Slowly, the cable car descended from the escarpment and onto the lush valley below. Facing the red sandstone rock wall, the view opened up, revealing its massive face, eroded by time. The jagged pillars protruding like fingers from the east side of the wall came into view, what locals call the Three Sisters, and a few moments later, the canopy of the massive trees enveloped us. Ladies and gentlemen, we just descended to the Jurassic rainforest of the Blue Mountains.

SCENIC WORLD AT THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

What we really came to the Blue Mountains for was Scenic World. It’s a family-owned business that run various rides—no, not theme park rides—at the Blue Mountains. We saw it thru one of the many tours that Klook offers in and around Sydney. It’s located on a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is only an hour and a half by train from Sydney, so we thought, why not?

Surrounded in bluish haze, we stood transfixed in front of three enormous jagged sandstone rocks rising proudly from a forested valley, almost a thousand meters below. The Three Sisters—legend has it that these were three girls from the Katoomba Tribe who fell in love with three men from its neighboring Nepean Tribe. Forbidden by law from marrying, the men took the sisters, promptly starting a war. An elder shaman then turned the sisters into stones, trying to protect them, but unfortunately, got killed during the war. No one else since was able to turn them back.

THE THREE SISTERS AT THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

But it was all a hoax. The legend isn’t a legit aboriginal story but was something purportedly made up by a local to stir more interest to the landmark. But the Three Sisters need no legend, it’s a legend in itself.

An islet within a volcanic lake within a natural lake, all within another island—Luzon Island, that is. It took me a while to figure out what the island within a lake that is on an island within a lake that is on an island phrase that kept coming up whenever Taal Volcano is mentioned, totally forgetting that Luzon is an island too, lol!

VULCAN POINT, AN ISLET IN THE MIDDLE OF TAAL VOLCANO’S CRATER

I visited this conundrum of a volcano a couple of years back, remembering it after a failed hike from our Taal Vista Hotel staycation. Tired from always looking at that volcano in the middle of Taal Lake from the many restaurants lining the Tagaytay ridge, I, together with a few companions decided to finally take that ride down to the town of Talisay and see the volcano up close.

Up more than a hundred meters above the emerald waters of Boracay, we spied three small beaches lined with the island’s celebrated white powdery sand. These, unfortunately, falls near a land owned by a big resort and are usually off limits to the public. It was something we wouldn’t have seen if not for the vantage point we were in. No, we’re not on a helicopter tour of Boracay, we’re somewhere a lot cheaper but with relatively the same view sans the mobility, Mount Luho.

HOW ABOUT A VISIT TO MOUNT LUHO?

It was almost lunchtime but we were still waiting for one of our friends to arrive in Boracay. With nothing to do, one of the staff at Ferra Hotel Boracay suggested we visit the nearby Mount Luho. Well, we’re still full from their breakfast buffet anyways, so why not.

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From our window at Song Anh Hotel, I spotted an antenna tower jutting from a low cliff lined with terraces of vegetation. Visiting Sapa without trekking is indeed possible, we hate trekking, but to let the panoramic view we witness day in and day out from our lodging without actually stepping foot on it was, I guess, unforgivable. So one misty afternoon, we decided to forego our usual town jaunt and headed over to that particular antenna. We have no idea what we would see there, but what the heck.

VIOLET ROAD IN SAPA

CREW BREAK, ONE OF THE MANY CONSTRUCTION SITES IN SAPA

Our route took us down Fansipan Road, rounding the bend to Violet. Passing numerous constructions—development in Sapa seems to be on the fast track—the streets were deserted and the sun started to reveal itself. Still, the air felt nippy and the walk was pleasant enough.

It was inevitable. We had to do something while in Maligcong. We were on our third day of doing nothing and the pressure was building. Guests at the homestay were coming and going, and us, we’re still sitting our asses off, alternating between cold beer and hot mountain coffee in between meals at the veranda. Our host was already harried, wanting to guide us herself to the peaks of Mount Kupapey for the sunrise and Mount Fato for the sunset. We were unfazed. But yes, we have to at least do something while in Maligcong.

MORNING DEW ALONG THE RICE PADDIES

IT’S STILL CLOUDY, BUT WE’RE SET ON MOVING

And so it was that one morning, as the rain finally abated to a very light drizzle, we donned our cameras, put on our hiking shoes and headed to the rice terraces of Maligcong. The jump-off from Suzette’s Maligcong Homestay was a mere five minutes away and we were there in no time, going down a narrow concrete stairways for the locals and into the stairway of the gods.

My throat was parched and my breathing, ragged. I trudged, unwillingly, for a few more steps uphill before I turned my back. The view blossomed like a flower right before my eyes; four coves ringed with white beaches, cradling jade green waters within its embrace. Dividing them, a range of craggy peaks rose into a falsetto, their surfaces a grassland of dried bushes, golden brown against the lively greens of the sea, dotted with notes of green trees here and there. I took in the fresh breeze, breathing it fully, savoring its fresh salty taste before letting Padar Island’s panorama take it all away again.

We treaded along a dusty trail with the utmost quietness; climbing slowly up a hill, each step sending loose small rocks rolling behind us. What we’re on the lookout for, dragons. Not the mythical fire-breathing Targaryen types, but a smaller, more real one—the komodo kind. As we crested the hilltop, we couldn’t help but loudly marvel at the sight before us; the island’s verdant foliage meeting with the aquamarine sea, and beyond, brown rugged mountains dotted with sparse trees. “Shhhh,” our guide said.

AN ADULT KOMODO DRAGON RESTING AFTER A MEAL

We were at the Indonesia’s famed Komodo Island and we’re here to see the largest living reptile in the world, the komodo dragons. And even though these creatures are deaf towards very low and loud sounds, their sense of smell, which they utilize using their forked tongues like their reptilian kin, is extremely sensitive. With the searing weather, our sweat-drenched bodies were definitely a prime target.

Tired, sweaty and caked with orangey dust, we beheld the island of Koh Phi Phi Don from above with the far-off silhouette of Koh Phi Phi Leh hovering in the hazy distance. Unwillingly, we found our way to the island’s peak, at its famed view point. But what we were really hoping to see was Koh Phi Phi’s Long Beach, instead, the mountains called us.

THAI LONG-TAIL BOATS DOCKED AT KOH PHI PHI

We departed early from the Bayview Resort Phi Phi, me with surf shorts and C, with bikinis on. We even passed off the resort’s breakfast buffet, wanting to arrive early at Kho Phi Phi’s almost kilometer-long Long Beach to lounge along its sandy shore and swim about its aquamarine waters.

The Smashing Pumpkins rumbled through the chorus of Today on my iPod as I climbed the final steps towards the viewing deck of Mount Pinatubo. I was panting a bit, not really used to hiking for hours. I stepped towards the chasm and looked out upon the crater that has caused so much trouble to people of Central Luzon. I suppressed a gasp.

Everyone knows what a cliché it is to have a view take one’s breath away. But you won’t care about that once your eyes lay upon Mount Pinatubo’s emerald crater.

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At long last we heard the gush of rushing waters.

We were told that President Roxas’ Liktinon Falls was a mere fifteen minutes away from the Barangay Bayuyan jump-off point. Knees shaking, out of breath and ready to collapse, it took a good hour and a half before we reached one of the hidden waterfalls of Capiz.

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It was the third day of our Capiz trip courtesy of the Roxas City Tourism Office. After munching on local kakanins at the Pontevedra Market, the group headed to the town of President Roxas to chase waterfalls. The jump-off trail looked quite easy and relaxed.

But looks can indeed be deceiving.

It was our last day in Ifugao and I’m having a major hang-over. The night before was a whirlwind of hotel rooms, jumping over the next one as soon as the booze and stories ran out. After the nth room, my vision swirled, I lied down on someone’s bed and promptly passed out.

I awoke in my own room with only a few minutes left to pack up, take a bath, rush up, have breakfast and run to our bus. I didn’t make it, the bus left without us. Luckily only to town, they’d be back again for the long haul to Ifugao’s oldest town, Kiangan.

I slept most of the way over, opening my eyes only as our bus entered the Kiangan Shrine. My head still throbbing a bit, we transferred to a jeepney and zoomed away to the town’s own rice terraces.

Five months ago I got to visit the Rice Terraces of Hapao due to the insistence of a guide I unfortunately got introduced to. He kept on insisting that I should visit Hungduan since it was the greenest of all the terraces at that time. With really no other choice, being low on cash, I finally agreed.

It was my second time to check out Hungduan’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hapao’s sprawling rice terraces, this time with the cast and crew of PHILTOA as part of the familiarization tour in Ifugao.

After more than an hour of hiking through sticky mud and light rain, the amphitheater-shaped terraces of Barangay Batad in Banaue finally came into view.

The Batad Rice Terraces is said to be the most beautiful of the five UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ifugao, scoring points against its other counterparts in Banaue, Hungduan and Kiangan. Although I’m not one to compare, I’d have to agree that Batad’s raw beauty is just breathtaking.

The path was muddy and the sky gray; it was constantly drizzling and it was not helping at all as we navigate the not-so-easy path to the amphitheater rice terraces of Batad in Banaue.

The PHILTOA crew started the day with a hearty breakfast at Banaue Hotel’s Imbayah Restaurant with hot mountain coffee, pastries, fried rice and regular morning Filipino fares. Clouds were rolling between the mountains across the window as we chowed down, storing up carbs for the long day ahead.

He flips the bamboo, scratches off thin strips off its outer skin using his sharp jungle bolo then clumps them together and starts vigorously rotating a small piece of wood over it. Seconds later a puff of white smoke emits from his work and fire eventually flare all over the bamboo strips.
Meet Kasuy, an Aeta jungle guide at Subic Bay Freeport’s forest, he’s gonna be our survival instructor inside the Pamulaklakin Forest Trail. He has been teaching American G.I.’s how to survive inside jungles before and he’s gonna be teaching those same things to us.

The first destination for the fifth day of the Lakbay Norte 3 tour was at La Union’s Holcim compound. Today we are going to walk; as evident on my blog’s name, I love walking be it on hard concrete or rough trails.

A brief introduction was in order before we took off. Holcim is a Swedish mining company that supplies cement and aggregates for construction. They have four cement production sites across the country and is one of the leading cement suppliers around the world. Sounds bad for our environment right?
So what’s an ecotrail doing in their production yard? It turns out Holcim isn’t like many of the big bad mining companies out there. They’re actually trying to promote a sustainable way of mining; greening their mining locations, making it as good or even better if its possible than when they first touched the land.

The Bacnotan Ecotrail in La Union is just one of their green projects. Made not only for the enjoyment of their staff, it is also meant as a recreational area for the general public as well.

Across North Pine’s verandah is a hill full of towering pine trees; I haven’t seen so much trees on a residential area in Baguio City. From morning coffees at the deck, I can see a trail leading deeper into the woods. We followed this dirt path one chilly afternoon, climbing upwards through pine-needled forest floor, passing joggers, bikers and horse riders. I’ve always been fond of trails and this one branches everywhere. After running around and getting lost for a bit, we eventually climbed a pass that led us to the grounds of Camp John Hay. Perfect, time for some ice-blended coffee!

After two years, I finally fulfilled my personal promise of revisiting Palawan’s enchanting Coron. The place was almost the same as before. Almost. The green rolling hills that wowed us during our previous trip is now arid brown due to the summer’s heat. As with our first visit, the first day was spent climbing the more than 700 steps of Mt. Tapyas. I’m glad to say it’s easier but not less rewarding the second time around.

Our stop at Banton’s Poblacion was really but a temporary one, our real destination was at the bukid (farm) where D’s grandparents live. And to get there, we either ride at the back of a motorbike through steep and winding roads, which is the only mode of transportation in the island, or walk. We chose to walk.

The hike looked simple enough on the map, crossing only three barangays. What the map didn’t show was the terrain we have to cross.

We started out at exactly nine in the morning, moving southwards from Poblacion. The roads were easy, just a few meters from the sea. Palms and all sorts of leafy trees line up the paved roadway.