Mt Manabu of Sto Tomas, Batangas

I started the year 2013 by conquering Mt Timbak and almost reaching the peak of Mt Tabayoc, so I guess the best way to end my 2013 is also by exploring another mountain. I was blessed because I have been invited by my girlfriend's colleagues as they planned to conquer Mt Manabu.

Mt Manabu is located in the town of Batangas. It stands at 720 MASL and considered to be a good climb for newbies (in hiking) because of its relatively light trail. Mt Manabu derived its name from MAtaas NA BUndok which means "alp" or "high mountain". There are 8 stations in order to land on top of Mt Manabu and trekkers have 2 options to reach its peak. One of which is the normal trail wherein you'll be following the stations numerically. While the other one is you'll be taking stations 1 to 4 then take the trail straight to the grotto which is in Station 8. Please see the map below:

Mt Manabu is located at Brgy. Sta Cruz, Sto Tomas, Batangas

How to get there?
Take a Lipa or Lucena bound bus at LRT Buendia then inform the bus conductor to drop you off at Brgy. San Pedro, Sto Tomas. From Sto Tomas, ride a trike to "Sulok". Make sure to visit the Barangay Hall for registration before starting your trek. Registration fee is 20 pesos per pax. You can also ask for a guide here. Guide is around 300-500 pesos (depends on how good you are on bartering).

We reached the jump off point of Mt Manabu around 9PM. Yup, night trek is possible on Mt Manabu. Right after we registered at the barangay, we waste no time and started to trek. The first 4 stations were easy and light. However, the climb becomes more complex from Station 5 and up to the peak due to continuity of upward hike. The trail becomes steeper and challenging. Plus, the trail was muddy during our visit which we didn't expect because it was sunny that whole week. Some part of the trail have "lubid" installed. These ropes are located on sharp angled and steep trails. Trekkers swing to these ropes in order to help them continue on trekking. It was also fun because it added flavor or twist to Mt Manabu.

Shot as we descend at Mt Manabu

After almost 2 1/2 hours, we finally reached the campsite. Located between Station 5 and 6, Mt Manabu's campsite is quite big. It can accommodate large numbers of campers and the signal is pretty strong. We were 14 people in the group and we were able to pitch 7 tents along with other campers and still it is spacious.

Right after we pitched our tents, we started to prepare our late dinner. It was really cold up there so I recommend to pack up jackets and other thick clothes when planning to stay overnight at Mt Manabu. After some chit chat and socials we then took a rest.

Getting ready to descend

After packing our things, its time for some photo op

Konting pakilig lang... =]

The next day, we woke up early and took a light breakfast. Then we packed up our things as we will continue to explore Mt Manabu (particularly Station 7 & 8). In between station 6 & 7 lies a cross and marks that you already reached the peak of Mt Manabu. On the other hand, Station 8 hold a grotto. And because of these landmarks, Mt Manabu becomes a popular destination for Visita Iglesia.

Big cross found in between Station 6 and 7

Grotto at Station 8

Since we descend Mt Manabu on the morning, I appreciate the environment even more. The shades of the trail are very evident. Shades that come from its rich forest. The trail is surrounded by trees and plants. Nature is really being take care off at Mt Manabu. Kudos!

And because of those shades, it lessens the tiredness and perspiration we experienced on exploring this mountain. We were able to reach the jump off point again in 2 hours or less.

Shades. One of a few reason why I love Mt Manabu

Rich nature. Happy people.

Passing through Station 4

It was nice meeting new people. My experience with Mt Manabu was definitely a fun climb. I just hope fellow trekkers and people around the area maintain the cleanliness of this mountain for future generations.

Additional information: Comfort rooms are available in the jump off point. You may directly go here after your hike for a quick bath or to wash your shoes. You may also display there your wrecked shoes just in case you experience one during your climb. Lols.

We survived Mt Manabu! Wew!

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A Day at Pico de Loro Cove - Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu, Batangas

Batangas homed some of the most beautiful beaches and resorts in Luzon specially the Nasugbu part of it. Though it may not possess the whitest sand, the relaxation that visitors may experience due to nature that surrounds this place fairly makes it up. Therefore, it is not surprising that this place has always been on the list of Manilenos whenever they are, or should I say, whenever we are ask on where to go for an out of town trip. Having said that, we chose the town of Batangas to hold our team building/team outing!

It was pretty tough to decide where we should go. There are lots of potential resorts in Batangas and we have bosses coming from different sides of the world so we need to consider high class place but also not to risk our own pockets. Haha.

Then we came across Pico de Loro Cove of Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu, Batangas. It is a private beach club owned by SM investment group. It is so private that the only way for an individual to access this place are 1) to own an apartment unit, 2) know someone that owns a unit and have an endorsement from them 3) or book a room at Pico Sands Hotel. Being tagged as private, staying at Pico de Loro is accompanied as a luxurious trip. Thank Goodness, we know someone who owns a unit and have us endorsed. That lessen our expense BIG TIME!

How to get there?

1. Take SLEX (Southbound) headed toward Laguna.
2. Take the STA. ROSA EXIT and turn right after the toll booth. Follow the road all the way to Tagaytay City. (Alternatively, you may choose to take the ETON EXIT (after STA. ROSA EXIT))
3. Once you're along Aguinaldo Highway in Tagaytay City, you will pass: Josephine’s Restaurant, Taal Vista Hotel
4. When you reach the Junction of Balayan (Caltex Station at the Right), turn right again to go to Nasugbu (You will pass Central Azucarera de Don Pedro on your left side)
5. When you reach the Shell Gas Station (Left side), turn right to go to the Nasugbu Town Proper.
6. Go straight until you reach the road that will take you uphill. You will pass by the “Brgy Wawa” arch and the following developments: Canyon Cove, Kawayan Cove, Terazzas de Punta Fuego, Tali Beach Club, Peninsula de Punta Fuego
7. Go further uphill until you reach Pico de Loro by following the yellow signage of “Hamilo Coast”

Disclaimer: Please don't ask me or clarify anything about the given direction above. I just got it from their website. All I knew was during our trip, it was like a never-ending roadtrip. Haha. Well, kidding aside, it was 3-4 hours of long drive from Manila to Pico de Loro with the suggested direction.

Its Christmas at Pico de Loro lobby!

Pico de Loro Cove is a 37.5 hectare of coastal community with lots... i mean tons of activities/amenities to offer which includes both outdoor and indoor activities. They even have a tagline that says it will take 40 hours for an individual to experience all sports and recreational activities of Pico de Loro. And I strongly believe on that. However, he or she should also prepare his/her wallet to cover all the acts.

They also have an infinity pool here

The management cares for their visitors. External shuttles roams around the vicinity and take every visitors to their desired place. It is free of charge and there's a frequent rotations. This eliminates long wait to go from one place to another and also saves time.

Team CertPoint!!! Yeah!

I can say that this beach club is suitable for all types of vacationers. Why? Because the activities they offer here doesn't focus on a single type of customer.

Sports oriented type of guests may use/rent their badminton facilities, basketball court (indoor), beach volleyball and table tennis. For Family bonding, enjoy some bowling session and karaoke at their KTV hubs. Extreme seekers and adventurers will definitely enjoy banana boat, scuba diving, jet skiing and hiking. While nature trippers should avail the cove tour and water taxi. Also, health conscious can do biking and jogging around the vicinity.

Sun bathing. Anyone?

Perfect for brisk walking, jogging and even biking

Lastly, food enthusiasts. Bars, restaurants and cafes are available and offers wide varieties of food in terms of selection. One will definitely satisfy his or her taste buds.

Ate Mars enjoying the variety of food

Three fourths of our stay were spent at the beach part of the club. Summer season is still far to come so we really missed being on the beach. The shore is quite big. It has lots of umbrellas and beds which are perfect for sunbathing. Beach volleyball and soccer area are also located at the beach shore.

The girls are now ready for some water action

Team QAs and Developer :P

Sorry guys I will not lay on that one

We were only there for a day trip and it is definitely not enough to experience all of what Pico de Loro can offer. But it was definitely a great experience. Luxurious trip on its finest actually. I don't know if I could be here again yet I still hope someday.

Chill time!

Hamilo Coast, Pico de Loro - Nasugbu, Batangas
For reservation, contact Pico Sands Hotel at (02) 214-7888 or (0917) 809-1289
For membership inquiries, ontact Pico de Loro at +632.902.8053
For amenities ratings and other information, you may visit their official website. Click here.

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My First Hike: Mt. Maculot and the "Rockies" of Cuenca, Batangas

It's time for some Throwback Thursday (Blog Edition)!

My love for mountain hiking started back in 2009 when I was invited by a college friend to have an overnight on top of a mountain. He has done hiking before and he wanted to encourage others, along with my other college friends, to try out this adventure. Overnight on top of a mountain sounds fun so everybody accepted the invitation... or should I say, the challenge? Paul (the one who invited us) chose Mt Maculot of Cuenca, Batangas. Reasons are: 1) It is considered an average in terms of its height in which it is ideal for newbies like us. 2) He's also familiar with the place because he'd already been to Mt Maculot.

PS: Please ignore our outfits in the following photos. They are inappropriate for hiking and we regret wearing them. #lol 

Cuenca, Batangas - Blurring out those campaign ads (Photo from Edward Calugtong)

How to get there:

From Buendia/Gil Puyat, take a bus going to Lemery. Usual bus rate is 147 pesos. Inform your conductor that you'll go at Mt Maculot and drop you off at Cuenca, Batangas. From there, you can hire a tricycle that will bring you to the jump off point of Mt Maculot. Fare is 20 pesos per pax. But before going to the jump off, ask your driver to stop you at the Registration Area which is near the Barangay Hall of Cuenca. Registration fee is 10 pesos per pax. Log everybody in the logbook. This is our first lesson about hiking. Never miss out to register because that will be used for emergency purposes.

Sign that we are heading to the right direction =] (Photo from Edward Calugtong)

After the registration, we headed at the jump-off point to gear up and start the hike. We started the hike with a prayer followed by a stretching. That's our second and third lessons. Always ask for guidance from our creator and prepare your body with this extreme adventure. These two are very important. We should never fail to ask assistance to God as this kind of sport comes with lots of danger. Also, stretch out to increase your range of motion, which means your limbs and joints can move further before an injury occurs.

Yup, this is our official outfits for Mt Maculot hike. #throwbackThursday  (Photo from Edward Calugtong)

I can still remember my excitement that day on this first hiking adventure of mine. I really don't know what to expect up there and I thought this was just a plain activity. Well, everybody is excited and oozing with energy on the first quarter as we went up to the peak of Mt Maculot. Everybody is chatting, laughing, joking and even singing. But those were minimized as we gone through the second and third quarter. Trails are getting stiffer and harder. We started to feel our weight and the weight of our things that we carry. Lesson number four: Only bring what you need. Do not bring unnecessary things. Just keep it light.  There are also some parts of the trail that requires you to grasp on soil, grass and branches in order to continue. Never hesitate to put your hands on this things. This is not the place for people who has an "attitude". One must have a strong legs and feet to surpass the obstacles. That makes us realize that this activity should be taken with precautions.

Start of our trek

Trail are getting difficult...

Everybody was tired and sweating hard. The sun sets to its highest position. Getting thirsty is inevitable. Fifth lesson: Have enough water supply. This is a vital thing that mountaineers should bring on every hike. Thank God, there are stalls in different parts of Mt Maculot that sells "buko" juice and other cold beverages. Yup, its cold but they're a bit pricey too. We bought drinks on most of the stalls we passed by. Having cold drinks in this tiring activity is priceless! You'll come to appreciate them. It is also a way to conserve our packed water. So instead of drinking them, we reserved it and will be used while our stay on top and going down the next day.

 Store in the middle of the trail | That's my friend, Julius (Photo from Edward Calugtong)

What I also noticed is that as we encounter other mountaineers, they always greet fellow mountaineers even they're are strangers. "Magandang umaga/tanghali/gabi sir/ma'am" (good morning/afternoon/evening sir/ma'am) and/or "ingat po" (take care) are the most commonly used greetings. That is lesson number six: greet fellow mountaineers.

Emac, Eteng and Julius finding doing their own ways

After 2 hours of trekking. The group finally reached the top! Our hard work paid off and what I felt upon reaching the top was un-explainable (but I know it's in a good way). The view on top of Mt Maculot is superb.

Heaven and Earth

Sunset at Mt Maculot

After a quick tour on top, we started to pitch our tent. The camp site of Mt. Maculot is quite big and can a accommodate large group of mountaineers. Then we started to cook and prepare our dinner. It was a great dinner even though only canned goods and noodles were served in the table ground. We talked about our experiences and thoughts as we went up to this mountain while eating. Energy is getting high again. The dinner was followed by socials. Lesson number seven: Have fun. Though hiking is an extreme activity, mountaineers should also enjoy and have fun!

EdPau pitching the tent

Socials that night - Pinoy Henyo and 1,2,3 pass (Photo from Edward Calugtong)

After the socials that night, all went to rest. And that was my first sleep on top of a mountain. Beat that!

The Rockies

Day 2 of our Mt Maculot Hike

The following morning, everybody woke up early to prepare and eat breakfast. This time we will be heading to a so-called place, Rockies. Rockies is a piece of Mt Maculot that offers its visitors an amazing view. Just refer on the photos below to see what I mean. It is just a 30 minutes or less of trekking from the camp site of Mt. Maculot. Extreme caution should be observed since the wind blows hard on this part of the mountain and the space on top of Rockies is a bit narrow.

Off our way to Rockies

We are young, wild and free... also extreme!

Edward and Paula - moments of love. Yiiiihiii

This shot is much better when taken zoom out...

Am I right? :]

After almost an hour of stay and photo op at Rockies, the group decided to descend back to our camp site and start trekking down. Lesson number eight arise here: Take Nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footsteps, Kill nothing but time. No need to explain further, right?

Climbing Mt Maculot is definitely a great experience. Though trekking up and down can sweat the hell out of me, the view on top and the pride you may feel and get as you reach the peak pays off all those hard works. Just like the famous saying... No Pain, No Gain - I guess that's the ninth lesson.

Breakdown of Expenses:
Bus ride (Pasay to Lemery, Lemery to Cubao) - 300.00 PhP (two-way)
Tricycle (Lemery to Jump off, Jump off to Lemery) - 20.00 x 2 way = 40.00 PhP/pax
Registration - 10.00 PhP
Food: **.**

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Lola Tekla's Beach Resort of Laiya, Batangas

This trip is actually unexpected. The original plan was to go to Puerto Galera with my officemates. Unfortunately, the weather didn't permit us and so we had to think for an alternative route. We're in Batangas Port, stranded and feeling hopeless because there were no trip going to Galera that day due to a bad weather condition. I hate that LPA building up that day! Good thing we were able to use our smart phones and search for a good spot in Batangas where we can spend our weekend getaway.  We traveled for 3 hours already and turning back will be and will always be our last resort. After a couple of arguments and lay back moments in Batangas Port, we finally made up our mind -- Laiya, Batangas it is.

We chose Laiya, Batangas because there are tons of positive feedback about how beautiful this place is. Most specially its beach part.  Creamy sand, enticing clear water, water adventures/activities, and lots of resorts to choose from. These factors made Laiya, Batangas a perfect place for us who were unprepared for this change of plan.

Personal chat? Lol (Photo from Thea Velasco)

As we land on Laiya, Batangas, the beach of Laiya didn't fail to 'wow' us. Our disappointment on our Galera trip just fade away and all we can think off that time was to get a nice place to stay in. Budget friendly, lesser crowd, fun activities, accessibility to market place, and lots of freebies. These are the qualifications we wanted as we scout for a resort. Then we found Lola's Beach Resort. A public resort in Laiya, Batangas that almost fulfilled our qualifications. Trivia: Lola is a local term for grandmother. The resort is called Lola Beach Resort because the owner of this place is already a grandmother - named, Lola Tekla.

Serves as our home for an overnight (Photo from Lola Beach Resort FB Page)

Lola Beach Resort is a non-private resort so there is no entrance fee implemented in this place. Aside from that, they have 5 rooms to choose from which can accommodate large group. We were 9 in the group and we chose Room #4 to spent an overnight. It costs 5,500 Php per night which includes a refrigerator, bathroom, kitchen with stove, dinning table, spacious receiving area, and (1) AC room with 4 beds that can accommodate 3 persons each bed. A free large nipa hut near the beach was granted to us as a freebie. Yeah!

This is how it looks like as you enter Room #4 (Photo from Lola Beach Resort FB Page)

The are 4 beds in the AC room and 1 bed outside of it (Photo from Lola Beach Resort FB Page)

Small bathroom and our free hut! (Photo from Lola Beach Resort FB Page)

There is also a Sari-sari store inside the vicinity of Lola Beach Resort which is good if you need something like soap, shampoo, canned goods, alcoholic beverages, etc. Another key factor why we chose Lola is because of its accessibility to wet and dry market. Since the room we got has a stove, might as well cook our own food instead of buying ready-to-eat food which is not ideal if we wanted to save money. Fresh fish, chicken, pork, and vegies are available in a market nearby. It is just a 5-10 mins walk away from Lola Beach Resort and it is hard to miss out.

We don't have any problem with the staff of Lola. They gave us a warm welcome and were all friendly. Lola Tekla even visited us in the house. Even at her age, she still manage to walk and checked out her guests. They also let us borrowed some kitchenware like plates, spoons and forks, knife, frying pan, etc...

After doing the grocery that we will be using for our whole stay, we decided to have a swim. I don't know if it is normal but the temperature of the water there is a bit warm. However, the water level there is gradually changing from shallow to deep so it is also ideal for non-swimmers. Apart from splashing on the water, we also had some fun games like creating sand castles. We divided the group into 2 to compete and let our creativity shine! Lol.

Fun time in the water (Photo from Thea Velasco)

D' Castle builders. Which is better? (Photo from Thea Velasco)

never mind... hahaha (Photo from Thea Velasco)

It's time for some water activity. One of the facilitator of Lola Beach Resort offers us a banana boat ride. Note: Standard fee for this ride is 1500 Php for 15 mins and is good for 5 pax. Only 6 of us are willing to try the Banana Boat so we divided the group into 2 again. One group decided that they will only go for a plain ride while the other group wants the extreme ride wherein the Banana Boat will turn sideways and riders will be toss into the air (of course, I am included on the 2nd option). It was my first Banana boat ride and I really do had fun. After that, we were also offered to try the boat ride going in the snorkeling part of Laiya. Again, the weather/rain stops us from doing that. We didn't take risk. Safety first.

Photo op before the water activity starts (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Team Extreme and Team Unexpected Fall (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Love the part when we are being toss in the air! Thrill part of the Banana Boat ride (Photo from Thea Velasco)

After almost 5 hours in the water, Jean and Ate Cath (the cooks) called us for dinner. It was one of the best dinner I have ever had! It was just a grilled fish, grilled liempo, plain rice and Ferdie's sawsawan recipe but it was a perfect combo! We all ate like a construction worker and seems like there's no tomorrow. I can still imagine how good it was as I blog this entry. Yum!

After the dinner, everybody washed up while others take some short naps before we continue on our socials. We drink all night till dawn and laugh. We also celebrated Jean's birthday. By the way I would also like to mention Donna because she took the responsibility for washing our dishes for this whole trip :] Thanks Donna!

The chef, the assistant chef, the dishwasher and the lazy boy (Photo from Thea Velasco)

The next day, we were all surprised to see the big waves. I actually planned to have a boat ride that time unfortunately it was really impossible. Just simply refer on the photos below to see how dangerous those big waves are. Having said so, instead we took that chance to have a photo op.

Big waves at my back! (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Next time we'll make sure that the weather condition is clear from LPA (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Polaroid shots from Jean's Instax camera (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Our most perfect jump shot that day...  (Photo from Thea Velasco)

Trying to catch viewer's attention but Claire outstage me here. Aw

We left Lola Beach Resort at around 3:00 PM. One of the caretaker called a jeepney that took us to Alps Terminal Bus and costs 35 Php per pax. Even though it seems like everything was against this trip, we still manage to enjoy and relax away from our busy life in the city -- not bad!

Breakdown of Expense:
Accommodation: 5,500 Php (divided into 9 persons)
Banana Boat: 1500 Php (divided into 6 persons)
Food: 250 Php (group contribution) good for 4 meals
Pasalubong: 300 Php (makapuno, espasol, etc..)
Transportation: estimate of 450 Php Two way (can't give you a breakdown since we
originated in Batangas port and we just rented a private van from there)

Lola Beach Resort
Balacbacan, Laiya Aplaya, SanJuan Batangas
Contact # Alex Atienza: 0917-3643602 | Ronald Atienza: 0919-6807597

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