Our Mt. Pinatubo Adventure

26 January 2010

Last Sunday, 24 January 2010, Tet and I spent the day in one of the most damaging volcano recorded in recent history, one that affected global temperatures for at least two years after it erupted in June 1991.

We were to meet our travel group at McDonald's El Pueblo in Pasig 2:30 sharp. We arrived just in time, though Tet and I were the last pair to arrive. Before the trip, we were briefly oriented by Cedric, one of the organizers from Travelfactor (http://www.travelfactor.org/). We were 14 all in all, including the driver, headed for Capas, Tarlac.. it was 3:15 AM. We arrived at Capas minutes past 4 AM, we made a 30-minute stopover at a gas station for breakfast. Tet and I had some donuts, which we bought earlier at El Pueblo. By 5 AM, we were on our way to Sta. Juliana, our drop-off point, where our trip to Mt. Pinatubo will officially start.

It was about daybreak (5:45 am) when we reached the Registration Office of the Department of Tourism in Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac. The sun was just peaking in the horizon when our van parked at the drop-off point. Some of us were still hoping to catch some shut eye before we proceed to our 4X4s, lucky for us, the registration officer was nowhere to be found, so we had an extra 10-15 minutes snooze. By the time we were lead to our 4X4s, everybody was already ecstatic, cameras on hand and bandanas tied on our necks, we eagerly await the scenery and the dust that will eventually swallow us. The 4X4 assigned to me and Tet had a tarpaulin roof, we were a bit disappointed since all other 4X4s had none. Having no intention of ruining the mood of the trip, we just kept our disappointment to ourselves and jokingly remarked if we could just make a hole in it (Our disappointment will be turned into relief before the day ends).

So the off-roading started, After only a few meters, we noticed that the other 4X4s were not following us, so we stopped. A man in a motorcycle came and told us that our papers have some problems and that we have to go back to the DOT office. Instead of backing up, the driver just walked and left us with the 4X4 together with one of the guides. So we disembarked and took advantage of the situation by taking some pictures of the terrain and surrounding Aeta houses.

By the time our driver arrived, one of the 4X4s already passed us, so we are now second of a three-4X4 jeep convoy… at the receiving end of the 1st vehicle’s dust trail. It was so difficult to take decent pictures while on the 4X4 because of the terrain but I’ve managed to take some with a little acrobatic and body-contorting moves. I’ve even managed to stand up and poke half of my body outside, taking pictures while hanging-on for dear life. Of course Tet was holding my leg just to be sure I won’t be thrown outside.

I imagined the trail to be just rocks and dust, but to our surprise, it was so varied and the changes seem to be abrupt, one second you’re in a dry, dusty lahar path, then suddenly you’re surrounded with vegetation. It was hard to keep up with the scenery, if only we could get the driver to stop at each turn to take some pictures. But since we were on a schedule, we just have to do, with all the bumps and dust.

After an hour, we reached the jump-off point for the trek (or so we thought), the 4X4s parked and we disembarked. After we have dusted ourselves and applied a generous amount of sunscreen, we started the trek towards Mt. Pinatubo’s crater. I can see the excitement in Tet’s eyes, and I can feel mine swelling up as we took the first steps of the supposed 30-minute trek.

(excited, iniwan ako)

(deposito ng "ash", bawal sumigaw dito)

(im the queen of the world??)

(ang pangalawang batis)

(acting lang po)

(eto na ba yun?)

After about 30 minutes walking under the shadows of cliff-like pyroclastic deposits and eroded rocks, we arrived at this marker:

(start palang pala! ang layo na nang nalakad namin!)

Yes, it says that it was just the START of the trek. If it was just an ordinary walk, we would have complained but given the situation (and the scenery), we could have been told that the trek would last half a day and we would still be smiling. What a way to take a walk! So afer taking some pictures, we started the trek AGAIN (hah!).

(ang grupo na pumatol sa travelfactor at mukhang hindi naman nagsisi)

The trail was different this time, we were following a stream surrounded with trees and thick vegetation. Sometimes we were not aware that we were already between rocky cliffs because we could not see beyond the foliage. Tet was surprisingly agile, managing the rocks and inclines very well. I was holding the camera, so naturally, its full of her pictures (hehe).

(moment. hehe)

I don’t know how long it took for us to manage the trek. I was still catching my breathe when I laid eyes on it. Suddenly.. nothing. It’s just you and the crater. IT WAS BREATHTAKING! Saying it’s beautiful would be an understatement.

(speechless ako, makakapagsalita ka ba, kapag ganyan ang nakikita mo??)

We arrived at the crater a few minutes past 10 AM. We were free to explore the crater up to 1 PM, before we start our trek back to the waiting 4X4s. Without wasting any time, we descended the steps towards the crater lake. And then we came across this signage:

(bawal daw maglangoy!)

Bawal lumangoy??? Most of us came to the crater to swim in the lake! So we did not heed the warning (hah!). And besides, our guide says its OK as long as you know how to swim. Before we could do any exploring, we had to fill our bellies first. So we had lunch at the gazebo located just near the lake. We brought some sardines and sausage for lunch and a generous helping of rice. Needless to say, we ate every morsel of it.

As soon as we were done eating, some of the girls started coaxing us to start swimming, as if on cue, we started to change to our swimming gear. The water and wind was cold, but the sun provided the needed warmth to balance things out. Those of us who can swim ventured out farther, the lake was so deep that only a few feet away from the shore, you can no longer stand with your head over the water. The change in depth is so abrupt that you really need to be mindful of your steps.

(ang sarap! pwede na bang pang travel commercial?? haha)

Once we were done swimming, we collected some stones along the shore, there are some ineresting pyroclastic debris that would make beautiful paperweights. We changed into dry clothes and explored the surroundings. It was about half past noon, so we spent the rest of the remaining time taking pictures.

(ang gazebo)

(happiness!)

By 1 PM we were all ready to start the trek down to our 4X4s. To our suprise, our vehicles were waiting for us in the official jump-off point, not where we originally disembarked. I dont know if everybody shared my relief, but I was thankful they were already there, I cannot imagine walking all the way back to where we originally started. I have to admit, I was really tired, probably because of all the swimming.

(hay salamat!)

(huling picture sa 4X4)

(huling sulyap)

We started the ride back to the DOT office. By this time, the sun was high up, looking down on us mercilessly, our once disappointed feeling of having a roof in our 4X4 was suddenly turned to relief. I slept most of the way back, and I dont know how I managed not to be thrown overboard while traveling. I was so tired that the ride back seem to be longer, I desperately needed a bath. We took a bath in a SPA just beside the DOT office, we paid PhP 100 for it, by the way. In normal situations I would have complained about the price, but given the situation, I'd be willing to pay more. I was so overwhelmed by the heat that the moment water touched my skin, I could swear I heard the water hiss. I felt an instant headache because of the sudden change in temperature. After the bath, we treated ourselves with a couple of halo-halo whipped by one of the locals. PhP 15 each, though I would have recommended she added a little more sugar and milk to the mix.

(kulang sa asukal at gatas)

Our Mt. Pinatubo trip officially ended by 5 PM. We went to the Capas Shrine for a little side trip to wind things down a bit before heading back to Manila. The Death March Memorial is a circular granite wall where all the names of those who participated in the Death March are listed. I was surprised how many Manalo's and Marcoses were included in the Death March. What's the chance that any of them are my relatives? hmmm.

We arrived at Manila minutes after 7 PM, Tet and I ate dinner at Congo Grill in El Pueblo and had sundaes for desert. It was a perfect day except for the headache I felt after taking a bath at the spa. It was really worth it and I would recommend it to every one who has a knack for adventure (and photography) (at hindi maarte! hehe).

Next stop, SAGADA! hah!


Salamat nga pala kay Diana Grace for the tip about Travelfactor....

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