The Town of Taal

Get on a Lemery-bound bus to get to the town of Taal. A fourth class municipality in the province of Batangas, Taal is famous because of the Taal Basilica of Saint Martin de Tours which one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia. Used to be made of corals and eggshells, but due to different calamities the church had numerous renovations inside and out. 

   

Near the church is the Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay, where the image of the Lady is said to be miraculous; according to the devotees and churchgoers whenever the image is moved to a different location, it always return to the shrine.

A walk in the town is like transporting back in time, for it will take you to houses-turned-museums. Like that of Teodora Agoncillo who sewed the first Philippine Flag and her husband First Philippine Diplomat Felipe Agoncillo. Their former residence is home to different historical memorabilia.

   

The  Maliputo, one of the two types of fish found only in Taal lake, is a delicacy one should not miss while in Taal, Batangas and never forget to visit the workshops that produced Barong Tagalog.

My 29 Mountains

I started my mountaineering activities when I was in college with the Manuel L. Quezon University Stallions Outdoors Club (MSOC). But ever since I was a kid together with my friends we will always do some outdoor activities like uphill hike

 or river jumps. I was introduce to camping when I joined the Boy Scout of the Philippines, I participated jamborees as far as Surigao City in the south and Baguio up north. Bagging badges such as pathfinding and hiking to name a few.

On August 21, 1999 I had my first taste of mountaineering at Mt. Romelo, Famy, Laguna. 

To date I have a total of 29 different mountains all aro

und the Philippines. Not included are

the numerous revisit climbs I did. My last climb was Mt. Hibok-hibok

 on April 19, 2010. Here are the complete list of my climbs:

1. Mt. Romelo 240 MASL Laguna
2. Mt. Marami 405 MASL Cavite
3. Mt. Pundaquit 464 MASL Zambales
4. Mt. Gulugod-Baboy 525  MASL Batangas
5. Mt. Tayak 560 MASL Laguna
6. Mt. Talamitam 630 MASL Batangas
7. Mt. Pico de Loro 664 MASL Cavite
8. Mt. Daguldol 670 MASL Batangas
9. Mt. Sembrano 745 MASL Rizal
10. Mt. Manabu 760 MASL Batangas
11. Mt. Kalisungan 760 MASL Laguna
12. Mt. Batulao 811 MASL Batangas
13. Mt. Maculot 830 MASL Batangas
14. Mt. Cinco-Picos 881 MASL Zambales
15. Mt. Malipunyo 1005 MASL Batangas
16. Mt. Arayat 1026 MASL Pampanga
17. Mt. Makiling 1090 MASL Laguna
18. Mt. Balingkilat 1100 MASL Zambales
19. Mt. Asog 1140 MASL Camarines Sur
20. Mt. Natib 1253 MASL Bataan
21. Mt. Hibok-Hibok 1332 MASL Camiguin
22. Mt. Cristobal 1470 MASL Quezon
23. Mt. Banahaw de Lucban  1875 MASL Quezon
24. Mt. Isarog 1966 MASL Camarines Sur
25. Mt. Guiting-Guiting 2057 MASL Romblon
26. Mt. Banahaw 2158 MASL Quezon
27. Mt. Napulauan 2642 MASL Ifugao
28. Mt. Pulag 2939 MASL Benguet
29. Mt. Apo 2956 MASL Davao del Sur

My Camiguin Day 1

An island born in fire, a paradise located north of Misamis Oriental, the first place in Mindanao where I traveled alone. I started my Camiguin sojourn in Davao City. I bought my ticket and rode the Rural bus bound to Cagayan de Oro and from there, I went to Balingoan, Misamis Oriental to catch the first ferry going to the island. It was a gloomy morning and I know there is a possible rain ahead. But it didn't dampen my spirit to visit the best tourist destination in the Northern Mindanao region. 

I reached Camiguin, at the Port of Benoni, after 14 hours of travelling by land and sea. I have to ride a jeep in able to reach the town of Mambajao (Mam-ba-haw). It was a cloudy day and an evidence of a rainy night was all around the place. I alighted at the public market and walk my way to the cheapest hotel available in town, GV hotel. I took a bath and rest for awhile, savoring the softness of the bed I never had from the entire trip.

I decided to start my day in Camiguin by buying foods and stuff that Im going to use for the entire stay in Camiguin. Mine was an open itinerary I don't know how long I am going to roam the island. My very first destination in Camiguin was the Katibawasan Falls. This spectacular waterfalls about 5km from Mambajao drop at 40m high into a pool beside a perfect picnic spot. The water is cold, never tested to swim for I was already having a cold moment because of its elevation. 

My second destination was the Philippine Institute Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) site where the monitoring of activity of the mountains in Camiguin takes place. I saw the pictures of Mt. Hibok-hibok 1950's eruption. 

But my day never end on these destinations. After PHIVOLCS I go back to the hotel take a bath, got a massage, and take a nap. It was already dark when I decided to go and check out Camiguin at night. I took my dinner at a carinderia, they have a lot of food that are new to me so I opted for the familiar, meat balls in sweet and sour sauce that cost 10 pesos/pc and a 5 pesos cup of rice. After that I went to a local beer house, it is more of a karaoke bar minus the standup comedian. I met some locals and invite for a drink, and being person who loves adventure I obliged to their invite had my three bottles of pale pilsen. Thats how my first day in Camiguin ended. I still managed to go back to the hotel.

Damage for my first day in Camiguin

Davao to CDO - 550 pesos

CDO to Port of Balingoan - 136 pesos

Port to Camiguin Island - 135 pesos

Port or Terminal fee - 2.25

Breakfast at Balingoan 45 pesos

Port of Benoni to Mambajao, Camiguin - 23 pesos

Marketing - 300 pesos

Hotel - 330 pesos

Visit to Katibawasan and Phivolcs - 180 pesos