Tarlac: Capas National Shrine

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WALK FLY PINOY:
Travel, Photography, Asia
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Our route to Mount Pinatubo took us to Capas, Tarlac. Capas is a very historical town in Central Luzon. This is the site of Camp O'Donnell, an American army facility turned Japanese prisoner camp during World War II. This was the final stop in the historic Bataan Death March.


In memory of this episode in Philippine history, what now stands in the site is a war memorial dedicated to the Filipino and American soldiers who endured and fell throughout the 97-kilometer march. The site is now known as the Capas National Shrine or the Paggunita sa Capas.


The shrine is 54 hectares of parkland. In the center is a 70-meter obelisk surrounded by a black marble wall on which lay inscribed the names of the soldiers known to have died in Capas as a result of the death march. Thousands suffered the brutality and the inhumanity throughout the march. Many died en route to the camp.


It's by visiting places like these you get a sense of who you are and what your place is. You become humbled by the enormity of it all. The things you read in textbooks back in grade school start to mean something. They're not just words. They're people and places that changed the world as we know it.


My travel companions commented on the way home that we were lucky we weren't born during the war. I agree. At the same time, there is this huge responsibility for us. At the very least, we should never forget events like these, no matter how horrible and gruesome they may be. They are part of history, our history, our story. More than anything, it is that we should always remember.

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Camiguin: Early Morning at White Island

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WALK FLY PINOY:
Travel, Photography, Asia
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There was one more thing we were to do in Camiguin before we make our way back to the airport, and then back to being drones in our mundane worlds. We had to see Camiguin's one and only white-sand beach, White Island.


We had to get up early for this one. Our flights back to Manila/Cebu departs around 2 p.m. that day and the Cagayan de Oro airport was in another island, literally. It would take us at least 4 hours to get there from Bahay Bakasyunan in Camiguin.


Anyway, some of us, myself included, were a little apprehensive about forcing ourselves to get up that early. We were in vacation after all. But knowing we had to make the most out of our short stay, we got up and headed out. Totally worth it. Totally. The hues of the Mindanao sunrise that day was spectacular.


White Island is on the western side of Camiguin. Our hotel was on the eastern coast. The sun was high up by the time we got to the boats that will take us there. The small island can be seen from Camiguin's western coast. The boat ride will take you no more than 30 minutes.


White Island is actually only this strip of white sand, this sandbar, in the middle of the sea. The island has no shade, no trees, no land. Just sand. It still fascinates me how fine and white the sand was compared to how coarse and black the beaches are in Camiguin mainland.


We had a little swim, our photos taken (yes, jump shots included). It was our final relaxed moments before we headed back. Before we even got back to the city, though, stress crept its way up our faces. We ran a little late that five minutes later, we would have missed our flights.


All's good, though. We knew everything was worth it. There were eleven of us in this trip. Successful, I should say. And we never really realized it but we were in fact celebrating the twelve years that we've known each other. Twelve years. Twelve freakin' years! That's a long time. We did not know it back then but what we started in high school was going to stay with us for the rest of our lives. You couldn't get a friendship more real than that.

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Central Luzon: Trek to Mount Pinatubo

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Travel, Photography, Asia
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Having grown up during the 1990's, my view of Mt. Pinatubo has always been that of volcanic disaster in monumental proportions. Its June 1991 eruption destroyed much of the region, ending a way of life for many of the nearby residents, impacting global environment in its aftermath.


Now, almost two decades later, its 1991 caldera has formed a brilliant blue-green lake. Lake Pinatubo, they call it. Seeing it, how serene and peaceful it looks, you almost forget how much power it wields.


The idea of seeing it for myself came about last year when it became a popular site for mountain hiking and trekking. Some research told me how easy it was to organize a trip. It became even easier when I saw that local travel groups offered to take people there. So we signed up and away we go.


The whole adventure begins in the Pinatubo tourism office in Capas, Tarlac. From there, you take this 4x4 jeep. Indispensable, really, as it can negotiate its way through the desert-like lahar wasteland you need to pass through to get to the trek's jump-off point.


Getting to the caldera is easier now. Just a few years back, the trek would take one to two hours, as opposed to the 20 to 30 minutes it takes today. Back then, you spend more time on foot, than on the 4x4. What changed the whole game is this road they call the Pinatubo skyway.


The vast lahar wasteland ends at some point and all you have is this valley, this canyon, whose very rough terrain is only passable by foot. Thus, they paved their way on top of the mountain range, creating a road on the plateau--the skyway--bringing the trek's jump-off point closer to the destination.


The trek is easy enough. You can even follow the very clear trail to the crater by yourself. For those uninitiated in the ways of mountaineering though (such as myself), it will best to go with the guide the tourism office dispatches with the 4x4.


The morning we hiked our way to the crater, the weather was a little foreboding. The air was a bit cold and definitely wet. And there was this mist over the mountain peaks. Strangely enough, it heightened the whole experience. For me, at least.


The short trek was well worth the pay-off, excessively, if I may say so. Especially when that which will welcome you is this grand scenery, this beautiful landscape you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the country. At this point, the best thing to do is to sit down and take all of it in.

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Camiguin: Spring and Fall

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Upon arrival on Northern Mindanao's island paradise Camiguin, we did not waste any time laying around. After checking in Bahay Bakasyunan, we hopped on our van and headed off to see a "spring" and a "fall." Ardent Hot Springs and the Katibawasan Falls.


The road to Katibawasan Falls is a treacherous one. The waterfall is hidden somewhere in the island's interiors surrounded by a tropical rainforest. At some point, the pavement disappears and all you have is this dirt road on the side of a mountain. It is all worth, though. The waterfall is lush and beautiful.


Katibawasan is a really high waterfall. As you approach it, you will hear the sound of the water falling on the side of the cliff. And as you stand before it, cold wet wind will literally blow onto your face. Not surprisingly, the water here is very cold, like fridge cold. You'll have to suffer through it, though, to get near the spot where the water touches the ground. Being there, you will find yourself standing before something awesome and breathtaking.


Come to think of it, it is the first waterfall that I have ever seen in my life. Maybe that's why it took my breath that much. I'm really more of a "sea" person and I haven't done much forest exploring or mountain hiking. Only now do I realize that this was another first for me. That's good.


The other place we went to is called Ardent Hot Springs. They have a restaurant here so we ate here for lunch. They serve hearty Filipino dishes. So be prepared to stuff your faces. Anyway, as I am not really a big fan of hot springs, I didn't do any bathing or swimming. Instead, I practiced my slow-shutter-ethereal-water-photography or whatever it's called. :)

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Travel Log: Bitten

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Travel, Photography, Asia
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I stumbled upon this rather unassuming series on television once on the National Geographic called Departures. The show is basically a travel documentary. It caught my attention as I was flicking through the tube because, well, as a general rule, I stop clicking whenever some form of travel show is on.

I have heard it once or twice before but I heard it again on Departures. Before doing the show, one of the hosts showed his most precious collection of plane tickets and passes, gathered through his extensive journeys around the globe and back. Then he said something about the travel bug. It was something that bit him as a kid. He was bitten hard. My reaction was visceral. I smiled.

I'm guessing I, too, was bitten.

All my life, I have lived in the same city, spoke the same language, ate the same food, saw the same sights. So when I was taken out miles and miles away from where I lived for the first time, it was an experience.

For the first time, when people talk to me, my ears hear words but the words don't register. For the first time, I ate rice but wrapped neatly in a banana leaf weave. For the first time, my eyes were seeing views larger than what I thought the world was before.

In one of the trips I was organizing for a group of friends, one contemplated the thought of everybody just staying in the city and going for a corporate-sponsored run. Instead of the out-of-town trip, we'll just go for a fun run in the city. While that is indeed a viable option for some, to me that is just unthinkable.

When I set my mind to going somewhere or doing something, I make damn sure they happen. No matter the costs, no matter the time. It's not like travel opportunities will stop coming. It's more like, hey, the opportunity is already here, what's holding me up?

I am not judging here. It's just that to me, actually being in a place far from my daily routine, actually experiencing the air there, the ground, the sky, is incomparable to next to nothing.

Experiencing something totally new and something out of the ordinary breaks you free. Somehow, you get to experience a higher form of freedom. And I have yet to imagine anything greater than that.

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Northern Mindanao: From CDO to Camiguin

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WALK FLY PINOY:
Travel, Photography, Asia
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This Northern Mindanao trip was only to be done in three days and two nights. At this point, we have covered a lot, what with Cagayan de Oro's white water rafting and Bukidnon's zip lining. But there are roads that are yet to be treaded. So the next day at 5 a.m., we left CDO, and headed towards this region's island paradise, Camiguin.


To get to Camiguin from CDO, we rented out a van that took us from our hostel in the city center to Balingoan Port, Misamis Oriental. Travel from CDO to Balingoan takes around 1 to 1.5 hours. It was really early in the morning, so we got there within 40 minutes.


Balingoan Port is the port on Mindanao mainland closest to Camiguin Island. Ferries to Camiguin leave the port at around 1.5-hour intervals. So plan ahead. The ferry ride takes about 1 hour. You'll find yourself in Benoni Port, Camiguin in no time.


The hotel we stayed in the island was the Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin. Quite a poshy resort, I must say. It set us back 1.3K pesos each to stay here. A bit pricy, yes. But I would say that that's reasonable. For that price, we got pretty decent villas with well-designed interiors and a very nice, clean shower room.



What luxury in accommodation they had in excess, though, they lacked in food quality consistency and service. On the one hand, the pizzas and the eggplant parmagiana were outstanding and worth the money. On the other, you get 150 to 200-peso pasta dishes you can get for 30 pesos back at home. Food quality does not apply across the board is what I'm saying. And let's not get started with the breakfast buffet. Too few dishes and too early they stop serving. But anyway.


Now, Bahay Bakasyunan is on the eastern side of Camiguin island. So don't expect a romantic sunset in the evening. Quite a spectacular sunrise, though. But more on that later. For that night, I contented myself in calming the angry waves through my camera lens.

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Northern Mindanao: White Water Rafting & Zip Lining

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WALK FLY PINOY:
Travel, Photography, Asia
www.walkflypinoy.com

It was all so fast. A few minutes after we landed on mountainous Northern Mindanao, we were whisked away higher up the mountains to the starting point of our white water rafting course. We chose the advanced one (even though none of us really had white water rafting experience) solely because people who have tried this adventure told us so.


The starting point of the advanced course begins at some bridge by the Cagayan de Oro-Bukidnon border (CDO on one side of the river, Bukidnon on the other). We went with Kagay Adventures for this activity. They arrange these things for a fee, which may cover transfers, instructors, a photographer following you around, rafts, paddles and gear.


The advanced course runs for 4 hours. Of course, not all of time you'll be rafting through rapids. For the most part, you'll be floating along the river, which is very nice. Now I know, the prospect of being thrown off the raft, face smashed onto rocks, drowned by rapids, will seem frightening. Haha. But the experience is really enjoyable than what it seems. Photos above are from Kagay, which I don't think will ever do the experience justice.

~ o 0 o~
Right after the rafting course, we were again whisked to an even higher part of Northern Mindanao. We headed to Dahilayan, Bukidnon, around 1 to 1.5 hours from CDO proper. On the way there, you'll pass by what Bukidnon is known for. Hills upon hills upon hills of pineapple plantation. No kidding. Make sure to bring a van or any closed vehicle, though. The road is dusty as hell. We learned that the hard way. Don't ask.


The Dahilayan Adventure Park features, among many things, what they claim to be Asia's longest zip-line at 840m. From the park entrance, you need to be taken by 4x4 to the launch tower higher up the mountains. That's how far it is. You're strapped on the wires, prone position (i.e., Superman position), and when the safety personnel get the signal, away you go.


I think it's the closest thing you'll ever get to flying like a bird. You'll be soaring through fields and above trees. The ride (because ultimately that's what it is, an amusement park ride, just really amped up) is scary but by the middle of it, you'll learn to enjoy it. The best part is, the heavier you are, the faster you'll go. And faster is better. For me, at least.


It was late in the afternoon when we finished all of our thrill-inducing adventures. We boarded our ride and started the journey back down the mountain to Cagayan de Oro City. We were all exhausted by then. It was unforgettable, though, because I witnessed my first Mindanao sunset on the way.

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