Pico de Loro Day Hike

World under your feet.

Cheers to climbs...and more climbs.

Straight from the can.

Bibliophile at the peak.

If this is the cab route, daily commute is never tiresome.

Lone Climb Turned Out Trio at Mt. Maculot Batangas

Feeling queen of my own empire at Mt. Maculot, Cuenca Batangas.

Excitement is an understatement when an officemate mentioned about Mt. Maculot. It is barely an hour and a half from Pasay and can be clambered at a minimum time. Just perfect for a quick lone getaway.  I cannot wait! No itinerary. Just me, myself, and I dating nature. But like any other story, there was a wicked witch—my darling, darling sister. She found out I would be mounting alone and just taken back her words of allowing me to do such thing. Darn! Why in the first place did I mention I’ll go alone. I mean, what is the big deal? I’m an independent woman (chos!) and I can handle myself. Many people do the same. But I do not want my family to worry so I did find two on the go buddies. By the way, lesson learned. Never mention where to go and who’s with you to avoid 'gala' plan disrupted. 

The Experience

Dismayed that my first plan did not materialize, I thought I'll journey up totally flabbergasted. Thanks to Ipay and Ryan being the 11th-hour amazing travel buddies it turned out otherwise. Mt. Maculot is just a chill climb and even chiller if you have 'not maarte' and 'go lang' company. The ascend is lung-friendly which I enjoyed given I have a weak one. Thirst is surely quenched with iced cold buko juice at every station and if you are lucky enough hitch a shot of Emperador with the locals.

How to get to Mt. Maculot?

Jam Liner (Buendia) bound to Lemery and get-off at Cuenca (P149)

Ride a motorcycle to the registration area that will also get you to the jump-off

Motorcycle Fare P20     

Registration 20

Note: Bring ID

There are guides on queue at the registration area so worry not if it is your first time to go up. Minimum fee is 300-400 pesos.

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Ideas for Batangas Overnight

Batangas boasts of sure adventure and fun through its beaches, pools,
and gastronomic foods.

You need wait neither summer nor long holidays to take a break. Just go get your backpack and throw in your trainers, a few clothes, and you are good to go.

Destination? Batangas. Just an overnight though.

Batangas is just an hour and a half  drive from Metro Manila (if you are lucky not to catch the holy traffic hour). In just a nap (if you are not driving), the next time you open your eyes, you are already somewhere near the infamous Mt. Taal nestling amidst the majestic lake. Considered as a first class province in the Philippines, Batangas boasts a wide array of hotels, inns and other accommodations that perfectly fit an excursionist’s budget. Club Balai Isabel is one of the top five options for their quite a number of pools and panoramic view. You could rent a single room or if you are in a group, taking a villa good for 7-14 people is a wise option.

Heck, why do I sound like a PR personnel here? Get up! Time to kick ass in Batangas! Well not really, here are just few ideas on how you could spend a short stay in such beautiful place like I did. Do not worry this is not an itinerary (I personally hate it myself.)

Arriving at around 6 in the evening is just perfect for dinner after settling your stuff. Swear, the food is heaven especially the salad.  Oh, I’ll bet one finger if you won’t like their vinaigrette. The resto fronts the lake gently comb by the wind.  Hey, that’s more than an appetizer! For the eyes.

Once tummy is filled, hmmm, it might then be cool to stroll. Bring a shawl if you get cold easily though. You might get brain freeze. Or if not really up to it, then head back to your room and prepare for swimming. For security reasons, pool accommodation is just until 10pm so better exhaust earlier.

Frozen, eh? Go sip bourbon or whiskey at the nearby bar and party-party! Or if you are not up to it, go play poker with your friends. If you got a car with you, it would be easy to glide up to Tagaytay (just 30 mins away) and check a bowl of steaming soup or boiling black coffee but be sure to be back early and rise before the ball of fire will. You do not want to miss the sun peeks from the lake’s horizon, do you?

But before you do that, you might consider jogging first. The very reason I asked you to throw a pair running shoes, eh?  On the latter part of the day, you could play billiard, basketball, volleyball, dart, or even check out a boat that could take you to the island near Mt. Taal. It is fun also to watch fisher folks catching freshwater creatures or simply bathe under the sun with your sunnies of course.


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