Zambales | Mt. Pinatubo Day Hike in Photos: The Crater

the beautiful Mt. Pinatubo crater

It was almost 29 years ago when one of the world's largest and most explosive volcanic eruption happened. I was then a part-time sewer in a small garment sub-contractor in my hometown. I, together with my co-workers, were stay-in sewers; that is, we live in the same building where we work. The night before June 15, we slept leaving our windows open, just as we normally do. In the morning of June 15, we woke up having sands (ashes) in our mouth. I looked out the window and saw thick ashes in our window sill and on the streets below.

There's no cellphones (smartphones) back then so we don't know what's happening. We went down and check out newspapers. Then we found out that Mt. Pinatubo, a stratovolcano located in the mountains of Zambales erupted. This hometown of mine is in Bauan, Batangas; around 172 kilometers from Mt. Pinatubo. Imagine that! Actually, it reached as far as the Indian Ocean (source), that's how explosive Mt. Pinatubo eruption was.  This wrath from Mt. Pinatubo and the Baguio earthquake (earthquake was felt in Batangas, too) are the two most unforgettable disasters I've experienced in my teenage life.

Mt. Pinatubo crater, at another angle

Fast forward 2015, I was with friends who are into mountain climbing, when I finally saw with my own eyes Mt. Pinatubo, a magnificent beauty created by a catastrophic disaster. It's such a beauty that it lures many tourists, both local and international alike. With the onset of dry season here in the Philippines, I'm quite sure Mt. Pinatubo will again be one of the top tourist destination in Northern Luzon. Most likely, blogs and IG posts will again be flooded with Mt. Pinatubo photos.

For those who are into nature tripping and photography, Mt. Pinatubo is a place to be. Going here is kinda pricey but it's all worth it. It's also quite an adventure riding a 4x4 along lahar-laden field surrounded by ash/sand walls and then concluded with a 2-hour trek to the crater. Come and see this beauty that is Mt. Pinatubo. 

By the way, in this post are various Mt. Pinatubo crater shots I took during our 2015 adventure. I hope these photos inspire you to go visit and see Mt. Pinatubo, too.

Welcome to Mt. Pinatubo

Mt. Pinatubo crater and my hiking buddy

foreign tourists, enticed by Mt. Pinatubo beauty

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Batangas | Trekking (Mt. Gulugod Baboy)/Swimming (Philpan Dive Resort) in Anilao

@ Mt. Gulugod Baboy, Anilao, Mabini, Batangas

Last April was my brother's scheduled vacation from his overseas job so I went home. I was just supposed to spend the weekend chatting with him and bonding with my nephew but since he just bought a car, we decided to just go on a road trip. We were supposed to go to MonteMaria in Batangas City but later on decided to just go to Anilao and hit the beach. I then remembered that I want to climb Mt. Gulugod Baboy so I suggested we climb it first then go on swimming later.

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Batangas | I've Met Good Samaritans in Mt. Batulao

Mt. Batulao, Nasugbo, Batangas

Mt. Batulao is probably one of the most (if not the most) climbed mountains near Metro Manila. It's proximity here in the Metro makes it an ideal weekend camping or hiking destination especially for beginners and wannabes. One bus ride (around 2 hours), a short tricycle ride and 2-3 hours of hiking and you will be amidst the beautiful landscape of ridges and rolling slopes of Mt. Batulao.

Mt. Batulao Peak

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Rizal | Our Journey to Kalbaryo (Calvary) Hill of Binangonan

Kalbaryo - Brgy. Libid, Binangonan, Rizal

Last October, during my "jobless" days, I was able to visit some nearby attractions here in Metro Manila. Two weeks before this Rizal road trip, we've been to Laguna, more for a food trip than a road trip, though...hehe. ;) Anyway, for our Rizal road trip, we visited Binangonan and Antipolo. In Binangonan, we tried to visit the municipality's parish church, the Sta. Ursula Parish Church. Unfortunately, since it was a weekday then, the church is closed so I just took some photos and then headed to our next destination: Kalbaryo Binangonan.

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Batangas | Hiking Taal Volcano (with 60-year old and 4-year old in tow)

Binintiang Malaki - Taal Volcano in the postcards ;)

It was more than a decade ago when I first climbed Taal Volcano, during our visit to a friend who is from San Nicolas, one of the towns situated alongside the lakeshore of Taal. It was a memorable hike, not only because I was with friends, but also because we had some misadventures then. It was a spur of the moment adventure so I'm not prepared, most of us actually. I'm wearing a pair of sandals then, girly sandals that got torn along the way. And with no one to guide us, we climbed the old crater (at least, that's what we were told), not the one with the bluish-green lake. In short, we got lost. On our way back, the lake was a bit rough I thought we're going to sink. And to think we have no life vests! Ahh... young and adventurous, that's what we are then...hehe.

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Adventures | Surviving Mt. Maculot Rockies

Mt. Maculot summit - view from the rockies

Mt. Maculot is one of the famous day-hike destinations near Metro Manila. It is located in Cuenca, Batangas and stands at the height of 930 MASL (meters above sea level) on the summit, 706 MASL on the rockies. It is considered a minor climb with difficulty level of 3/9 and trail classification of 1-3 (source: www.pinoymountaineer.com).

We planned our climb to Mt. Maculot end of September and scheduled it on the first weekend of October. A day before our climb, PAGASA issued a rain and thunderstorm warning in the vicinity of Batangas so I thought the plan would not push through, plus it's actually raining in Manila that time. However, a friend/mountaineer inquired from some of her friends if it's safe to climb Maculot when its raining and they said it's fairly safe, so off we go to Batangas the next day.

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Cavite | Overnight Camping at Pico de Loro

Mt. Pico de Loro - the summit

Except when I joined vibouac during my high school days, I never again experienced camping out.  It’s not because I am picky though. Camping out usually entails outdoor adventures which I am not that fond of. I am not an adventurous type of person. As I wrote in my Manalmon post, I'm more of a couch potato, hehe. But of course, I do get out of my comfort zone from time to time. :D

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Bulacan | Spelunking at Bayukbok Cave, a fun-filled yet life-threatening, extreme adventure

As I wrote in my previous post (Conquering Mt. Manalmon), I am not an active type of person; not into sports, not into any exercise regimen except for a short walk from my office in Ayala Avenue to MRT station (Ayala-EDSA), which of course is hardly strenuous.  But would you believe that I went through (unexpectedly, that is) an extreme, life-threatening adventure during our spelunking at Bayukbok cave?

The Pinay Wanderer, on a cliff inside Bayukbok cave

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Bulacan | Conquering Mt. Manalmon: A day-hike adventure

view from the Mt. Manalmon summit

I'm not an active type of person; couch potato, you may call me.  No regular exercise regimen, no strenuous activities. Certainly, no outdoor adventures.  For years, I've been like this. Boring, right? :D Recently however, I've decided to go out, to come out of my comfort zone; to join a group of friends on a day-hike adventure to Mt. Manalmon.

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