Mount Pinatubo Adventure

When you had 3 bottles of beer on a Friday night, stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, climbing up a mountain, which was next on my weekend to do list, with barely enough sleep,  doesn't really sound like a good idea.

These thoughts run in my mind while inside the car on the way home from an unplanned night out. 

It's close to 2:30 a.m. and we have to catch the bus going to Tarlac at 3:00 a.m. which means that we literally just have to change to our backpacking gears and hit the road.

When we arrived home, I went straight to my room and started to pack - light fabric shirts, board shorts, undies, sunnies, camera, battery, sunblock, mosquito repellant, etc. I even managed to take a short bath to shake off the sleepiness and have a cup of warm coffee. 

At 3:00 a.m., we were at the Victory Liner terminal in Cubao which was really packed with passengers who we thought were going to join the festivities of the Panagbenga in Baguio. We learned that the next bus leaves for Baguio at 4:00 a.m. so we ended up transferring to Dagupan Bus Line station where we boarded a bus to Capas, Tarlac.

The trip was shorter than I expected. at 5:30 a.m., we were already at Mcdonald's Tarlac waiting for the 4x4 service jeep we hired to pick us up and take us to the drop off point where the trek to see the Mount Pinatubo crater starts.

It was the first time I got to ride on a 4x4 truck so I started to feel a sense of adventure. Seated at the back seat, in open air, I could feel the cold weather running through my skin. Moments later, the sun began to rise, creating red, orange, yellow, blue and black gradient in the sky.

We made a short stop in Sta. Juliana where we signed waivers and had a short orientation. It was also in Sta. Juliana where we were joined by our tour guide. After a few minutes, Kuya driver started the engine and off we went to see the Mount Pinatubo crater.

The first hour of the drive was uneventful until we reached the offroad when, like a ship on a stormy sea, the 4x4 truck, sailed through different slopes of terrain in what seemed like a labyrinth of sand, stone and water.

After 2 hours, we reached the trekking point. The 4x4 was parked and the walking began. Lack of exercise made me feel tired easily. At some instances, I almost told the tour guide to walk slowly. The guy was just too fast it was hard to keep up with his pace. Add to the fact that I had to stop at some point to take pictures. The view and scenery was undeniably beautiful. It's a treat for us photographers that we don't get to experience so often. 

The direction we were headed seemed never ending. I thought we were never going to stop walking. When I saw two cottages where I saw fellow trekkers taking a rest I felt relieved. We did stop for a short break and our tour guide told us that we only had to walk a few more minutes (15 minutes if I remember it correctly) and we would get to see the crater. At last! I was again energized.

True enough, after a 15-minute climb and the ground turned even, before us was the Mount Pinatubo crater in all its magnificent splendour. It was really a site to behold. I've never seen anything like it before. It was picturesque, to good to be true. I was like looking at a live postcard. I immediately grabbed my camera and shoot away as if the scene would vanish any minute. 

The usual things followed next. Hunger pangs took over the fried tinapa, boiled eggs, chicken adobo, rice and banana that the tour operator prepared for us. More photo ops. Then we walked down a man-made stairs towards the inside of the crater and took a dip in the cold teal water. 

After a good 3 hours of mostly photo sessions, swimming and joking about the possibility of the Lochness monster emerging from the deepest part of the lake, we decided to head back to town.

Back in Sta. Juliana, we were directed to a house where one could shower and freshen up at P40.00 per person. After which the 4x4 jeep drove us back to Capas, Tarlac at the waiting spot for buses going to Manila. 

Hunger pangs struck again so we had a late lunch at Chowking from across the street. 

It didn't take long before a bus bound for Manila arrived. Tired from a whole day of fun and adventure, everybody was dozing off throughout the entire trip. 

Truly, the Pinatubo Adventure was, so far, one of the most unforgettable trips I have taken. Was it worth the long trips and hours of walking? oh Yes! Was it worth another visit? That's actually already being arranged:).

Things to bring:

water at least 2 liters

sunblock

mosquito repellant

sandals (Tribu or Sandugo is good just make sure you're wearing your size. I discovered I was wearing my brother's whose shoe size is bigger, only after the trip.)

hat with a wide brim.

sunnies

extra shirts because you will be sweating a lot

swimwear

camera with a fully-charged battery