A glimpse of Belwang

February 14 – Oh, its valentine’s day! My friend Melanie and I decided to spend the day by traveling. Fortunately, a friend invited us to visit their place Belwang! We were thrilled since it’s a place new to us. Belwang is one of the 8 barangays of the municipality of Sadanga in Mountain Province. It sits on the high mountain surrounded by wondrous rice terraces. 

We took the 6:00 am first trip of Rising Sun Trans at Slaughter compound, Baguio going to Bontoc. At 12 noon, we were already at Bontoc. The first trip of jeepney going to Poblacion, Sadanga leaves at 2:00 p.m. so we leisurely had our lunch.  The jeepney however left at quarter to 3p.m. after being fully loaded with passengers inside and on top.  At 4 p.m., we were already at Poblacion, Sadanga. Mel and I were taken aback when we saw the road ended at Poblacion. We did not expect that! We were actually clueless of where we're going lol! The two of us usually do our homework before travelling like inquiring everything about the place we're going, how to get there, things we need, etc. etc.. However this time we just packed our bags with the bahala na si superman attitude. :) And that superman happened to be BradPittMesiong - the one who invited us in Belwang! When BradPittMesiong pointed where Belwang lies, we braced ourselves and prepared for sakamobile! lol! There goes our valentine’s day adventure! We trekked up on our way to Belwang!  

That's Belwang on top of the mountain. Up up we go!

Hiking up to Belwang proved to be an excellent off the beaten path travel site! It took us 2 hours to trek the ridges and terraces of the rice fields, stopping every now and then to admire the magnificent views.  I bet the locals can hike from Poblacion to Belwang for only an hour.  At 6 p.m. we were already at our destination. Our host informed us that on the outskirts of Belwang, one can explore the Fwa-as falls and Angoten cave.

A gloomy day greeted us the next day but that did not stop us from visiting the Fwa-as Falls! We hiked 45 minutes on our way to the falls following the concrete irrigation canals. Soon enough we can hear the heart thumping sound of the falling water.   

BratPittMesiong - who resembles Brad Pitt when he's 500 meters away! ;)

BratPittMesiong

  
We concluded the day with the smooth goodness of Fayas or Basi (a traditionally brewed sugarcane wine). We drunk to our heart's content hihi!  

On our third day - time to go back home. 

Sa aming mga butihing hosts, little Banayan, lola Banayan and Kelvin the Mr. Bean, dakkel ay iyaman!

We still have unsettled thing with Belwang...the Angoten cave (a cave believed to be connected to Sagada caves).....so we'll say "see you again Belwang!"

Pains and Joys in Bakun Trio

Bakun shelters 3 mountains namely Mt. Kabunian (1700 MASL), Mt. Lobo (2000 MASL), and Mt. Tenglawan (1940 MASL), which is popularly known as Bakun Trio. Each of these 3 mountains offers unique and wonderful scenery.  Usually, hikers scale these mountains in a single trip which lasts for 4 to 6 days. Melanie, Noel and I decided to climb these prominent mountains as our year-ender journey. We actually allotted 4 days for this trip but when we arrived at Bakun we decided to include several side trips aside from the 3 mountains thus our trip was extended for another day.

First Day -  we meet at Petron Km.5 La Trinidad, Benguet at 6am and boarded the bus going to Poblacion, Bakun at 7am. We arrived at Poblacion, Bakun at 1pm and went directly to their tourist assistance center. We settled our registration fees and met our guide. The barangay hall serves as a basecamp for hikers at 60 pesos/head/night but we opted to stay at Noel’s cousin’s house. At 4pm, we departed for Mt. Kabunian. It was almost dark, 6pm, when we reached camp 1 but we agreed to camp at the next camping site thus we continued hiking up. We were just few meters away from camp 1 when it started raining heavily prompting us to go back to camp 1 and settled there for the night. Ah...rain rain rain...what a way to start our journey!

Second Day – We started our assault to the summit at 6am despite the gloomy day. There were parts of the trails that are too steep which require extra caution. We reached the peak after 2 hours. A lush green beautiful landscape can be viewed at the top. We leisurely ate our packed breakfast there. It started drizzling again when we began descending but we still manage to appreciate the magnificent view and took time to take pictures. It was almost lunch time when we arrived at barangay Poblacion. We went directly to our accommodation, unpacked, and went straight to Tekip falls. We cooked our lunch there. While indulging ourselves with our food, it started raining again! Seriously now?! This rain really loves us!

Mt. Kabunian

to Mt. Kabunian

Tekip Falls

Third Day – 6am, we started ascending to Mt. Lubo. We were told that we will be traversing a bloody trail - leech invested trail, thus we carried salts. Armed with salts, we thought that we were ready for the leeches but we were overwhelmed by their quantity. Since we were the first ones to walk that trail, we were the first ones to disturb the leeches! There were so many of them dangling from the grasses ready to stick themselves to anyone or anything that touches them. Entering the bloody trail, the leeches were all over the trail until you reached the rough road. Every time we stop for a while to check ourselves, we always see more or less 10 leeches sticking in our pants! Ah..asin...asin..asin! We rubbed salts to take them off. Once we reached the road, we were barely breathing, then our guide told us that we were fast! What the? We were actually half running trying to get out of the bloody trail as soon as possible! Lucky for me, I got rid of the leeches before they actually bit me. Melanie got the hellish experience of the day. Hihihi.  One can actually avoid the bloody trail by traversing the Dada road but it will take longer time. 

We hiked up for another hour before reaching the Mt. Lubo summit. After enduring that bloody trail, a breathtaking panorama greeted us at the summit. Hay, buti na lang. We breathe in, breathe out, thanked God for showing us His wonderful creations, rest for a while, and got ready for our next destination. We descended on the other side of the mountain aiming for Nagasa cave. We were half way to Nagasa cave when our guide informed us that we’ll be traversing a bloody trail again! We geared up, bringing out our weapon – the POWER SALT!!! After another 30 minutes of leech fight on the way, we reached the Nagasa cave entrance. We explored the beauty of the cave for almost an hour. Outside, we were having our light lunch when it started raining again!!! And guess what? The half way of going back to Poblacion is a bloody trail! So here comes the rain and the leeches!!! We walked like superman!!!

Mt. Lubo

Mt. Lubo summit

the in and out of Nagasa cave

Fourth Day – The clear sky promised us a fine day! 6am, we were already on our way to Mt. Tenglawan. Since were coming from Poblacion, Mt. Tenglawan is the farthest among the 3 mountains. It took us 5.5 hours to reach the summit. There were also bloody trails on the way to Mt. Tengalawan but these were short and at certain spots only unlike the long bloody trails of Mt. Lubo. The summit of Mt. Tengalwan offers an exceptional glorious view.  We finally descended at about 1pm. On our way back, I felt something itchy on my stomach. When I lifted my shirt I saw a leech blissfully sucking blood out of me!!! My goodness! Well, I thought I’m going to survive Bakun Trio without any leech bites!!! Apparently, our day will not be completed without the rain. We were almost halfway back when the rain poured again. Let it rain. Let it rain, it’s our last day anyway. We arrived at Poblacion at 8pm and completed the trek for 12 hours.  

that's Mt. Tenglawan

Fifth Day – At 6am we were ready to go back home with blisters on our feet, leech bites, and muscle cramps. At the same time, we’re going home with fresh mind and soul, memories and journey worth remembering for the next coming years. Thank you Bakun!

From our experience, Mt. Lubo is the easiest to climb but the bloodiest, Mt. Tenglawan is the lengthiest and Mt. Kabunian is the most challenging. My friends and I are so proud that we finally scaled these mountains. As of now, this is the most extreme hiking experience I’ve ever been. 

***Hikers may choose their own itinerary, one may choose day hikes for each mountain or does Tenglawan-Kabunian traverse. Trekking time: Mt. Tenglawan – 12 to 14 hours, Mt. Kabunian – 6 to 8 hours, Mt. Lubo – 4 to 6 hours.     

***All hikers going to Mt. Lubo using the Dada route are advised to log at the Dada Multi-purpose Building and be given a short briefing. However, upon going down to Poblacion, Bakun hikers should register at the Tourist Assistance Center located at the Barangay Hall, secure permit and a briefing. Hikers who choose to go to Mt. Tenglawan first using the Sinacbat route is likewise to follow same protocol above upon arrival at Poblacion.

You can contact the Municipal Tourism Officer or the barangay government of Poblacion or Sinacbat, Bakun for further information.

Mr. Arthur A. Tolito- 09212113687/ 09053172616- Municipal Tourism Officer

Mr. Peter A. Diclas- 09296210448/09062847896-BATTOGAPA Federation President

Mount Pulag - My First Major Hike

Mount Pulag features the best sunrise and the sea of clouds. It is the highest mountain in Luzon and the second in the country. The summit of Pulag is roofed with grass and dwarf bamboos while the lower elevation is a mossy forest sheltering wild animals which includes the endangered Philippine brown deer, giant cloud rat and Pygmy fruit bat.

Travelers around the country and even all over the world keep on coming just to experience and conquer Pulag. I am from the Cordillera and before exploring other places, I promised myself to conquer first this so called ‘playground of the gods’ mountain.  I and my friend, Melanie, then joined an organized trip going to Pulag. Unfortunately, this trip was cancelled. The 2 of us then decided to push through. We set our trip on weekdays since the weekends are fully booked for the whole month of April. We opted for the Ambangeg Trail (the easiest trail) since it’s our first time scaling the mountain.  

We took a van going to Poblacion, Kabayan in Slaughter, Magsaysay, Baguio City and dropped at Ambangeg, Daclan, Bokod. We looked for riders who would take us to ranger station.  The riders first dropped us at the DENR Station for us to register and attend the mandatory orientation given by the DENR. At 2 p.m. we were in our way to the ranger station. After an hour of bumpy ride, we were at the ranger station where we settled our camping and guide fees.  We started trekking from the ranger station around 3 p.m. and reached camp 2 after 2 hours. Well, since it was weekday you cannot see influx of tents at the camp site. Actually we were the first ones to set our tent at camp 2 that day. We wandered around the campsite and took pictures.  

Bumpy ride going to ranger station

                                                   

started ascending

                           

the lone tent in camp 2

The next day at 4 a.m. we started ascending. We reached the summit at 5:45 a.m. A feeling of achievement wrapped us not only because we finally conquered Pulag but we were the first one to reach the summit that day! Hehehe. It was still dark but we were in awe watching the sun peeping and painting the sky with its golden light. At 6am, the sunrays already reached us and you can clearly see the magnificent dense sea of clouds. 

We gratified our eyes, mind, heart and soul with this scenic nature before finally descending at 7:30 am. We had our quick breakfast at camp 2 before descending to ranger station. At the ranger station, our riders were already waiting for us. We informed the riders our desire to have side trip at the Daclan sulfur spring which they gladly granted. The riders then took us to Daclan sulfur spring before logging out at the DENR office. At 12 noon we were already waiting for the bus coming from Kabayan going to Baguio.

Daclan Sulfur Spring

"One does not climb to attain enlightenment, rather 

one climbs because he is enlightened." 

-- Zen Master Futomaki

Note:

• Usually, all weekends for the months of January to April are fully booked of hikers thus the DENR encourages hikers to ascend on weekdays during these months. You can contact Park Superintendent Ma’am Emerita B. Albas at 09199951316 and 09291668864 for further information and reservations.

• Latest Guide and Porter fees (as of July 2, 2014) posted by Association of Local Tour Guides and Porters at Mt. Pulag National Park.

GUIDE RATES:

AMBANGEG TRAIL

A. PHILIPPINE RESIDENTS

1 TO 5 HIKERS                6 HIKERS OR MORE

CAMP 2 = Php 600.00       Php 120.00 per person

CAMP 3 = Php 800.00       Php 160.00 per person

B. NON-PHILIPPINE RESIDENTS

 1 TO 5 HIKERS                 6 HIKERS OR MORE

CAMP 2 = Php 800.00        Php 150.00 per person

CAMP 3 = Php 1,000.00     Php 200.00 per person

AMBANGEG – AKIKI TRAIL

1 TO 7 HIKERS = Php 2,000.00

PORTER FEES (Hatid-Sundo) 15 kilos or less

CAMP 2 = Php 600.00

CAMP 3 = Php 800.00