Extreme Adventure 014: Flying High with Tandem Paragliding

Extreme Adventure 013: MakRock Couture

Climb 040: My Spiritual Trek in Pinatubo

Climb 039: A Quickie at Tagapo

Splashing News: Wakeboarding at Nuvali

Wall Climbing with a Real-Life Spidey

Extreme Adventure 012: Wall Bouldering with CavRock

Extreme Adventure 011: Rock Climbing Garay Walls

Extreme Adventure 010: Spelunking Gray Cave Plus

Extreme Adventure 009: The Butterfly Project while Abseiling Bitbit Bridge

Extreme Adventure 008: Love (on the Rocks) Is Sweeter the 2nd Time Around

RC 102 (Uling Edition) with Elle Viajera

Venue: Uling Wall, Wawa Dam

Brgy. Wawa, Rodriguez, Rizal

Trip Date: September 8, 2013

Prelogue: Exactly a year after my first romantic experience with the Uling Wall, I was back for some more. It was unexpected, unplanned, and gathering participants was difficult because of such short notice.

The original participants were 8, and I was supposed to bring them to another rock face. However, 4 of them had backed out a day before and it was just fortunate that three additions had committed themselves for the event, making it possible for us to push through.

It was Marc's crazy idea to push it through, only to feel half-hearted a few hours before the event. I was like, "How was I supposed to face these seven sure participants if we didn't push through?" I knew it was suicide for him. He had a bridge rappel event the day before that got him up until around 1am. "Please extend the assembly time to an hour," he begged. I obliged.

It was past 7am when he arrived in Cubao, he was dashing and filled with energy, no trace of tiresome Saturday in his face. I introduced him to everybody and off we went to Wawa, Montalban, Rizal. Marc and I squeezed ourselves in the front seat, beside the FX taxi driver. I asked Marc to have the driver pass by a lechon manok stand for me to be able to buy us lunch.

As we neared the venue, the rain poured heavy. We had to let it pour yet before we could proceed with the trek. Originally, we were supposed to climb the beginner's wall of Wawa, but because of the rain, we had to choose the drier wall, Uling. It is an intermediate wall, but it's better than the wet beginner's wall. I listen as Marc and Jeff discussed. Their equipment were not for the Uling Wall. Jeff was reluctant that they would be able to pull it off because they didn't bring any quickdraw. Marc asked how many carabiners they had and if Jeff brought any string. Luckily, he did. and so Marc came up with a plan--improvised hardware.

When we reached the top, Jeff made use of Marc's improvised equipment to be able to do lead climbing. When he was done, Marc had me gather everyone up for the introduction. It was past lunchtime when we finished introducing ourselves, but everyone was too excited to climb to have noticed it. I climbed first--to show everyone that the Uling Wall was climbable for beginners. I was able to reach the top after falling twice on the rope. The others were either unable to finish or were mechanically helped to get to the top, except for Edwin. The guy has gotten my respect in his ability to climb. He's a natural... Others figured out that they had to lose weight to be able to lift themselves up. Wrong notion. Nevertheless, we all had fun!

Just before everyone had had enough of climbing the Uling Wall, I asked Marc to permit me to wear the dress and stilettos I prepared for my yet another rock couture stint. He agreed. He helped me rope myself up. I was a lot harder than it seemed, but doable.

After my stint, the others had yet tried one last time at the wicked wall, but all the grips had been used up. Marc had decided to climb, to my surprise. He rarely climbs in my presence or so I had often complained. I was flattered that he wanted to impress me. "Stop, you've already swept me off my feet," my heart exclaimed.

We got to Cubao around 9pm. We had dinner with Anna, one of our participants/friends. Anna left around 11pm, and Marc and I had time for ourselves to talk. We spent another hour and a half before calling it a night as I still had to report for work the following day. It was one of those nights wherein I wished didn't have to end...

Climb 038: Pikoy CleanUp Climb with Elle Viajera Year 3

DESTINATION: Pico de Loro 644 MASL
JUMP-OFF POINT: Magnetic Hill, Ternate, Cavite
SPECS: Minor Climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3
CLIMB DATES: August 24-25, 2013

Romancing the Wall the Extreme Way

MCAP Rock Climbing 101 (Indoor)

Venue: Urban Peak Climbing Gym, 4/F Lotus Mall
Imus, Cavite
Event Date: August 9, 2013 10am - 8pm

We arrived at Urban Peak around 11am. After fixing ourselves, our stuff and our mindsets, Marc allowed Nacho to climb first as the Spanish guest was getting impatient. After him, Marc asked me if I wanted to climb. I got excited. It was going to be the first time he would be belaying for me. I told him of that fact and he smiled.

I climbed the blue route on the farthest left of the gym with the 5.8 difficulty level. "Good boy!" he exclaimed when I reached the top. He had a funny way of telling me he was proud of me. I should get used to it, I thought to myself.

When it was time for him to climb, he did the 5.10 green route without any sign of hardship. It was the route that didn't get me three footholds higher the first time we went there. It was the route that even my then companion, Stephen, did not go any higher. Marc had a sense of humor, whether he was climbing or not. He tried to make us laugh by doing horrible positions while climbing and Joan and Jane would burst into laughter. I could only smile, worried that his tricks would cause him any accident. I would silently pray that they wouldn't.

When he got down, he asked me if I wanted to try the same route. Nacho expressed his desire to climb the same route Marc just finished. He didn't go as far as I did. He tried and tried and tried... Marc and Joan were giving him tips on how to keep his foot from sliding and where to grip or pinch, but he really couldn't do it. He lost all his energy before he decided to take a rest. When Nacho got off the rope, I asked Marc if I could try the route that he had earlier recommended did but didn't immediately take because I was too afraid to let him down.

Thrice had I fallen off the same holds where Nacho had fallen off. On the fourth try, I went past the difficult part through Marc's helpful instructions. It was a good thing that he remembered my handicap, he knew how to make me know he was referring to my "other left" limb. I was able to finish the route after a few falls on the rope. Even so, Marc still cried, "Good boy!" as he roped me down.

His second climb was the brown route in the middle, with Joan giving him tips on where the holds were. The holds were pretty small, almost unnoticeable, and they were too far from one another. When the other MCAPers arrived, Marc had to talk to some of them, so I tried the brown route with Jay as my belayer. The others were preparing to go on lunch, so there was practically no one to tell me where to go next. I didn't know if Marc was paying attention to the ones he was talking to or to me while I was climbing, but he didn't shout to me the next hold to grip on when I was looking for one. I finished to the top, all sweaty and was breathing heavily. When I got to the floor, I approached Marc and told him, "You weren't paying attention," which he replied to with, "I was watching you and you did great!" Plak. Plak. Plak. Ang sabi ng aking tainga.

Then, we had lunch. Nacho, Edwin, Jepoy and I had Korean. Marc and Jay had beef and broccoli. Joan and Jane had Chinese. When Marc finished his Coke, I told him that I wanted some Coke as well, so he bought us both solo bottles. After lunch, I had to accompany Nacho back to Metro Manila as he didn't know the way back. I told Marc this and I could see that he's already confident to leave me with the Spanish guest. It took me 28 oz of blood from the nasally-hemorrhagic conversation with the kind Nachito and an hour and a half to get myself back to the gym. Some more MCAPers arrived when I got there. Marc had just finished lead climbing on the route with an overhang, which I was unable to watch him, to my dismay. I learned later that he tried to wait for me before doing it but the pressure grew strong and he was left with no choice but to do it without me. He waited for me. Nice.

When I got back, the focus of the climb was on the bouldering routes with crash pads scattered in the area. In bouldering, the climber does not use a rope nor a harness. A spotter will give support in preventing a bad fall and crash pads are on the floor, just in case...

I was too tired from the trip to and from Metro Manila to try. After a few hours of watching the climbers try the yellow and green routes, with only a few successfully reaching the top, I tried the yellow route myself. I was able to reach up until the third to the last hold to tap. I heard cheers from the background, "Grabe, ang lakas nya!" I got self-conscious. Did they mean I looked masculine?

The day had to end and we were too hungry and tired to stay for more climbs. We had used up our grips. We washed up and packed and headed back to Roxas Boulevard to have dinner in a restaurant similar to Dampa. We had a dose of seafood delight. After that, Jeff dropped us all off at EDSA Buendia...

I went home with a jolly heart. I was just so grateful for Jay's initiative, for the cosmos' design of the circumstances, and God's faith in something that I was losing faith in. Walls. Romance. Bliss. What a great sendoff before my 11-day trip to Eastern Mindoro!

Extreme Adventure 007: The MakRock Encounter

Rock Climbing 101 in Libis

with Makiling Rock Group

Venue: Libis, Los Banos, Laguna

Adventure Date: July 28, 2013

It had been almost a year since my first time and the last time I went rockclimbing. The polishing that I had been through at the predictable indoor walls had to be put in test at the unpredictable environment of the outdoor rocks.

So when the opportunity knocked itself at my FB newsfeed, I just had to answer the call. Many wanted to join me, but only fellow MCAPer, Jay Felix was able to go with me on the day itself because the others were either down with the flu or had to be somewhere.

I am thinking of organizing RC 101 with MakRock soon. Watch out for the announcement, mga Lalabs!

The experience had been fun. We had three American friends joining us. We tried four different routes for the beginners (namely: The Holy Water, The Pendulum, The Freelance, and The Gecko), which I think were those for intermediate climbers.

The Holy Water was the first and the third route I tried climbing and twice had I finished it. On the second try, I was tasked to unclip the route. The second route I had to take was the pendulum. There was what I call the 10-sec challenging part that if one surpassed it, then, getting to the top would be pretty easy. The Pendulum other challenging part was roping down after tapping the top, which is basically a branch of the tree where the anchor was. You'll learn the art of letting go in the route. I had again proven myself to have issues with letting go. I was too afraid to let go because I didn't want to swing around with the rope. I let out a loud scream as I broke myself free from it. The fourth one, just before lunch break, was called the freelance. Three-fourths way to the top, I was able to let go of the handhold and asked for "tension," a command that I couldn't get my mind to remember at the time that I needed it most. The cause of forgetting it? Panic. Well, I was able to get to the top after swinging at the rope once.

After lunch, I gathered my stilettos and my dress and headed to the gecko route to have my photo-shoot session with Sir Jhong Fontanilla. It rained hard during lunch break, and it was still drizzling when we started the route. It was pretty muddy and some of the hand- and footholds were wet. That didn't stop me from getting to my goal.

...because I wanted to climb with my stilettos on.

The instruction was to get halfway through the route in a dress and climb barefoot. I needed to get to a small ledge, where I can put my shoes on. Getting to the ledge was a challenge. Putting the shoes on was another challenge. Pretending to climb with the stilettos on was the third challenge. After some photos had been taken and it was time for me to rope down, I asked my belayer if I could do it with my stilettos on as I got really lazy taking them off and luckily, Sir Laudz agreed.

Our American friends were cheering on the other side of the area while I was doing it. The American girl even told me that she would do something like that when she could already climb like me.

When asked why I have my photos taken at the summit or while climbing wearing a dress and a pair of stilettos, I answered, "I wanted to convey a message that even the pretty and girly girls could still engage themselves in outdoor adventures."



In the said event, I was also able to meet the great Joel Tanangonan (JT, whom I have heard so much good stuff about) and the rest of the MakRockers who were amazingly accommodating and fun to be with.

Meeting no less the Professor X in flesh.

We ended the session early because there was a heavy downpour during and after lunch, but I was already able to climb five times, was able to belay, and we even had to rappel on our way down to the base.

We stayed at MakRock's leader, Russel Pajaro's place to have our early dinner and socials. I spent the rest of the time talking to the American Latina guest, Dayra, whom I had easily gotten connected with.

Climb 037: The Maranat Lokal Welcome

with Sagip Kagubatan
DESTINATION: Mt. Maranat
JUMP-OFF POINT: Brgy Licao-Licao, San Jose, Bulacan
SPECS: Not Specified Yet

CLIMB DATES: July 20-21, 2013

We knew that it was going to be a night trek, but we never thought we would be 3 hours delayed from the original schedule. We left Licao-licao jump-off point at 9pm. We arrived at Ate Julma's store at 10:30pm, where we were served the sumptuous bico. We had touched down at Mt. Maarat/Maranat base camp 1 around 12:30am. Some were still awake, having socials. Warm people greeted us. Even tatay nestor was still awake to greet us. We had dinner. Lights went off around 3am. I woke up at 7am. The sun in Maarat rises early, forcing the sleepyheads, to get off from bed/hammocks/floors/tents... 

Upon waking up, I felt some pain in my left ankle. This was due to the slips I committed in the muddy and rocky trail of Maranat. I slipped thrice. The pain didn't stop me from going bouldering towards the Maranat twin falls. The challenge was to go bouldering in my Havaianas. The rocks were slippery, but the challenge was accepted. More weight burdened my already-injured ankle that by the time we were supposed to climb down, I felt that I will no longer be able to sustain a three-hour muddy and rocky trek. So, I decided to stay a little bit longer. 

Tatay Nestor decided to honor my first climb to Maraat by killing one of his prized roosters to serve as our lunch. I offered to cook. Sir Rainier of Lumad, the respected head of the Maranat Lokal, Inc, wouldn't allow a woman climber to cook at the base camp, so I sufficed myself with scalding, dressing and slicing the chicken. The mag-uulings watched in awe that I could do such things (no pics were taken to avoid being tagged with animal cruelty). 

Around 1pm, everyone's in panic because no lunch had been served yet. No one of the men climbers who were left could cook tinola. I insisted to cook. Tatay Nestor allowed. The chicken meat took time to soften, so we were able to eat the tinola around 3pm. Nanay Juliet and Tatay Nestor said that I cooked a very delicious chicken soup. my climb buddy, edwin, got surprised that i could cook well. 

We started descent trekking around 4:50pm. We were at Ate Julma's place around 6pm, where we were served hot choco drink and macaroni salad. We were back at licao-licao around 7:30pm. I traveled back to Manila alone around 8:30. I was back at my crib around 11:30pm. I went to bed with a smile on my lips. Soon enough, I will be back to enjoy the family that I have found in Maarat and to harvest the aratiles fruit in the camp yard!

with the Maranat Lokals

with Tatay Nestor (in yellow shirt) and Nanay Juliet (in red shirt)

was able to play decent chess with another certified chess player

bouldering at the Twin Falls

with my climb buddy and close friend, Edwin (in white shirt)--one of Sagip Kagubatan pioneers

the majestic Twin Falls of Mt. Maranat

Are You a Real Mountaineer?

It has been a puzzle to me when people put that much weight on the question: What is the essence of being a real mountaineer? While the others put too much stress on environmental responsibleness that a mountaineer should bear him/herself obliged to, any dictionary or probably even the encyclopedias would merely describe a mountaineer as either someone who lives in the mountains or someone who enjoys climbing mountains as a hobby or sport.

With the current issues concerning irresponsibility of some mountaineers, I think that it’s time to rephrase the question into something that would invoke quality answers from different mountaineering personalities–popular and ordinary ones alike.

Pag malaki ang backpack, mountaineer na?

The question should have been: Who deserves to keep climbing mountains? With this question, I guess the aspect of becoming stewards of nature and protectors of the environment can be injected. If one cannot bring his garbage down from the mountain or simply follow the regulation of DENR in some mountains that are on rehabilitation, then we can safely say that he/she doesn’t deserve to keep climbing unless he/she realizes the importance of preserving them…If one doesn’t equip him/herself with the knowledge, skills, and attitude of a responsible mountaineer, not only to the mountains but also to him/herself and his/her climb buddies, then he/she should not be allowed to continue climbing. If he/she is not willing to submit him/herself to the a BMC or similar courses that will help him/herself survive the wild, then he/she should probably stop climbing altogether.

If one doesn’t respect the laws of the land concerning environmental protection, then he/she shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy nature. If he/she is headstrong and doesn’t want to follow the LNT principles, then we can tell the person that he/she doesn’t have the right to explore the mountains and rape them…

Each one of the mountaineers might have committed one violation or another to the poor mountains, but what makes them deserving to keep climbing is owning up to these shortcomings and doing something to avoid making the same infringement to mother nature.

Afterall, we are merely borrowers and not owners of these Edens on earth. Our children are generous enough to lend us the beauty of mother nature… Mahiya naman tayo sa kanila.

Upclose with the Mermaid

We all have our fantasies. Mine, aside from fantasizing that I am some sort of superhero, includes being a supernatural element--a beautiful fairy perhaps, a writing muse or an enchanting mermaid... It had always been my dream to be photographed, at least, in the mermaid suit. So that fantastic morning wherein I was offered to model for some professional photographers in a tail, I didn't think twice. I put on my elusive look and made love with the camera...

In silence, I cry--I embrace the pain and wash it off with my cleansing tears. 

I'm in fact a very shy person...

"Mukhang patay na ang sirenang 'yan. Pakitignan nga kung pula pa ang hasang..."

Climb 036: Mud Trekking, River Crossing Plus Canyoneering

Canyoneering at Buruwisan

with Extreme Outdoor Club

DESTINATION: Mt. Romelo 300 MASL

JUMP-OFF POINT: Brgy Macatad, Upland Siniloan, Laguna

SPECS: Minor Climb, Difficulty 2/9, Trail class 1

CLIMB DATES: July 6-7, 2013

Sir Edzel Herrera of Extreme Adventure Club and Sir Jay-arc Nodado paved the way for me to go back and regain my quest for extreme adventures. It had been months since I've had a taste of an extreme outdoor adventure that causes my stomach to feel funny and my blood to rush up my brains.

First activity: Night mud trekking. We started around 5pm at the jump-off point of Mt. Romelo. It had rained that afternoon, we didn't have a guide, and that we only had 2 headlamps. Good job! The good thing about Carlo's cellular phone is that it had a GPS navigation system on it, so it was easy for us to check if we were going too far from the original trail.

After some short cuts, a limatik session, muddy slips, we were finally at the camp site. We were greeted by those who were still awake and who were having socials. The warm people of Extreme Adventure Club lent us a camp lamp, another set of camp stove, and some cook set for us to be able to finish preparing dinner, which turned out to be midnight snack.

After dinner, we gathered to have a few drinks with Sir Edzel and Sir Jay-Arc. Sir Edzel mentioned that he brought a mermaid suit with him and was asking me to pose for the camera wearing it. I gladly said yes.

The following day, I was awakened by a call, the mermaid suit was ready for me. And so, we had the photo-shoot session with Sir Naz Tolentino as the chief photographer.

After the photo shoot, the rappelling activity began. There were more than 40 jumpers and our group didn't want to crowd up the jumping area, so we gathered there and were the last batch to jump.

The jump was quite mystifying. As I was roping myself down, I could see the water going down with me. It seemed surreal...

After the jump, we packed up and headed down in the hopes that I could get to the exit point on time and be in Makati for my shift at 8pm. But no, I didn't, so I had to call in sick/injured.

The way back to Ortigas was a winding road that got my stomach churning, I had to force myself to sleep to forget about puking on the bus.

We reached Ortigas around 11pm. Nep got off the bus earlier than the 3 of us, and Carlo and Cely carpooled me to Bicutan exit.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that was worth losing my call-center job for.

Extreme Walling Experience

With barely an hour nap to keep me going, I met up with Analyn Aujero and her companion, JV at Coastal Mall for the three of us to join Stephen Dayandayan in a car pool in the nearby Caltex Gasoline Station.

We took a wrong turn (courtesy of yours truly) at SM Bacoor that took us to the two-hour ride of road tripping along the narrow streets of Imus. It was past 4pm when we finally got to the destination. Thank God, the couple, Cel and Carlo, were patient enough to wait for us at the mall. 

 The first thing that I noticed and got me nervous is that the floor didn't have crash pads on it! The next thing I learned that made me even more nervous is the fact that the belaying system is manual (I was used to the automatic ones at Market Market). Anyways, I wanted to make use of the fact that we were already there, so we better pushed through with the plan, no matter how scary it turned out to be. 

John, the climb instructor, was super nice. He took time and patience in teaching us the basics. The owner volunteered to be my belayer on almost all my climbs. He was patient in giving me crash courses in knot-tying. I mean, I had basic learning from MCG, but it had been a while since I tied some knots. Oh well, I didn't do so badly when I did a figure of 8 follow through. 

The holds were color coded, signifying the routes that a climber should take with their corresponding level of difficulty. I first tried the yellow route [5.7] then the blue route [5.8]. I had a failed attempt on the green route [5.10] and ended up following the red route [5.9], instead. The red route got me super flexible as it made me do an almost-full-split move just to get to the next hold. Talk about indoor extreme adventure! 

We had so much fun that we didn't want to end the night just yet, so we headed for Water Village Grill to have ourselves cold bottles of beer. Some intellectually-stimulating conversation took place even before the beer was served. It was then that I realized I was in good company that I would want to have regular sessions with... What a nice day to spend a stormy day!!!

Climb 035: Pico for the Nth Time

Akyat Para sa Kalayaan

with KM23 Cavite Adventure Group

DESTINATION: Pico de Loro 644 MASL

JUMP-OFF POINT: Magnetic Hill, Ternate, Cavite

SPECS: Minor Climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3

CLIMB DATES: June 8-9, 2013

When KM23 Cavite Adventure Group invited me to join them in the Akyat para sa Kalayaan 2013 in Pico de Loro, I invited my old climb buddy, Jason Lloyd Ng, to join me. He has not yet been to Pico de Loro and I thought that it was high time that he set foot on in.

We met up at Baclaran around 7am, had breakfast, rode a bus to Ternate around 8am, got to the DENR jump-off point at 10am. We started trekking around 11am and got to Mang Rey's just before lunch.

We set up the tent and prepared ourselves for the summit assault. We started trekking past 2pm and got to Camp 2 around 4pm. We stayed at the camp site, had Mountain Dew for refreshment. We climbed to the summit around 5pm and climbed to the Parrot's Beak. We stayed at the beak until sunset. When we went down, it was raining hard and we took the wrong turn and had to backtrail after 20 minutes.  Good thing the sun was still up even though it was already past 6pm.

We got to the campsite past 7pm. We had dinner amid the heavy downpour. We had socials amid the heavy pouring of rain. I was asked to stay the the kubo where everyone was drinking rum. I had a few shots of the liquor myself. And because I had been awake for 36 hours, I dozed off in the middle of a noisy crowd, would wake up once in a while from Piotr Śliwakowski, a Polish guest, who got so amazed at how I could get sleep despite that fact.

The socials went on for hours, and our tent was said to have been flooded by the great rainfall. Lloydie had to check and dried it up for us to be able to sleep in it. I didn't want to go back and sleep there. I had a dried space from where I had been dozing off for hours now. The space was uncomfortable, though as I had my feet dangling and my back arched.

So i had no choice that even though I hate sleeping with any of my body parts wet, I had to. Waking up was surprisingly pleasant. Probably because I was in my beloved home mountain. We started cleaning up the area before climbing down. By noon, we were already at the exit point, and by 2pm, we were back in Baclaran, where Lloydie and I had lunch.