Yesterday, we drove up to Capas in Tarlac Province to trek up Mt. Pinatubo. We left Manila at 5 a.m. with Ivo at the wheel and Gracita, Edgar (Ivo's brother visiting from Zurich), Katrin, Nina, Regee and me as the semi-conscious passengers in the back.
And yes, we did get to the top of Mt. Pinatubo. As you can see, it is ruggedly magnificent. Reminds me of Crater Lake in Oregon.
Before we got to the drop off point, we stopped because there was a small encampment of Aeta, the indigenous people who still inhabit this area even after Mt. Pinatubo devastated the general area. With all the four-wheel drives and people wearing masks it looked like something out of a Mad Max movie.
The little Aeta children don't miss any photo ops. Since Pinatubo's explosion the government and many private charities have done a lot of work with the Aeta. But judging by the conditions we saw along the way, there is a lot of work left to do. Agriculture, their mainstay, was almost wiped out after the eruption. That said, I noticed stands selling buko, vegetables and other produce--so life goes on.
Just in case you thought it was all dust, here is the muddy plain that we traversed along the way. Mt. Pinatubo's eruption affected many rivers in the region so we were basically driving across a number of river and tributary beds that had been filled up with lahar. Rain is producing all sorts of new water courses and the topography is constantly changing. This is like watching prehistory in action. Geomorphologists must love this area.
We passed through these valleys of lahar. It is hard to believe that some of these stretches are only about 20 years old--the result of a major typhoon combining with the volcanic ash and lava produced by Pinatubo back in 1991. Many storms and general rainfall since then continue to cause landslides and lahar flows that are a constant danger to inhabitants--and tourists?
As mentioned earlier, when we finally got underway, we came across a large contingent of soldiers. They all looked impossibly young but were armed to the teeth and just about every one of them said "Good Morning" to us as we walked by them. I think they had been on maneuvers the night before and also, incidentally, were making sure that any trash that had been left by tourists was brought down the mountain. The little Aeta kids were all over them and I think they had pretty large candy supplies for them!
At long last, we finally got to the drop off point. We had thought we would be spending a few hours climbing up to the crater but they don't really want you to wander around too much. A friend of ours had told us that there had been some "incidents" recently. Maybe some remnants of the NPA up there--and hence the soldiers? Anyway, we plodded up what was really a small water channel full of slippery rocks supplemented by sand bags. The higher you got, the more you found vegetation. It was positively lush for the last half kilometer or so. There was a sign at one point that said the summit was 15 minutes away and then in parenthesis "Seniors: 20 minutes". The cheek of it!
This was the first view of the lake in the crater. Hard to believe that this only about 20 years old. There was a very beautiful beach down below but all swimming and boating activities are strictly forbidden. The lake is positively toxic and has high levels of everything from arsenic to mercury. Compare this to volcanic Lake Taal in Tagaytay which actually has two kinds of fish living in it and boasts its own Yacht Club.
At the summit there was a beautiful viewpoint in the best tradition of the National Parks system. We sat in the shade and ate some of the food that we had lugged up the mountain and it tasted fantastic--maybe the lahar gave it a bit of extra flavor. The younger members of the party (everyone except Regee and me) insisted on walking down 168 steps to see the beach. I had a very good view of it through my telephoto lens, thanks very much, and could only think of the sheer effort of climbing back up 168 steps. Is this just age or incipient wisdom?
So, we made it to the top of Mt. Pinatubo. It was well worth the 4-wheel drive punishment and the (slow) hike up the mountain. Amazingly, it was quite cool in the morning but definitely heated up later in the day. The journey back down and the journey home was uneventful. However, upon arrival back in Manila we all headed off to our respective massage therapists to help soothe aching muscles and sore feet. Civilization has its benefits.
Many thanks to Ivo for all the driving and to Swiss Family Sieber for arranging the whole jaunt.
By the way, have a look below at Crater Lake in Oregon. Regee and I were there a couple of years ago.
I should add that this blog was made possible by buying a lifetime membership at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Cafe in Eastwood City. They have excellent WiFi if you buy a P200 membership. Provided you get here before 6.45 a.m. you can snag the only electric outlet in the establishment. Even as I type this, I am being viewed with some hostility by many computer owners who have run out of battery. Time to go. I know when I am not wanted!!
We got there about 6.50 a.m., registered, signed liability waiver forms and piled into two four-wheel drive vehicles for the 1.15 hour drive to the drop off point.
The ride was pretty bumpy and we inhaled quite a lot of lahar dust. As you will see from a later photo, Ivo came well prepared and had proper sand goggles and an impromptu face mask. Regee had talked about bringing surgical masks but, alas, forgot them. Apart from our lungs, grave damage was done to our nether regions (puet) and riding in the back of those jeeps resembled bare back horse riding.
On the way to the drop off point, we crossed many small rivers, passed through a sort of dustbowl of powdered lahar, bumped over large rocks and, later in the expedition, met up with a large contingent of very friendly soldiers. From the drop off point, it took about an hour to climb to the top.
And yes, we did get to the top of Mt. Pinatubo. As you can see, it is ruggedly magnificent. Reminds me of Crater Lake in Oregon.
That's Ivo under the mask and Gracita behind the towel. Sensible counter measures against the choking dust. Mind you, I think Ivo was channeling the Desert Fox or something. I am still coughing after the experience--five days later. No wonder they won't let planes fly through volcanic dust.
Before we got to the drop off point, we stopped because there was a small encampment of Aeta, the indigenous people who still inhabit this area even after Mt. Pinatubo devastated the general area. With all the four-wheel drives and people wearing masks it looked like something out of a Mad Max movie.
The little Aeta children don't miss any photo ops. Since Pinatubo's explosion the government and many private charities have done a lot of work with the Aeta. But judging by the conditions we saw along the way, there is a lot of work left to do. Agriculture, their mainstay, was almost wiped out after the eruption. That said, I noticed stands selling buko, vegetables and other produce--so life goes on.
Just in case you thought it was all dust, here is the muddy plain that we traversed along the way. Mt. Pinatubo's eruption affected many rivers in the region so we were basically driving across a number of river and tributary beds that had been filled up with lahar. Rain is producing all sorts of new water courses and the topography is constantly changing. This is like watching prehistory in action. Geomorphologists must love this area.
We passed through these valleys of lahar. It is hard to believe that some of these stretches are only about 20 years old--the result of a major typhoon combining with the volcanic ash and lava produced by Pinatubo back in 1991. Many storms and general rainfall since then continue to cause landslides and lahar flows that are a constant danger to inhabitants--and tourists?
As mentioned earlier, when we finally got underway, we came across a large contingent of soldiers. They all looked impossibly young but were armed to the teeth and just about every one of them said "Good Morning" to us as we walked by them. I think they had been on maneuvers the night before and also, incidentally, were making sure that any trash that had been left by tourists was brought down the mountain. The little Aeta kids were all over them and I think they had pretty large candy supplies for them!
At long last, we finally got to the drop off point. We had thought we would be spending a few hours climbing up to the crater but they don't really want you to wander around too much. A friend of ours had told us that there had been some "incidents" recently. Maybe some remnants of the NPA up there--and hence the soldiers? Anyway, we plodded up what was really a small water channel full of slippery rocks supplemented by sand bags. The higher you got, the more you found vegetation. It was positively lush for the last half kilometer or so. There was a sign at one point that said the summit was 15 minutes away and then in parenthesis "Seniors: 20 minutes". The cheek of it!
This was the first view of the lake in the crater. Hard to believe that this only about 20 years old. There was a very beautiful beach down below but all swimming and boating activities are strictly forbidden. The lake is positively toxic and has high levels of everything from arsenic to mercury. Compare this to volcanic Lake Taal in Tagaytay which actually has two kinds of fish living in it and boasts its own Yacht Club.
At the summit there was a beautiful viewpoint in the best tradition of the National Parks system. We sat in the shade and ate some of the food that we had lugged up the mountain and it tasted fantastic--maybe the lahar gave it a bit of extra flavor. The younger members of the party (everyone except Regee and me) insisted on walking down 168 steps to see the beach. I had a very good view of it through my telephoto lens, thanks very much, and could only think of the sheer effort of climbing back up 168 steps. Is this just age or incipient wisdom?
So, we made it to the top of Mt. Pinatubo. It was well worth the 4-wheel drive punishment and the (slow) hike up the mountain. Amazingly, it was quite cool in the morning but definitely heated up later in the day. The journey back down and the journey home was uneventful. However, upon arrival back in Manila we all headed off to our respective massage therapists to help soothe aching muscles and sore feet. Civilization has its benefits.
Many thanks to Ivo for all the driving and to Swiss Family Sieber for arranging the whole jaunt.
By the way, have a look below at Crater Lake in Oregon. Regee and I were there a couple of years ago.
I should add that this blog was made possible by buying a lifetime membership at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Cafe in Eastwood City. They have excellent WiFi if you buy a P200 membership. Provided you get here before 6.45 a.m. you can snag the only electric outlet in the establishment. Even as I type this, I am being viewed with some hostility by many computer owners who have run out of battery. Time to go. I know when I am not wanted!!
Great photos! But what about "the rest of the pictures"?
ReplyDeleteHi, anak.The rest of the pics will have to wait till Ian finds a better wi-fi source than the coffee shop across the road -- these few photos took forever to upload.
DeleteVery interesting blog indeed, but not the usual Tolkien-length we have all come to expect! What on earth were all the soldiers DOING up there?? Weren't you nervous when you saw them approaching? Did you think twice about stealing that bag of Crack (Pandesal)?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the photos and blog post. Please give our love to the Siebers, and tell Edgar I think his scarf is fabulous!
ReplyDelete