Davao City Adventure...

The Unforgettable...

Before Valentine's Day, my phone rings...and it came from one of my favorite climbing buddies, Ivan Laurence, lead man of The Backpackers group, said.."Mommy Weng...do you want to go to Davao City?" and I promptly reply to him...and said "Yes!, yes!...I am very much willing to go to Davao City" ...Being a traveller...such a great offer is precious...Imagine, cheap airline ticket...at di ka na mag iintay ng sobrang tagal ng departure date...Di na dapat talaga pinakakawalan ang ganyan...Agree?

And so, our deal was settled and with the arrangement of I will just go around the city to have my Davao and General Santos City Tour...while the Backpackers Group will proceed to their plan of climbing Mt. Apo...But my phone ring again last Feb.10, I cannot forget it because I was roaming around Chinatown that time celebrating Chinese New Year with some co-blogger. It's Ivan again...he said..."Mommy Weng all things are settled...ayaw mo ba talagang sumama sa amin mag Apo?"...and I just laugh and keep on saying..."ayoko pa mag retire noh"...but saying those words are just an alibi because of the fear I had in mind...But Sir Ivan was over-eager in convincing me to join them in their climb....Guess what's next? Well, I will give you a separate story about what happen to me on sir Ivan's persistency...

At first let me start with our journey on Valentine's Day...what a very exciting day for me!!! This was the day we left Manila to Davao City. Arriving around 10:30 in Davao...we spent our first day at the Crocodile Farm and to its nearby parks...Wiiiiiiii....!

Riding in a Zorb Ball...

 This is the first time I will ride a Zorb...the experience was awesome...I felt like we're inside a big mixer rolling up and down, side by side, and I can't help but to scream on my highest voice...I keep on looking to my buddy, Ms. Clue....I was a little bit nervous about her because every time she's on top of me, I saw her facial expression, she looks like she's holding her breath, and by the time she's at the bottom, she will starts to shout....hahahaha...It was really fun and exciting....

Crocodile Farm and the Butterfly Garden

We had so much fun in these parks...We're like kids running, walking, taking pictures of those animals and doing our own photo opps...

Walking here and there just to see what animals was inside the cages and take each pictures... Pretending that we are a professional photographers and the animals are our models...

At muka namang alam ng mga hayop dun na kinukunan sila ng pictures...hahaha...What a silly imagination I've got...The birds are on their very handsome pose...The flowers looks like talking and saying ....
"give me a good shot, butterflies are on my petals"...

Iba talaga ang feeling pag nasa park ... Di mo maiwasang bumalik ang excitement mo tulad nung bata ka pa...

And our first day in Davao City leaves a very unforgettable memories and experiences...A true relaxation and mind setting for our next adventure ...

After a very exciting day...our hired service jeepney was already waiting for us in SM Davao City to bring us at our accommodation in Digos City to have our good rest for the next big event...
Climb the Majestic Mt. Apo...

Mt. Apo???? Excited...how does it can be...Me, climbing the Highest Mountain in the Phils.? Well....well...well...let's find out how....

Tara...Byaheng Jologs na!!!

Special THANKS to The Backpackers group and fellow guests for this another wonderful and memorable adventure....

(http://thebackpackersadventures.blogspot.com/2013/02/davao-city.html)

Mt. Sembrano - Biglaang Dayhike for Me

Mt. Sembrano, Brgy. Malaya, Pililia, Rizal

Tinawag ko itong biglaan sa dahilang wala pa talaga akong planong umakyat that weekend...Medyo masakit pa ang mga binti at hita ko dahil sa pag-akyat ko ng Mt. Tapulao...But a chat con with a climbing buddy, Ka Freddie...nabuo agad yung plano na umakyat ng Mt. Sembrano...warm up daw nya para sa nalalapit nyang climb...since dalawa lang kaming nag-usap nag-imbita na rin ako ng mga dating kasama and I invited a couple of our climb buddies but only Jc and Gilda replied positively...hahaha...mga gala talaga!...And it turns out with a very exciting climb...
Before,... every time na may akyat ako, I always check google about the mountain I'm about to climb. But this time, I did not check Mr. Google about Sembrano...Ganun talaga siya ka biglaang lakad...and having a very comfortable climbing buddies, I did not feel any hesitation or whatsoever about the climb. Instead, I got so excited because this is my first time that I will climb Mt. Sembrano...
Every time I climb, I always felt the weakest link among the group...that is why my "baby walk" term was created....pero kahit anong pagod ko, kapag nakikita ko ang ganda ng kabundukan, napapasigla ako nito at napapamangha....
Mother nature realy makes me amazed and overwhelmed....nanghihinayang man ako sa mga nakalipas na panahon, still I am very thankful because I still have a chance to see and feel this magnificent God's Creation...


view of Mt. Sembrano before our climb proper

A very clear summit (south view) during our climb

A very beautiful north view from the summit

Since my last climb was just a week ago...I can still feel a little pain on my feet and legs. Assuming that if I did this climb, maybe the pain will lessen or it might get immune to climbing. But unfortunately...my pre-assumtion did not happened. Instead, I suffered from a leg cramp....Ouch! It's painful!... This is my first time I felt that pain. Unti-unting naninigas ang binti ko....Aww!...di ako makasigaw kasi may mga nakakasalubong kami. Take note...I can still say the trail courtesy...."Good morning sir/ma'am"...hahahaha....while Jc cannot touch my foot because he doesn't know what to do. He just uttered..."Ano? Ano nangyayari sa'yo ma'am Weng? And I answered him with a low voice..."ang paa ko...ang paa ko"...Looking at sir Jc...he did not know what to do...So I just stand and put my body weight on my foot which is suffering from a cramp. At naibaluktot ko ito and I felt more relax. Whew! akala ko di ko na mailalakad ang mga paa ko...worried enough because we are only on the one-third part of the trail. Ayokong maging dahilan ng climb failure....that is a big no, no to me....

Some photos of the trail I encountered...

Place where you can take a rest and buy fresh buko

The part of the trail which I got my leg cramp....

 Medyo matarik ang part na ito ang you realy need an additional force on your leg....parang ang sarap bumalik sa buco station and drink more buco juice...hahahaha....But we are enjoying the trail...With this, I can say na talagang iba-iba ang katangian ng bawat bundok na aakyatin mo...that is why mountaineers are always excited every time they will climb a new mountain...Different feeling of excitement ...different mountain to climb....different kind of experience to treasure in your life...

Trails getting closer to summit....so...so...excited!

the place where we took our lunch break and meet some new fellow hikers

meet some new friends along the trail

Byaheng Jologs' victory sign on top of Mt. Sembrano

Beautiful Sunset in Mt. Sembrano

Another precious moment happened in my life, and as I always says...Thanks to our Creator, he is so kind to me for giving me this experience and see his creation before I can truely can't do it someday...

And as a return...I am happy and humbly sharing this experience to all of you...on my Byaheng Jologs way....

Kaya tara na....Byaheng Jologs na!!!

Special thanks to my climbing buddies...Jc Sabio of ReadyJCGo, Gilda Tarlit and Ka Freddie

Mt. Apo...Day 3...A Special Gift from the Creator Above

Time to say thank you & goodbye to Apo...

Bakit ganun, kung kailan malapit ng sumikat ang araw saka naman parang noon ka pa lang makakatulog ng ayos....haaay! But on this day, we woke up by our porters by saying "Good morning mam/sir...Coffee na po tayo" haist!...after a sleepless night eto ang maririnig mo....napaka sayang umaga talaga. And when we go out from our tent, grabe parang binagyo ang tents ng ibang kasama ko...it only shows na wala talagang nakatulog sa amin ng ayos...and when others starts to come out with their tents, makikita mo na ginaw na ginaw pa rin sila....Binigyan kami isa-isa ng coffee ng porters namin...salamat talaga sa kanila!

After having a good breakfast, one by one, our lead, sir Ivan approached us saying "let's go near the lake, set up na natin yung surprised proposal ni Louie kay Shyne" It was so romantic and so emotional...halos lahat kami napaluha sa ginawang marriage proposal ni sir Louie....And I was lucky because I witnesses that wonderful event in their life...Congratulations to both of you....

View of Lake Venado

View of Mt. Apo from Lake Venado
( Looks like a man lying peacefully)

Our Happy Guides

Our Camp in Lake Venado

Trails from Lake Venado to Kidapawan

After the wedding proposal of Louie and Shine,  we started to break our camp and prepare to descend via Kidapawan trail. Kidapawan trail was so nice and mossy. I described it as a continuous down slope and slippery. I think everyone of us had an experience to slide down and get wet. We encountered so much river crossing and different kinds of handmade bridge like bamboos and logs. I felt it so adventurous and exciting because this is the first time I experienced descending with wooden stairs and lots of river crossing which I couldn't count. Hoping on logs, walking under logs, going down on a sitting position, get wet and dirty, but I don't mind the hardship. We can still smile even our feet are aching...we can still enjoy taking some photos and posing in our best smile...I can say...of all the mountains I climbed, this is the most longest and yet very happy and exciting adventure...

I remembered one of my fellow climber told me, "walang madaling bundok na akyatin...pero lahat pwedeng maakyat, as long as na nag eenjoy ka at masaya ka" and he is right...hindi ko akalain na makakaya kong akyatin ang pinakamataas na bundok ng ating bansa...hindi ko inaasahan na makikita ko ito ng malapitan at madama ang ganda nitong taglay...ang klima na nagbibigay ng buhay sa kanyang kapaligiran...ang tunay na kamangha-manghang katangian ni Mt. Apo... 

Camp Coong

After having lunch in Camp Coong, we continued our trek and enjoy the last part of the trail. From the very start to the end....Mt. Apo gave us the best of the best experience...He let us saw his God given beauty that makes me think that this is His Gift from the Creator Above...

from where we spend our relaxation
after the climb

Our trek ends with a very relaxing hot bath and bonding with our porters/guide and the rest of the group....I personally thank The Backpackers who's always there inviting me and feels like I am one of the family our porters and guide who made this climb easier for me...and tho The Creator above for this Special Gift for us and to the next generation...Let us unite in taking care of our Mother Earth...Practice LNT (Leave No Trace) all the time...Tara....Byaheng Jologs na!!! wooot...wooot...

You may also read these:

http://thebackpackersadventures.blogspot.com/2013/02/mt-apo-part-1.html

http://thebackpackersadventures.blogspot.com/2013/02/mt-apo-part-2.html

http://thebackpackersadventures.blogspot.com/2013/03/mt-apo-part-3.html