Coron, Palawan 10/2-5/10

Two Volcanoes, One Summer: Mt. Pinatubo and Taal Volcano

LAST summer, I had the opportunity to hike, trek and "conquer" two of the most popular volcanoes in the Philippines - Mt. Pinatubo and Taal Volcano.  I originally intended to create a separate blog entry for each, but since I have a blogging backlog, I figured I'd just consolidate these two adventures of mine to compare and contrast.

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MT. PINATUBO

Mt. Pinatubo's crater lake

Many people who are alive now probably have personal recollections of the destruction and overall environmental disruption caused by Mt. Pinatubo, way back in 1991.  Back in those days it was a dark time for many Filipinos because only a year before was the killer July 16 earthquake that caused widespread destruction throughout Luzon.  Mt. Pinatubo was a media sensation whose many intended and unintended effects include a general cooling of Earth's temperature, the rearrangement of Central Luzon's entire landscape, and the eventual non-ratification of an extension of U.S. bases in the country.

Well, almost 20 years later, Mt. Pinatubo has definitely calmed down and has emerged to be one of the most popular day-trip destinations for Manila-based tourists.  By far, the most popular route (and as far as I know, the only route) towards the crater is the one maintained by the Capas Municipal Government, which did a lot in developing Mt. Pinatubo as a viable tourist destination.


Last April 18, 2010, I joined Travel Factor (TF) in one of their "Conquer: Mt. Pinatubo" treks.  If you recall, Travel Factor is the tour provider that enabled me to visit Marinduque during the Holy Week.  This time around, I was joining them not as a solo traveler as I had my officemate Danna Kitoyan tag along with her two friends Mark Manalo and Kris Domingo.  I was probably misled by the "Conquer" part of TF's promo that I prepared for this trip as if it were a regular mountain climbing trip.  Even purchasing a hiking pole for the event.  Apparently, what used to be a 5-hour trek has been reduced to just 30 minutes courtesy of the local government's development efforts.  I hardly broke a sweat, and our companion Kris was quite well justified in bringing only a towel and an extra shirt (as opposed to my full backpack).

view of the lahar wastelands from on board the 4X4

The trip to Capas, Tarlac started around 4 am.  By sunrise, we reached the jump-off point where we boarded the 4X4 jeeps that took us across the lahar wasteland before reaching Mt. Pinatubo.  The long bumpy ride was not without incident.  In one stretch in a downwards slope, the 4X4 ahead of us absolutely turned TURTLE.  Here's a picture of it:

this is what "turned turtle" looks like

The ones who were aboard it were part of the TF group, and it could have been us riding that 4X4 were it not for the luck of the draw.  Anyway, they were not hurt seriously and, in a way, had a better Mt. Pinatubo experience to tell their friends once they got back to Manila.

this was how broad our smiles were before the accident struck
(L-R: Mar, Danna and Kris)

Towards the drop-off point for the start of the trek, it drizzled a bit so we all had to wait under the massive sheds created by the Pinatubo Development Commission (PDC) before starting the hike proper.  The path to the crater was one that we found quite easy from start to finish.  the forested parts were not thick, and the streams that we passed were young in the sense that we did not encounter a body of water that was more than ankle-deep while on the path.  The path itself was wider than any mountain path I encountered and we spent a lot of time taking pictures of ourselves and the surroundings.

Danna, Mark and Kris posing by a stream along the path

Needless to say, I hardly needed my hiking pole as there was hardly a point in the path that made me lose my balance.  It was hard to get lost in the trail because there were a number of signs pointing to the right direction.  Before long, the slope steepened as we climbed up the crater rim - made a lot easier by the concrete steps created by PDC.


The first view of the crater lake was absolutely breathtaking!  It was funny how all of us in our group were so awestruck that we crowded around the sign to take pictures with it, and it took us a very long time to actually descend to the crater lake's shore itself.  Eventually, when we've had our fill of the view from the top, we slowly trickled down to the lake's edge.

An unstable cliff face of lahar.  It looked like it would landslide at any moment.

Being outfitted for sun protection, I was surprised to find cool weather in Mt. Pinatubo.  The guides were apparently also surprised because the day before, they told us it was very hot.  (This was corroborated by a friend of mine who was actually there the day before.)  In any case, we could not complain as it certainly made our visit a lot more pleasant than we expected.

young lakeside trees shot during a very fine drizzle

Although the weather was generally a lot cooler than, say, Manila temperature at that time, conditions actually alternated between sunny and drizzly every 3 minutes or so - which was something I haven't quite experienced before.  The drizzles were composed of very fine ambon that dried up almost as fast as they touched the surface. The rapid changes in lighting conditions made shooting scenery so tedious that more than once I was tempted to set my camera to full auto just to be able to shoot faster.  (I didn't, by the way.)

Kris, surveying the lake prior to diving

I don't like swimming in unfamiliar waters, but the chance to take a dip in the crater of the Mt. Pinatubo was difficult to pass up.  Taking the cue from Kris who went ahead, I finally took a dip in the crater lake.  Now, I was expecting water to be cold because because the surrounding air temperature was near-Baguio levels.  The warm water was a pleasant surprise, but it was still scary the way the lake bed suddenly drops from under your feet, giving you the feeling of falling in a watery abyss of you didn't know how to float.  I never strayed more than 5 meters from the shore.  I was that scared.

Mark and Danna exploring

Eventually, I was forced to surface after a particularly "heavier" drizzle in order to relocate my stuff to a roofed area by the lake.  I never went back in the water as I spent the next few hours shooting scenery.  There's so little walking space to go to once you're actually on the lake, so a photographer has to make do with the available area.  While Kris found a spot by the lake to seep on, Danna, Mark and I went exploring at a partly hidden area behind the low trees that looked as if it was made up of boulders cascading down. 

self-explanatory

We also soon after tired of this and returned to where Kris was to rest ourselves.  While my three companions found spots for themselves where they could recline and sleep, I went ahead and ate my packed lunch of rice and Ma-Ling luncheon meat, and flushed down with ice cold water*.

Kris and Danna sleeping by the lakeside

(TIP: If you are going out on a hiking trip in the morning and still want your water ice cold by lunchtime, here's what you should do: (1) freeze the water in the sealed plastic bottle overnight; (2) when it is solid ice, place the water bottle inside a thick sock, wrapping it completely; (3) place it in your backpack under layers of other stuff, preferably clothes; and finally (4) open your backpack as few times as possible for the duration of the trip.  If you follow these instructions, i guarantee that you still have ice-cold water with ice, up until 10 hours from the time you took out the water bottle from the freezer.)

Since there was still about two hours from noontime before we made the hike back, I just spent the time shooting while the other three slept under the "cool" noontime sun.  Before long, Mar Capistrano, our tour coordinator, signaled to us that it was time to go.  We didn't realize how steep the path downwards to the crater lake was until we were already going in the opposite direction.  Before finally leaving, we posed for one final picture by the crater lake.

Us four as photographed by Mar

It was really just a come-and-go affair as there wasn't much to do aside from admiring the view.  The boat ride to the opposite shore was priced at extortionate rates, and my three companions didn't seem to be interested in it, so overall, we didn't find the stay too short.  On the way home we passed by the Capas Shrine built for those who died during the Death March in World War II.  Since this particular place does not jive with the topic, I'll just leave you with a picture of the imposing monument.  Here it is:

centerpiece monument of the Capas Shrine

(Looks like a rocketship, eh?)

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TAAL VOLCANO

Taal Volcano's crater lake

No one ever refers to Taal Volcano as Mt. Taal, possibly because it's low elevation does not qualify for the "Mt." appellation.  Despite being considered the "smallest" volcano (and even this description is disputed by geologists) it is one of the country's most active.  It last erupted in 1977, and has erupted some 34-odd times since first being recorded in 1572.

Taal Volcano has had a longer tourism history than Mt. Pinatubo.  And by "tourism", I mean actually trekking on the volcano and not merely viewing it from a distance.  It has had a number of decades of relative calm, and this is enough for a tourism industry to establish itself.  As far as Tagaytay, one would see men with hand-held signs advertising the fact that they conduct Taal Volcano tours.  In contrast, the picturesque crater lake of Mt. Pinatubo did not exist before the destructive eruption of 1991, and as such, there was absolutely no tourism value.

view of Taal Volcano from the Taal Lake Yacht Club

For this trip, I did a lot of online research and found out that the best way to travel to the volcano is by availing oneself of the services of the Taal Lake Yacht Club (TLYC).  It's only TLYC that offers a guided tour up to the crater lake, and their boats have cellphones, life jackets, fire extinguishers, and a strict adherence to Philippine Coast Guard regulations.  With all the needed info on hand, all I needed to do was to look for companions.  Luckily, the ever reliable pre-injury* Danna (more on this later) provided ready companionship.  For a while we had a hard time looking for other companions to join us, but eventually, we were able to get our office colleague Gani Lopez and his girlfriend Leah De Castro to join us on the trip.  (It did help that Gani is something of a travel bug himself, and the fact that Gani actually had a car.)  Our other colleague Dwight was supposed to join us, but begged off the last minute due to an illness.

So finally, on May 9, 2010, the four of us met up at the Ortigas area to begin the long drive towards Talisay where TLYC is located.  Before we knew it, we have arrived at TLYC and it seemed like we were the first customers of the day.  Transaction at the "front desk" was fast and the prices advertised at the website was current.  Within a couple of minutes of signing our names in the registration sheet, we were already being given life vests by our designated tour guide, Elmer.

Before I continue, a brief word on Taal Volcano's physical appearance.  When one mentions "Taal Volcano" one normally has this image in mind:


As it turns out, Taal Volcano is actually a complex volcano system, and what one sees from Tagaytay (the one above) is just one of its extinct craters named "Binintiang Malaki" (literally, big leg), which ironically looks so diminutive and is responsible for Taal's reputation as the smallest volcano.  The main crater is a much wider one behind it (so large that it has a lake in it, just like Mt. Pinatubo), which is completely hidden if you are viewing it from afar.

life vest-clad Leah and Gani at the front part of the motorized banca

So there, the four of us were on our way to volcano island on board TLYC's motorized banca.  The trip was actually smooth because there wasn't any wave to speak of in an inland lake.  It wasn't a very pretty ride though.  Taal Lake's waters are actually murky, due in large part to the black volcanic sand.  I was surprised though to see a lot of large birds - the long necked ones that tagalog-speaking people call "tagak" and even some gulls and some other species I'm not familiar with.

Landing on volcano island alerted us to the very first obstacle that would make life difficult for us for the entirety of the trek.  Much of the terrain was covered in very fine, dark volcanic ash.  So fine that the a normal walking pace is enough to send dust flying 10 feet or more up in the air.  We then had to cover our noses a lot of times.

Danna waiting for the dust to settle before continuing on the trek

The presence of a lot of horses at the villages near the shore should have been the second clue that it would be an excruciatingly difficult climb.  Perhaps thinking that Taal would be something like Mt. Pinatubo, I planned not to rent a horse, and I failed to inform the others that TLYC actually advises people who go by the secret trail to rent a horse.  This lack of foresight eventually unraveled when 20 minutes into the trek, we were all so exhausted under the blazing summer heat that we took a break every few minutes or so. 

a rare patch of shade in the trail

Making life difficult for us was the fact that there were almost no trees in the trail going up the rim of the crater.  I was lucky that I at least wore a wide-brimmed hat.  The other three had to contend with the sun with rarely a tree shade in sight.  Later on, Leah could no longer continue on foot due to extreme fatigue, and so we had to rent a horse for her.

Here comes the Katrina: TLYC's Call-a-Horse Service

The problem was that we were in the middle of nowhere in the trail and horses didn't exactly ply this route for us to hail one.  The problem was solved by our guide when he simply sent an SMS to one of the horse-tenders at the foot of the slope to bring one horse to where we were.  A few minutes later, they already reached us.  (The horse was apparently called "Katrina".)  Ah, the wonders of 20th century technology!

So with Leah's condition taken care of, we then continued on towards the view deck on the crater rim.  When we reached it, there was a pretty-looking fence installed to keep people from falling over the edge.  There was also a shed that, thankfully had some people selling cold soft drinks.  We did not really mind the extortionate price of P50 per 12.5-ounce bottle because it was really hot that day.  Later on, when we were computing what we spent, Gani spent around P300, I think, on soft drinks alone.

an overexposed shot of me posing by the crater's rim

Most tours to Taal Volcano stop at this point, admire the view, take pictures and then head back.  The four of us on the other hand specifically intended to go down the lake itself.  We were warned that the trail going down the crater lake was a lot more difficult.  This time, we took the warning seriously and steeled ourselves for the second half of the trek towards our destination.

one of the rare tree-covered stretches in the trail going down the crater lake

True enough, the trek was a lot more difficult, as there were parts that were either too steep, too slippery, or that there wasn't any path at all.  It was absolute hell, and it reared its ugly head when Danna slipped and broke her right arm.  The trek was a lot less fun for Danna after that, as she always was worrying about how not to aggravate her injury, in addition to having to contend with the excruciating pain of a compound fracture. But she hid the pain well.  I guess she's tougher than a lot of people think.

tough-as-nails Danna, when it was all over

Danna and I were actually behind in the trail and for a long time, it was only me who was assisting her to continue towards the crater lake where Leah, Gani and our guide Elmer were already waiting.  Good thing Gani actually ran back the trail to look for us and helped a lot by offering to carry Danna's backpack.

view from the crater lake's edge

And so, we eventually reached the crater lake.  Admittedly it was not as pretty as Mt. Pinatubo, but it was a lot closer to a "volcano experience".  For one thing, there were vents near the shore where boiling hot water was released.  In fact, we were able to even cook hard-boiled eggs through one of those vents.  In Mt. Pinatubo, such vents could be seen on the opposite side of the crater lake - reachable only by hiring a boat.

hard-boiled in 10 minutes

The water on the crater lake was not clear at all, and even looked dirty when one looks up close.  Nevertheless, I proceeded to take a dip just for the sake of experiencing it.  It looked icky at first, but Gani already went ahead and he seemed okay with it.  I only spent around 20-30 minutes immersing myself in the murky waters, taking care not to accidentally swallow any.  It was quite a different experience in Mt. Pinatubo where the water actually looked clean and inviting.  Taal's water looked stagnant and scary even.  However, as said before, Taal provided more of a "volcanic" experience as the area where we took a dip was near the hot water vents where we cooked eggs.  There was no constant temperature and one could feel the temperature changes swirling underneath the water surface.

red rocks by the lake shore

It's not obvious in this picture, but steam was rising from this spot when I took this pic.
See the orange streak underneath the shallow water?  Sulfur.

Everywhere in the lake's shore is evidence of volcanic activity.  The cliffs making up the crater surrounding the lake show signs of a gigantic explosion, there's the smell of sulfur every now and then, and lakeside rocks contain the distinctive red color of oxidation streaked with yellow - evidencing metallic and sulfuric content.

Before long, it was time to undertake the long hellish hike back because it was nearing noon and lunch was already waiting for us back in TLYC.  Elmer asked us if we would still want to take a side trip to an area where there was "boiling mud".  Under any other circumstances, we would have consented to it, but we were getting worried about Danna's condition, and we all were generally mentally tired about the trek.  The only option at that time was to go back.  And so, time for a last picture:

Us four, as photographed by Elmer.

Taal was not done with us yet though. When we finally reached our boat, a mechanical problem prevented us from leaving for TLYC, resulting in us delayed for some 20 more minutes.  It took the combined effort of around 10 men from the village and other boats to figure out what was going on and get our boat fixed.

this engine did not want us to leave volcano island

When we finally reached lunch, the food we ordered was thankfully more than enough for the four of us.  I was so parched that I took and drank an entire 1.5 bottle of Coke while I was eating my share of roasted liempo, sinigang and lots of rice.  The way I ate, it was as if I wanted to regain all the calories I lost during the trek.

Before I end this blog, I would like to share how TLYC's owner Joe Hagedorn took the extra mile and gave Danna proper first aid for her injury.  Back in the volcano, we had to make do with a makeshift splint using my handkerchief and a bamboo stick I picked up along the way.  (This was later improved when the bamboo stick was replaced by a larger, flat piece of clean wood the length of Danna's entire forearm, courtesy of a lakeside softdrinks vendor.)  Joe Hagedorn and his wife gave Danna's wrist a proper splint, bandage and sling that looks as if it was made by a professional.

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So to compare, I'd say if you are looking to see breathtaking views of a volcano, then Mt. Pinatubo is for you.  Everything there is a lot more picturesque than Taal Volcano.  The latter, however, makes for a more authentic trekking experience which would probably appeal to younger tourists who don't mind the rigors of mountain climbing.

When I originally thought of writing this blog, I intended for my readers to give both volcanoes a try and recommended a trip to both.  However, recent events have made a Taal Volcano trek impossible due to well-founded fears of an impending eruption.  I therefore consider myself lucky that I got to experience visiting Taal's crater lake.  Should an eruption occur any time soon, the landscape might change and it might take a while before new trails can be established leading to the crater lake.

So I guess by default, Mt. Pinatubo gets to be the foremost volcano of choice for Manila-based people wanting to see a volcanic crater up close.  Both destinations are good for day trips, and could be accomplished in a Saturday or Sunday.

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For Mt. Pinatubo trips, you can get in touch with Travel Factor.  Mt. Pinatubo trips are actually one of their staples and you can check out their other trip offerings too.

If, for some reason, Taal Volcano normalizes and PHIVOLCS lowers alert levels, then the best tour provider is the Taal Lake Yacht Club.  They place emphasis on passenger's safety and their rates are actually cheaper than other providers.

Lake Caliraya Resort

2010 company outing.

Marinduque Day 4: The long goodbye

Despite being dead drunk the night before, I was at least conscious enough of the fact that we were leaving for Manila in the morning of Day 4, and so I managed to get up relatively early.  The morning scene in A&A Beach Resort was typical of a lazy Sunday.  Some people were having breakfast, some were reading and some were watching TV.  Julius and Mrs. Belinda Uy went someplace else to catch some street dancing as part of the Easter celebrations.  I didn't plan to go there anymore as I was too worried about getting stuck somewhere and missing the Ro-Ro ride back.

The thought that this was our last day in Marinduque did not particularly bother us.  Yes, we did have a great time in this province, but overall, I think we were all looking forward to finally getting back to Manila. So after breakfast, I began to pack my stuff for the 7- to 8-hour trip back home.

We were however greeted by bad news as our ride home was severely delayed due to a Ro-Ro stalling in the strait between Marinduque and the port of Lucena.  This means our morning ride just got moved to late afternoon.  The good thing about this is that we suddenly had enough time to shop for souvenirs. So off we went to the Boac town center to have lunch, and after, we "young" ones went shopping for souvenirs, while the Uy couple went to some spa to have a massage.

Back at the A&A Beach Resort, we whiled the time away abusing the videoke machine, while some others were busy doing post-prod work on their shots in Adobe Photoshop.  I took my nth shower of the day as it was so hot and humid, and before long, it was already time to go.  No more photos this day.  I had already carefully and securely packed my camera equipment and I didn't want to take it out again.

The scene at the port was utter chaos as we were informed that for purposes of security we had to be delayed for a few more hours (it's a long story) while the Ro-Ro that we were supposed to ride would leave without us.  We all just had to bit our lips in frustration as we were powerless to do anything about it.

It was already about past 8 or 9 pm when we were finally able to board a boat that would take us to the port of Lucena.

So goodbye Marinduque.  Thanks for a very memorable and fun-filled time.  (Next year, I hope we'd be taking the a plane.)

Marinduque Day 3: Tres Reyes, Gaspar Island, Buenavista, Torrijos, etc.

I got sidetracked by all my activities this summer resulting in a sluggishness that prevented me from continuing my Marinduque blogs.  Right now, aside from finishing this Marinduque series, I also have my Mt. Pinatubo, Taal Volcano, Pahiyas Festival and Mt. Pulag blogs in my blog backlog.  And so, before I forget important details, I will now finish the Marinduque series,

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The previous day was a particularly tiring one, what with going back and forth between Gasan and Boac.  For Day 3, we were slated to go island hopping at the Tres Reyes island chain off the coast of Gasan.  As the name suggests, they were named after the biblical three wise men - Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar.  We had to wake up in order to be able to rent a good boat.

Tres Reyes Islands: (L-R) Gaspar, Melchor, Baltazar

So to make a long story short, our group was able to hire two boats to tour the island with and we got to see each of the three islands up close.  The boats were unfortunately small enough that any water splash found its way in the passenger area, making it very risky to take out photography equipment.  As a result, I was not able to take pictures of the majestically steep cliffs of each island.

Gaspar Island's rocky shore

There was apparently some miscommunication when negotiating the exact itinerary with the boatmen.  We were expecting that we'd be able to get off Baltazar island and hike up towards its lighthouse but the boatmen just went past it that we had to signal them to stop just to ask them what was going on.  From what we gathered, they said that the passage to the lighthouse was very difficult and it would take too much time.  In addition, we might lose valuable beach space if we arrive late at Gaspar Island - the only one among the three islands that has beaches.

So after some clarificatory exchanges between the two boats in the middle of the sea, we went straight to Gaspar Island's southern coast, where there were small pockets of white sand beach.  And as if to prove the boatmen right, we found that there were already people in those small pockets of beach.  Fortunately, we found a way to dock and claim a parcel of beach area for ourselves.

One of our boats docked by the shore

Since I did not plan on swimming (I dislike swimming in saltwater) I agonized over not bringing any swimming attire.  It did seem that the clear waters were inviting enough for me to temporarily set aside my freshwater-only preference as far as swimming goes.  So I just concentrated on taking pictures of the surroundings while most in our group took a dip.  Fung, in particular, even went snorkeling.

Fung's hoard

Thankfully, my non-swimming time was at least productive as Boyet was helpful enough to enable me to shoot nice looking pictures in an impromptu fashion shoot.  With the youthful Sheryl Uy, I was able to shoot nice enough pictures that I didn't know my camera could make.  (Of course, what is nice-looking is a matter of opinion.  Rico did point out some areas where my pictures could have been improved.)  Here's a sample:

(Frankly, I didn't understand what Rico was ranting about. ;-) )

Before we knew it the tide was rising and we had to pack up our stuff and move to the other side of the island where the shore was bigger and wider.  There was a period of mild panic as our boats seemingly took their sweet time before returning for us.  I got into the first boat and saw the worried faces of the ones left behind.  Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long as it turns out our second boat was just 10 minutes behind the first one. 

Gaspar Island's coast facing Marinduque

The other side of Gaspar Island was indeed wider and unfortunately, it was also a mass destination of Marinduqueños.  It wasn't that bad though, as the place still looks nice enough.  If you can stand the lack of a proper restroom, then you'd find that there are other conveniences available, chief of which is the presence of a sari-sari store that sells cold drinks.

Some kids in Gaspar Island

We stayed a while here and took more pictures under the blazing sun.  By this time my exposed arms were already so burnt that I'm thankful I wear a wide brimmed had that saved my face from the same fate.  Our group was a conspicuous lot as we lugged around very visible camera equipment.  Some of the locals even started speculating whether we were professional photographers or whether Sheryl or Poms were models or actresses in Manila.  (We know this because Mrs. Belinda Uy actually heard people talk about Sheryl, to which she had to reply, "Anak ko yan!")

Lunch was apparenly going to be in Club Marinduque in Gasan.  So before long, we again boarded our boats to get back to Marinduque proper.  Club Marinduque turned out to be a nice place.  Not first class, but definitely a big, big improvement from our lodgings in A&A Beach Resort back in Boac.  It seemed a nice enough place that I wish we stayed here instead.  The owners are related to Boyet, from what I gathered, and I'd really wish that if we're returning the next year, TF would make arrangements with this resort.

We had two more destinations to cover before calling it a day.  So after having lunch, we were on the road towards Poctoy.  We were still supposed to pass by Malbog Hot springs, but I guess we were fast running out of time, so we made for Poctoy White Beach in Torrijos.  Along the way, on the road between Buenavista and Torrijos, a slight delay due to a soft tire enabled one of us, Nica, to be reunited with an aunt she has not seen in years.  It's one of those stories that enables one to think that there are no coincidences in the world.

So the story is that Nica and her aunt have not seen each other in years, and that even though the latter was informed through relatives that Nica is visiting Marinduque, there was still almost no chance that they will see each other because: (1) TF had it's own schedule; and (2) Nica and her aunt were not directly communicating with each other.  As our jeepney was passing through the town where the aunt lives, some bystanders signaled to the driver that one of our tires is close to flat.  This necessitated us to stop and have the jeepney fixed.

Now here's the fun part:  Nica's aunt actually set out to wait by the road that afternoon with slimmest of hopes that our jeepney will somehow stop to enable them to see each other.  (Just think about it for a moment.  It's just like waiting for people to give you money because it would be so nice if they did.  That's how slim the chance was.)  When our jeep stalled, it coincidentally stopped just a few meters away from where the aunt was standing.  It's crazy!

So seeing that we stopped and tourist-looking people got out one by one, the aunt approached one of us and asked whether we were the group that Nica belonged to, and the reunion that followed will forever be part of TF's Marinduque lore (just like Rico's encounter with the Sagrada Corazon cult leader.)

Bella Roca Resort, Elephant Island

Along the way, we once again got sidetracked as we arrived at the perfect vantage point to view Elephant Island, nowadays known as where Bella Roca Resort is located.  Bella Roca is being marketed as the Philippines' version of Santorini.  As making reservations in this island resort would have cost an arm and a leg, we were only able to enjoy it from afar.

Poctoy White Beach in the fading sunlight

So we finally arrived in Poctoy White Beach.  I don't know why this was called white beach.  The sand was not particularly white and I did not see anything that warranted calling this beach white at all.  This was apparently a public beach and so we had to fight for space with at least 500 other people.  While some of us still had the energy to do more picture taking, I actually wanted to take it easy and followed Sheryl and her mom while the looked for a Halo-halo stand.

Halo-halo.  Yummy.

 
(Now, while we were enjoying our halo-halo, Poms and the guys doing a photoshoot in the beach encountered an obnoxious character who boorishly demanded that they take a picture of him with Poms for no other reason than, "taga-Chicago ako."  Seriously.)

Before long, we were on the road again, and this time we experienced our seemingly longest drive on board our smoke-belching jeepney on the way to Buenavista.  We were to have dinner in a bar/restaurant named Curba Grill.  (Just to give you an idea of how much smoke our jeepney belched, people actually howled in disgust whenever our jeepney passed by.  I don't know if the others noticed this.)

Curba Grill in Buenavista

Curba Grill turned out to be the best restaurant/bar we ever visited.  The ambeance was certainly classy and the tunes played in the sound system was pleasant.  It had a rodeo/wild west theme that was not overdone so as to appear ridiculous.  We certainly had fun having dinner here while recounting the day's activities.

There was, however, another surprise before the Day 3 officially ended.  The owners of Club Marinduque (the Cortezes) invited us for a few rounds of drinks back at their place.  Some of us, like the Uy family and Fung wanted to call it a day and so they went back to the resort.  The rest of us however thought that since this would be our last night, we might as well make the most out of it and went ahead to Club Marinduque.

Club Marinduque at night

Now, I don't really want to recall the events that occurred that night during the drinking session.  Suffice to say, I made a complete ass of myself because I overestimated my tolerance for alcohol that evening, this despite the graciousness shown by our hosts in serving the best drinks and the best pulutan.  He even drove us back to A&A Beach Resort, which was one town away.  In the process, we ran over a cat.  I don't know why of all things I remember that.  Damn alcohol!

So we finally reached our home base very early in the morning of Day 4 and somehow managed to wash up and find our way to our respective beds.  What a day.

Mt. Pulag

Lucban San Isidro Pahiyas Festival - 5/15/2010

Third tour with Travel Factor. The festival is held yearly in the town of Lucban in Quezon Province. We were five hours late due to a number of traffic bottlenecks, starting with the one that was caused by a huge fire in the Uratex foam plant, and were beginning to despair that we'd see too little of the Festival.

To make a long story short, we were mistaken and we still ended up having a satisfying time.

Taal Volano Trek 05/09/2010

Went up another volcano with Danna, Gani and Leah.

Idiots!!! Do you realize what you have done?! You will ruin EVERYTHING! Do this country a favor and go kill yourselves before May 10. (...God-damned, mindless sheep...)

Marinduque Day 2 (afternoon): Back to Gasan, Back to Boac....with a boy genius and a lot of blood in between

The Antipos of Gasan

AFTER having lunch, we then boarded our jeepney again to return to Gasan to document the Antipos/Flagellantes.  Before that, we did a brief stopover in the ancestral home of some of Boyet's relatives.  He said it was the home of a former mayor and it's a house that President Ferdinand Marcos himself visited when he was in Marinduque, and even pointed to a chair that the late president actually sat on.  After taking a few photos of the home's interior, it was time to move on.

dining area of an old ancestral home in Gasan

If there ever was something I wanted to steal from that ancestral home, it's this excellent set of figurines.

The Antipos traditionally are based in the Catholic Cemetery of Gasan near the church we visited that morning.  On the way there, we got some help with directions courtesy of this Manny Villar supporter:

"Si Villar lang ang may kakayahang ibili ako ng matinong shorts"

We did find them there that early afternoon with tourists already taking pictures of them a very short distance away.  My TF photographer buddies' faces were apparently made of thicker stuff because, while other tourists were content in snapping photos from a few meters away, we in the TF group found ourselves milling around with the Antipos snapping pictures literally inches in front of them.

The Gasan Catholic Cemetery on Good Friday

I was there.  This is definitely not red paint.

Getting up close to the Antipos educated me on how they went about making themselves shed blood.  Contrary to popular belief, they do not whip themselves until their skin gets lacerated and bleeds.  What actually happens is that they initially have someone use a razor blade to make shallow cuts of the part of their skin they want to bleed.  They then use a hand-held, windchime-like contraption to slap the cuts, making them bleed.  The more experienced the Antipo, the more cuts he instructs that be made on him.  This isn't very hygienic because I saw the designated "cutter" use the same blade over and over again for different people.

the designated "cutter" in action

Soon after, Boyet had this crazy idea of us hiking towards a "nearby" park where our jeepney could pick us up instead of going back to the Gasan town center.  That would have been alright were it not for the fact that the "nearby" park could be reached by first going down a very steep slope with a sad excuse for a path (making us think whether we signed for a Photoholic* tour or a Conquer* tour).  And then we had to hike up a long and winding 45-degree sloped road.  Thankfully, the park was not a disappointment as it is located on top of a hill higher than the church and it gave a sweeping view of the Gasan coast.  There was also a pretty gazebo on top with some nice flowers planted around.  It was truly a nice place to relax.  Take a look:

pretty, eh?

yeah...purrty

Our next stop was a butterfly farm - one of a few in Marinduque.  Not a lot of people know that Marinduque is actually the Philippines' number one exporter of live butterflies.  So with this particular farm we visited, they offered informal lectures on the life cycle of butterflies and how they affect the natural balance of plant and animal life.  They even gave us butterflies to be released in the wild - with the instruction that we must wish for something before we release each one. 

butterfly (duh!)

Now, that's corny and boring stuff.  What's not boring, however, is the fact that they had a "resident" boy genius who knew absolutely everything about butterflies.  You just can't shut him up!  Try to imagine yourself from kinder to second grade, studying nothing but goddamn butterflies.  Well, that's how that boy is configured.  Anyway, I was wrong.  You can shut him up... by letting Rico have a few words with him.  Hahaha! 

The Wonder Kid himself. 
Inside that humble exterior is a million and one useful (and useless) facts about butterflies.
(Also, if you ever wondered what the 40-year old virgin looks like 32 years prior, well... now you know.) 
(photo credit: Floro S. Villamin, Jr.)

Personally, the sad thing about this butterfly farm is that this was where my camera battery ran out.  And its sad because this is the reason I missed out on taking pictures of probably the best Holy Week religious procession in all of Marinduque.  I'm talking about the Good Friday Processions of Gasan.  In structure, it resembles any other Catholic procession on a Good Friday where floats of scenes in Jesus' last moments are exhibited and the faithful follow them around the procession route with lighted candles.  The added flavor in this one is the presence of noisemakers to announce to everyone the start of the procession.  These noisemakers are a platoon of teenage to young-adult boys with pieces of bamboo that make a loud "rat-tat-tat" sound.  The combined sound of all these noisemakers is enough to make themselves heard by almost everyone in the town.

So the procession began in the late afternoon and extended into the twilight hours.  I was impressed by the construction of the floats.  Most are grandly designed and does contrast sharply with the generally "humble" atmosphere of the town of Gasan.  I think each baranggay of the town was assigned one float each.  So in a way, the construction of each float is a community effort.  There were two surprises for visitors towards the end of the procession.  First is the presence of a lot of black-clad barefoot women wearing fresh bushes on their heads partially covering their upper faces.  It's apparently a panata for many women in Gasan.  (For those who have been in Batanes, you can best imagine these women by imagining an Ivatan woman dressed all in black, and the vakul is made up of fresh grasses instead of dried ones.)  They mark the tail end of the procession.

Since I don't have pictures of the Good Friday procession, this will have to do. 
It's the last one I took before the battery ran out.
(Try untagging this, Fung.  Bwahahaha!)

As for the second surprise, just when the sun has almost completely set and most tourists think the procession's already over, a fresh wave of "rat-tat-tat" sounds was heard from the distance announcing another procession.  Apparently, the procession we just witnessed is the one for Roman Catholics.  The new group is the one for the Iglesia Filipina Independiente - more commonly known as "Aglipayans".  They have a more colorful and dramatic entrance.  For one thing, their noisemakers have, as Boyet put it, "Ku Klux Klan costumes" - except that some were colored red and some were colored blue to reflect that particular church's nationalist slant.  They also hoisted and carried flags military-style at the head of the procession.  I was told that Marinduque is one of the few remaining places in the Philippines where Aglipayans still had a strong influence, and this procession proves it.

Since most of the second procession was much of the same thing (and since I could not shoot anything anyway) I decided to walk back to Reyes Park and sit by the sea wall to view the evening seascape.  Minutes later I was joined by Jessie and we stayed a while there lamenting our sticky skin due to exposure to salt water, and other small talk.  We somehow lost track of the time and had to hastily walk back to the town to look for the others, whom we learned already went ahead to Barbarossa Restaurant where we were supposed to have dinner.

At Barbarossa with Poms, Jesse and Julius (partly hidden)
(photo credit: Floro S. Villamin, Jr.)

Like the two restaurants that we previously visited, Barbarossa was packed and the reservations that TF made were effectively rendered nonexistent.  Thankfully, the food was good enough to make the loooooooooong wait seem worthwhile.  When you're hungry, thirsty and your skin seemingly has a 1mm layer of dust, saltwater and sweat, then a meal as simple as sinigang, fried chicken and rice would taste like something worthy of the entire Pantheon of Roman deities.

I'd love to say that after dinner, we went back to the resort, cleaned up and slept soundly.  Unfortunately, A&A Resort chose that evening to have all of its services conk out one after the other.  So we were victims of a disconnected cable line, air conditioning malfunction and a busted water pump - which was particularly inconvenient for Fung, who at that time was in the middle of taking a shower.  Responding to the pleas of our bro, Albert and I went to the person in charge to complain.  Luckily, the owner of the resort was actually there and so quick action was taken in repairing the water pump.  For the meantime, they supplied Fung with 2 Orocans full of water to finish his shower.

And so before finally being able to shower on my own and retire for the night, Albert, Jesse and I spent some time exchanging stories.  It was actually very late before I gave up and decided to sleep, which they soon after also did.  We would be going island-hopping at Tres Reyes the following day.  That night, I didn't forget to charge my camera battery.