Everyday I work. Everyday I get to taste the pollution of the metro from its noise to its breathe. Sometimes all you need is to escape from your normal world, thus, a Saturday hike to Mt. Talamitam in Batangas is a quick drive out of the city to give yourself some break.
It's time to unwind and do a cheap hike...
Rhose was the one who made the plan and did some research for our next climb, a supposedly twin hike, was just made as half-day hike because we have not have enough time to train and prepare our body before the hike. Mt. Talamitam is said to be a beginners trail but we have feared the lose soil and crumbly sloppy up-trail of the mountain. I now call this place the "Be-be-bente Place"
We started our trip from Coastal Mall taking a bus to Kilometer 83 in Batangas for Php 120.00 (Air-Condition/AC Bus). It took about 2 hours before we arrived at Km80. As we have disembarked we already saw some hikers (the 8.3 km trail run group... ahem Rhose get that bamboo pole ready...) in front of a store having Sopas with Egg for breakfast for Php 20. We too then took some to fill our stomachs and bought a liter of mineral water, signed at the registration area (pay 20 Pesos again), and waited for our guide.
As the guide approached as (Tophet was on the phone just had some emergency call to make) we had prepare ourselves for a 1 1/2 to 2 hour hike to the peak. We first had encountered a downhill paved trail where our guide, Kuya Rene Nazareno, told us that the hut (which is somewhat artistic) was owned by the previous coordinator for hikers in their Barangay. We also saw some posters for the trail run competition which means this trail should really be easy (BEGINNER... as some blogsite says) so we have considered to mindset an easy trail. To surprise us not... it was not as we have expected.
The whole hike must have been rated as beginner because it was short but the trail to the mount have some difficult course in it. Though the whole experience before going to the peak was really superb from the trail to the magnificence of what Batangas and the mountainous Philippines could offer.
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| We saw a horse sleeping on a backyard and we proceed to our hike. |
Before the downhill....
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| A river runs beside the bamboo fence giving a refreshing view for those who were tired of the city life. |
We went up where there are trees and lead to the grassland. Rested and continued to climb. We were at the camping site when we starting to rest for a while and enjoyed the view of Batangas and the mountain just across Talamitam, the Mt. Batulao.
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| 6 frames of 360 shot before continuing our hike - stitched... I did on my Nikon... I did not set my panorama... (lazy song playing on the background...hahaha) |
At long last we have reached the peak and did Nature Appreciation and ate a Php 30.00 icecream on stick ( I had the buko with monggo while Rhose and Tophet had their cheese flavor)
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| TAMARAW reached the PEAK of Mt. Talamitam! |
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| si Kuya Rene Nazareno na tubong Bicol... |
