Category Archives: ACTIVITIES

Mystical Mt. Makiling (Los Banos, Laguna)

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It was field trip time for my daughter Cheska’s Colegio San Agustin class and Lakbay Kalikasan, Southeast Asia’s first and premier outbound education outfitter, was tasked to organize it.    Mt. Makiling was the selected destination.  Upon invitation by Mr. Ramon Jocson, Lakbay’s Corps Director, I decided to tag along.

Mt. Makiling
This 1,090-m. high, 3-peaked mountain, located 65 kms. southeast of Manila, is, owing to its natural history, the most biologically well-known of Philippine mountain and a favorite for field trips.  The slopes of the mountain form a 4,244-hectare national park covering portions of Bay, Calamba City and Los Baños; all in Laguna, and Sto. Tomas in Batangas.  These places depend on the watershed of the mountain for their domestic water requirements and irrigation while Los Baños’ and Calamba’s resorts and tourism industries depend on it for their hot springs.

 

Most field trips, including this one, enter via U.P. Los Baños (UPLB) which is halfway up the summit.  The mountain is also accessible from Alaminos (Laguna) and, for the extreme adventurer, from the more difficult and barely passable (due to the thick jungle) Sto. Tomas route, on the other side of the mountain.   Makiling is said to be the legendary home of the beautiful local goddess, Mariang Makiling.

According to folklore, she was the beautiful young daughter of two deities: Dayang Makiling and Gat Panahon.  Half goddess, half spirit of the air, she was tall, svelte, sweet, with big black tantalizing eyes, long, black, abundant hair reaching to her ankles, pure brown skin, and enchanting smile and a captivating, melodic voice.  She was born of the rays of the moon and lived in the beautiful mountain, roaming the forest and protecting its wild boars and other animals.

Visible to, and loved and respected by the townspeople, she had a generous heart, scattering golden ginger in the yards of every house in her domain and never turning down a request for help or assistance.  She rewarded hunters, who, at her request, spared the animals.

Her kindness, sympathy and acts of benevolence were often forgotten and disregarded by the people.  To punish them, she denied permission to pick fruits in the forest and prohibited hunting of wild animals. For those who disobeyed, she would cause the sky to grow dark and the heavy rain to fall.  To hunters, she assumes a frightful form and sends them to their death.  She fell in love with a mortal man who proposed to her but backed out before their wedding day and later married a mortal woman.  Despondent, she disappeared into the forest and was never seen again.  Her presence, however, is still felt as she continues to watch over the mountain’s natural bounty.

Makiling is one of the few mountains in Luzon that still has some primary forests.  It originally had lowland dipterocarp forests up to the 600 m. mark but the western and southern flanks are now denuded due to kaingin (slash and burn) farming and logging while the eastern slopes are covered with coconut, banana, coffee and other crops.  However, exotic lowland type dipterocarp forest trees and orchards have been introduced for reforestation at its lower slope, transforming the forest below 300 m. into a “parang” type of vegetation.  Above 900 m. are some montane forest and, at the summit, a dwarf mossy forest.  Makiling is a dormant volcanic massif but remnants of its north wall crater no longer exist.  However, heat still escapes from it in the form of mud springs and hot sulphur springs.       Makiling is also a field laboratory for many environmental and biological researches in UPLB.   Aside from being a favorite for school field trips, Makiling is also a popular camping and hiking area for Boys and Girls Scouts, as well as other camping enthusiasts.  The 10th World Boy Scout Jamboree was held on the mountain from June 17 to 26, 1959 and camping is still done at the BSP Wood Badge Area.

Camping, however, wasn’t in the field trip agenda.  They were here to learn. This outdoor classroom showcases the rich biodiversity of the country, being home to 2,038 species of vascular flora (85% of Philippine flora spread out in 949 genera, 19 sub-species and 167 varieties), 24 species of mammals (10 families and 19 genera) and 21 species of amphibians (4 families and 8 genera), 10 of which are endemic. Bryoflora includes giant ferns, 34 species of mosses and 42 species of liverworts.   About 60% of all known fungi have also been found here.     Popular with bird watchers, the mountain is home to 163 species of birds (spread out in 110 genera and 16 families).

Museum of Natural History
A repository for all these biological specimens is the Museum of Natural History, located immediately to the left of the archway going into the College of Forestry and Natural Resources. Housed in a former student dormitory of UPLB, here students are awed by its collection of more than 200,000 Philippine plants, animals, microorganisms and other bioda.  Most of the late Prof. Dioscoro Rabor’s priceless collections are also housed here. Its exhibits feature, among others, the Philippine eagle, tamaraw, tarsier; snails in Mt. Makiling and Laguna de Bay; Philippine plants, forests, shells; Philippine cobras, marine turtles and mammals; and a Philippine map made of 4,012 locusts and lahar from Mt. Pinatubo. A visit here is the piece de resistance for any Makiling field trip.

Rappelling at Wawa Gorge (Rodriguez, Rizal)

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Wawa Gorge

I again joined as a guest in a demonstration tour hosted by Lakbay Kalikasan for teacher representatives from 9 different schools, this time to Montalban (now renamed Rodriguez after its late local son and Senate president Sen. Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez, Sr.), a town steep in mystery and folk legends, and one of the nearest, it being just 28.60 kms. from Manila.  Assembly and pick-up point was our usual EDSA Shrine.  Our 2-van convoy made a brief stopover at U.P. Diliman (my college alma mater) before proceeding to our final destination, the town’s Wawa Dam and its beautiful gorge.

The two mountains of Bernardo Carpio

Montalban is mostly mountainous, its central and eastern sections being traversed by mountain ranges extending north to south.  It also has a series of steep, sloping ridges. The province’s highest peak, the 1,468-m. high Mt. Caladang, is located along the Rodriguez/Quezon province boundary.  The town’s mountains and caves figured prominently during the early days of the Katipunan (a hideout and a site for secret meetings) and the Philippine Revolution (site of a June, 14, 1897 rout of Spanish forces under Col. Dujiols).     

Montalban is full of legends and folklore.  Near Wawa Gorge, the folk hero and demigod Bernardo Carpio was said to hold two mountains apart, with his mighty hands, to prevent them from colliding.   His enemy, the enchanted king of the mountains of San Mateo, was defeated by Bernardo in a wrestling match.  The king had his revenge when he enticed Bernardo to enter Pamitinan Cave.

He blocked the entrance, with two gigantic boulders of rocks, and trapped him inside forever, thus shackling him to a prolonged bondage. When an earthquake occurs every 100 years, it is said to be Bernardo breaking one of his chains.  It is said that when all his chains have been broken, he would then liberate all his countrymen from their own slavery.

Wawa Dam

Wawa Dam (also called the Montalban Dam), located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains, in Brgy. Wawa, supplies water to the Novaliches area in Quezon City.  Overlooked by Mt. Irid, its spectacular, forested Wawa Gorge lies between two marble and limestone mountains (of Bernardo Carpio fame) and, through it, passes the Wawa River (or Marikina River) as it flows into Laguna de Bay.  On our way to the dam, our group espied one of 4 caves believed to be Japanese strongholds during World War II.  A historical marker was said to have been placed at the entrance of one of the caves in memory of the Japanese soldiers who died in the three-month long battle in 1945.  Treasure hunters are also said to be attracted by rumors of gold buried in the caves.

Wawa Gorge is also the place to be for the relatively new, adrenaline-pumping and extreme sport of rock climbing.  The gorge’s 400-meter high cliffs provide different levels of difficulty for rock climbers.  There are ten rock climbing sites with approximately 50 established routes, graded 5.0 to 5.12, all stable, free from vegetation and generally safe from rock falls.   Its Redemption Area, perpendicular to a metal footbridge, features “Fun in the Sun” (unrated), “Redemption” (5.10, bolted), “Sacrament” (5.8, bolted), “Sanctuary” (5.6) and “Under the Bridge” (has three short, unrated climbs).  The strictly traditional “Sanctuary” is the most popular.

Trying my hand at rappelling

We, however, weren’t there for the rock climbing and there was to be no rock-climbing spectacle either on this hot summer day. Lakbay Team Leader Ryan Viado, however, had a special treat in mind for us: the equally adrenaline-pumping sport of rappelling at the gorge’s metal footbridge.  Rappelling, is nothing new to me, having tried (and enjoying) it during a past Lakbay tour of Biak-na-Bato National Park in Bulacan. Assisted by Alan Galang and Alexes Erquiza, Ryan soon had our rappelling equipment installed at the bridge.  Initially, there were no volunteers willing to try this seemingly once-in-a-lifetime experience.  To set a precedent and embolden the others, I took the first crack at it, doing a near-flawless performance. Just like in Biak-na-Bato, rappelling was the piece de resistance for this fruitful and memorable day.

Lakbay Kalikasan: G/F Balai Lakbay, 2 Alondras St., Mira-Nila Homes, Tandang Sora Ave., Quezon City, Metro Manila.  Tel: (632) 932-7818 to 19.  Mobile number: (0917) 500-4796. Website: www.lakbaykalikasan.com.

Mena Crisologo Street (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

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After lunch at Laoag City (Ilocos Norte), we continued on our way to Bauang (La Union) but decided to make a stopover at Vigan City and do some sightseeing and souvenir shopping along Mena Crisologo Street.  This cobblestoned street  is lined with a number of shops selling antiques and more recent novelties such as abel handicrafts, miniature furniture, fans and white and colored T-shirts.  Aside from some abel wall hangings and some T-shirts, we bought some decorative burnay pots.  


Mena Crisologo Street


The street also has a number of Spanish-era structures.  Vigan, recently included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List, has 220 Spanish-era structures, 156 of which are old houses.  Many of the old homes of Vigan’s elite, documented by the Vigan Historical Society, were built in the 1850s by Chinese taipans during the profitable indigo trade.   Built in various styles (Spanish, Mexican or Chinese), all have thick brick and stone lower walls with imposing wide arch doorways, piedra china, grand staircases, wooden upper floors with massive, polished narra floors, high ceilings and sliding capiz windows with ventanillas, red tile roofs, balconies with ornate metal grillework overlooking the street and cool azoteas (tiled patio) in the rear. 


Stopover: Cape Bojeador Lighhouse (Burgos, Ilocos Norte)

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Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

About 25 kms. out of Pagudpud, past Bangui, on our way to Bauang (La Union), we made a short stopover at Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, Burgos town’s famous landmark.   Designed by Magin Pers and Pers in 1887, first lit on March 30, 1892 and still in use, this 19-m. (57-ft.) high lighthouse, also known as the Burgos Lighhouse, is one of the highest in the country.  It is perched on 160-m. high Vigia de Nagpartian Hill, between the low shrub Ilocos Mountains and squat coral cliffs facing the northern portion of the South China Sea.  A 45-km. (1-hr. ) drive from Laoag City, it could be reached by steps from the Maharlika Highway at Km. 536.  The octagonal lighthouse, topped by a bronze cupola, was made of lime, sand and water reinforced by a mixture of molasses and a sticky by-product of the rubber tree known locally as ablut.   

The rocky Cape Bojeador coastline

Too bad we couldn’t climb its narrow iron spiral staircase to the lantern room (now a modern electric lamp powered by solar panels) and its viewing gallery surrounded with decorative iron grille work as the lighthouse was then undergoing a much-needed rehabilitation and we could only admire it from outside. Just the same, we still had a breathtaking view, from the hill, of the surrounding expanse of the rough and rocky coastline of Cape Bojeador and the whitecaps of the South China Sea.  

Patapat Viaduct (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte)

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It was already very late in the afternoon when we proceeded, for some photo ops, at the 1.3-km. (0.81 mile) long Patapat Causeway Bridge near the border of Cagayan, a must-see for first time visitors to Pagudpud.  Here, the Cordillera Mountains ends, edging out the coastal plains and plunging into Pasaleng Bay.  

Patapat Viaduct

As there is no narrow coastal plain along this area to build a road, this bridge, instead hugs the mountainside nearest to the cliff and extends toward the sea.  This concrete coastal viaduct, connecting the Maharlika Highway, from Laoag City to the Cagayan Valley Region, is the 4th longest bridge in the country.  It rises 31 m. (102 ft.) above sea level and is located 16 kms. from the town proper.   

The dramatic landscape and seascape

Our drive here gave us a 360-degree view of the most magnificent and dramatic land and seascapes along the Philippine highway system.  Visitors sometimes toss coins into the coves and surf below to ensure safe travel. Along the cliff sides, cascades and mini-falls descend directly to the road side.

Pasaleng Bay

Upon our return to Saud Beach Resort, we went restaurant hopping along the beach, for a change of pace and cuisine, and settled for dinner at the restaurant of Terra Rika Beach & Dive Resort.  Come morning,  our last day at Pagudpud, I decided to burn some of my extra calories with an early morning stroll, prior to breakfast, at the beach to see its true length.  I hiked as far as Jalao Point and its small, modern lighthouse before turning back.  After breakfast, we all checked out of the resort and left Pagudpud by 11 AM.

Jalao Point

 

Maira-ira Beach (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte)

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After lunch at the resort, we all decided to do some sightseeing and swimming.  From the highway, we turned into a 2-km. long dirt road.  Along the way, we passed by the bell-shaped Timmangtang Rock and made a short stopover at nearby Bantay Abot (meaning “mountain with a hole”) Caves seen along the seacoast of Sitio Gaoa, Balaoi.

According to folklore, Timangtang Rock and Bantay Abot Caves are believed to be lovers, the former being the female and the later the male and are collectively termed as “Lover’s Rock.”

Timangtang Rock
Bantay Abot Cave

Upon arrival at the lovely Maira-ira Beach (also called Blue Lagoon), we stayed at a simple nipa picnic cottage. Hemmed in by hills around its perimeterand largely deserted, except for a few fishermen’s houses, it also has sparklingly white sand  and clear blue waters.  Though its sand was much finer than its better-known neighbor Saud White Beach, this beach has yet to become popular with the mainstream beach-combing crowd.

The crescent-shaped May-raira Beach

Just offshore, in Brgy. Balaoi, are the identical Dos Hermanas (Two Brothers) Islands.

According to folklore, two very close brothers one day went fishing at sea.  Unfortunately, they were met by a typhoon while at sea.  Vowing to be together even in death, they both drowned. To serve as an inspiration to others, the two islands were said to have appeared later.

Dos Hermanas

Saud White Beach (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte)

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We arrived at  the touristy Saud White Beach, along clear, tranquil and palm-lined Bangui Bay by 6 PM.  The beach is home to a number of resorts and we were to stay 2 nights at the upscale Saud Beach Resort and Hotel.  We were the first to arrive at resort, the others arriving much later as they made a stopover at Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos.  These were anxious moments as I couldn’t contact their Globe mobile phones.  The beach was definitely Smart country.   Upon their arrival, we all checked in at airconditioned rooms with bath, cable TV and fridge.

Saud White Beach

Pagudpud, called the “Paradise of the North,” is reputed to have the longest, continuous white sand beach in the country.  Though not as gently sloping as Boracay’s White Beach, Saud White Beach has offshore coral beds and, unlike Boracay, an occasionally moderate to high surf ideal for water sports activities such as surfing.  Beach volleyball is also a favorite activity here. Most of our stay, however, was spent picnicking, eating, siestas and swimming.

Saud Beach Resort & Hotel

During lunch the next day, we were reminded that we were in Marcos country as joining us at an adjoining table at the restaurant, as guests of town mayor and resort owner Reynolan Sales, were Ms. Irene Marcos-Araneta, her husband Greggy, their kids and their usual bevy of security men.

Saud Beach Resort & Hotel: Saud White Beach, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.  Manila booking office: 94 Katipunan Rd., White Plains, Quezon City.  Tel: (632) 921-2856 and (632) 928-9853.  E-mail: inquiries@saudbeachresort.com and reservations@saudbeachresort.com. Website: www.saudbeachresort.com.

Balicasag Island (Panglao, Bohol)

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Balicasag Island Dive Resort

Panglao Island’s deep waters are home to whales and dolphins that appear all year round, especially between the months of April and June.  Having arrived on the last week of May, we were hoping to do some dolphin watching of our own at nearby Balicasag Island which lies off Panglao Reef, 4 kms. southwest of Duljo Point.   Balicasag is also touted as the country’s second best diving spot.  The island’s north and northwest side has a narrow shelf, 10 to 50 m. wide and about 7 m. deep, ending in 2 excellent vertical walls that fall forever.   In fact, 80 to 90% of the tourists who visit Panglao come primarily for the Balicasag scuba diving.  The first recorded dive of the island on the island was done on May 6, 1984.   

On our way

To get to the island, I hired an outrigger boat.  Grace, my kids Jandy and Cheska and my brother-in-law Mark joined me and we all brought our swimming and snorkeling gear, suntan lotion and some packed lunch.  We left very early in the morning for the 10-km. (45-min.) boat ride to the island. However, throughout the boat tour, we failed to sight any dolphins or whales and so we contented ourselves with snorkeling its beautiful underwater scenery just off the shore. 

Balicasag Island

We later made a landfall at the other side of the flat, barren 21-hectare island which is ringed by a pristine sandy shell, coraline beach. The island’s name was derived from the Visayan words bali, meaning “change,” and kasa, meaning “noise,” in reference to the waves slapping the shore as the wind changes direction.  The island was declared as a lighthouse reservation as early as 29 October 1907.  Jandy and I went around the island in less than half an hour.  On the southwest side of the island is the 1.5-hectare, Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA)-managed Balicasag Island Diving Resort, established on April 6, 1987.  Right in front of the resort is a 3.44-hectare marine sanctuary declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The resort has 10 native-style duplex cottages with bath and porch, plus a main restaurant pavilion with an adjacent alfresco dining area and bar.  It also has a dive shop offering dive courses.

Loboc River Cruise (Bohol)

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After our short bonding with the tarsiers and my church visit, we all returned to the dock where our double-hulled, flower-bedecked floating restaurant was now waiting for us.  The restaurant has 4 long tables, 8 benches, kitchen, mini-bar and comfort room and is pushed along the river by a motorized boat.   We started our cruise from Loay Bridge. Cruising along, we dined on grilled pork or fish, fried shrimps or steamed crabs, all with chopped tomatoes and onions on the side; pansit plus other native fare, all served with generous servings of pandan-scented rice on wooden plates lined with banana leaves.  We washed these all down with either ice-cold soft drinks or the much healthier buko juice.   

Loboc River Cruise

The idyllic rural scenery is also a visual treat.  Along the way we observed heartwarming daily activities like mothers washing clothes and children bathing nude or diving from coconut trees bent precariously close to the water.  We also passed returning floating restaurants and small native outriggers loaded with passengers.  The endpoint of our 2-km.  cruise was Busay (or Tontonan) Waterfalls.  The falls drops 15 m. in 2 stages and is used to generate electricity for the town.   Here, we dropped anchor and guests were given the option to go for a quick, cool swim or just continue chatting or dining.  We just did the latter.  After about 30 mins., the boat made the return trip back to Loboc.   

Busay Falls

Chocolate Hills (Bohol)

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From Baclayon, we proceeded to the junction town of Loay and, from there, traveled up north to the town of Carmen and the Chocolate Hills, a destination truly synonymous with the province.  Along the way, we passed some of Bohol’s wonderful scenery, including a man-made forest of mahogany trees in Bilar standing in perfect symmetry along the road leading to Carmen.  Upon arrival at the complex, we ascended 213 concrete steps to reach the observation deck, the hill’s main vantage point.  Early morning and late afternoon (to watch the setting sun) are said to be the best times for photographing this strange and mysterious landscape.  You can also hike between the hills.

Chocolate Hills

This 14,145-hectare Philippine National Geological Monument consists of 1,268 grass-covered, cone-shaped “haycock” hills, a broad, half-kilometer high upland plateau irregularly distributed among the towns of Carmen, Sagbayan and Sierra-Bullones in the east central part of the island.  Formed of sedimentary limestone, shale and sandstone, these 30 to 120-m.  high, beautifully arranged and symmetrically formed hills look like droplets of Hershey’s chocolate, thus their rather sumptuous name.  They also look a delectable chocolate brown during the dry months of April and May, before turning a deep shade of green during the rainy season.