THINGS TO BRING WHEN CONQUERING MT. PINATUBO

February, 2012


"After swearing of not going to climb any mountains for the rest of my life, I will conquer a volcano tomorrow (after 12 years). It is my first assignment as a part-time coordinator with Travel Factor so okay lang. I am excited and nervous all at the same time! I am a little worried too, because I know that trekking is not my thing. But when I look back sa trek to Bomod-Ok falls in Sagada last 2010, sisiw na tong Pinatubo."

So, I wrote it all back one day before my trip. And I tell you this: hindi sisiw ang Mt. Pinatubo! I underestimated the power of Mt. Pinatubo, huhu!

"That trek to Bomod-Ok is slippery, and frustrating and exciting! Maybe I can get away with this one too. Besides, it will not hurt to try something new, right? I am just sooooo excited with 4x4 ride! And the stones.. :)"

That trek to Bomod-Ok is slippery, but Mt. Pinatubo is rough, and tiring for a 180-pound-girl-allergic-to-exercise. And hooray! I got away with it, after spending a total of 38 hours without sleep, 5 hours of trekking up and all the way down, 6 hours to and from Capas, Tarlac and 1 hour of lazy lunch at the crater. Hagardo Versoza! :(

WHAT TO WEAR

• Comfortable outfit includes dry-fit shirt, short (avoid denims, seriously!)
• Sandals with socks (to avoid painful blisters) or trekking shoes. But I would recommend the sandals kasi mababasa ang shoes dahil may mga streams of water na dadaanan. 
• A hat

WHAT TO BRING DURING THE TREK

• Sunblock protection
• Mosquito Repellant
• Jelly Ace (I would recommend you buy the Jiggles na brand dahil kahit isang kamay lang ang gamitin mo, with the use of your teeth, okay lang.)
• A light backpack with lunch / power snacks and water. If you drink water so much, 1.5 liters of water would be enough. But I must warn you though, habang tumatagal mas bumibigat ang backpack. So if you are inexperienced on trekking but need to bring these things with you, you can ask your guide to help you out. :)
• Rain poncho / umbrella and something to waterproof your bag just in case of rain.
• Camera (Waterproof your gears too!)
• You can swim at the crater. You might as well bring extra clothes.
• A friend.. :)

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE 4x4 RIDE

• 45-minute rough and bumpy ride
• Nakakaantok pa din ang ride

Hahaha! So, okay. I hope it helped. Super konti lang ng tips because I will leave the rest of the Mt. Pinatubo experience up to you. 

DIVE DONSOL: IN AN OPEN SEA

In ze open sea yeah!

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The more you travel, the more you want to do something to protect the earth. I appreciate trees more, I appreciate the people who work hard to save and protect the natural habitat. Even if I missed the Whale Shark (Butanding) only by seconds, I felt happy knowing my new-found friends saw these gentle creatures up close. I realized that even I missed a lucky experience with nature, the happiness and excitement of my friends can bring me to tears.

That kind of happiness brought about by earth's wonder is overwhelming. But happiness from a rare encounter is... I don't know. I am sooo lost for words already.

That one shared moment along with other people in an open sea. That moment when our boats was rushing to join the others who happen to saw the Whale Sharks' shadow first. That moment when you want your friends to dive first. That moment when I dived and rolled under the boat and was trying to save my own neck. That moment when I swam up and saw one of my participants came back to reach and save me from drowning. The moment when Justin also missed the Whale Shark because he came back for me. The moment I said sorry because he missed the encounter and he said: "It's okay. I still have more time ahead and that my parents deserve to see the Whale Sharks more because they provided good education for us." That 21 year-old boy is an angel. Everything happened so fast!

You see friends, I don't just work for Travel Factor. I travel to meet people. To experience what nature has to offer. But what happened in the open sea, is a rare experience with a selfless individual. And I give out my sincere thank you to Travel Factor for such experiences and to WilJus Manrique for grabbing my hand.

Complete Donsol post to follow.. :)

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