Rizal

Road Trip to Pililla Windmill as of June 2021

Posted on by shellan

Since the government already allowed outdoor activity with the provision of following IATF guidelines, I and my fiance went on a road trip to Pililla, Pililla Windmill to be exact.

And upon our road trip we learned that a road is currently on construction, thus, heavy traffic flow is experienced by the travelers. And not only that by the time we got to the location, only 4 wheel vehicle or maybe those who have pre-booked their tour that day were allowed to enter.

That was quite disappointing. Imagine travelling for more than 2 hours and that is what we get. Yeah, we should have searched for any news about it first before heading on. So here we are, informing you the things you should expect and do before going to Pililla Windmill. Meanwhile, here’s the proof of the heavy traffic: Pililla Windmill as of June 2021

Aside from that, it’s a good thing we take every opportunity to take photos of beautiful scenery along the way.

We ate in a karinderya along the way. Their food is quite satisfying and their place is refreshing because it is somehow overlooking.

Thank you and God bless your trip.

Overnight at Mt. Sembrano (A Guideline)

Posted on by shellan

This was my first hike this year, and since we were planning to climb Mt. Pulag, we decided to climb this mountain first to prepare ourselves for it. Thus, an overnight.

First of all, you must consider the weather before climbing this mountain, wheather it’s a day hike or an overnight. It will become much difficult to climb the summit during rainy season but if you are looking for a challenging hike, then go for it. Just be very careful.

Mt. Sembrano is 700+ MASL, and is 4 to 5 hours to summit, if you’re planning a dayhike. What’s good about this mountain is that there were less backpackers hiking here. The mountain isn’t crowded.

We were close with the nature for more than 24 hours. Yes, it was very relaxing and refreshing. I don’t know about my team but I wasn’t bored at all.

Here are the trail you will face in case you plan a trek here:

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The trail after passing Manggahan Camp Site becomes very steep. But the summit is as always, very rewarding. Here the photos at the summit:

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To further visualize Mt. Sembrano, you may watch our hike on this link: Overnight at Mt. Sembrano with Manggahan Falls

Meanwhile, here are additional guidelines for your hike:

MGA DAPAT DALHIN

Lente.

Emergency light.

Pagkain.

Extra damit.

Pang laban sa lamig.

Hygine kit.
First aid kit

Medicine para sa may sakit
Extra pera
Pang sipol (incase of emergency, naligaw, nawala ganon)
Power bank

Tent (Walang rentahan ng tent but our tour guide helped us find someone who has tent for rent)

Energy bar .

Dalhin ang magagamit dun wag magdala ng sobra na d nmn kailngan para magaan ang dalahin

Garbage bag wag mag kalat.

“Leave nothing but footprints take nothing but pictures”

 

Itinerary:

1:30 Call time, Tejero Gas Station

2:00 Departure

6:00 ETA Pililia, Breakfast,

6:30 Registration

7:00 Start of Hike (including Manggahan bathes)

1:00 Summit, Lunch

-Free Time-

6:00 Cook Dinner

7:00 Dinner

9:00 Sleeping Time

5:00 Cook Breakfast, Sunrise viewing, Cofee Time

6:00 Breakfast

7:00 Pack Up, Clean as we go

7:30 Descend

10:00 Jump Off Point

10:30 Departure to Cavite

(Lunch along the way)

2:30 Tejero Gas Station

Budget for overnight hike: P1050/Pax (Registration P50, Tour guide P1000/5pax, Van Transfer) Under Kulay Nature Travel N’ Tours. I highly recommend this Travel Agency for your future tour. They were very accommodating.

Here are additional wonderful photos captured by our team, highlighting the wonderful creation of God:

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P.S. When you take a hike here, don’t forget to share some water with Everest, the tour guide doggo. She’s the doggy on one of the  pictures.

New Things You Need to Know Before Hiking Tungtong Falls and Nagpatong Rock Formation

Posted on by shellan

I’ve been in this place last year (Nagpatong Rock Formation and Tungtong Falls) and was reconsidering to return here. And so last week, we scheduled a trip here; them for the first time, me for the second.

Since we were only a group of 5, we decided to commute all the way here because it will cost us much if we’ll rent a van. I will breakdown our expenses at the end of this blog for your reference.

So, what’s new?

During our hike at Nagpatong Rock Formation, I noticed some new signage aside from that it’s pretty well the same.

We reached the summit of Nagpatong in less than 3 hours. Unlike last year, we spent almost 5 hours climbing up and down because of the muddy trail.

At the top, we were amazed by the creation of God. Sierra Madre Mountain range is as beautiful as always. I didn’t took its photo this time (the mountain range) because I don’t want to exploit its beauty. I don’t know, but I felt like not everybody deserves to see the beauty at the top. Besides, to be able to appreciate its beauty even more, one must be in the process or experience the climb if they can. They will worship God even more through that beauty.

Here are some of the photos during our climb:

After having lunch near the registration area, where we walked our way for around 20 mins. We rode a tricycle and a habal-habal to the jump off of Tungtong Falls.

Now, here’s what you need to take note before trekking Tungtong Falls: the other entry/exit point of the trail here (that is privately owned) is not allowed for tourists anymore. So you will be rapelling down and up on your way in and out there. Yup, twice the exhaustion and difficulty. We weren’t aware of that until Mang Pablo, our tour guide, clarify to us, while we were rapelling, that we’ll be doing this again (back trail). I never knew we could do it twice, I was actually pleading to Mang Pablo to take us to the other trail on our way back instead because we can’t do it anymore, but he kept saying that it is prohibited now. So yeah, we were left with no choice, armed with prayers, we marched our way back to rapel up after taking some rest at Tungtong Falls. Thank goodness I was with my fiance, he insisted on helping me carry my stuff.

We didn’t get amazing photos at the falls but that doesn’t mean it was less awesome and amazing. It was even more memorable than before. Still, here’s some of the few:

Check out the footage of our adventure here for further detail: Nagpatong Rock Formation and Tungtong Falls 2019

As promised, the budget breakdown for DIY commute from Cubao and vice versa:
80 – Van fare to Tanay
150 – (750/5) Tricycle from Tanay to Brgy. Cayumbay and to the jump off
100 – Registration fee
160 – (800/5) Tour Guide Fee including tip
20 – Habal-habal to Tungtong Falls Jump off
100 – Tricycle from Cayumbay to Jeep Terminal
24 – Jeep to Tanay
52 – Jeep from Tanay to Crossing

Itinerary:
6:15 – Crossing
8:00 – Registration Area
8:15 – Start of Trek to Nagpatong
11:20 – Summit
1:00 – Jump off
1:30 – lunch
2:00 – Trail to Tungtong Falls
3:30 – Tungtong Falls
6:00 – Brgy. Hall
7:00 – Uwian
9:00 – Dinner at Starmall

There you go! Have a safe trip and enjoy! By the way, Mang Pablo is a recommendable tour guide. And say hi to this buddy:

A Road Trip At Angono, Rizal

Posted on by shellan

I’ve been far from keyboard for quite some time now due to some personal reason? Will I tell it here? Okay, I’m not updating this online travel journal because obviously I haven’t been on any trip (or a trip worth sharing) since our last trip at Tanay Rizal and it is because my mom is on a medical condition that we need to attend to every now and then. (Yes, prayers are still appreciated though she is doing great already.) I can schedule a trip, but I choose not to because scheduling itself is harder than planning the trip.

Okay, enough of the background story and let’s get it on the topic. Just this week, my boyfriend and I went on a motorbike trip to Angono, Rizal and have tried to discover places to visit in there. Why Angono? The very reason why the question pop up your mind is the very answer to that: it is one of the least “to go to” places in the Province of Rizal when it comes to travelling like this. And as a result of our exploration, here I am sharing quite instagrammable pictures of the places we went about the place:

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If you want to know the whereabouts of these photos just go around the place of Angono because we, ourselves, don’t know it either. Just use helmet and most especially, prayers, on your road trip.

You can watch our vlog here for more cinematic escapade ? : Places to go on a motorbike roadtrp

And here’s a bonus photos from our trip:

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These are my favorites:

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Treasure Mountain, Calinawan Cave (Tanay Tour Highlights)

Posted on by shellan

If you are eager to see wonderful scenery and be amazed with God’s creation on top of the mountain but not in the mood for an exhausting climb, then Treasure Mountain is one of the few that awaits you.

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After conquering Mt. Ulap, most of us in our group are now looking forward to climb Mt. Pulag next, but few of us request for a least difficult climb for the next trip. And since I am one of them, the next trip was of course an easy one, and which led us to plan a trip to Tanay, Rizal, specifically Treasure Mountain.

If you are following my blog, you already know that we are a DIY climbers, but since having a trip to Treasure Mountains comes with other Tanay Travel Destinations, such as: Calinawan Cave, Pililia Windmill, Regina Rica, Kawa Hot Bath, Daranak Falls, etc., we booked a trip at Tiff’s Travel and Tour Agency

As early as now, I am telling you that the highlights of this tour are Treasure Mountain and Calinawan Cave. Highlight means the best among the destinations (this was based on my taste, of course). Daranak Falls can also be considered a ‘highlight’ but because we missed the chance to enjoy the place for a longer period of time due to the travel agency’s itinerary, it did not fall under that category. But we will schedule a trip back there for that falls, and I’ll be making a separate blog about it. But just so to tease you, here are some of the photos at Daranak Falls:

 

We started the tour at around 8AM at Treasure Mountain, and is only a 5-10 minuter trek, which kind of reminds me of Mt. Gulugod Baboy. To further help you organize a DIY tour here, below are the photos of our tour in chronological order (from Manila):

Regina Rica
We did not explore much of this place, that’s why these were only the photos we captured. This place is most likely a retreat camp venue; a sacred sanctuary. It has a large statue of Mother Mary at the center that again, we did not take photos of.

 

 

Pililia Wind Mill

There are souvenir shops surtounding this site. Snacks can also be bought here.

 

 

Lunch at The Gathering Cafe
Expect 10-20 minutes before they serve your meal after you’ve made your orders. You can check their menu below. Sisig and Sitaw/Kalabasa taste great.

 

 

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Calinawan Cave
This cave is 10-15 minute trek, which has a different exit point. We passed through only the first and 2nd floor of this, again, due to the travel agency’s itinerary, but 3rd to 5th floor are available and optional, just add additional payment for the tour guide. I will not write about the details which our tour guide mentioned and explained during the trek to make your trip here more informative and exciting when you visit it.

 

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Daranak Falls
Aside from the pictures I’ve shown above, here are the others.

 

 

Kawa Hot Bath and Hobbit House
These were located in one place — El Patio. This is near Treasure Mountain and you can actually make it your second destination but since this is also along the way going home, we saved it for the last, also there were no available Kawa when we checked on it after our Treasure Mountain trek.

 

 

There you go. I hope this blog gave you an idea for your future trip in Tanay. I don’t know the exact budget breakdown for each place since we were booked on a Travel Agency but do prepare not more than P1,000 for a DIY tour.

Here are some of the fees:
Treasure Mountain: P150
Daranak Falls: P50 Entrance / Cottage not included

Check out our short video with this trip: https://youtu.be/AObgZNdLwEY

Also, this is so good. You should never fail to try this at Pililia Wind Mill.

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P.S. Don’t forget to start your trip with prayers. 🙂

Nagpatong Rock Formation and Tungtong Falls of Tanay, Rizal, Philippines

Posted on by shellan

Finally! After being cancelled for several times due to bad weather and certain circumstances, this trip has finally happened. And indeed, it was considered a ‘right timing’. It was neither hot nor raining on the day of our hike.

I already lost count of all the mountains I have conquered, but this one is surely memorable. Just like in Mt. Daraitan, we have experienced not just trekking but also several kinds of outdoor activity such as: cliff diving, rappelling, etc. And that made this adventure a memorable one.

 

 

We registered at Brgy. Cayumbay and started the trail at around 7:30AM. And because we were already in rainy season here in the Philippines, as expected, the trail was muddy and that made it a bit harder for us to climb.

 

It took us almost 2 hours to reach Nagpatong Rock Formation, because we had to stay and wait for our turn to go to the top/summit at a kubo, just like the other group of hikers. Refreshment are available there. We took this chance to rest for a while and eat our packed lunches although it was only around 9AM.

 

And after several minutes of waiting, we resumed climbing all the way to the top of Nagpatong Rock Formation. And then, charaaaaaann…

Nagpatong Rock Formation

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But before seeing that wonderful scenery at the top, here were the obstacles we had to go through:

 

(Yes, it was a little bit difficult. You will need extra courage, and of course, you have to listen to your tour guide’s instruction carefully.)

We stayed at the top for more than an hour because there were no group next in line yet. We took that opportunity and took lots of photo for souvenirs. 😀 Our tour guide, Kuya Pio, was the one who served as our photographer because he already knew the perfect spot and angle for each shot.

We went down at around 11AM and reached the jump off  point at around 1PM.

Here’s another beautiful spot along the trail, (it’s up to you to discover the others :p):

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We went back to Brgy. Cayumbay to start the trail going to Tungtong Falls at around 1:30PM. And it only took us an hour to reach the falls.

 

Here, you can do cliff jumping with the help of a rope, held by an authorized guide, wrap around your waist or a life vest, provided by your tour guide.

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We stayed there for only an hour. But the highlight of Tungtong Falls could only be experienced when you do a shortcut back to Barangay Registration area.

It is where we experienced two sets of rappelling and it wasn’t that easy but with the right amount of courage and strength and prayer, you too can do it.

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But first, we stayed there for more than 30 minutes to take lots of picture, of course. 😀

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It took us almost two hours to reach Brgy. Cayumbay again because of the time we spent taking pictures at the falls you see above. And it was all worth it. Challenging and satisfying at the same time.

To further understand what we went through with this adventure, click the following link where you can watch our video footage at Nagpataong Rock Formation and Tungtong Falls.

Meanwhile, here are additional tips if you are planning a trip at this place:

Itinerary:
3:00AM – Tejero
7:00AM – Cuyambay Jump Off Registration / Gear up
7:30AM – Start of Trek
9:30AM – Lunch
10:00AM – Nagpatong Rock Formation
11:00AM – Trek back to Jump Off
1:30PM – Trail to Tungtong Falls
2:30PM – Tungtong Falls
3:30PM – Back to Brgy. Cayumbay with picture taking
5:30PM – Clean / Freshen up
6:30PM – Back to Tejero (Dinner along the way)
10:00PM – Tejero

Budget breakdown:
350 – Van Transpo (3500/10)
100 – Registration fee
100 – Tour guide
50 – Tour Guide Tip

600 – Total / each
Note: Kubo near Nagpatong Rock Formation costs P50.

Also, bring a pair of gloves. It will help you a lot with the climb. I also encourage you to look for Kuya Pio and ask for him to be your tour guide. You will enjoy your adventure (and pictures) more with him. 😀 Use waze to navigate your way to Nagpatong Rock Formation located at Brgy. Cayumbay, Tanay, Rizal. When you pass by Masungi Georeserve, you are already near the barangay.

And here’s a bonus picture to encourage you to go there 😀 :

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3 in 1 Adventure at Mt. Daraitan

Posted on by shellan

 

If you are the kind of person who loves adventure and relaxation at the same time, then Mt. Daraitan is the perfect place for your get-away. Experience Tinipak Cave, Tinipak River and the summit all in one place. 😀

Two weeks ago, I and my travel buddies (together with their friends), made it to the top of Mt. Daraitan. I was surprised by how we managed to reach the summit for only 3 hours. I was actually surprised by how fast was I during the climb. Maybe because we started it around 2:30AM and there’s nothing much to take pictures of when it’s that dark.

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Team Daraitan 2/3-4/2018

Below are the pictures they captured while we were resting for a while:

 

 

And before giving tips and sharing the details regarding our climb, here’s a back story for you to better visualized our adventure.

We scheduled our trip on weekend, and as usual, the place was so crowded (because it’s weekend). As in sooooo crowded. Your group must fall in line in order to have a picture on the amazing spot.

My sister even made a meme with our experience at the top:
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This adventure was actually overnight, because we were after the sea of clouds. We were so eager to witness that awesome wonder of God, but, we were surrounded by sea of people instead. But that’s okay, at least, they’ll witness another masterpiece of God.  And although, we didn’t see what we were after of, it is still an amazing journey when you have reached the top plus the other activity we had, like caving tour and swimming both in the river and in the cave. It was so refreshing.  Nakakawala ng pagod (please use google translate if you’re not a Filipino :P).

Here’s what the Tinipak Cave looks like inside:
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Be very careful if you’re planning to experience this activity; the stones and man-made ladder are very slippery.

I forgot to mention that our adventure in Mt. Daraitan was overnight. Acually, we made an itinerary but ended up revising it right after our tour guide said that the camp site is just beside the Tinipak River… just at the bottom of the mountain.

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If you are planning for an overnight trek, you don’t have to bring a lot of things (like thermos, etc.) because those are available at the camp site. But if you’re like us who are making sure that our tour will be a budget friendly for all joiners, think wisely of what to bring and what’s not to.

Our first-day-activity includes, swimming at the river and cave tour.

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And during 2:30AM, we started the trek and left our tent and those not so important things at the camp. Here are some of the photos of the view/scenery at the top of Mt. Daraitan.

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There you go, I hope you have visualized your own adventure here in this place. But I suggest, don’t just visualized, experience it yourself. 😀 And aside from leave no trace policy, I must remind you that you should pray before the climb. Well in our case, even while we start the trip, we are praying and asking God for our safety. And that is very important.

Here’s some tips that I know you’ve been wanting to know 😛

Things to bring:
– water (good for two days, pero may mabibilhan din naman dun)
– extra clothes
– sandals (meron kasing River: Tinapak River)
– swimming clothes (yung gusto maligo sa river)
– Tents (overnight)
– Trail snacks (bread, etc.)
– energy bar (chocolates, candies, etc)
– trash bag
– tissue/wet wipes
– firs aid kit
– jacket

Expenses: (this is for 11 pax)
Transpo – 510 (5500/11 + parking fee)
Registration – 100 (Environmental, cultural, tourism)
Tour guide (overnight) – 228 (1250+1250 / 11, overnight tour guide rate)
Camping/Tent site fee – 45

Itinerary:
(Day 1)
6AM – Tejero
11AM – Lunch (along the way)
12:30NN – registration / gear up
12:50NN – start of trek
2:30PM – camp site
2:30 to 3:00 PM – tent building
3:00-4:30 PM – Tinipak Cave
4:30PM to 5:30 PM – Tinipak River
6:00 7:00 – Dinner
(Day 2)
2:00AM – breakfastand prep
2:30AM – start of trek
5:30AM – Summit
7:30AM – trek going down
9:30AM – campsite
10:00 to 11:00 AM – free time (swim again)
11:30AM – Lunch
12:30PM – pack up
1:30 PM – board the car
5:00PM – Tejero

Here are bonus photos from our overnight trek captured by our friend Ryan Rey:
(meanwhile, here’s the link of our adventure footage at Mt. Daraitan: https://youtu.be/Nc6jwIJrEEQ)
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