mudspring hike

south-east asia → philippines → laguna → los baños

it’s funny to think that after living and studying in los baños for four years, i haven’t been to mudspring until yesterday. well, i hiked makiling during my stay at the university but it’s more on the other side (boy scout jamboree camp, philippine highschool for the arts, etc..) and i’m doing it because they’re more of "because it’s required". my frequent visits to DOST PCARRD at the beginning of semesters is a bit of a hike too. in uplb, you’ll learn to love walking. although you could go around by jeepneys, most students move from class to class by manual walk (probably except when your class is at college of forestry and the next subject is math. hehe). while i was here, i’ve been walking around for my classes too. i lived in at least 5 different dormitories/apartments over my 4-year stay and only one of them was too far from the campus that i have to take jeepney every morning. for CWS (type of military training), i would walk every saturday morning from animal husbandry to baranggay Putho-Tuntungin…or from baranggay Lalakay uphill going to a public school where we do community works and other projects. suffices to say, going around by manpower is a norm around the campus.

i’ve been away from this place for four years. the last time i was here was when i returned my toga (april 2004). busy work has prevented me from coming back sooner, and because i really wanted to pay a visit plus take pictures, i asked the company of some lomo friends. we don’t have real plans other than meeting at 7am in petron slex yesterday (due to extreme heavy traffic we were late). it was nice to say that everything turns good. although apparently most of us are so exhausted that i heard some took a day-off today or came in half-day for work. it was good exercise anyway. more or less 9 kilometers both ways combined, mudspring can be reached around 2.5 hours going up and considerably less time going down (gravity, thanks..) suprisingly, we were warned of robbers so we had to keep our precious cameras and most of us used lomo cams (aka plastic toy cams) instead. lomo cams won’t attract thieves. this is so true. one of us had his bag stolen before, and inside it is an orange holga. his phone got lost, and a few meters around the vicinity, he saw his ponkan holga lying on the ground. haha…they don’t fancy toy plastic cameras that looks like a kinder water jug. hehe

anyway, the trail wasn’t that hard actually. it’s not steep nor a blockade of thorny shrubs. i guess it was just too long for some of us. nearly there, we stopped in a mini-store for some noodles and drinks. further 20 minutes, we reached mudspring. here, we brought out and began shooting again with our digitals. and that, probably, is the biggest difference in shooting film and digital. with digital, you could take a plethora of shots without being too concerned on the composition. you could repeat clicking anyway. with films, every shot is a frame being expensed. although totally out of lomo principle (don’t think, just shoot), i always feel conscious on my every shot. 120 film is not so easy to find these days, plus they cost, as well as processing and scanning. i finished 3 rolls. good enough as i have 2 used rolls at home (giving a grand total of 5 rolls, which means i can now have them developed at digiprint!)

mudspring is a mud pot in mount makiling, an inactive volcano. due to volcanic heat, sulfuric acid breaks down surrounding rocks into clay. it mixes with water and form mud that is very hot, sulfuruous, and acidic. despite having signs that we’re not suppose to cross the fence, we feel it’s still safe to get a bit more closer. hehe.. so we cross the line, and took better pictures. a thing to note here is the smell. they’re similar to rotten eggs or on several occasions i believe, human fart. a really bad one.

after resting a bit and splashing some cool water flowing in a nearby rocky path, we started our journey back. it was faster, and i’m uncertain if it’s gravity or our hungry stomach impatiently need for lunch is pulling us down. arriving at the entrance station, we can’t continue walking anymore, so alvin and ian decided to walk and get the pick-up. 3 among us inside the car, 7 of us (including me) were at the back (sitting like cargos) holding carefully as the road is slightly going down. now at our base (college of forestry), we had a brief stop to change clothes, refresh a bit, some music jammin’, and take a couple more pictures. we proceeded going down at the campus ground, and had lunch carinderia-style. a lot of eateries are closed (it was sunday), and i suddenly remember one that we frequent before. batcave. the carinderia that doesn’t look like one. boarding house outside, fast hot food inside. the same owners are operating the place (a not-so-average-big-boned plump woman and her husband). and just like before, i ordered lechon kawali, with mang tomas of course and 1 and a half rice.

now full and slightly sleepy, we walked back to the campus straight to kwek-kwek tower and oblation, where we sat down on the grass (good nobody told us it’s not allowed, i’m not sure on this one. for 4 years, i don’t often see people sitting and dawdling on the grass in this part. freedom park of course, but this grassy part in front of oblation?). the sky was dark, but there was no rain. finishing my third roll, they ran out of films as well, we decided to call it a day.

i guess since glai was overly tired (as all of us are),  i offered to drive going back. hers is the same type of car, a purple honda city, but with 1.5 engine. a bit obvious by now that we love stopovers, we had the last one in an slex shell station. kfc dinner + starbucks.

full event album -> here 

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some info regarding the hike:

entrance fee: Ps 5.00 per human hiker ;D
time cut-off they allow hikers to start: 1pm (mudspring) , 2 pm (flatrocks), peak-two is currently closed
contact number: +6349 536-3572

how to go from manila (north): use SLEX, until the end. exit at ‘Calamba-Los Baños-Pagsanjan’. this is the very last exit of  SLEX at the moment. straight ahead national road passing by waltermart calamba on your right until reaching an intersection with stop light and jolibee on one corner. turn right from the intersection. further straight, you’ll reach the town of los baños. from some point you can already see makiling on your right. a few more kilometers, you will pass by olivarez los baños on your left, and then another intersection with jolibee on its corner. turn right here. straight ahead and you’ll be entering UPLB. there is a 5-peso entrance fee (per vehicle) for outsiders. after passing the gate, turn right. now do yourself a bit effort by looking for college of forestry. (still far up from the gate) this will be the base of your hike. there will be signs for directions heading to the trail.

tips and notes: at the moment, you can hike flatrocks (relatively short at sub 1-km) or mudspring (more fun and longer at ~4 km). they collect 5-peso per head fee at the start of the hike. be careful of your belongings as there have been reports of holduppers. if the story says true, an armed young boy harassed and mugged a group hikers of 11! now, this is not to scare you! of course there wlll always be risk when dealing with the outdoors. be vigilant and be wary of your surroundings! *nothing bad happened when we were there*

kabataang pinoy…

hindi ako nanonood ng tv. bukod sa sira pa din ang aming main tv set sa sala..eh malabo ang reception sa mini-tv sa kwarto nila mama…kaya hindi ko talaga napagtsatiyagaan manood ng tv. sa katunayan eh hanggang sa ngayon ay hindi ko pa napapanood ang sikat na sikat na ‘cheeseburger’ commercial. nung isang gabi, nagulat ako ng makita ko na ang mga hausmate sa PBB ay may mga tamang trip din na hairstyle!

walang hiya naman…ito ang aking latest hairstyle…at sa kasamaang palad ito din ang hairstyle ng mga ulo ng ating mga hausmates sa bahay ni kuya. walang jo, bakit naman ganun?!? para naman akong jologs-gaya-gaya-patok-de-masa ang dating. shet, linawin ko lang na nauna ako sa hair trip na ‘to. big brother, bakit naman?!?

ang masama pa nyan eh may tv viewer contest promo ang PBB. ang detalye? magpadala ng picture na cool at in na hairstyle!! shet!!! ang lagay ko nyan eh parang sumali pa sa contest nila! nakups.. parang gusto ko ng ipatuloy sa semi-kal itong ulo ko…sayang ang 275.00 pesos ko dito!!

anak ng tinapa ka kuya, why? pa-cheese burger ka naman dyan!!?!!

hilarious non-fiction read

“the looniness of the long distance runner” by russell taylor.

this is another 99-peso book from second-hand barter shops in malls. ‘got this one from market! market!. normally, i read borrowed books, or cheap trade books. when i was in hong kong, i read library books (from causeway bay library!). i only buy at elite-full-bookstore price if 1) it’s highly recommended and i can’t find people nice enough to entrust me their books; or 2) if it’s something so obscure that obviously i can’t find in all of my friend’s and their friend’s bookshelves.

going back to our subject literary work, this is non-fiction account of a londoner’s attempt to run a marathon from scratch. specifically the new york marathon, and at the beginning, he’s totally unprepared. it mainly goes from his activities getting ready for the run. briefly introducing marathon history right from its beginning, and when i say from the beginning, it really is from the very start like about 2,500 years ago from the Battle of Marathon, which was fought in ancient greece. it was well written and the first ever history section that i didn’t get bore reading. his tale includes his tread runs from the gym, to choosing his trainers, to joining pre-marathon races, and then right up to the actual event itself in new york. it was really ingeniously written, plus good humor, sometimes i look like a loon inside the bus or at work during lunch.

to quote, while he was on one of his runs:

I have now entered what I  recognise as the transcendental phase of the run. This seems to occur after about an hour and a half, probably as a side effect of glycogen depletion. My thoughts wander far beyond the mundane reality of tramping across fields. I meditate on sheep. What is the point of being a sheep? They shit all over the grass. The shit makes the grass grow. The sheep then eat the grass and produce more shit. The Shit and Sheep cycle. What is the point? “What’s the point in being a person?” an astute sheep looking me in the eye from a safe distance seems to reply. “You run thirteen miles to end up where you started, and you don’t even stop to sample any of the grass.”

the nice thing about reading a non-fiction piece is that you could learn more things that are, well, non-fiction, as in facts. although it might be entertaining to be in the worlds of flying witches and how exciting the plot of blood-thirst vampires could be, non-fiction offers things that you could use and relate in dealing with your true ordinary life.

for example, the foot types. if you are a serious runner, then you should consider acquiring a proper shoes designed specially for your feet structure. different people have different feet curves, and with a little help from professional althlete shops, you could get one the suits you. another fact to consider is that the human knee is not so well-engineered for long-haul running. knee ligaments/tendons are very fragile that once they’re damaged, they’re unrepairable. so, extensive running as a habit should really be well-researched and medically, one must have consultation on a regular basis.

now, i remember that i’ve been missing a lot of my regular tread runs. can’t keep it from my tight schedule hehe…i could only hope i could run a marathon!

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did you know that there is an annual race where you actually race versus a train? (man versus machine, haha)

tamang politikal [politically correct]

may mga pagkakataong habang nakasakay ka sa dyip ay biglang hihinto ito at aabisuhan ang mga pasahero na lumipat ng isang sasakyan. ang pangunahing dahilan ng ganitong kaganapan ay ang ‘di inaasahang pagkasira ang makina, o flat tire. sa kasamaang palad (at kakatwang palad na din) ang dyip na nasakyan ko pauwi ay nasangkot sa similar na trahedya. binalik naman ang parte ng aming pasahe para ipambayad din sa dyip na aming lilipatan. ang dahilan ng drayber? nadudumi daw sya at uuwi na. pambihira. ang pagkakasabi pa nya’y "lipat na kayo, nadudumi na talaga ako".

pero amfness, polite at malinis ang termong ginamit ni manong driver. hindi siya natatae. nadudumi sya.

naalala ko tuloy nung isang pagkakataong nasa klinika ako. may isang babae, magsusumite ng stool sample. ang bigkas ba naman, "ito na po ung tae". napatawa ang nurse, saba’y sabi "dumi naman". hindi ko din mapigilan ang tawa ko. pero kung tutuusin, tama nga din naman sya. kung literal,  "tae" naman ang tagalog ng stool o feces. buti na lang hindi "ito na po ung ebak", o "narito na po sa sisidlan ung etchas", puede din (kung konti ang nailabas) "heto na ang ipot".

hay iha, daig ka pa ni manong driver, politically correct! 

taking pictures in a moving bus is really a chore!

south-east asia → philippines → bataan → bagac

company outing last friday, 18th of april, and as the assembly time is as early as 5am, i had to stay in the office on thursday night and wait until morning the next day. unexpectedly after lunch, i heard my mom and tita were at glorietta 4, and as i’m suppose to have a haircut later that day, i asked them to wait for me. ‘left office half-past 5. arriving at glorietta, both of them showing their new hair-do’s, i searched for my stylist (which i had scheduled a day before). and the haircut? ‘wasn’t bad at all, although a bit strange and outlandish, and probably be a surprise if you see (as i’ve been at first and most people).

then, we went home, i had a quick bite and pack my things swiftly as i have to go back to office. having my precious camera with me and just leaving home past 10pm (office is normally 2 hours away), i have to be a bit vigilant, but my brother mentioned that with my new hairstyle, i could pass as a loony drug-addict, just add some tatoos (which i wouldn’t absolutely get anyway)…and having said that, that’s one of the best opportunities you miss if you love taking pictures. ordinary people doing their ordinary business is my favorite subject and you see, you can’t normally shoot at night, alone, and in public. literally, you are tease. a bait. and i’ve been a victim of that.

enough said, i arrived at the office past 11pm (which is quick because less traffic). jeremy (an officemate, we have the same name..and both of us share it with another 3rd jeremy) was already there doing some very late night support (with alfred). wilson is also staying overnight as well as other people i saw lying on coaches in the pantry (i should have thought of that, or still better, the clinic, they have comfortable beds there..) 

trying to get some rest at the comfort of my own office chair, i couldn’t feel sleep, instead hunger. same with jeremy and wilson, so we went out and get some food nearby (chowking). a few moments, we headed to shell station (ayala), where we arrived as the first occupants of bus. i sat at the very back (which is a bit shaky, but i guess it did help to feel sleepy). i think i was asleep even before the bus gets full and depart, and woke up suddenly when we had stop-over in –, which a place i don’t know because i went back to sleep again.

we arrived at about 9.30ish. so the trip was around 4 hours. i tried taking pictures of the rural sideways but inside a shaky bus, it’s really a hard task. we got a table, attendance checked, and sandwich for snacks. then some programmes and games. i was listed in one of the games but suddenly got kicked off, haha. still good as i can take pictures of my teammates. lunch afterwards, which i might say, a bit unorganized and shame to say, inadequate. getting full with lots of softdrinks and water instead, we tried the beach. the sand was extremely hot! it’s burning really. the water is nice, and the wave is very pleasing. this is by far the waviest water i’ve been into, and i think its waves will even suffice decent surfing! (not that i’m a surfer though)

after being contented going with the flow of the strong current, i stayed for awhile along the sand (which is not too hot anymore), and then headed to the rooms we rented. some people are already leaving back to manila, we opted to stay overnight. as i still only have around 3 hours of sleep since the other day, i plunged myself in the living room sofa, and 4 hours later, woke up for dinner.

cheap dinner for only 20 pesos (i just paid for the rice, some left-over lechon from lunch i think? how come there were infinitesimal lechon earlier at lunch?!) and two rounds of beer care of sir bing. thanks.

then we stayed at the pool, inventing and doing some games like going for a coin at the bottom (take note, it’s night and the lights are minimum, so a bit challenging), stretching and holding hands in circles and lifting of legs alternately and doing some spinning (if you catch my drift, i don’t know how you call this game), doing indian sit at the bottom and waving at each other (idiotic really, haha), and for a change, some freestyle swimming lessons.

still beside the pool, i joined the others for some rounds of ‘in-between’ card game, (replacing wilson who lost as much as 600+ pesos!!) i was on the winning end when the guards showed up reminding to keep our voices low. noticing it’s almost 2 in the morning already, we just decided to continue the game indoors. unfortunately, we missed to buy chaser for our alcoholic drinks. we tried to look for some spare from our neighbors (apparently, they were all asleep), but none, so we just had a single round of fundador and continued our game and ending it, still a bit winner of around 100 pesos.

in the morning, we were suppose to have free breakfast (from our room rent) but i guess there were some misunderstandings among the management and they gave our breakfast to some other people! really crazy. their place is not bad at all, but i guess they need to improve more on their management and efficiency in contriving their business. in the end, i paid for a completely overrated 200-peso single-plate breakfast.

some quick swimming at the pool again (still out of luck, no swimming at the beach due to excessive waves, and under current), some pictures, then we prepared ourselves to go back to manila.

one thing i forgot to mention, bataan is historically famous as this is where one of the last major confrontation between japanese and american-filipino militaries took place. the famed, bataan death march, during world war II, involved about a hundred thousand prisoner of wars (americans and filipinos) forcibly undertake a 140-km march from bataan peninsula to prisoner camps. they were robbed of their belongings, unprovokedly beaten, denied of food and water, and thousands were executed or left behind dying.

coincidentally, great number of soldiers who died during this era were buried in Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. (from previous post)

more pics of the trip -> here