It was still dark and raining when i woke up with a jolt. My alarm has been on snooze for the past hour, and i have 7 missed calls. The group that i was joining on this trip was already at the town where we're hiring four-wheel drives, and was just waiting for us scraggly slowpokes. What was supposed to be a carful of people was weaned to two.Two girls backed out at the last minute, and Henry unwisely thought we're supposed to meet at 730am in the city. We're meeting the group in Tarlac at 730.
The drive was fast and smooth, it took Romi 2 hrs to drive to Bgy Juliana, Capas, Tarlac. I slept through it, but the rain has stopped, and was still cloudy. We had five minutes to grab our things and jump in the jeep, and join the P&G people who are Romi's officemates.
Mount Pinatubo had been a sleeping giant until 1991, when it decided to spew out massive volcanic ashes which reached Metro Manila, making midday look like midnight, burying towns in lahar. Now as we drove through the sandy slush, it's nice to see some vegetation finally flourishing. It took us another hour to get to the jumpoff. The former jumpoff aptly called Skyway, was closed because of incessant rains. Thus what was supposed to be a 20-minute hike turned out to be 3 hours in this new, much-farther jumpoff. A bit of a problem for those who wore jeans and flip-flops, but still doable.
Accompanied by an able local guide, we began the easy hike to the crater lake. There were numerous stream-crossing, and after a couple of streams, my trail shoes were soaking wet. But it was that or wearing outdoor sandals, but the sand would rub against your skin, causing hotspots and blisters. We walked in the middle of a gorge, with soft, eroding walls of sand on either side. We were only allowed to walk in the middle, and not touch these walls. Yelling is not allowed, as the vibration might trigger a landslide. Four foreigners perished in these trails when they encountered a flashflood while camping. There was no way out.
 |
| four-wheel drive |
 |
| jumpoff |
 |
| narrow gorge |
 |
| crater lake |
 |
| poop break |
 |
| taken on poop break |
 |
| carabaos bathing |
 |
| mother aetas |
 |
| her kids |
Nevertheless, the view of crater lake made the trip worthwhile. The campsite had been turned into a mini-resort, with huts, manicured lawn, and a small store selling cold drinks. I had mixed feelings about the change-- sad to see this once-pristine grounds turn into something more touristy, ergo a lot more people will visit and make their impact on this mountain. On the other hand, it provides the locals with sustainable livelihood, and the campsite is maintained regularly. It even has a couple of toilets.
After guzzling down a chilled soda, we went down the lip of the mountain, to the edges of the crater lake. The lake was of a delicious opaque color of water-nixie green, the kind that makes me think of mermaids. The sulfur made it so, fortunately i couldn't smell it. There were people sunning themselves, some under their umbrellas, only a handful people were swimming. The water was freezing. There were boats piled in one corner, because boating isn't allowed at this time. The rains made the walls soft and could easily topple over you, and locals are afraid of having a mini-tidal wave causing boats to flip over. I wanted to swim over to warmer waters maybe half a kilometer away, but again it was not allowed. We're only allowed to swim in the small cove nearest the campsite.
I ate my packed lunch, after which i plunked down at a warm rock, and listened to music while i marvelled at the beauty in front of me. The surrounding walls were a deep green in most areas, while some a bare gray, revealing recent landslides. I couldn't take my eyes off the unusual shade of jade of the water, inviting me to take a dip. There was a bit of a breeze, making me wish for my jacket i left in the car. Friends who previously came here complained of the searing heat, but never because it was chilly.
I didn't take the plunge until the last minute. The water was cold, but as long as i keep moving, I did enjoy my swim. I can hardly see my feet, the water was so opaque.
Soon enough we had to start heading back. We were the only ones left. One of the girls in our group, the one in jeans, had some pain in her leg, the locals tried to heal it by hilot, the Filipino version of physical therapy/massage. She got better, and walked back on her own. One guy, from another group, didn't fare as well. We saw him lying down in one of the huts, his feet propped up. He sprained his ankle a few meters from the lip of crater lake. He couldn't put any weight on it. He needed to be put on a stretcher and carried down. He weighs 200 pounds. With a small prayer i muttered to myself, i wished him and his group luck and went on my way.
To make the trek more interesting, Romi and I decided to run some of the flat trails. We managed to pass all those who went before us, and arrived at the jumpoff after an hour fifteen.
We saw some Aetas along the way, kids playing on a boulder while their mother washed clothes by the stream. Carabaos were bathing.
On our way back the town, one of the passengers in our jeep asked the driver to because she needed to poop, she's having stomach problems. We're in the middle of a wide plain, with a few depressions by the streams. We gave her two umbrellas, and she walked off to a depression a few hundred meters from us and made her “claim” behind them. We pretended to be oblivious and took pictures of the landscape instead. She was abashed but smiling when she came back. If i were her, i'd wish i would just die. :)
The town had a nice clean public toilet to change clothes in, cheap but yummy street food to sate our appetites, cold sodas to quench our thirst. A few drunk locals wanted to have their photos taken wiith the celebrated Romi Garduce, one of the few Filipinos who has scaled Mount Everest, but didn't have any camera.
It was all-in-all a very lovely and interesting trip.
