Philex Ridge Hike: Unang Akyat

Espesyal ang galang ito dahil:

1. Unang akyat ko ‘to. (Hindi counted ‘yung araw-araw na pag-akyat ko sa kabundukan ng Cupang sa Antipolo para umuwi.)
2. First time sa Benguet maliban sa Baguio.
3. At first (in a long time) na isusulat ko ang backpacking trip ko sa Tagalog. ^0^
4. Ang pinaka-importante sa lahat, (medyo) on time ang blog entry na ‘to. Hahahaha

Simulan natin ang kwento.

11:30 pm ng July 25, 2015, nakasakay ako sa bus papuntang Baguio. Past 5 am, damang-dama ko na sa balat ko ang malamig na klima ng lugar. Pero bago pa man bumaba ng bus, nakangiti na ‘ko – dahil nakabalik ako ulet sa Baguio. :D

Nauna ‘ko sa mga makakasama ko sa pag-akyat. Sa Pasay kasi sila sumakay, sa Cubao naman ako. Bago maglagalag, pumasok muna ‘ko sa terminal para tingnan ‘yung schedule ng mga bus pabalik ng Cubao. Matapos ‘yun, labas na ulet, bitbit ang bag, naka-ready ang camera.

Syempre importante ang strawberry taho kung pupunta ka sa Baguio. Hehe. Kaya bumili ako. Di ko lang matandaan kung talaga bang 30 pesos na siya 3 years ago. 

Naglakad-lakad lang ako hanggang makarating ako sa UP Baguio. Nakakita ako ng isang cool na kung ano man tawag dun. Haha. Mukha siyang baga na gawa sa mga green na halaman and I kinda like the thought na may healthy-ng baga sa Baguio (dahil ‘yun naman talaga ang makukuha mo sa lugar with all those lush green trees and plants giving off nothing less than fresh and cool air to breathe). Ang cool lang.

Nasa UP pa din ako nung tumawag na si Sir Rai, ‘yung organizer ng akyat at sinabing nasa terminal na daw sila at nabilhan niya na din ako ng ticket pabalik ng Cubao. Kewl! Lakad na ‘ko ulet pabalik sa terminal ng Victory Liner. 

(Kilig na kilig ako habang naglalakad kasi may usok na lumalabas sa bibig ko kapag humihinga ako. I'm shallow like this. Haha!)

Inabutan ko sila sa labas ng 7-eleven.  Nandun na din ‘yung jeep na sasakyan namin hanggang sa starting point ng trek. Hinihintay na lang ‘yung guide.

Halos isang oras tumakbo ‘yung jeep bago kami bumaba at nag-ready nang umakyat. Start pa lang ng trek, assault na agad. Although sementado yung nilalakaran namin sa simula, wagas pa din 'yung pagkaka-incline nung daanan. Well, good morning to you too! Haha!

Ang isang importanteng bagay kapag umaakyat ng bundok ay ang tingnan ang nilalakaran mo. Isang maling hakbang, babay mundo ka.

Lakad, akyat, lakad, akyat. Nung medyo mataas na ‘yung naakyat namin, kahit hinihingal, nakangiti na naman ako. Ang ganda kasi ng view. Kita ‘yung mga malalayong berdeng bundok, asul na langit, at puting ulap. (Naks! Pa-deep!) Pero dun pa lang talaga, rewarding na. Pa’no pa nung narating namin ‘yung summit, di ba? (More on that later.)


Enjoy the pictures! :)

Sobrang fan ako ng mga puno so... :)

Sobrang ganda lang talaga!

Kinelangan namin mag-reroute dahil sa mga bakang ito. Hehe. 

Ang ganda lang!

Kita niyo yung bundok sa likod ko? Lalakarin pa namin 'yan. :)

Ito yung bundok kung saan ako nakatayo sa picture sa taas. Nakababa na kami ng bundok na 'yon tapos nasa taas na ng kasunod na bundok. May nadaanan ulet kaming herd ng mga baka. :)

Love this lone tree. :)

Fog in the middle of the afternoon.

Lakad. Lakad. Lakad.

What do you think happened to this tree? Nakidlatan?

Lakad pa din. :)

Bulaklak sa gitna ng mga damo.

'Di mapigilang 'di magpicture. :)

Thanks Sir Rai for these awesome photos! :)

At narating din namin ang bato. Halos tatlong oras na akyat-baba ng ilang bundok para marating ang batong 'yan. Sobrang worth it. :)

Gumapang ang fog sa itaas.

Start na ng trek pababa. Ang mag-asawang 'yan ang mga kasama kong bumaba. Naiwan pa 'yung iba kasi napuno na ng fog yung paligid nung makarating sila dun sa bato so wala silang makuhang magandang pic. Nauna na kami. :)

Another lone tree. :)

Baby pine tree!

Almost zero visibility. So, 10% visibility? Hehehe

Ganda. Parang entrance sa magical land. Hehehehe.

Akyat ulet!

Muling na-encounter ang mga bakang ito. Kinelangan ulet naming tatlo mag-reroute para iwasan sila. Nanunuwag ba ang mga baka? Hindi namin ni-risk though. Iwas na lang para safe. Hehe.

Nag-start umulan nung malapit na 'ko makababa. Ang mga bulaklak na 'to ang naging guide ko nung hindi ko na alam kung sa'n dadaan. Natandaan kong nadaanan namin 'to nung paakyat. Mag-isa na lang ako this time. Naiwan na 'yung mag-asawa. Walang mapagtatanungan. :)

Matapos ang halos pitong oras na akyat-baba at lakad sa mga bundok, ito ang premyo ko sa sarili ko. Yum!

Session Road

Hindi pwedeng umalis ng Baguio nang hindi muling natitikman ang Choco Leche Flan na ito sa Sizzling Plate sa Session. (Pagkatapos mapadaan sa isang book sale at bumili ng dalawang libro at bumili ng pasalubong sa palengke.)

Sobrang astig at saya ng buong experience. Nakakapagod pero sobrang sarap mamundok. Ang sarap huminga ng sariwa at malamig na hangin. Ang sarap makakita ng pagkadami-daming puno at malapalit sa ulap.

'Di ko alam kung pa'no tatapusin 'tong blog entry, kaya ganito na lang bigla na lang mawawala. :P

Magic Mike XXL and Women Empowerment

The movie has gained its fair share of popularity – both the first installment and this year, the sequel that fans had to wait for three years.

I haven’t watched the first one and honestly speaking, it was because I wasn’t affected by the hype it received three years ago. So, what made me decide to watch it now?

I guess, one, because I’m older now. Two, I have girlfriends to watch the movie with. And when I say that, I mean TWO sets of girlfriends. Yup! Magic Mike XXL is the first movie I ever watched twice in the cinema. The. Very. First.

Here’s why.

1. Channing Tatum.

Okay, we might have different ideas about him but let me tell you mine. I didn’t watch the movie for him. At first. I don’t find him all that good looking. Okay looking, yes. Good looking, not much. So why? Words from friends say that he’s a really great dancer and that he starred in Step Up. I watched Step Up and didn’t see him there. I just don’t know him. But they say he’s a great dancer, so okay. I love dancers. :D

The movie started and boy can he dance! My fave parts of the movie are all of his dance parts. ALL OF ‘EM! The one in his work studio, the one in the “House”, and of course, that finale dance performance. Woah!

Disclaimer: That’s not the main reason why I like Channing now. It’s ‘cause of his teeth. Yep. They’re slightly crooked and I just realized that I really really really love his teeth. That I love crooked teeth. (Sungki in Tagalog, or did I use a wrong English term for it?)

2. Women Empowerment

Now, I wouldn’t put those words in the title of this blog entry if I didn’t think that it suits the movie and what I am about to share with you now.

In a world dominated by men – those with the physical power and those who “wear the pants” as they once called it, women are struggling every day to prove their worth, fight for their rights, their ideals, and do and get what they want without being called names.

The movie speaks to the senses. Women’s senses. Their desires to be worshipped, to be treated as Royals, and be able to get what they want, how they want it, and when they want it.

I love Jada’s character and what she was doing in the movie. She built an empire of her own where every woman who finds herself there is considered a Queen. And those little, witty speeches during the peak of the movie, those messages, should transcend the movie screen and be heard by every woman in the world.

The movie, sensual as it is, suggests freedom of expression to women about their sexual desires and how they want their men to worship their bodies and respect their minds. So, in comes the sexy choreographies and women, not caring about anything in the world, simply enjoying them. I enjoyed it a lot too! Haha!

Historically, culturally, and socially, men are to do the courtship, ask for marriage, call the shots, decide, and rule while women stay on the idle side to wait, be patient, and obey. Interestingly, even in human genetics, women are designed to “wait” for men. Women’s fertile eggs wait for the very first sperm to get in contact with it and together, they will create an offspring. While waiting, the egg is open to accommodate the sperm then shuts close and would not accommodate anything more once the egg found its partner. (Monogamous much? You bet!) Not unless two or more sperms (results to twins and multiple births) got to her at exactly the same time. (Identical twins, on the other hand, is the result when one sperm splits in two while inside the egg). Hah! Some Science lessons we had there. :P

The point is, women have always played the role of the patient and obedient one and they are expected to remain so. Those women who chase after what they want are easily labeled with words that rhyme and are synonymous to glut.

I like this movie because I’m a woman and I’m a feminist (as all women should be, I believe). Women should be free, and by that I also mean free from criticisms, to express their selves, say what they want, do what they want, demand what they believe they deserve, and be granted with all these without having to explain anything or answer to anybody.

I won’t list down the things men can openly do that will earn bad opinions from the society once done by women. We all know what those things are. Directly and indirectly, those things have been fed to our consciousness by the society that we, powerless against something we, ourselves created, never question the logic behind them.

On a brighter note, I lied. (If you can see lying in the bright side, that is.) I wouldn’t have watched this movie twice in the cinema if it only talked about women empowerment. There are definitely other movies out there that speak of the same message. The main reason is the dance numbers, smooth and sexy and exciting and celebratory and well, Channing’s sungki.

These are my opinion and I’m not ashamed to speak of them. Cheers!

Shared this fun, womanly experience with these ladies. :)

Batch 1

Batch 2 :)