Mount Espadang Bato

March 12, 2022 - Saturday

Montalban, Rizal

Reunion Hike with TeamTraverser!

After two years, I've finally done two things I love the most.

First, hiking! I love exploring mountains,

enjoying the trails, the breathtaking view,

the stories shared with co-hikers.

Second, bonding with friends!

It was never a dull moment when you spend time with friends,

especially if you haven't seen each other for a long time. 

Team Traverser has been my friend since 2016,

back when I started joining hikes

and stepping out of my comfort zone to meet new people.

These people eventually became my friends. 

For this day's reunion hike, we went to Montalban, Rizal

via a friend's car.

Our destination: Mount Espadang Bato

at Barangay Mascap, Montalban, Rizal.

We met in Cubao at 5 in the morning. 

We had a stopover at 7/11 to have some coffee

and while waiting for our other friends - Jan and Joy.

Right there at that time,

we decided to hike Mount Espadang Bato.

It was all our first time going there.

We even lost our way going to the jump off area

and started our hike a bit late. 

After more than two hours with lots of  ‘take five’

or short stops to rest, we reached the summit.

The mountain has become well known

because of its rock formations that look like a giant sword

and also the scenic backdrop when you take a photo here. 

It felt good to be back on top of a mountain.

I didn't hike for the last two years

so I easily got tired during the ascents.

But the pain was worth it when you're on top.

And I also missed the forestry trail. 

Since the pandemic and several lockdowns,

hiking has been prohibited.

When we went there,

we were the third group to hike. Unlike before,

hundreds were flocking to the mountains

especially on weekends.  

Looking forward to seeing more people

will go back to hiking soon. 

Current tour guide fee is 500 pesos for 5 pax. 

And we paid 100 pesos each since we were 6 in the group. 

We also paid a registration fee at the Barangay of 20 pesos each. 

By 1 pm, we were back in the jump off area

and had our lunch in a nearby cafeteria.

Then we headed to Wawa Dam where we rented a cottage

and had a dip on the river.

After that, we also had dinner at SM Fairview

before we finally parted ways. 

I was happy reconnecting with nature and friends

and I can't wait to have more moments like this

as we are eventually going back to normal. 

Fingers crossed.

Thank you Lord God for keeping us safe and for always providing for us.

Thank you for the time spent with friends

and we were able to see your creation's beauty once again on a higher view.

Welcome To My Plantita Life and Journey

 Date Written: July 31, 2021

What do you do during your free time aside from being a couch potato and scrolling on your Social Media feed?

What makes you get up early in the morning?

Let me share with you my away-from-the-Social-Media journey that I have just started in April of this year. 

It all started with 10 pieces of water spinach that we bought in the market. Instead of throwing the lower part  of the stems which we don't  include when we make dishes out of this vegetable, I then decided to just plant it. My husband also picked some cuttings of Kamote Tops near our street.

 

I soaked it in water and let the roots grow from it. One week later, the branches  started to bear another tiny branch with leaves.

Before I planted these stems, I already watched some tutorial videos on YouTube and I learned  how to make self -watering plant containers out of pet bottles. 

I applied what I have learned.

And since we are living in an apartment and we are on the third floor, my greatest challenge was space and soil to use.  Also the plots to use were a problem.

But as they say, if there's a will, there will always be ways; so I asked my neighbors for empty pet bottles and soil.  

And yey! My plantita life finally started. 

I just realized recently what my dreams really are, my retirement plan and one of it is to have my own farmland. I believe that  in farming, we'll have a sustainable life. If everyone knows how to plant, we will never get hungry. 

Also, all the products in the market are getting high due to inflation or different economic situations, and it won't affect us if we have food planted or produced around us.

It was also my dream to harvest my own fruit and vegetables straight from my own farm.

And I strongly believe that this dream has been the trigger for my planting journey.

Currently, the balcony of our apartment already has several plants. I still have my water spinach, then alugbati, bell pepper, tomatoes, rosemary, spring onion, aloe vera, chili,pechay, calamansi, oregano and I also have a pot of snake plant inside our room. It was just so addictive that I kept on adding plants to my collection. 

Planting also keeps me busy during my free time. 

My plants also motivate me to wake up early, get up from my bed and go see them.

Planting time or watering the plants goes first before my cup of freshly brewed coffee. And I'm okay. 

Also, there were times that I was working from home and when I got stressed, I just went to the balcony and looked into my plants. My cloudy mind and emotions became lighter again. 

I also made my own composts as fertilizers for my plants. 

I also bought loam soils and every time I make new plant pots, I mix the soils and compost that I have. Composting also lessens our kitchen wastes. By just properly composting - which I've learned online, there'll be no foul smells of your composts.

By looking at my plants, I felt excited as if I  am one step closer to my dreams. 

I am learning everyday. 

It is also a bonus joy during harvest time!

I don't believe in green thumb. 

I don't even believe that I have that. 

I'm just trying hard every day, I learn from my mistakes, and apply what I have learned.

Experiences will really take us somewhere. 

I was once a starter and I just thought that I'll just give it a try to make something productive out  of boredom. I didn't know that I would enjoy it this much. I have killed plants from the past (until now actually) and then believing that I don't have a green thumb. But because of my future plans that I am strongly pushing to get done, I won't give up planting and never will quit.

For those who want to start planting or just recently into planting, I personally guarantee that you will love the fruits of your labor.

Just don't stop learning, don't give up, and always give time to have peace of mind.

Yes, planting relaxes my mind. 

It's a bit messy but beautiful in the end. 

Even though we have limited space and resources, just start with one and look how far you'll go with your plant life journey.

So there!

This is me and this is my plantita journey. 

I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoy my life now with my plants!

A Glimpse of Eastwood

March 7, 2021

A sleepless city with full of bars and restaurants, call office centers or BPOs, high rise buildings, condominiums, malls and parks, coffee shops, churches, murals, and a lot more. I would personally relate these words to Eastwood City. This humble yet classy 18.5 hectares business center is very close to my heart as I’ve lived here since 2012. Located in Quezon City and was established by the Megaworld Corporation last 1997. It’s a literally work-play-dine-shop all in one kind of an urban place.

I’ve got the chance to capture its beauty through my lens one fine Saturday right after we had a church visit. We walked around Eastwood and capture everything that I can. I’ve never been yet to New York but I somehow picture it in my mind that Eastwood is a miniature version of my dream place.

Whenever I have time to roam around, I usually walk along Eastwood, appreciate every restaurant’s beauty, sit in the park and just watch people. It felt peaceful. There were also times before that I’ve spent nights on different coffee shops just to write. I usually get home by 2 a.m. It is safe to walk around here even if it’s already too late like that. Don’t worry guys because it was safe to walk around anytime of the day plus the fact that it was literally a kind of city that never sleeps – pre-pandemic days. 

Speaking of pandemic, when the Enhanced Community Quarantine aka lockdown started last March 16, 2020 – of course we know that the whole world has changed. Everyone was anxious, in doubts and in fear, worried and uncertain of tomorrow. Eastwood City became a quiet one. From a jam-packed party place, Eastwood has turned to an almost ghost town for several months. Many has lost their jobs.

And due to the pandemic, many restaurants and shops close their business. Every time we go to the grocery, we could see closing establishments then be replaced by another one while some remain vacant up to now. 

It’s almost a year since the lockdown and everyone including me hope that the “old normal” will be back. 

And just like every business and establishments now, Eastwood is slowly recovering. And trying its best to bring back its former glory. I just hope that it will be so soon. 

Eastwood is part of Barangay Bagumbayan in Quezon City. This simple and ordinary barangay is where I currently live. This is just adjacent to the kingdom of Eastwood City. It felt like I am living in the woods or in the community of commoners and Eastwood City is the castle that I can go inside just to roam around and appreciate its royal beauty. 

During the ECQ period, this rich community aka Eastwood City and my simple and ordinary community Barangay Bagumbayan has joined force to fight against Covid-19. 

We supported every small business that started to blossom due to the pandemic through the Facebook Community Pages. We also informed everyone about Covid updates and make sure that everyone is following protocols. We didn’t judge nor discriminate those who were infected and just showed empathy as if we are part of a one big family. It still felt safe living here during this challenging time.

Just like the sunrise I always got to witnessed on our balcony, there’s still hope and new beginnings waiting for us. To better days ahead! 

Thank you, Eastwood for giving me a home away from home. The soonest, everything will get back to normal.

My Lockdown Journal (2020)

We can all admit that 2020 was a very challenging year. As everyone experienced around the globe, we all took a pause. Lives were changed, many lost their jobs, some lost their loved ones, and in a snap of a finger, we can't hug everybody. Our homes became our comfort box. We were afraid and paranoid to go outside. We were scared to meet other people. Travel became a dream. 

Most of my blog posts here were about my travels and adventures and since we can't travel yet, I filled my journal with my almost everyday routine. 

Sharing with you some of my journal entries from March to December 2020. These were my random thoughts that I had the chance to put in writing. 

Putting it here also so someday I can look back on what I have been through this year of 2020. 

By the end of 2019, I looked forward to a better 2020 and I claimed that this would be my best year but my expectations failed me and it's alright. I just believe that this was just a pause and we can still continue. Life goes on and we will get through this. Besides, there were happy moments that I have still got to experience this year. 

Happy reading!