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.

Villa Zenaida Beach Camp

 February 9-10,2022

Calatagan, Batangas

I was able to travel again! Yey! 

This time, I was with my husband. 

We planned to go there for my 32nd birthday. 

And here's our itinerary:

February 9, 2022

6AM - travel to Pasay. 

7AM - we had breakfast at Jollibee 

8AM - On the way to Calatagan Beside Kabayan Hotel,

we rode a van there going to Calatagan.

Their current rate is 350 pesos per head because

of the minimized van capacity. 

12NN - we finally reached our destination.

The van dropped us at Calatagan Terminal

and then we rode a tricycle going to Villa Zenaida.

Tricycle fare to Villa Zenaida was 400.00 (for 2-3 pax)

Entrance Fee for an overnight trip is 200 pesos per head.

Then we rented a tent that cost us 300.

All in all, we paid 700 pesos for the accommodation.

We booked our trip via their Facebook Page

and we paid through Gcash.

We built our tent and then we ate our lunch.

Then we just chilled and enjoyed the day by the beach. 

We were alone that day because it was a weekday

when we visited as if we rented the whole place.

I loved the serenity and some alone time that it brought to us. 

I missed the views like these. White sand beach,

salty air, sunny and clear sky, the waves, the trees

and mountains that surround us, this is life!

And I am grateful to experience this on my birthday.

Last year, we just stayed at home

but now here we are in our little tent that still feels like home

because I'm with my husband. He is my home.

Our marriage is our home. 

We swam on the cool sea and just chilled

then we ate again.

We made a bonfire to re-heat our food. 

It was just sad that we forgot to bring marshmallows. 

We slept early because the wind was so strong

that it became so cold at night.

February 10, 2022

It's my birthday!

It became low tide so we took a walk

and saw the sunrise on a nearby beach side.

It's always a breath taking view for me.

Then we had coffee before leaving the campsite.

The tricycle driver who drove us there was also the one who fetched us at 7am.

This time, we rode a bus at Calatagan Terminal.

This cost us 240, much cheaper than riding a van.

By 12 noon, we were already at Pasay

and  we had a birthday lunch at Jollibee before finally going home.

I'm so grateful for this opportunity to travel again,

to see the beach and to just have a chill time with my love

under our beach camping tent.

The kind of life I always look forward to after a busy life in the city. 

Cheers to my 32nd birthday!

I am grateful as always. 

Gabriel's Sanctuary

December 20-21, 2022

Antipolo, Rizal

It's our first wedding anniversary!

Cheers to our first year of marriage!

This lifetime partnership with the love of my life is a gift for me that

I will always cherish and protect. 

I am choosing this man everyday even though there are days that are not so good. 

 

And to celebrate our love, we went to a camping site for an overnight trip. 

We chose Gabriel's Sanctuary located in Antipolo, Rizal.

It has an overlooking view. 

We rented a tent and we just brought food. 

We paid 200 pesos for an overnight fee per person and 300 pesos

for the tent rental.

Going there is easy. The place is just near the Metro.  

We placed our tent under a tree and we just chilled until night. 

Before the sun went down, we made a bonfire.

And then cooked for dinner.

Before going to sleep, we stayed around the bonfire

while drinking,

roasting marshmallows and just talking as if

we're all alone in this world.

We laughed, we shared our stories, we dreamed

and planned for our future together.

And it felt like we're going back to the time

when we're only starting out.

It felt good to go down to our memory lane together. 

The night was long and we definitely didn't get bored. 

 

The staff are accommodating and friendly.

There are also kids there who volunteer

to buy the things you need. 

 

When we woke up the following day,

our eyes were filled with so much gratitude

because of the wonderful sea of clouds that

we had witnessed just outside our tent.  

 

We're blessed and we're grateful.

We had coffee for breakfast before leaving. 

 

And I would love going back there soon.

 

How to get there:

From Cubao, we rode a jeep/FX going to Cogeo.

And then from Cogeo,

we rode another jeep going to Paenaan. 

We told the driver to drop us off at Cabading Arko.

Landmark is a hospital.

Then we rode a tricycle going to Gabriel's.

There's a 5-minute hike going to the entrance

so be prepared for it. 

Davao City Trip 2021

Travel Date: November 24-30, 2021

The best highlight of my year 2021 was that week.

I was able to travel for work. And I'm grateful for that.

 

We're still on the pandemic but the alert level was lowered that time

so we were able to travel on a loosened protocol.

Quarantine and Swab tests were not required. 

 

We roamed around Davao City but unfortunately

some of the tourist spots were still closed.

 

The places we've visited were the following:

Davao Seagull White Beach Resort

Samal Island

Kaputian White Beach

Hagimit Falls

Sabang Cliff

Overlooking milk tea shop

Samal Municipal Building 

Tiny Hauz Beach Resort

Pasalubong buying at Magsaysay 

 

Most of our time, we just stayed in the city because

our work and hotel were there. 

 

And there's this one time that we tried to walk in the streets at 2am

to know if it's truly safe living there.

We looked for a food stall and we ate a midnight snack.

We're safe and we're grateful. It was proven that it's really safe

to walk in the streets of Davao City.

Thank God. :)

All in all, my Davao Trip was a memorable one for me.

This was my first trip to Davao and to any provinces in Mindanao.

And I'm really glad to have visited this very wonderful province

and I will also be glad to go back. 

 

And now, the goal when I go back here is to hike Mount Apo

and stay longer in Samal Island. 

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!