✨Helloooooo travel bees!✨
Another jampacked Monday in the office but I still have the energy to share the rest of what we've experienced during our 2-day Mt. Manunggal climb. I'm just oozing with energy from an amazing sleep.I had to sleep early last night due to the lower back sprain I got from an all-out Les Mills cardio workout. Who else uses Les Mills workouts here?
If you happen to miss the first two posts, you can access them here:
You are welcome! 😍 I don't want to keep you waiting, let's keep the ball rolling!
Morning in heaven
In Part 2, I've shared how fun it was to be surrounded by fog for a couple of minutes and how humbling it was to watch the sunset at the viewing deck. Everything we've experienced by far is munificent.
Inside our tents, we've battled with extreme cold and a little rain shower here and there throughout the night (Thank God, it didn't rain so hard!). My boyfriend even woke in the middle of the night and said "Mura ko'g masakit" (It feels like I'm about to get sick!). It was pitch dark but his voice radiated an out-of-this-world expression call for help. I couldn't help but laugh at this scene until now. 😂
At the break of dawn, a thick fog covered the entire campsite. Everywhere you look, it was all fog. It was cold beyond what I'm usually able to bear but that morning, I just love being out and about. We decided to climb up the viewing deck as if we were going to see anything there haha. We just took a few photos and got nothing but water droplets clinging to our clothing.
The cold morning called for the hottest cup of coffee and chocolate drink, so we headed down to the mini store near the entrance of the campsite. For people like us who are only seasonal campers, it's convenient to have a store where we bought all our food and water. We don't have the equipment to cook our own.
The mountain where a president got killed
I was a bit disappointed as the thick morning fog showed no signs of dispersion. We scheduled a morning hike towards the peak of Mt. Manunggal. In the end, that's what we are here for. The guide we got told us it was still safe to trek despite the low visibility in the area. But the promise we'd see the massive mountains surrounding the peak wasn't clear on our end. I heard the guide utter a few encouraging words and that the fog will soon vanish. I could only pray!
Nonetheless, we started the journey towards the peak. The guy mentioned it's easy and could only get a bit tricky when we reach the foot of Mt. Manunggal. But overall, even seasonal climbers or non-climbers are welcome to conquer Mt. Manunggal.
On our initial descent, we came across the site where the engine of Mt. Pinatubo (presidential plane) was believed to have been found after the plane crashed and killed President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others. Yup, this thick fog isn't as beautiful as everyone thought of it; 25 people were killed including a president. All names of deceased passengers were written in the landmark. The site has been declared as one of the many National Historic Landmarks in the country.
It was pass 7 AM but our surrounding was still covered with the fog. No sign of the sun clearing all the mist. We moved forward anyway and just hoped for the best.
Our guide wasn't lying; it was a rather easy trek until we reached the foot of Mt. Manunggal. He clearly mentioned to "Follow the path I take"
Stairway to heaven
I stopped taking photos. The assault wasn't difficult but it can get you all bruised and leave your skin with scratches if you won't pay attention. From the foot, the path to the peak was rocky and steep, covered with roots of plants and trees residing in the mountain.
I manage to smuggle my phone for quick photo ops before we reached the top.
Then a few more steps, we're finally on top! What a relief! 😁
It was still hazy; we couldn't see what was below and around us. Nevertheless, getting there safely was something to celebrate. So while we waiting for the mist to clear up, we took a lot of individual and group photos! I hope you won't mind 'coz I'm dropping tons of photos in three, two, one...
I was starting to lose hope. "Maybe all we'd see today is this - a vast sea of fog if there's such a thing," I told myself. But sooner, the sun slowly dominated and paved the way for the beautiful valley below us to be seen. It was so steep that if you'd fall, you'd probably end up crumbled bone and flesh.
I'm pretty sure we've all seen a brain's photo in our anatomy class before. Now imagine feeling like you're standing on top of a brain! Can you now see the resemblance between Mt. Manunggal's peak and the structure of our own brains?
The weather was bloody; it went from gloomy to sunny to gloomy all over again but then no one can stop me from taking more photos of the place. Our guide, just like any tour guide in the country, was well versed in his job. He knew exactly where we should sit for him to take a photo of us. The next photos show the highest structure we could climb in the peak and the most dangerous one. The daredevil in me was happy to oblige! If you'd look below, which the tour guide didn't advise, you'd see a valley of the rest of Balamban.
Our guide was unstoppable in identifying spots where we could take more and more photos (which I really loved about him! haha) Imagine there were three of us and he took photos of us individually and as a group. He was doing his best! He asked me to climb this huge rock and without thinking twice, I climbed with his help. Really glad I gave in to his request if not, I wouldn't have all these photos to you! 😁
I thought that was it, that his little tricks were over and done with, but for the last time, he asked me to pose like I'm carrying this huge stone. Look how it ended up! 😂
When we thought we've covered all angles, here comes the other side of the peak which we failed to explore early on. It was only when we started to think of going down that exploration began. Now I was convinced that the peak's bigger than what I expected.
Jelo and I playfully posed our official jeje pose (a family tradition for years now 😂) at the last spot before we finally headed down. My boyfriend was just beside us giving his biggest smile!
Of course, my boyfriend and I also took our time for some couple pictorials. Don't we just look cute here? Haha! 😍
And that was it, we went the same route going back to the campsite and we arrived in one piece with hearts full of serenity and joy!
I was the happiest kid that day! Obviously! 😂
It has been one of the most memorable treks I've had in Cebu. Mt. Mauyog which is not too far away from Mt. Manunggal is also on my list. Unfortunately, it was still closed to the public when we went to Manunggal las year. Maybe this year? Hmmm... Let's see!
Did you enjoy our trek to Mt. Manunggal? I really hope you did! Appreciate you joining me until the last part of another Travel Series under Lulinghayaw sa Cebu, a travel series highlighting the beautiful destinations in Cebu.
What would you like to visit next? Let me know in the comment section! 😍
Living life intentionally every single day, she believes that there’s no limit to one’s potentials. Right now, she’s on the loose for the pursuit of endless holistic self-growth and development. She wants to light the way for others. She believes there’s no better way to leave a legacy than to pay it forward.
Her ultimate goal in life is to reach the state of enlightenment where there’s nothing but peace, love, happiness, and contentment - nothing more, nothing less.
If you are captivated by what this girl just wrote here, an upvote is pretty appreciated. Follow her as she tells her stories full of positivities. The next story might be for you! ❤️