Dolores, Quezon

It was in highschool when I started to delve into the occult. Back then my life revolved around religions because at some point, the Catholic beliefs I grew up with suddenly could not keep up with all the questions sprouting in my head. Questions about life and death, questions about the paranormal, questions about the powers of the mind, questions about God. I read anything and became familiar with Jaime Licauco and Tony Perez, wishing to one day meet them and have long conversations with them. I pursued my research until my sophomore year in college, the abrupt stop I owe to the shift in interest to Asian literature.

This year, just when I thought that Mt. Arayat would be my last climb, I said yes to a last-minute invitation to Dolores, Quezon. I've been wanting to explore Banahaw since my college years when I heard many stories of it being a mystical place so receiving an invite would only mean drop everything and go! Also, it's a chance to explore more the Southern part of Luzon since I am not that familiar with that region.

Buddha altar where we had our spiritual meeting

Mt. Calvary where pilgrims flock to during the Holy Week

A shrine, symbol of the deification of our national hero Jose Rizal

 Waking up early in the morning at 3:50am was expected. I got to JAM Liner in Kamias and boarded the bus at 4:30 but the bus left at 5:20am! While on the road, Maybe This Time was showing and I watched the first part until I fell asleep. I got off at San Pablo Medical Center at 7:20am and joined the other participants.

We joined the organizers and I was awed at the number of equipment they have. Big ropes and lots of carabiners! I have a thing for carabiners so just imagine my joy! Needless to say, I was reminded of my military science days when I was considered to be the best in knots. It was an honor I would never forget because I sucked big time at rappelling due to my fear of heights. I did redeem myself because I thoroughly enjoyed my last rappel which was done in a natural setting, in Mt. Makiling no less and I was commended for my swift movements. (Sometimes I wonder maybe I really just thrive when surrounded by nature... I've always thought I am one wild girl.)

Our camp was Kuya Kristy's rest house. While resting we introduced ourselves and I was delighted because the leader was also a very spiritual person. I met people whose third eye is open and I totally enjoyed the conversations I had with some of them especially about supernatural creatures. (I think I'll have to write about the stories in a separate blog entry...)

captured kukri snake

After lunch, we had lectures on basic life saving, rescue, and a discussion on poisonous animals but focusing on venomous snakes. I've always thought that we should only be wary of colorful ones like the ever famous coralsnakes but more venomous species are being discovered like a species of coral snake bearing strong semblance to the nonvenomous kukri (Oligodon) snakes. I had to ask if there is any creature immune to snake venom and they said the honey badger is. So I blurted out, okay, time for genetic engineering! (But of course I'm not at all supportive of that since I respect the natural flow.)

While hiking to a nearby rappelling practice area, I got to know more about the flora of Banahaw. Being naturally curious and feeling like a herbalist out on a mission to get plant medicine everytime I go hiking, I asked a lot of questions about local plants. I was told to beware lipang kalabaw (Dendrocnide meyeniana) and lipang aso, both from the nettle plant. These two cause skin irritation upon contact and this may last for a very long time. One of the organizers told me that even months after touching one, he could still feel the itchiness coupled with pain. 

I was also glad to see familiar plants. One is a mushroom growing on branches which I often see in my hikes. Another is the wandering jew, a medicinal plant used by Chinese herbalists. I recognized it from my recent trip to Hong Kong when I visited the Museum of Medicinal Sciences.

bark mushroom (don't know if that's what it really is but I call it bark mushroom...)

We stopped all rappelling activities when night fell. After dinner we had more lectures on rescue and first aid. Then we went out to do night caving at Husgado (Cave of Judgment). It's a good thing we were informed beforehand to bring headlamp so I quickly bought one the day before, a welcome addition to my hiking items. (I still don't feel worthy to be called a mountaineer...)

wandering Jew (I forgot the local name...) growing near the entrance to Husgado

I've heard stories of Husgado from classmates who were lucky to go on a field trip to Banahaw for their classes. They say that only good people can pass through the narrow paths inside the cave, that no matter the size of a person, he or she will fit in just right if he/ she is good. Indeed it was enigmatic for me and I still cannot believe that the big guys who were with us were able to pass through when I myself had great difficulty doing so.

After the caving experience, we did a simulation of night rescue. It was a humbling experience to know how truly difficult it is to carry a person on a spine board while treading rough terrain. Not to mention the cooperation and teamwork required to successfully transport an injured victim to a safe place. I'm glad though because after the exercise, many of the organizers commended me for a job well done in "leading" us participants. I think it comes naturally for me to be at the helm when everybody is confused as to what to do. I calmly gave out instructions and made sure everybody is ready for coordination. They said they saw how strong my will was and even persuaded me to take up EMT (Emergency Medical Training) and join rescue efforts. Of course there was a happy feeling but I know my shortcomings so I declined saying I still have a lot of things to learn about mountaineering. That and truth be told, I'm a lousy mountain climber. I tend to be on all fours when in the mountains (thus earning a nickname "Planet of the Apes" LOL!) so how can I rescue a victim? But it sure opened my eyes to the fact that I need to be stronger because when I am with people I always feel responsible for them and what they say in animé is true, get strength from your desire to protect and at the same time, exert effort to be strong to be able to protect.

That night, while my fellow participants washed themselves and slept early, I decided to participate in the spiritual meeting. The full moon was such a beauty that night but due to the trees overhead I wasn't able to take a decent picture. What I experienced was something weird. I closed my eyes and saw a blurred vision of an altar with bright colored lights. The following morning the others told me they saw the same thing, which is weird because I never told anyone about the vision. Though theirs was not blurred but rather clear and one even saw the Virgin Mary.

the waters at the Bakas (Footprint) are believed to have healing properties

The next morning we woke up late so we missed the sunrise at Mt. Calvary. We still proceeded though even without breakfast. I was able to eat one slice of my wheat bread though but after more than three hours of trekking I was super hungry by the time we got to Barangay Kinabuhayan and we had to walk some 1.5 km to get to Sta. Lucia. Whew!

an altar at the foot of Mt Calvary just before Cristalino waterfalls

the magnificent body of water from the falls

Brgy. Kinabuhayan at the foot of Mt. Calvary

Once we got to Kuya Kristy's, I washed up and finally took a long refreshing bath. It felt good to be fresh and clean again. We packed up after lunch and before I hopped inside the jeepney, I made sure I bought 1.5 liters of sukang kaong, a specialty in Dolores. Sadly there was no sukang kurat there. (I miss Tayabas!!!)

The other participants went ahead to the lake but I was so sleepy I doubt I'd be able to last another hour on the road so I got down at the highway and took a bus to Manila with one of the participants. We had to stand inside the bus for an hour though before we finally got seated and of course, the sleepyhead instantly fell asleep and woke up just as the bus was nearing the terminal in Pasay.

It was tiring, having a packed schedule like that but my heart would burst from too much happiness because I got to rappel again and because, well, I love the mountain air. Truly a wild girl's escape from the crazy urban life!