What Carol Wants...: 2012

"Love yourself. Get some rest," were the words from my favorite inspirational author, Bo Sanchez. Indeed we should do, in order to give more, we should have more.

Work and parenting took its toll so I cried myself out to my husband of the burdens I had for the week. Because he was sensitive of my needs and because he loves me, he told me to take the weekend off and go to Manila to be with him. I didn't know what was he up to, all I knew was I will go to Divisoria to shop for my baking needs.

I hit the road after my work at 12 midnight on Friday. I took the Victory Liner bus. It was good to have a wifi on though it was kinda slow. I arrived at the terminal at around past 6 am. My hubby came to fetch me at the terminal, we had breakfast and I slept, while he went to work. In the afternoon, we went to Divisoria and ogled for great finds. After shopping, we went to Sto. Cristo street where baking materials are famous for. It was getting dark that time so we had to rush, I know hubby was already bored but he was so patient enough to wait for me to finish. At the end of the day, I was very happy. I didn't know that something more was in store for the next day.

On Sunday, at 9 am we arrived at Wensha Spa- Pasay branch. This place is where one can find the amenities of total relaxation and de-stressing. We were disappointed though because the frontdesk told us that the jacuzzi will resume its function at 12pm, the sauna will start operating at 1pm and the dinner buffet will be at 11am, though shabu-shabu is already available at this time. One should go there at around 11am to enjoy its full amenities. We decided to get in and just eat shabu-shabu while waiting for the rest to operate. When you get there you are given a magnetic bracelet after paying for the massage package of P780/pax. This bracelet also serves as your key to your personal locker. There is a separate wing for men and women, the left wing is where you can find men's amenities and the right is the women's. As I enter the women's room, a staff greeted me and asked for my bracelet number. She guided me to the designated locker, showed me how it works and gave me a big white towel and a robe. I asked her where to change and she said its right there and then. You must get ready to get naked around all the women there, which I was quite adamant. But of course I don't want them to think that I'm a killjoy so I hesitantly did it too. Since the jacuzzi was not ready yet, my hubby and I met at the dining area and cooked shabu shabu for our breakfast. Be ready to eat all you got or you will pay for the left overs.

After dining, I went to the wet room to check if it is in function. I saw some group of about 5 ladies already in the jacuzzi. As you enter the wet area, you must take a shower first before going in the pool. The water was lukewarm, which made me relax in an instant. I tried to focus on what the moving little current of water was doing to my body to be able to enjoy the relaxation it brings. The group I was with was noisy telling stories with each other so I had to exert extra effort to concentrate. After 20 minutes, I transferred to the stem bath for about 5 minutes. The sauna wasn't functioning yet that time so I showered again and proceeded to the massage area. By the way, the locker/changing area is complete with hair blower, comb, face powder,lotion and a set of toothbrush. From the changing area, I pass by the dining area and to the right hallway, there I found the massage room. I was ushered to a dimly lit room with two massage beds. I suppose another client could enter there anytime, which happened as I was in the middle of my session . I waited for my masseur for about 3 minutes. She was a medium built woman but my goodness, when I said the massage should be hard, it was really hard. I am a fan of massage spas at my place but this girl gave me one of the best I ever had. I didn't have to tell her but she kneaded and cracked all the right places. After the massage, she gave me a piece of small paper which states something like, "Are you willing to give tip?" I definitely answered "yes" and write on the amount. My husband said his masseur was very good too and guess what, he gave a bigger tip than I. (he he) I slept in the room for a while, then I got a text message from my husband that we'll meet at the dining area for our lunch. Before I got up of the bed, I still had to realize where was I. Perhaps, my mind was too relaxed to even work again.

We chose the Japanese inspired table set-up for our lunch. The main dinner buffet has now been displayed. I got a little at first, scared not to be able to finish it all. Then I went back for seconds. It's eat-all-you-can so starve yourself before coming. I wasn't hungry for lunch because we already ate shabu shabu for breakfast which was just 3 hours ago.

Thereafter, it was time to leave the place. It was my first but it will definitely not my last.

The view from here was magnificent but the story before conquering it has its story. I went to Mt. Pulag for several reasons. It has been a long time dream. I first saw a picture of someone who went there years ago with the clouds as their back drop and I said I will not leave the Philippines without going to that mountain. And now that I am aiming to leave the country and the invitation arrived for a climb, I contemplated and said, "God, is this the sign?" and so I went. The other reasons will be discussed as I go on.

" A journey to a thousand miles begins with a single step." And before embarking on that step, one must invest on a good pair of shoes, whatever brand that is as long as it is comfortable then you should be fine. Pack light and pack right! That's one thing I learned too late. It is very important for a first timer to know that when you go there, you wouldn't have the luxury of the moment to take a shower, not even wash your face so you actually don't need to bring a lot of things. I wore a long sleeve air cool shirt when I climbed. It was good because it protected my arms from sun burn while air continuously circulates all over my body. Jogging pants or leggings is recommended because they are light weight and it protects your skin from the sharp edges of the bush. Pack some thermal wears to warm you as you go up. The weather gets colder as you go higher. Some say that the weather gets unpredictable along the way, the day before our journey, the hikers experienced hail storm but in our case it was warm all the way to the camp site except for some occasional drizzles. It is best to be ready though so bring some raincoats and garbage bags to be used during those rainy moments. Bring sunglasses and a cap to cover your face from the rays of the sun. My favorites were my sun block and wet tissue, trust me they're very important!

We started at around 3:30 am from Baguio City with our self-drive-rented jeepney. Our boss, sir Ton became our driver for the trip. He was the anointed king of the road because it was his first time to drive a jeep but then he was lucky to bring us home alive and kicking. LOL! As of this writing, the rate of jeep rental to and from Baguio-Bokod is about P8,000 to P8,500. We got ours for just P5,000 because the driver's fee is gratis. :-)

I lost track of the exact time but maybe after about two hours, we stopped by a restaurant along the way to eat our very early, too early breakfast. My role while still on the road was to take the shots, I am a trying hard photographer so I had to leave the chair empty so I could document.

The choices were abundant but untimely. A 5:30am breakfast is not my cup of tea.

After an hour more from that restaurant, we arrived at the DENR office. We followed the standard procedure of registering ourselves for a fee of P200.

A lecture on the rules of the park was discussed and a short video clip about Mt. Pulag was shown. See that man with a crutch? He said he is having a gout that time but he still managed to go up. What a drive he has, inspiring!

From this road to the foot of the mountain is another one hour walk. :-( The road is being concreted at this time so vehicles cannot pass through, but once all is done, it would be one hour easier for the future hikers.

Take advantage of the scenes. Capture as much as you could.

We haven't reached the foot of the mountain yet here we were taking a full rest.hehe

Walk more...harder...higher...

And another rest....

Make sure to have at least a week exercise before climbing and at least you should be well-rested a day before "The Day". In my case, I got sick while going up. I didn't have enough sleep and my mind was with my children who were left behind and to my husband who will just be arriving from work on the day of our hike. I got dehydrated, the problem was there were no accessible toilets anywhere where one can go comfortably. I had to contain and be patient. I almost gave up in the middle but I thought of the man who has the crutch, I thought of my long time dream, I thought of the sacrifice of living my family behind , I though of my other purpose of going there...of being with my father and so I said I have to finish the fight. It is also important to climb with a good company. My team showed concern while I was not feeling well. I have to say that these guys are fantastic freelancers! :-D

At last, after four long hours of ascending, we reached the camping ground where we set up our tents. It was getting darker and colder. The rain starts to pour so we had to quickly accomplish everything from putting up the tents to cooking our dinner. It was good we were in the company of I-Sagada men lead by Frauline's boyfriend, Kevin, who had the initiative to do everything while I quickly went inside the tent to rest my tired and sick body. We had some medicines but the one for diarrhea was missed so my team did their best to look for some, for me to feel better. I salute them for that. Luckily, nurse Glaiza got me one. Yahoo!! Gracias!

The tents were up. During this day, according to our guide, there were about 500 campers in all. It's summer time and it is at its peak.

Glaiza and I, together with Emerald who was not in the picture were tentmates.

Our dinner is a famous local dish called pinikpikan. It was hot and delicious but I don't recommend future hikers to bring complicated food for a hike.It was too much to carry. Some cup noodles and easy to fry meals will do. Everybody will be too tired to even move. Ours was precooked but still the weight of it took a toll on us. Portable easy to carry butane powered stove is a must. Who could survive without hot coffee? I assure you, food is more delectable and appreciated up there. I should not forget to tell that chocolates, cookies, energy drinks and drinking water are essentials while walking. These things saved me from hypoglycemia.

At 2:30 am the next day, I woke my two tent mates up. Without a second call, they were jumping out of the tent suddenly excited to reach the summit. It was another long hike, this time the pathways are narrower and steeper. We only had our flashlights to light our way. There is no room for being clumsy or else you will fall down the deep unknown. I was in full gear at first but due to the difficulty, I had to remove my thick coat and my bonnet because I was feeling too hot. Remember, I wasn’t still feeling well from the day before this summit ascend. I am again grateful to Sir Vic, the couple- Teacher Amy and Sir Ton for rallying behind me making sure I was okay. An hour and a half after, we reached the summit! Too exhausted to say anything, I dropped myself on the ground and dozed-off for a few minutes. It was still dark when we reached the top. I think that was 5am. I can see trail of lights coming up, they were like giant fireflies from below and they were the other campers rushing to beat the sunrise. The climate was so cold. We were wearing thick gloves but the cold still could creep in and freezes our fingers.

As we all wait for the sunrise. I settled on a comfortable spot, I sat there quietly, just looking around, contemplating on something. There I was above the clouds, finally. I was looking down while imagining what my father sees everyday. It will be his 3^rd death anniversary a few days after this climb, and it is just timely to be at least closer to him at this moment. I am happy to see how magnificent his view from here is. This climb is for you papa. I miss you so much!

It is time. The sun is coming out and everyone around is getting ready to witness the spectacular view. The sea of clouds amazed me the most, if only I could jump into it and roll over just like the one I see in the fairy tales.
Feel free to feast with the following pictures:

How great is the ARCHITECT who made all of these!

Girls on top!

Trying to audition for a shampoo commercial? hahah

Every beginning has its end. We now have to go down to pack our things from the camp site. It will still be another long hours of ascend. This time my heart is aching to go home to my family. I have fulfilled a dream…it’s more of a mission for me and all I wanted was to go share it with them. The climb is like our life. We get excited, we get determined, in the middle we meet some road blocks but it’s up to the person whether to turn back or find some ways to go on. Just like in our life, it’s okay to take a rest but we must move on until we reach our goals.