Mount Pinatubo: 20 Years After

This is my first visit to Mount Pinatubo after it's disastrous eruption 20 years ago. And this is also my first attempt to go on trekking, so if you find this entry kinda "maarte", sorry, but it is my nature. Heheh.

Anyways, I am thankful to be one of the bloggers who got to be part of the Akyat Pinatubo of Let's Go Sago because seeing Mount Pinatubo has been a part of my dream destination since I heard of its majestic outcome after its disastrous eruption.

In order to enjoy and see Mount Pinatubo in a hassle-free way, it is very important to have an itinerary and stick with it. It would also help if you have local contacts there because you'll get an update from them when it comes to the weather condition there and availability of the 4-by-4 trucks, which are the only means of transportation to get inside the vicinity of Mount Pinatubo.

We left Manila at around 3 in the morning, since we were just planning to have a day tour there. It took us three hours to reach Capas, Tarlac where the Pinatubo Spa Town is located. It is also the local office for Mount Pinatubo visitors, so it is very important to see this office first and pay the dues needed to be safely guided to the crater of Mount Pinatubo.

We were informed beforehand that we will be taking a 1-hour 4-by-4 truck ride to reach the starting point of our 2-hour trek towards the crater of the volcano. Since the weather that morning was kinda wet, mud greeted us while we were taking the road via 4-by-4.

The ride was really bumpy and shaky, but I really enjoyed the view around me. We were taking the path where the said "killer lahar" flowed, so no wonder that even after 20 years, no one dared to live there. Soil erosion was very visible here and there, and since the whole lot was drenched in rain water that morning, streams were flowing too everywhere.

After the one-hour soul-shaking ride, with our umbrellas and rain coats in our hands, the trekking began.

To be honest, the mountain-lahar and rock formations were really impressive. There were a lot of rocks, some of them, as told by our tourist guide, were magma during the eruption, but of course, it's hard to distinguish which is which now. Hehehe.

I wore my flip-flop that day, so every curved stone, every pebble and every sand was felt by my feet. At first, I am enjoying it because it felt like I was just in the beach. But as minutes gone by and as the trekking seemed to be never-ending, it started to kinda annoy me.

We had some stop-overs, meaning some leg rests, but since we were all excited to reach the crater, we just rested for only just some minutes then went back to walking again. I think we walked something like LRT's Monumento to Baclaran and back, the only difference is, an oasis is waiting for us somewhere up there. Hehe.

After the very tiring two-hour walk, we've reached the resting area. Tourist guides told us that we were almost there. We saw this sign that told us how close we were to the crater, but since having breakfast wasn't part of the itinerary that morning, I sneaked inside my bag a grab a burger that I have with me. I had by breakfast right there once my butt was all flat on the floor. We rested some more minutes before deciding to pursue our goals and get a glimpse of the crater.

We thought we will be there in 15 minutes, but we were wrong. We thought we will be there in 18 minutes, but we were wrong again. We thought we will be there in 20 minutes, but we were really wrong... We reached the peak of the mountain in 30 minutes! Hahaha! Too slow, right?

Well, you can't blame us, with this blossoming sign of life towards the carter, the stunning combinations of colors from the plants, rocks and water, how can you not take a shot of those stuff? Oh, that trail was so mysterious yet so inviting.

And then, it seemed that the whole surrounding was put in a slow motion mode... Fresh air started to touch my face. Though, still a little cloudy, a ray of sun started peaking at us as if looking to us between those dark clouds. And a magical water colored blue and green filled our view as we  approached the Mount Pinatubo's crater.

Wow!

Seriously, that's the only word that came out from my mouth. All the aches in my legs and feet were gone, and I can't help but to close my eyes and say a short prayer thanking God for bringing me here.

I know that this would be a great trip for me, but seeing the crater up-close was so magical - an out of this crazy world experience that is hard to forget. And from that moment, I told myself that I'll be back.

The space up in the crater was a little developed. It was like you're at Picnic Grove in Tagatay to see Taal Volcano, the only difference here is youare viewing here the lake on the crater of Mount Pinatubo - very, very awesome!

There were cottages that guest can rest in while enjoying the view, but if you want real fun, you can take the plight of the stairs down right in the crater and take a swim at the very inviting water.

Just keep in mind that this is not some beach, but rather a lake on the carter of a volcano, so the take precautions.

Boats are also available for those who wanna explore the whole crater, unfortunately, there were no boatman available that day, so we just stayed on the shore and enjoyed the water nearby. 

Nonetheless, I really, really enjoyed every second I was there. The isolation, the peacefulness and the freedom - I still having a hard time believing that I've been to Mount Pinatubo's crater.

We just spent 3 hours there since trekking back to the 4-by-4 headquarters will take us another 2 hours, but that 3 hours of my life there meant so much because it's a dream come true to me.

We trekked back all fulfilled and really happy. And despite my body was all tired, my heart was rejoicing. UNTIL NOW.

I know I'll be going back here with a new set of friends, but for now, let me thank the people I'm with during this trip - my new found friends. Thank you and hope to have a trip with you all again!

And to Mount Pinatubo, see you again soon!
I think I'm ready for more mountain thingy. ^_^
Watchatink? Hihihi

Happy Rammmpa!