Gearing Up for Mt. Pinatubo

Things to Bring:

• Hiking shoes or sandals (if you will be crossing the river, I suggest you bring sandals)
• Cap and Head Gear (to cover your nose if you are to ride 4X4… It gets dusty during summer or if it did not rain…) you can get this at a cheaper price in SM malls under accessories area, I got mine for Php  75. You can find some good stuff in Divisoria too price range 75 - 150.

• Shades or Eye Protector (same reason as above)
• Sunscreen
• 2-3 liters of bottled water
• Energy bars
• Comfortable hiking shorts or pants
• Comfortable clothes
• Arm sleeves or biker’s sleeves

• Extra clothes
• Earth mat or blanket which you can use once we are at the peak
• Jacket (Van’s AC might get too cold)
• Pillow
• Hiking Bag (make sure that you don't bring too heavy stuff because we are just having a day tour)
• Extra Money
• Camera or Camcorder to capture your memories
• Patience and appreciation

Enjoy and see you!

Mt. Pinatubo Climb Itinerary

All is set for our Mt. Pinatubo climb. We are short of hikers but we are still gonna push through.

For those who wanted to know what can we do on Mt. Pinatubo... check out this itinerary:

Tour date: Saturday 24 January 2015

Tour type: Public/shared group tour

Tour cost: Php2090/person

INCLUSIONS

·         round trip aircon van transfer (Manila-Pinatubo base camp-Manila)

·         round trip 4x4 wheel drive adventure

·         local guide

·         conservation fee

·         certificate of conquest

·         assistance of a tour coordinator from team TRIPinas (we trek with our clients)

Optional add-ons :

Shower at the base camp: Php50

Boat ride on the crater lake: currently unavailable

ITINERARY

0230 Meet up (McDonalds El Pueblo in Ortigas area near Megamall)

·         Make sure to have your breakfast and buy your packed lunch and water

·         Meet the tour coordinator - Pay your balance – Orientation - Sign the waiver form

0515 ETA Brgy. Sta. Juliana (base camp)

0530 to 0630 Board 4×4 vehicles.

0730 Start trekking (around 2 hours walking using the old way)

0930 ETA at the crater of Mt. Pinatubo.

Relax, photos, lecture, lunch (at clients' account)

1130 Start return trek (around 2 hours walking using the old way)

1330 Back to the 4x4s.

1430 Back at base camp. Freshen up

1530 Departure from the base camp to Manila.

1730-1830 (depending traffic) ETA Manila

Want Some PEACE & HAPPINESS?

Want some Chinese? Want some Peace and Happiness?

Yes you definitely can on a Monday evening while others are having Happy MLK, we are having Chinese food in the office.

Check out what we had...

You can visit

1. Peace and Happiness Dumpling House 老北京 
2. 
   

READ MORE HERE...

at G08 Makati Cityland Tower 3 (the one facing Buendia or Sen. Gil Puyat street)

Happy Dumpling!

My Next Climb - Mt. Pinatubo

My next climb will be in Mt. Pinatubo this coming January 24, 2015. I'm so excited...

Here are something we need to know about Mt. Pinatubo:

Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Cabusilan Mountains on the island of Luzon, near the tripoint of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga.^[3][3][4] Before the volcanic activities of 1991, its eruptive history was unknown to most people. It was heavily eroded, inconspicuous and obscured from view. It was covered with dense forest which supported a population of several thousand indigenous people, the Aetas, who fled to the mountains during the Spanish conquest of the Philippines.

Mt. Pinatubo before the eruption:

Mount Pinatubo's summit before the 1991 eruption was 1,745 m (5,725 ft) above sea level, only about 600 m (2,000 ft) above nearby plains, and only about 200 m (660 ft) higher than surrounding peaks, which largely obscured it from view.^[13] It is part of a chain of volcanoes which lie along the western side of the edge of the island of Luzon called theZambales Mountains.^[14]

Pinatubo belongs to the Cabusilan Mountains, the central range of the Zambales Mountains, which consists of Mt. Cuadrado, Mt. Negron, Mt. Mataba and Mt. Pinatubo.^[15] They are subduction volcanoes, formed by the Eurasian Plate sliding under the Philippine Mobile Belt along the Manila Trench to the west. Mount Pinatubo and the other volcanoes on this volcanic belt arise due to magma occlusion from this subduction plate boundary.^[16]

Pinatubo is flanked on the west by the Zambales Ophiolite Complex, which is an easterly-dipping section of Eocene oceanic crust uplifted during the late Oligocene. The Tarlac Formation north, east and southeast of Pinatubo consists of marine, nonmarine and volcaniclastic sediments formed in the late Miocene and Pliocene.^[17]

The most recent study of Mount Pinatubo before the activities of 1991 was the overall geological study in 1983 and 1984 made by F. G. Delfin for the Philippine National Oil Company as part of the surface investigations of the area before exploratory drilling and well testing for geothermal energy sources in 1988 to 1990. He recognized two life histories of the mountain, which he classified as 'ancestral' and 'modern' Pinatubo.^[17][18]

Mt. Pinatubo during eruption in 1991:

1991 activities leading to the eruption[edit]

On March 15, 1991, a succession of earthquakes were felt by villagers on the northwestern side of the volcano. Further earthquakes of increasing intensity were felt over the next two weeks, and it became clear some kind of volcanic activity was likely. On April 2, the volcano awoke, with phreatic eruptions occurring near the summit along a 1.5 km (0.93 mi) long fissure. Over the next few weeks, small eruptions continued, dusting the surrounding areas with volcanic ash. Seismographs recorded hundreds of small earthquakes every day.

Scientists immediately installed monitoring equipment and analyzed the volcano for clues as to its previous eruptive history. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal found in old volcanic deposits revealed the last three major explosive eruption periods in recent millennia, about 5500, 3500 and 500 years ago. Geological mapping showed that much of the surrounding plains were formed by lahar deposits from previous eruptions.

Volcanic activity increased throughout May. Measurements of sulfur dioxide emissions showed a rapid increase from 500 t (550 short tons) per day by May 13 to 5,000 t (5,500 short tons) per day by May 28. This implied that there was a rising column of fresh magma beneath the volcano. After May 28, the amount of SO

2 being emitted decreased substantially, raising fears that the degassing of the magma had been blocked somehow, leading to a pressure build-up in the magma chamber and a high likelihood of explosive eruptions.

The first magmatic eruptions occurred on June 3, and the first large explosion on June 7 generated an ash column 7 km (4.3 mi) high. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued a warning indicating the possibility of a major eruption within two weeks.

Mt. Pinatubo NOW:

Now Mt. Pinatubo is the most hiked or trekked place in Zambales.

Human Shield for Pope Francis

As Catholics, we are privileged to see Pope Francis in person and as to my sister, Amie, and her husband, Kuya Norman, being part of the Human Shield for Pope Francis is really a great opportunity and a great blessing.

I was on my way home and took a bus during Pope Francis' mass at the Manila Cathedral which the Eucharist and the readings are about Peter. I was moved by how our Cardinal Louis Antonio Tagle welcomed Pope Francis once more. The message of Manila Cathedral as the first Cathedral in the Philippines, and how a Jesuit priest who is also a historian said that Filipino people are people of Music and Faith which keeps them strong. He also compare His Holiness to an earthquake not that crushed the people but awakens them, a weapon not to hurt them but to protect them... In deed, the faith in every Filipino helped us to overcome the worst and devastating stages of our lives and with music and faith we are lifted, cheered, and standing strong just like how the Cathedrals were built from ground by faith and hardwork of each believers.

Because I need to report to work I was unable to join the human shield but I wanted to share how my sister's reactions were. I don't know how exactly my sister felt during this event but I'm happy to share her posts:

And she saw Pope Francis... Wow! Wickedly Blessed!

And because their baby boy, my nephew, Andrei Pierre is having his 2nd birthday this 17 of January, 2015; they bought him a limited edition Pope Francis Doll...

            

Photo's by: Norman Villareal

Today Ate Lyra Maleon-Dacio is also celebrating her birthday and she had a good way of keeping track of dates and this is remarkably amazing:

She posted:

In 1981 on this day, marked the end of Martial Law in the PH. 
In 1991 on this day, marked the beginning of the Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm.
In 2001 on this day, was the start of EDSA Dos.

In 2015 on this day, Pope Francis journeys to Tacloban. 

That's how these years are interconnected with historical events attached to them. Again Happy Birthday to my Nephew and Ate Lyra!

Viva Santo Papa Kiko! Bless our country and its people. Bless and pray for Tacloban and the world.