mins trek from the guest house near the top. 

 

The Shrine of Valor

Did you know that this huge cross had an elevator inside it? We took it for 10pesos in order to get a nice view farther up. The wind was really cool, the view so refreshing. This is a must-try if you ever passed by Bataan.

 

Towards the end of the hallway lies this window. We got amused taking a lot of shots. 

"Hanapin ang Sarili sa Bilog Challenge"

As we trekked (or walked rather) downwards we were greeted by a splendid view of the clear blue sky as well as the temple and museum below. 

As we reached this cute building here, we took some time to 'absorb' and experience the details of place. We also took a peek inside the museum they had, which housed some relics, photographs of the WWII. It \was the perfect way to end this turned historical and educational tour.

At past 12, we were hungry for lunch and would take any restaurant nearby. Good thing we found this buffet style eatery in Balanga, around 30-40 mins drive from Mt. Samat.

Part of the original itinerary was to go to Dunsulan Falls, just behind Mt. Samat. It was around 130pm then and we didn't want to get pressed for time so we decided to head back to Clark instead. Maybe I can still visit Dunsulan once I get to visit Bataan again.

With beautiful scenery, great company, good laughs and photoholic satisfaction, we head back to Clark for the Hot Air Balloon. It was time well spent. :)

16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2011

Whether you're a family looking forward to spending some quality time, a couple on a pre-valentine's date, a barkada in for some group adventure, a sky adventure enthusiast, a photographer, a young at heart, or what have you, this annual event is the place to be.

It was on a Saturday, Day 3 of the Festival, we arrived at the venue at around 4am. It was a bit too early, thinking we've just won the race, surprisingly a lot of people were already there. We were all first timers so we didn't know what to expect. We didn't know where we could have breakfast but that's already been taken care of. A lot of food stalls were already setup. We had one at Jollibee stall. I had this outrageous idea to bring and pitch a tent, but I was not too sure if it's allowed. We saw there were a lot of tents setup. Apparently some families already camped out the night before. Awesome, I wanna try this next time so I could get enough sleep at least. :p

We immediately went to the front part of the field. The first 3 rows were already occupied. But we were still able to have a fair view of how the hot air balloons were being setup.

Finally, at around 6, the show began. Yipee!

After the show, on our way to the parking lot, we can't help but succumb to any photo op that gets presented to us. hehehe

We decided to take a sidetrip to Mt. Samat where we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon...

Then, arriving early for the night show, at 3pm, we decided to take some rest first. Finally, at 430 we walked back to Clark Field. We roamed around a bit. The environment was a lot like school fairs we used to have back in high school. Kite flying was a popular activity. It was really relaxing and amusing to stare at the colorful sky for long, thanks to the shielding clouds.

We passed by the photo booth where it could appear as if you were actually riding the hot air balloon, and for a price that's far less than 150 USD (per head). We bought some souvenir, a mini-hot air balloon. You could do some interesting trick shots with it, with enough patience. Hehe.

Finally it was time for the late afternoon flight of the balloons. But unfortunately, it was announced that because the winds were too strong, the hot air balloons cannot anymore be flown. :( But they were still generous enough to entertain the audience by inflating them and doing the night glow show, with grounded HA balloons.

Aftermath: My friend was right. The traffic was indeed terrible. All in all, it took us more than 3 hours drive back to Manila. I'm not sure but it was most likely because of this trip that I had some terrible flu, that left me bedridden for days (prolly because of lack of sleep). :(  But no matter, it was one of the funnest trips I've had. :)))

Tips:

1. Buy tickets before going there. You can get it from Ticketnet, available at SM.

2. Bring tents or mats so you can lay or sit comfortably.

3. Bring picnic food. I think it'd be fun too. ;)

4. Bring telephoto lens.

5. Ask nicely/persuade/coerce your buddies to SHOOT A MUSIC VID! (Ok, it's just me hehehe!)

Mt. Batulao - The Globe Adventure Club Open Climb

Almost a year ago, Mt. Batulao in Batangas was my first training climb to get into GAC. It was a tough climb for me, I even had to do night trek for that supposed day-hike. Now, I'm back as what they call the Team Lead for our open/fun climb for the year. ^_^ This will be one of my favorite climbs simply because it's the least stressful one.

Prelude:

I was sad that all the people I invited could not make it. But I was hopeful I'd still get to enjoy the climb - reunion with some old folks, meet new friends, and take some nice photos. The day before was quite stressful because I had to do some shopping for the food we'll cook at the campsite. I forgot our tent at the office so I had to go back for that, only to realize that a regular backpack won't do so I had to rush back to the office early morning to get my mountaineering backpack sitting idly under my desk.

On a Saturday, Jan. 29, at 9:00am we met up at Crow Bus Station, EDSA-Taft. I forgot to buy salt and patis, but the lady from the carinderia, where some of us had breakfast, was kind enough to give some. :) At 10, as indicated in our itinerary, we lined up for the bus bound for Nasugbu. The line was quite long, with some other mountaineers headed for Mt. Talamitam. 30 minutes later we got on board to a 2.5 hour ride to Evercrest Golf Course, our initial jumpoff.

We had lunch at the carinderia near Evercrest. Then we rode a tricycle to get to the starting point of our trek 15-20 min. away. We were 1 hour behind our itinerary but since this was a fun climb, I guess it's ok. After a brief prayer, we started our trek. 20 minutes later, we saw a nipa hut where buko juice is being sold. I decided to take a quick stop (Yes, one of the perks of being TL is you get to decide when the group stops or continues. Hehe).  But what was intended to be a quick water break turned out to be longer moments of kwentuhan and photo ops.

At around 4:20pm, we reached the 1st campsite. We registered and rested for little while. See why I love fun climbs, hehe.

Finally after passing 5 more campsites, at around 5:00pm, we reached camp 7. This is where we'd stay for the night. We immediately pitched our tents, settled our belongings, then off to trek towards the summit for some sunset shots.

We reached halfway towards the summit, while the others were already on their way. And I decided it was enough for me, who forgot to bring her headlamp for some night-trek. After some shots, we headed back to campsite. The trail was more difficult on descent than assault. My girl friend and I were unprepared for a night trek. But good thing we survived it, while catching up with some stories on our way down.

Barely catching some breath, right after reaching our base, we started to prepare for dinner. We had sinigang, (which was really delicious), lumpiang shanghai, and sisig. After dinner, it rained a little so I decided to get inside our tent to have some rest as well. When the rain seemed to have stopped, I decided to come out and join the socials. Things started to get crazy funny. We slept at around 11.

At 6am, we woke up to prepare breakfast and catch the sunrise at 6:25. It was a pretty good breakfast that took around 2 hours to prepare. It seemed we all took our time, enjoyed each moment. I especially loved the soup; the wind was too strong I didn't want to think what other ingredients got into it. :p

At 10am, we started to trek towards the summit (again) en route to the new trail back to jumpoff. Here are some snaps taken at the summit. The guy who took our group shots usually uploads stuff almost a year later.  Guess I didn't want to wait for that. Haha. The P25 bottle of Mountain Dew was soooo worth it.

 

Before lunchtime, we started our descent back to jumpoff. I finished at around 1:30pm. I could've done better. I don't know if it was my lack of physical training, or severe dedication to go home to my family alive and uninjured that made me slow or rather cowardly. :))

Just when I thought the day was over. After having lunch, taking a bath, our ride home was still one heck of a ride. For one, to someone who had motion-sickness, it was on a jeepney. Another was the shots of the bar being passed on. So I felt dizzy, but fortunately I did not puke. Many thanks to all the guests, members who were part of this journey.

Lessons Learned:

1. Fun climb is fun (and funny) indeed. Less time pressure, I really got to enjoy each moment.
2. There are far more important things than comfort and convenience.

3. On being lazy and submissive: learn to explicitly say no esp. when threshold is reached.

4. What is a friend? Someone who tells you what you need rather than what you want to hear. Someone who'll never leave you astray. Someone who'll protect you even from yourself. Well I think I've found these traits from my siblings in GAC. :)

Expenses Guide:

	cost per group	cost per head
bus to nasugbu		106
tricycle ride (Evercrest-jumpoff and v.v.)	120 (/3)
water, trail food, toiletries		250
lunch , day 1		60
dinner, breakfast (day2)	1800 (/14)
lunch, day 2		50
mountain dew		25
bathroom rental		20
buko juice		30
mt. batulao reg fee		20
mt. batulao reg fee (traverse)		20
guide fee (2)	500
iwatani (3)	180
jeepney rental to manila	2000

P.S.

At some point my family will get to read this entry. So let me end by saying I'm sorry for breaking a promise. I'm going to have some explaining to do so I'm going to save it 'til then. ;)

To the folks out there (of course, those who don't have that strict parents), I highly recommend for you to join a fun climb at least once in your life. A great feat, it would feel awesome to have conquered yourself through that mountain.