My 5th Climb: Treasure Mountain Experience

The choices we make lead up to actual experiences. It is one thing to decide to climb a mountain. It is quite another to be on top of it.

Herbert A. Simon

Reaching the top of any mountain is a goal reached for me. As for other people, they climb for various reasons — to gain experience, to take their mind away from stress, to challenge themselves, to heal from a broken heart, to be near to God, or to prove that they can make it. For me, my sole reason I’m climbing mountains is to see the stars at night when we do overnight camping, and be in awe of God’s majestic creations. When I reached Treasure Mountain, I was surely not disappointed.

A quick backtrack: Year 2013, my officemates who are part of the Buhawi Mountaineering Club invited me to hike Mt. Pico de Loro in Cavite. I was excited, yet a bit nervous. Back then, I was going in and out the hospital for checkups. I remember I was not able to walk for longer distance without having difficulty in breathing. So, I accepted the invitation to challenge myself and prove one thing: that I can reach the summit with my lungs still intact. I did reach the summit of Mt. Pico de Loro and marveled at the beauty of God’s creation. Since then, I promised myself to join mountain climbing trips at least once a year.

Going back to Treasure Mountain, I cannot consider it a major or minor climb since we have easy access to the summit. My Buhawi friends and I made a commute — van from Cubao to Cogeo (35php), then jeep from Cogeo to Kurambai (46php) in Tanay, Rizal. Once we are in Kurambai, we rode a motorcycle at the trail going to Treasure Mountain (50php) and was dropped off at the entrance of the place. It is actually a private area but the owner took advantage of the place and made it a tourist destination. We paid overnight camping fee (200php/head) and then pitching fee (300php/tent). We don’t have a car, but those who do also have a parking fee (50php). The place is easily accessible by car and reaching the summit will only take you about 15 minutes from the entrance, so I cannot fully say it’s even a minor climb. Hmm, I can safely say you have a 15-minute hike at that.

Once we’re on the summit, we pitched our tents and fortunately, my other Buhawi friends already pitched theirs and were already fixing dinner. I did help a bit, but once it’s dark and the food’s ready, we started our night socials.

It has been a tradition for Buhawi members to introduce ourselves for the getting to know portion. I did introduce myself and was a bit astounded upon realizing that this is already my 5th climb. I already made friends that I only see once a year (only every anniversary climb) and that my introvert self has now become comfortable in their company. (I think it took me three years before I actually memorized their names!).

After the socials, I had time to gaze up at the heavens and talk to God. I thanked Him for a wonderful creation, with the stars so many and I feel like it’s so easy to grab one. The wind’s getting cold, and I was enjoying my alone time. I remembered those times when I cried and I just didn’t feel God hearing my prayers, but at that very moment, I was just in awe at the beauty of the heavens. The moon was so bright, the stars so many and so beautiful I couldn’t take my eyes off the picturesque view of the universe. I remembered the scenes I’ve read from the book “Every Soul a Star” by Wendy Mass and wondered where could be the North Star, and if the brightest stars were actually talking to me. I just felt peace. I’m hoping for things in my life and at that very moment, I just felt so close to God and felt everything would be alright. I wonder if this was also what Jesus felt whenever He went to the mountain to pray during his time here on Earth 🤔🤔🤔.

As the night went deeper into the darkness, I again joined the group for more socials. It was very cold this time, good thing I brought my sweatshirt with me. We shared stories and by around 3am, we called it a night.

Early in the morning, I heard voices outside our tent. I didn’t want to get up yet, but I remembered I wanted to witness the sea of clouds. Treasure Mountain is famous for its sea of clouds so I immediately fixed my things and grabbed my phone. As I went out, I saw the beautiful mountain ranges, without the sea of clouds 😔😔😔. Nevertheless, the view was breathtaking so I took some photos. In case you’ll visit Treasure mountain, don’t forget to bring jacket as it’s cold especially at night. 😍

So there. Basically, after the breakfast, we fixed our tents and started our way home. We didn’t have a major nor climb for Buhawi’s 15th anniversary celebration. However, the fact that we met together and shared stories about the mountains for an overnight camping is already a relaxing time for quite a busy and stressful week at that.

If you haven’t climbed a mountain, maybe this is the time to challenge yourself and experience the beauty of nature. 🙂

My Love Letter to FL p2

Dear Future Lover,
How are you tonight?

You know, I’ve been missing you even if I don’t know you yet. But nevertheless, I have been enjoying my life so far. 🤗👊

In the previous years, I have been asking God for contentment and a change of heart for my career. Do not get me wrong. I love what I do but projects and the dream of going abroad to study had consumed me for the past three years that I just look forward for the future, not realizing I have not been living in my present reality. But through God’s grace, He allowed me to stay at my current company even after being rejected for scholarships and not regret after all. 💟

Just these past weeks, I have been in Visayas and Mindanao for work, doing what I love — sharing about new technologies and elearning, training teachers and learning more about my industry. I have traveled from one place to another, and my colleagues are all a joy to work with. Only lately that I realized I have been blessed in my career.

So, when I meet you, I’ll make sure to tell you all about my work, and what we do to make a difference in the area of education. I’ll be sharing about the places we’ve been to, and the smiles of the students and teachers we’ve trained. I’ll be bringing you pasalubong every time we’ll go out of town, because I know you’ll be ecstatic to receive a gift from me. I know that once we meet, it would be a joy to share to you my travel experiences, and hopefully, someday, I get to travel with you as well.

For now, I’ll document all the ups and downs of my career because I know, you’ll have a glimpse of how I work and enjoy life at the same time. I’m keeping tabs at how I live my life — making sure I enjoy the blessings God has given me so I’ll be contented just as what God says and I’ll be sharing how God has provided enough for me. I know, when that time comes that we’ll be together, we’ll be sharing all about our faith and how God has been so good to us during the waiting season of our lives.

For now, I’ll just wait for you and enjoy life to fullest. God has given me enough to be thankful, and yet, I know, when I meet you, God has answered my prayer for an overflowing blessing to love and be loved in return.
And so, Future Lover, I’m looking forward to meeting you soon! For the mean time, I hope you enjoy life as well as I am enjoying mine. 😁😆😍🤗

Sincerely,

Yza 😘

Trip to Bohol

I had the opportunity to visit the beauty of Bohol last year, where I’ve seen the Chocolate Hills in person, chilled in Panglao Beach Resort, and toured the Bohol Bee Farm, where I’ve tasted the very delicious ice cream.

Since I’m on reminisce mode, let me share to you my journey and pictures (no filter) of my travel: 😀😁

Bohol Bee Farm: Buzz Ice Cream

Bohol Bee Farm: Ocean View

Panglao Island: Public Resort

We found a place to chill here without paying too much! I think we only paid less than a hundred bucks for the entrance fee.

Bohol: Chocolate Hills

We went there 1st week of October 2016 and at that time, the hills were not so chocolatey.

Ancient Church

I forgot the name of this church but it is one of those churches during the year that was affected by the great earthquake.

So there. I’m trying to document all my previous travels so pardon me if some are dated years ago. But heck, I enjoyed life by traveling once in a while so I wanna have some documentation to inspire others, and that includes you!

😀😀😀

GenSan Family Escapade

It is faith that enabled me to accept a job at GenSan, and it is also faith that allowed me to bring my familyback to the place where I met my father and had my prayer answered.

Just a few days ago, my threesome family just got here in GenSan for some relaxation from a stressful week. We had a lot of time meeting our relatives and checking out the dock station where all the tuna arrives from the sea.

My stay in Gensan is one whole lot of fun! I’d be posting a feature soon on the place as the tuna capital of the country. Stay tuned!

Travel Bangladesh

One Asian country that is continually on the rise is Bangladesh. Situated on South Asia, specifically on the northwest side of Myanmar, eastern side of India and northern bays of Bengal, Bangladesh takes pride on its agricultural landform to provide mostly the needs of its people. Aside from exporting jutes and tea, Bangladesh is also known for its famous nature escapades like the Mangrove forest Sundarbans and the picturesque beach of Kuakata found in the capital of the country: Dhaka.

Why go to Dhaka?

One of the famous tourist attractions in Bangladesh is Dhaka. As the capital of Bangladesh, it attracts travelers of different ages from all over the world. With an estimated number of eighteen million residents, Dhaka is the considered a major hub for political, cultural, industrial and commercial activities in the country.

With a tropical monsoon climate, you can plan your travel to the country during the months of January to March. With temperature averaging from 26 degree Celsius to 33 degree Celsius, this is the best time to tour the country for its flourishing landmarks and attractions.

In addition, the capital offers different modes of transportation for travelers. May it be a bus, train, taxi, or boat, you will be sure to go about and reach your destination. You can also ride a rickshaw, the local means of transport similar to a tricycle, and cover short distances around the city in cheaper fares. You must be warned, however, that whether you are riding a ricksaw or a taxi, you will have to use your negotiation skills to get the best bargain for a ride.

Photo by joiseyshowaa

Bangladesh: Learn the culture

As part of the travel itinerary, one goes to a place to learn its culture. To know the culture of the Bangladesh, one must learn the country’s national language – Bengali. Considered as one of the most spoken languages in the world, Bengali evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. With almost 230 million speakers in and out of the country, Bengali is counted as the bridge for communication between locals and tourists who wanted to enhance their knowledge of the region’s culture.

So how do you enjoy your stay at Bangladesh? You can check out these tips:

1. Before you travel, check out the hotels around town. There are many hotels in the country that offer cheap accommodations in line with its comfort. With the boom of information, over the internet, it wouldn’t be hard to find these hotels beforehand.

2. Take a camera with you. In any travel experience that you’ll have, you will want your camera to take the most of the memories down the lane. As Bangladesh offers lush sceneries in this side of the continent, cameras are an important tool to document your stay at the country. Whether you’re using professional digital SLR or just the point and shoot cameras, it will eventually lead you to satisfaction once you have collected tangible memories of your travel.

3. Know the currency. Bangladesh uses Taka as its main currency. One US Dollar is equivalent to 81. 73 BDT (Bangladesh Taka) as of this was published. Knowing the main currency in the country could spare you from spending hundreds of bucks as you can budget what is needed for the trip.

4. Be sure to bring your hotel card with you. If you are a newbie, you might want to always bring your hotel card with you along with their contact number wherever you go just in case. As a bustling city, you might not want to get lost around in a city as big as Dhaka.

5. Eat local delicacies. Each country has its own dish worth bragging. One taste of the local dish in the city and it would make an experience truly enjoyable as it leaves a mark not only in the minds but also in the taste buds. As a famous quote says, “you learn best when you use all your senses,” it’s definitely a plus once you get your senses rolling.

Challenge yourself to go around the country, be prepared and learn that Bangladesh is one country worth traveling for. #

Note: This is an application article that I’ve submitted to essays.ph. 🙂