Batangas: Scaling the summit of Mt. Batulao

Another surge of adrenaline! I climbed Mt. Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas together with the UP Med Outdoor Society. There was a 200-meter rock climb, about 60 to 70 degrees, to get to the peak. I felt I was hanging on for my dear life!

Since I wanted to get as much sleep as I could (my lack of sleep during the past climbs proved deadly), I decided to meet up with the group at the jump-off point in Nasugbu giving me an extra two hours in bed and enough to fuel my adrenaline rush. The group took a bus to Nasugbu and got off at the entrance of the Evercrest Golf and Country Club. If you're familiar with Calaruega, that's the same entrance. We caught up with the group just as they got off the bus. And from there, the long hike up Batulao began.

Instead of making a right to Calaruega, take the road on the left. A few meters away, you will see an old basketball court and a dirt road to the right which is the road that leads to Batulao. It's straight-forward trek from there.

Along the way, you'll pass by several inhabited areas before the trail leads you to rolling hills with a sparse incidence of nipa huts and the occasional drink stand ready to sell you ice-cold soft drinks or a refreshing dose of coconut juice. At the first of ten camps, you'll be asked to register and pay a PHP20 fee to hike towards the peak.

Since it was January, the cool mountain wind made the effort even easier. We just had to deal with a lot of mud and slippery paths along the way no thanks to the random drizzle which would transform the wind from cool to cold. The assault to the summit was another story worth telling. That took a considerable amount of effort on my part given the steep incline we had to overcome. As I mentioned earlier, there were times I felt I was hanging on for my life since one wrong step or hanging on to a loose stone could have meant me rolling down and hitting the jagged rocks along the way.

But the summit was indeed a prize worthy of the climb. We were afforded panoramic views of Cavite, Batangas and the nearby mountains. You could even see the Taal Volcano! Going down was another story, and I literally had to get my butt dirty, carefully sliding down the steep trail of rocks and soil. It was better to be safe than sorry.

After ten hours of hiking, we finally made it back to the jump-off point. And to celebrate the feat, we binged on pizza and pasta at Carlo's Pizza in Tagaytay City. But my weekend was not over since I'm on my way to Pinatubo tomorrow for a swim in its crater lake. Sometimes I feel I'm just too crazy.

Boracay and Cebu top popular beaches list

Yahoo! Travel came out with a list called The Most Popular Beaches of 2007, the ten top-rated beach destinations by Yahoo! users last year. And look what we have here:

1. Boracay Island, Philippines
2. Nassau, The Bahamas
3. Cebu, Philippines
4. Phan Thiet, Vietnam
5. Montego Bay, Jamaica
6. Phuket, Thailand
7. Cozumel, Mexico
8. San Diego, California
9. Honolulu, Hawaii
10. San Juan, Puerto Rico

Philippine beaches are on a roll! Travel + Leisure in their January 2008 issue included the Miniloc and Lagen Island hotels in El Nido in its list of 20 Favorite Green Hotels, "conservation-minded places on a mission to protect the local environment." The magazine cited the active participation of the El Nido resorts in protecting Palawan's giant clam gardens and supporting the re-introduction of endangered Philippine cockatoos.

Conde Nast Traveler recently selected Palawan's sugary beaches, coves and islets as the tourist destination with the best beaches in Asia. While the sunken Japanese warships of Coron island are included in the top 10 best scuba sites in the world of Forbes Traveler.

Bahamas: Lomo in Paradise Island & Nassau, Bahamas

Since Nassau, Bahamas is sandwiched in between two of our great beaches in the best beaches list, I'm posting photos taken by my younger sister Ria in Paradise Island and Lighthouse Beach in Nassau the other week. She's my first guest poster in the blog.

The beaches were beautiful -- blue green water, fine white sand, huge waves in some areas. I was also surprised how the Bahamas looked like a beach area in the Philippines. There were coconut trees lining the beaches and roadside, handicraft and bead shops everywhere, and locals offering hair braiding.

My hotel was right across what is called, Lighthouse Beach (so named because there's a view of the lighthouse in neighboring Paradise Island). From there, you can just walk to downtown Nassau where there's a lot to see -- the pier where the big cruise ships dock, Straw Market (the Bahamas version of our tiangge selling souvenirs, straw and wooden crafts, Bob Marley bags and shirts, rasta hats, and even the usual DVDs and some knock-off bags made in China), Bahamian historic sites, shopping, shopping for jewelry and diamonds, and a choice of local restaurants and fast food chains. US dollars and Bahamian dollars are accepted interchangeably on the island because the exchange rate is US$1 = Bahamian$1.

The locals spoke with a "rasta" accent and the drivers would play some reggae, Bob Marley type of music in their cabs. To get to Paradise Island, you can just ride a taxi or a ferryboat. There's a big hotel/resort/amusement center over there called Atlantis -- casinos, giant aquarium, beach front, etc. The beach in Paradise Island is beautiful as well and the waves are huge. The birds weren't afraid of the people on the beach and would just be hovering nearby. Bottom line, Bahamas is beautiful.

Diana camera 151, Agfa RSXII 120 slide film, cross processed. More photos here.

Lomo LC-A, Agfa Precisa 100, cross processed. More photos here.