A Dog's Life

On a recent trip we encountered this dog. It wasn’t particularly cute nor was there anything peculiar about it. But there was just something about it that prompted me to take a few pictures…



Hey little doggie… What are you looking for?



Why so sad?

Hey little doggie… Where are you going???

Epilogue

5th and Final Entry in the Sagada Chronicles



Leaving Sagada

This entry begins as we leave the St. Josephs Inn which was our home away from home during the whole length of our stay in Sagada. During our short visit we have journeyed through the Echo Valley, famous for its hanging coffins. We dared to venture deep underground to marvel at the world beneath. We took countless pictures in Kiltepan and enjoyed the breath taking view of the big falls. It had been a fun and exciting adventure but this entry is not about Sagada…

We spent the better part of the day sitting on a bus over the country’s highest highway system called Hanselma. It was a seven hour long bumpy ride through a narrow and winding road that seems to be perpetually under repair or construction as sections of the said road is in constant need of maintenance due to the regular landslides and erosion. The highway was so high up that visibility was often limited to about 10 to 20 meters ahead due to the thick fog or was it clouds. We eventually reached the outskirts of Baguio and it became obvious that we were back in the kind of civilization that we have grown accustomed to, the traffic was bad. The scenery has also changed from sparsely populated mountains with either natural vagetation or vegetable gardens to mountain tops filled with houses. We were in Baguio.

We found a place where we could dump our bags and gear so that we can roam around the city unencumbered by our heavy load. We walked down sesion road to look for a place where we can eat. Session Road has definitely changed from what I remember as a small boy years ago. Baguio I guess has changed, it has embraced the demands of modernization and development till it has become what it is now.

As if drawn by an irresistable force we eventually made our way towards this new edifice that dominated the landscape of Baguio. It was like a monolith of stone and steel, we ended in up in SM. We had dinner at Terriyaki Boy and spent the equivalent of what we spent on food during our whole stay in Sagada on a feast of Japanese food. After dinner we walked around Burnham park and decided to have coffee but resisted the call of Starbucks and Seattles Best and instead sought out a local place. We had our fill of caffeine with orders of iced coffe, milkshakes, and other concoctions while we lounged on soft sofas while listening to laid back lounge music. We could have been in Starbucks in Valero, Greenbelt, or Rockwell. After that we retrieved our packs and headed for the new Victory Liner terminal which looked even better than the Manila Domestic Airport. We started the last leg of our trip on our way home.



Session Road at night



Dinner at Teriyaki Boy at SM Baguio



Just chillin out…

It is safe to assume that Baguio was not unlike Sagada Fifty years ago. I wonder if there will be a Starbucks outlet in Sagada the next time I go there? I dread the day when Henry Sy or his descendants builds a mall in Sagada. There a lot of issues that arise as we go forward in our march towards development. To what extent should we allow the “development” of a particular area in the name of progress? Should development be restrained in the name of environmental and cultural conservation? There are a lot of arguments that would arise including the right of people living in those areas to enjoy the comforts of modern living. No one can tell at this point how things will work out for Sagada, but whatever happens I will always have wonderful memories of that rustic and enchanted place and I have a lot pictures to prove it…

Let me end this chronicle of our trip to Sagada with a picture I took of a wild flower in Echo Valley, its speaks of Sagada, beautiful and wild.



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Gulugod Baboy 2006

January 29 to 30, 2006. A year after our first climb together up this place, we returned to Gulugod Baboy… We brought new friends along, and for a lot of them it was their first climb. The newbies of the open climb last year had become good friends and are now the group leaders and the “more experienced” big brothers and sisters to this year’s batch of green horns.

I’ve always enjoyed the great outdoors whether I’m climbing up to a mountain’s summit or diving down a coral reef. It has always been obvious for me that it’s a beautiful world and we are living in a beautiful country. But sadly not many people get to enjoy the things I’ve seen and experienced because of the challenges involved in these activities. That’s why I’ve always been such an advocate that it sometimes seem like I’m a pimp for my kind of outdoor activities. I’d like people to experience the great outdoors in a safe and environment friendly manner and in the process I hope to instill a little bit more appreciation of just how beautiful this country is and maybe teach people to love this country just a little bit more.

But enough of drama, we went to that place to conquer the summit and have a great time. Just reaching the summit and beholding the majestic vista that was there for us to behold was enough to cause what I can only describe as euphoria in some of the first timers. The things they did up there is their story to tell. But as for me the highlight of the climb would have to be the time we spent taking pictures at the summit. It was the best spot to go wild taking pictures and to express long hidden artistic talent and creativity.

This is what we saw from my camera’s lens…

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Some thoughts…

When taking pictures…

The best source of light is the sun.

The best backdrop is the sky, either clear blue or accented with clouds.

The best objects to fill up space is nature’s features like mountains, trees, animals, and the sea.

The best subject is people, especially friends old and new alike.

It really is a beautiful world.

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Tarak

My muscles were aching all over, sweating profusely, bearing a very heavy load, and near exhaustion. It is these times when you ask your self why do I climb these darn mountains. Our destination was the Tarak Ridge on Mt. Mariveles, in Bataan. We spent the most part of our day on a long arduous trek through winding trails going up and down under the forest canopy. We took a much-needed one-hour lunch break near the Papaya river and then proceeded to the second part of our trek up the ridge. We were now on a near vertical climb on a very steep trail heading up. We had to rest every few minutes because of the trail’s difficulty. Our guide had long since left us on our own saying that it would be easy finding the campsite and Vince was insisting that we only rest for three minutes for every ten minutes we spend walking or should I say climbing. Tarak wasn’t easy at all…

We had arrived in the town of Balangga, in the provice of Bataan by bus in two batches the night before and we spent the night in Gino’s house. The plan was to arrive in Bataan on the evening of December 3, 2005 so that we could get some rest before we tackle the challenge ahead, which was Tarak. Tarak is the name of a ridge on Mt. Mariveles in Bataan and it is a considered a level 2 climb. It normally takes 7 to 8 hours of difficult trekking in order to reach the ridge. The ridge it self was open and exposed to strong winds and it is barely large enough to be a campsite. As if the climb it self wasn’t difficult enough, we have been warned by a friend of mine named Conch that he got Typhoid and Dengue after climbing Tarak.

The team out to conquer Tarak was composed of Yano, Vince, Park, JC, Jeff, Lester, Noah, Gino, and my self. This motley crew of would be mountaineers was out to tackle a challenge, which we may not be that prepared for. But we were already in Bataan and we were determined to climb Tarak.

After an early breakfast we headed toward our jump off point, which was the Barangay of Alasanin or Alas-asin in the town of Mariveles. There we registered at the Barangay Hall and found ourselves a guide. We started our trek with the sun already high in the horizon. I was still clinging to the hope that maybe it wouldn’t really take seven to eight hours to climb this mountain.

Clutching on every tree trunk, vine, rock, and any other handhold I could get my hands on, I kept putting one foot in front of the other and try to keep moving up. I knew that we were in essence committed to this climb and there was no turning back. Relief would only come once we reach the summit. After hours of hard climbing we finally broke through the tree line and found a clearing big enough to be a campsite. We were at the ridge. Our intended campsite was a little further up but we knew then that we made it. We had a very good view of the whole island of Corregidor, Manila bay, and the town of Mariveles. The strong winds brought soothing relief to our tired and hot bodies. But it signaled what we were to face that evening.

The campsite was small and rocky so much so that it was almost impossible to drive pegs into the ground, I had to settle for tying my guy lines on to big rocks. When evening descended the winds picked up and a thick mist covered the ridge since clouds shrouded the summit. After dinner and a couple rounds of drinks we retired into our tents to get some rest. The tent was battered the whole night by very strong winds which made it harder to sleep, but since we were all exhausted from all the climbing we did manage to get some sleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night with the call of nature. I didn’t much fancy the idea of stepping out into that cold night with the howling winds but I had to relieve my bladder. When I stepped out of my tent I paused. The sky had cleared and I could clearly see nearby lights from the town or Mariveles, the distant lights from Manila across the bay, and what seemed like an infinite number of stars. The thought crossed my mind; “was I still on Tarak?” I could only describe it as magical. I was in awe and I could then tell my self, this is the reason why I climb up mountains.









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