(Or half of it, at least)
It's been some time since my last long hike, but was having conflicted emotions regarding going with the hike we did last weekend to a nearby nature trail.
So the guys at work decided we'd go hiking and camping out for the weekend. Since it's been awhile, I decided, why the hell not?
Good thing I had my go-bag with me in the car, I decided to just go straight to the hike from the office (I work nights) the next morning. Yeah, good luck with my sleep cycle and energy reserve. I never thought I'd get through without passing out!
After a motorcycle ride to the starting site, we got to follow a river trail to a nearby waterfalls. The sun was high up at around 9AM (and when you live in the tropics, that's way up there). All I got was a bottle of water and some chocolate bars to last until the destination. This was the view pretty much the entire walk...
And then when the slope became really steep, it looks like this...
Finally, we made it to the top of the waterfalls, but it was not the end of the journey!
That's my friend, by the way, casually leaning over a fifty-foot drop. My knees shiver just looking at it.
After some 3 kilometers or three and a half hours of walking, we were finally at the camp site. Oh, and as a side trip, we dropped by a local's house, but I didn't get to take some pics. We enjoyed a really good lunch before we headed out.
We camped out on an open space that I heard was a former golf club that was now abandoned. The view is still great, though. We can see the city from were we are at.
Come morning, I woke up at around five and got to see the dawn turn to broad daylight. The climate here is really nice and cold. Comfortably cold though, not the frostbite kind.
And just to prove I was actually there, here's a selfie with the group.
Playing with the HDR function of my phone, I tried out the view. Not bad! Albeit a little low-contrast.
In the morning, we packed up and headed home. This time we took the easier route and just followed an old pavement, presumably for the golf cart for when this place was functional.
We even dropped by a lake, or pond, you know that thing that golf courses come with. It was still beautiful.
Some locals made the place a pasture, so you'd see some cows here and there.
I don't mind the steep incline we had to walk, I'm just glad there's a paved road.
If you can see it's a zigzag to get to the top.
Yeah it was an exhausting walk, but a much needed one for me. It's been awhile since I did something that would actually sweat me out (no, basking in the sun does not count), and I'm glad I did this.
This weekend or the next, we may be going to an island where we once installed a solar lighting system, as they are an off-grid community. We will be checking out how they are doing now, and probably set out more equipment for the neighboring houses. You can follow me and see how this thing goes. It's a coastal community, so there's going to be lots of beach pics! Until then!