Road tripping and a little bit of hiking in Kabayan, Benguet
It is past seven in the evening, and somewhere in the far and vast vegetation communities of Kabayan, Benguet, two tents are pitched beside a lake, seemingly unmindful of the biting cold, and the ultimate black that swallowed the surroundings.
Inside one of those tents, I am tucked in a sleeping bag, seated on the cold floor, with only my face exposed, and contemplating how I am gonna make it through the night. I'm pretty sure tonight's the coldest I've ever been. It's so cold I don't even dare to expose the tip of my fingers. I do not have gloves, that's how prepared I am for this trip.
All of us are inside our respective tents now, two on each tent. Tonight, we dine on sandwiches because not one soul wants to stay outside to cook. We did try to boil water, but after more than 30 minutes, it's only lukewarm.
This is my first time camping in the mountains. In the past, I have always avoided camping trips because of the hassle. If I am going on a vacation, it should be somewhere comfortable. But I have to have this big adventure to make up for all the lost time because of the demands of work.
The first day of the hiking trip was easy. We were on the road for almost the whole day. We rented a van so we almost didn't have to walk. The most challenging part of the day was when we hiked up to Mt. Timbak summit.
It was a short but pulse-racing hike because nobody thought of warming up. We just got off of the vehicle, and climbed Mt. Timbak like it was just three or four flights of stairs. My lungs was shocked, naturally. We were climbing the 3rd highest peak in Luzon, in the first place.
After taking photos to prove that we've been there, we went to see several burial caves around Kabayan. The first one is just around the vicinity of Mt. Timbak--two caves which house mummified locals dead for thousands of years now. The other burial cave, you have to climb a ladder in order to view closer, and be amazed by how the Cordillerans managed to put their dead up there in the rocky mountains.
On our way to the camp site at Barangay Ballay, we stopped for a cup of brewed coffee at our driver's house. Perks.
It was starting to get dark when we reached the tourism registry, which is still a few kilometers away from the camp site.
By the lake may be a perfect camping site during summer. Though I'm not sure how's the temperature in here when it's hot in most places in the Philippines.
Inside one of those tents, I am tucked in a sleeping bag, seated on the cold floor, with only my face exposed, and contemplating how I am gonna make it through the night. I'm pretty sure tonight's the coldest I've ever been. It's so cold I don't even dare to expose the tip of my fingers. I do not have gloves, that's how prepared I am for this trip.
All of us are inside our respective tents now, two on each tent. Tonight, we dine on sandwiches because not one soul wants to stay outside to cook. We did try to boil water, but after more than 30 minutes, it's only lukewarm.
This is my first time camping in the mountains. In the past, I have always avoided camping trips because of the hassle. If I am going on a vacation, it should be somewhere comfortable. But I have to have this big adventure to make up for all the lost time because of the demands of work.
The first day of the hiking trip was easy. We were on the road for almost the whole day. We rented a van so we almost didn't have to walk. The most challenging part of the day was when we hiked up to Mt. Timbak summit.
It was a short but pulse-racing hike because nobody thought of warming up. We just got off of the vehicle, and climbed Mt. Timbak like it was just three or four flights of stairs. My lungs was shocked, naturally. We were climbing the 3rd highest peak in Luzon, in the first place.
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| View from the road.. that's where we're headed. |
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| View from Mt. Timbak summit |
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| Pride rock |
It was starting to get dark when we reached the tourism registry, which is still a few kilometers away from the camp site.
By the lake may be a perfect camping site during summer. Though I'm not sure how's the temperature in here when it's hot in most places in the Philippines.
And here's where I am now. Can't sleep because (1) of the extreme cold; (2) the wind keeps pounding our tents it's so noisy; (3) the wind makes sounds as if someone's walking around the tents, and (4) it is as if the lake suddenly has waves.
To tell the truth, it may also be because I am scared I'll never wake up again if I dare fall into deep sleep. The price of adventures.
