To the Filipino hiker, Mt. Kinabalu isn't as hard the way conventional Filipino mountains are hard. Where Filipino mountains rely on natural trails (a root becomes a step, a branch, your foothold), Mt. Kinabalu is 80% stairs. This means the best way to train for Kota is not exactly to run hills, or to climb… Continue reading Kota: Tips and Tricks (and Stuff I Wish I’d Known)
Tag: climbing
Kota Kinabalu
It’s been more than a week since the Kota Kinabalu experience, otherwise known as that time I stuck with a booking I made one month into the semester because I was already tired of the academic workload. And really, every time I close my eyes, it’s still the chilly air I feel, and the gentle… Continue reading Kota Kinabalu
On Independence
Bakun is a relatively small poblacion in Benguet, and, like many of the towns in that part of the county, is quaint, quiet, and quite wonderful. (I like alliterations, so sue me.) --- On June 12-14, a group of acquaintances-turned-friends and I decided to climb three mountains dubbed as the Bakun Trio, famously called as… Continue reading On Independence
Birthday Realizations
It was 7:23 PM when it hit me. After months of getting horrified at the mere thought of being 21 (also known as becoming legal worldwide), I realized something. I'm actually not that scared. --- There were 13 of us in the jeep, 14 if you count the driver, and we've just climbed 3 mountains in… Continue reading Birthday Realizations
Traverse in verse (Balingkilat/Nagsasa)
i. Midnight — clambering on a bus; speedy entrances to nighttime vehicles, people. Dozens: asleep, dreaming, clutching a phone, or a bag, or an umbrella, or a memory. ii. Dawn — a sudden jolt. Arms stretched, waters drank, bags repacked, fist bumps exchanged, dialogues made: “Are you… Continue reading Traverse in verse (Balingkilat/Nagsasa)
Let’s play with words (xxx)*
Imagine this: 12 young adults lugging packs 1/3 their weight, half-groggy; most of them rubbing their eyes from the sleep that's threatening to overtake them completely; all of them yearning for a sense of adventure that one does not normally come across with sitting behind tables or hiding behind textbooks. 12 strangers-turned-friends scurrying to find their seats… Continue reading Let’s play with words (xxx)*
An attempt at remembrance
[I haven't written in a while, but I've been seeing a lot of mountain photos on my feed, and I hope this can serve as a reminder to leave no trace.) About a month ago, a group of friends and I climbed Mt. Maculate in Cuenca, Batangas, a very easy dayhike with a spectacular view… Continue reading An attempt at remembrance
Philippine Travels #8: Getting Lost and Getting There (and updates!)
My roommate and I have always been huge fans of never really making plans. One morning you'd see us just witnessing the sunrise from the nest we have made in the condo, and the next you'll just learn that we're already at the other side of the metro, a bus conductor wedged between us two… Continue reading Philippine Travels #8: Getting Lost and Getting There (and updates!)
Photo Log: Kalinga
I haven't posted these yet, and I keep reminding myself to but I always feel like I have something else to do once I'm seated and ready to type. But hey, better late than never! All photos are mine. Copyright 2014.
Misadventures and part-time bums
There are times in one's life when the only thing that sounds appealing is the thought of leaving everything behind and running (amok) in someplace anew. Sometimes, you get blessed with a few friends who would do just that with you. So last Sunday, some friends and I (with only the littlest nudging… Continue reading Misadventures and part-time bums
Of perpetual finds 