Volcanic!

Mount Pinatubo is infamous for the havoc it wreaked when it erupted in 1991. Nowadays, it’s viewed in a more positive light as a place of adventure and beauty. A day trip to this volcano will cost you approximately P1,700 inclusive of van transport to and from Manila, 4x4 jeep ride, and registration/entrance fees. Mount Pinatubo is an active volcano located along the borders of three provinces namely Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga. To get to the foot of the volcano, we had to ride a 4x4 jeep across a vast lahar-covered landscape.

Rough Ride
It’s a dusty and bumpy ride all the way to the trek jump-off point. Sit back and hang tight as your driver snakes through streams and rocky lahar trails. The dramatic gray-white landscape looks like a desert with the jagged and sloping Cabusilan Mountain Range as its backdrop. It’s quite a relief that our 4x4 had a roof and windows to shield us from the clouds of dusty lahar. We took what is dubbed as the “skyway” which is a steep, slippery and scary shortcut to the volcano. Living in the recesses and planes of this mountainous landscape are groups of Aetas, the indigenous people who have inhabited Mount Pinatubo for decades. Their kinky hair, made golden by the sun, and their ebony skin create a striking portrait. According to our guide, the Aetas make their living by harvesting bananas, which grow copiously in the area and then selling these in town. From their meager earnings they buy rice which are a staple food for them.

Trek to the Top
After an hour and a half ride in the 4x4 jeep, you’ll reach the drop-off point where the trek to the crater commences. From this point it will take 30 minutes or even less to reach the mouth of the crater. Mobile phone signals are dead from this point onwards. It’s a fairly easy hike where you’ll alternately pass through rocks and streams. Our guide showed us a natural source of drinkable water in case our water supply ran low. It tasted fresh and clean and my hardy stomach did not complain when I quenched my thirst with it. Once you see the roughly hewn stone stairway, you’ll know that you’re almost at the top. After the rough ride and trek, our out-of-shape bodies were tired but the view that greeted us at the top more than made up for all our aches and pains.


What a Crater!
No words could describe the majestic view at the peak of Mount Pinatubo. I couldn’t believe my eyes that a blue green lake this beautiful could be at the crater of an active volcano! It’s beckoning me to take a dip into its aquamarine depths. My trekking buddies and I start to descend the uneven steps that lead to the lake. The water must be warm since it is in a volcano, I think to myself. I dip my foot into the water and I find that it is freezing cold! Plus it gets really deep real fast. After a few steps from the shore, I can’t even reach the lake bottom even on my tippy-toes. So best bring a lifejacket if you’re not such a good swimmer. Or you can hire a boat.

All the physical exertion of the morning worked up a huge appetite and it’s a good thing I packed some lunch. There are no stores at the crater so do bring food if you don’t want to starve—preferably plenty of rice, ulam, drinks, and snacks. A gazebo near the lake is the perfect place to eat and rest. Although it tends to get crowded when there are lots of visitors. Another welcome amenity that they installed is a basic toilet. There are no showers at the crater but once you get back to the registration office at the base you can get a spa treatment for P500 as a treat after such a volcanic adventure.

Picturesque Potipot

Tucked away in Uacon, Candelaria, Zambales is the funny-sounding but picturesque little island called Potipot. Just a five minute banca ride from Candelaria (P400 to P600 for 6 people) will bring you to white sandy shores and calm, aquamarine waters.

The island’s caretaker will be the first to greet you and collect P50 per person for the island’s maintenance. It looks like the place is regularly swept clean and the waters are free from floating plastic and other trash so your 50 bucks are well worth it. And for P500 more you can rent a hut for a whole day. Not that you need one anyway because the island has a number of trees that you can hide under when the sun is at its zenith. And for the most part you’ll be enjoying the water and not even notice the sun.

The island is tiny. In 15 minutes or less you can explore the island in its entirety. It is bounded by white sand with a slightly orangey-peachy tint. Right smack in the center of Potipot is a quaint tree house. It’s the tree house every kid dreams of, sitting on the tallest tree in the island and hovering above the small huts. After exploring the island, the calm, aquamarine waters beckon. The water is so clear and clean you can take really nice underwater pictures and when you go snorkeling you can see fishes just a few feet from the shore.
The island is not such a secret anymore with a number of day-trippers and campers enjoying the laidback and pristine vista. But it is far from being crowded. Zambales is still not a popular vacation spot like Puerto Galera or Laiya in Batangas, and that’s what makes it so appealing for those who want a quiet beach getaway. I mean, how could you not be lured by something this beautiful?

Cagayan De Oro Thrills

It’s known as the City of Golden Friendship. So upon landing in the Cagayan De Oro airport, I was expecting a warm welcome fro m the Kagay-anons maybe with some flower g arlands and fresh buko juice involved. Instead my companions and I came face to face with the most unaccommodating Department of Touri sm representative in the face of the earth! I am not exaggerating. Her tightlipped and irritab le answer to all our queries was, “Tingnan niyo na lang sa brochure”.

Slightly fazed by the frigid welcome of a DOT personnel of all people, we hired a cab that drove us to downtown CDO where we hoped to find a decent hotel. During the drive, I asked the cab driver why CDO was considered the City of Golden Friendship. His answer was something about a golden fish that can only be found in CDO and that’s why the city was called “golden friendship.” At first I thought he was playing with our heads, but he looked dead serious when he was explaining this. (I searched about this in the net to see if it was true, but nothing came up.) So anyway, we found a nice hotel near the famous Divisoria area. It’s called Hot el Ramon and I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for the 3C’s when it comes to accommodations--clean, comfortable, and cheap!

Downtown CDO

The best way to tour CDO’s Downtown area is onboard the motor ela. It ’s a motorcycle fitted with a cabin compartment that seats up to 6 to 8 passengers. Thailand has the tuktuk, CDO has the motorela. So our first stop is lunch at the famous Bigby’s restaurant. It has good food, good ambience, a bit pricey. If you are looking for something that’s distinctly Kagay-anon, you won’t find it here. Bigby’s reminds me of Friday’s or Chilli’s. I do have to say that their baby back ribs dish is superb.

Lunch was followed by a v isit to St. A ugustine Cathedral and Gaston Park. St. Augustine’s is a beautiful Church with century-old stained glass windows. A place of worship, medi tation, and hibernation. Really, there were quite a number of people sleeping in the pews.


Mapawa Nature Park
For a go at the zip lines and some rappelling action, we went to Mapawa Nature Park. From the city proper, it’s a 30-minute jeepney ride. Then another 10 to 15 minute ride via habal-habal or motorcycle. The park closes at 5 p.m. or even earlier if there are n o visito rs. We got there at 4:55 p.m. and they wouldn’t let us in anymore. But because of our irresistible charms (hehe) or maybe out of pity for us, they kindly let us in to take some pictures and try the zip lines.

White Water Rafting

The ultimate reason for going to Cagayan De Oro is to try white water rafting. Our tour guide from Kagay Voyages picked us up from the hotel at 7 a.m. We reached our jump-off point by 8:30 and after a short lesson on paddling and rafting safety we were ready for our ride down the mighty Cagayan River.

All in all there were 14 rapids plus a few minor ones. On the left river bank we passed the fields and mountains of CDO, on the right was Bukidnon. Cold water kept splashing on our faces and bodies. The ride was mostly bumpy, and thank God we had helmets on because we kept bumping into each other and paddles kept flying around. After two and a half hours, we reached the end of our first ever white water rafting experience. High five!

Macahambus Adventure Park
We passed by Machambus Park on our way back Downtown. Here we tried the Skybridge, a rickety, wooden bridge suspended from treetops hundreds of feet from the ground. When you reach the end of the bridge you attach yourself to a rope and go for a zip past the forest canopy while screaming “Aaaoooaaa” (just like Tarzan). Other thrilling adventures offered are rapelling (under renovation when we visited) and spelunking.

Mount Gulugod-Baboy Climb

Mountain: Mt. Gulugod-Baboy

Location: Anilao, Mabini, Batangas
Length of Climb: 2 hours

Gulugod-Baboy means “pig’s spine”. If you expect to see pigs and wild boars roaming in this mountain, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one. You will, however, come face to face with plenty of goats and cows all the way to the peak. So why is it called Gulugod-Baboy? PinoyMountaineer says that the mountain is so named “because of the contours of [its] hills”.

With that in mind, nine beginner climbers set off to conquer the spiny path to the top of Pig’s Spine Mountain. The first part of the climb is on cemented road. When you see a sari-sari store, that’s your cue to take a turn on a narrow dirt path to begin the second, more exciting part of the climb. The winding trail is alternately rocky, muddy or loamy. One minute you’re walking on pastoral hills, the next on steep cliffs. The scene keeps changing with every step.

After an hour of climbing, we were exhausted. Good thing there’s a bahay-kubo where trekkers can rest and buy iced candy! As we continued our ascent, the air became perceptibly cooler. Then the narrow path opened up to wide, rolling hills. We were almost at the peak!

When we finally reached the top, the wind came at us full force. Clouds began to envelop us and the cold seeped through our bones. Just as suddenly as the clouds appeared, they went away…revealing a stunning view of Batangas Bay. It was an exhilarating first climb.

Lessons learned:
*Stretch your muscles before climbing.
*Wear thick, cotton socks to avoid foot sores.
*Bring trail food for energy.
*Hydrate!
*Wear loose, lightweight pants to prevent scratches from rocks and plants.
*Bring trekking pole for extra balance and support.

Dayrit’s Roast Beef & Burger

Heavy traffic and chilly holiday weather really worked up my appetite for red meat—Dayrit’s Roast Beef to be exact. I must say, they have the yummiest roast beef I have ever tasted. The sirloin beef is tender, juicy and marinated to perfection. Just pour some of their mushroom gravy and you’re all set for a delicious dining experience.

The Roast Beef Plate comes with baked potato in creamy sauce, a small portion of veggies and rice or rolls all for P290.

Another favorite at Dayrit’s is their Big “D” Cheeseburger (P175). It is meaty-licious and juicylicious! Though I wouldn't label their burger as "big", I'd say it's just the right size to satiate a mildly hungry person's appetite. (And I do wish they have better buns.) Nevertheless, it’s a helluva a good burger.

Dayrit’s is located at 31st-2nd St., Bonifacio Stop Over, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

Lola Abon's Delicious Durian Candies

If you find yourself in Davao, be sure to taste one of the city’s sweetest delights—durian candy. Not many people appreciate the stinky durian fruit, and I was one of them...until I tasted the delicious confections from Lola Abon’s. Now I'm a fan of the King of Fruits. They have everything from durian-flavored yema and tart to polvoron and macaroon. Nevertheless, their bestseller continues to be the specialty that put Lola Abon's in the map some 60 years ago—durian-flavored pastillas de leche. Their new durian ice cream is heavenly as well!

What Happened to Gumbo?

I was craving for Gumbo’s Seafood Spaghetti but when I finally got to taste it, I was a little disappointed. For some reason, it was not like how I remembered it to be. There was too much pasta but too little seafood. And their complimentary appetizer of bread and roasted garlic keeps getting smaller and smaller with every visit. The only thing consistent is their Classic Caesar Salad and it’s not even that extraordinary.

Classic Caesar Salad (Petite) good for 2 to 3 P225
For a petite serving Gumbo’s Caesar Salad is hefty.

Seafood Spaghetti (Petite) P275

Gumbo is located at 2/F Stall 229, The Block SM North EDSA, Quezon City.