Laguna: Mt. Romelo and its waterfalls

I hiked up Mt. Romelo in Siniloan, Laguna with the UP Med Outdoor Society. It's actually a hill if you compare it to other mountains. But Mt. Romelo is a popular destination because of its four waterfalls: Buruwisan, Lansones, Batya-Batya, and Sampaloc. The group visited Buruwisan Falls which was really an awesome sight. Others went to Lansones Falls too.

But it was a crazy adventure for the group and myself too. I had to change a flat tire while I was on my way to our meeting point. Our jeeps didn't arrive on time so we were more than two hours delayed. The organizers were told that one of the jeeps had a flat too that's why they didn't arrive on time. We got new jeeps instead. But since we were two hours delayed, we now had to deal with slow traffic in certain places. One of the jeeps we hired had something wrong with the tires too. So we kept on stopping to adjust the brakes.

On the way to Buruwisan Falls, my body just gave way (since I had zero hours of sleep which is quite stupid and I won't do that again). But the good thing is if there's a will, there's a horse. Yeah, I took a horse up instead. Haha! But I wasn't the only one.

Going down the falls was also difficult since the trail was very steep. But the sight of the falls was all it took to forget how tired I was. It just took a dip in the cold waters of the pool to take away all the stress.

Going back down was easier. But the ride on the horse (it wasn't a regular saddle I was sitting on) was very bumpy. Anyway, we were back in Manila at 12 midnight. After ditching our jeep in Tanay, (the group just didn't want to take the risk since we kept on stopping and it started to smell like rubber), we took another jeep to EDSA Central were we finally had dinner. Good thing Mia Gervasio sent her army of vehicles to pick us up and bring us back to UP Med.

It was fun and everything was all part of the (mis)adventure. Thanks to Gid Lasco, my Pinoy Mountaineer partner, for organizing this climb. Of course, there's Team 4, and the rest of the UP Med Outdoor Society. More photos in Multiply.

'Hilot' for a spa treatment anyone?

It's about time we promoted our traditional Filipino culture around the world. We should start with our own food since the cuisine of our own Southeast Asian neighbors are making waves in the global community. I also wonder why our own local martial arts such as Arnis or Eskrima (known as Kali or FMA abroad) are not as popular in the Philippines as Muay Thai is in Thailand, Taekwondo in South Korea (it is their national sport) or other martial arts are in their countries.

This is also true when we go to the spa. We've all heard of Swedish, Shiatsu, Thai or Indonesian/Balinese (therapies which are popular in their countries of origin). But we fail to realize that the Philippines has its own art of massage called hilot.

In fact, hilot is becoming one of the hottest trends in our spas today. The DOT is now requiring accredited spas to include hilot in their massage therapies. In some spas, this deep tissue massage is accompanied with virgin coconut oil and warm strips of banana leaves. I should try out this therapy one of these days since it sounds enticing.

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Pinoy Mountaineer, your guide to hiking in the Philippines, is now online! This blog is brought to you by Gideon Lasco, founder of the UP Med Outdoor Society and yours truly.

Guimaras: Island-hop to Guimaras

For our last day in Iloilo, we decided to visit the island province next door, Guimaras.

We were at the Ortiz Port near Ateneo de Iloilo at about 9 a.m. and from there, we took a 15-minute pump boat to Jordan for PHP11. We had arranged for a minicab to take us around for PHP1000 (they have rates at the tourism office at the port based on distance) since you need to have your own vehicles to check out the sights.

Our first stop was the OLP Trappist Monastery in Jordan where one could buy various products, mostly made from mangoes, such as jam, yema, candies, tarts, bars, piaya, and many more. We then proceeded to Alubihod Beach in Nueva Valencia for a swim in the waters of Guimaras. Don't worry about the oil spill since it's in a different part of the island.

After an hour of swimming, we were off to the Navalas Church in Buenavista, the oldest Church in the island. Although the facade is perfectly preserved, the other parts are totally gone (walls and interior) as a result of renovations by several priests (as always). Why can't they just preserve these old churches, especially since this seemed to be the only one in Guimaras.

Nearby is the Roca Encantada Heritage House owned by the Lopez Family. We were lucky enough to be given permission to enter the premises. From afar, I thought it was a modern vacation house until I saw the marker. I could not understand how this modernized house got the seal of approval of the National Historical Institute for Heritage House. There are fewer traces of the original features of the house. With all their wealth, I hope the Lopezes restore even just the exterior of the house back to the way it looked before so that it lives up to the prestige of the NHI marker. I also hope they install the marker in a better way since it was just attached to a piece of wood. Markers like these should be screwed to a hard surface like a wall.

But the setting of the house was so picturesque with the balconies offering a 180-degree view of the sea, Siete Pecados Islands and its lighthouse, and the nearby islands of Panay and Negros.

We had to rush back to Iloilo City since we had one last stop, Breakthrough Restaurant in Arevalo District, which is very popular for its seafoods. It was a treat of Danya's family. After a sumptuous feast, we made our way to the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan. This new airport shames our crummy Manila Domestic Airport. And mind you, we paid a terminal fee of PHP30 compared to the shabby Manila Domestic's PHP200.

Iloilo: Walking tour of old Jaro

After the activity, I proceeded to Jaro to meet up with Eugene Jamerlan of the Iloilo City Cultural Heritage and Conservation Council (ICCHCC) who took me and HCS Youth members Bernard Arellano and Gian Alvarez on a walking tour of Jaro. We first entered the Locsin House and walked around the plaza towards the Magdalena Jalandoni House.

We also passed by the Old Jaro City Hall which is now a police station. Before Jaro and the other districts of Iloilo City were merged together, Jaro was a city itself. Of course there's the Ledesma Mansion, one might say a story of stupidity. They thought that there was treasure buried in front of the mansion and started to dig. As a result, the facade of the mansion collapsed. They did not realize that the treasure was their house.

On the way, we bought some Iloilo bibingka from a street vendor. These are flat pancakes about two inches in diameter sold in paper bags of 10 pieces for PHP20. I really like trying out the local street food since it gives you a feel of the locality.

We also visited the ancestral home of Marikit Javellana which is now in a rundown area of Jaro. How sad it is to see how these grand streets have deteriorated through the years.

Our last stop is the Lizares Mansion which is now the Angelicum School. We got to check out the interiors as well. The grand ballroom inside is now a chapel. But despite the years of wear and tear, you can still see its former grandeur.

I went shopping at the Original Biscocho House since I am a fan of their butterscotch. I was introduced to these baked delights way back in high school by my friend Babits Guadarrama who is a granddaughter of the owner if I'm not mistaken. The are more goodies inside and to me, it's a must for pasalubongs.

I then met up with the rest of the Ateneo people at SM City Iloilo since Francis Trenas was treating the Jesuits and us to dinner at his David's Tea House. After that sumptuous dinner, the Jesuits dropped us off at Smallville again where we had some drinks. More photos in Multiply.