Fave Get-away

This is my favorite place lately...the place is so nice, very relaxing...the people are friendly and cute and nice also. Since it's a favorite, this is my second post of Hacienda Macalauan...click here to see the first with the football pipz. This time, I went there with the badminton pipz =) A relaxing afternoon, just going around, saying hi to the cows, dogs, cats and ducks....eating home cooked meals and watching light movie....TAMBAY lang ba!!!!

Photographs from my award-winning photographer friends EJ and Icoy.... 

Mount Batulao

This is my second for a day hike, first is Mt. Makiling, now Mt. Batulao. My second hike for the year with my Mt. Daguldol buddies (Icoy, Sheila, Bing, Pogs and Chrome) with an additional hiking buddies from IRRI (Janet, Donald, Carina and Sonia) plus our ever kaladkaring Doc Dens =)

According to the websites I visited, Mt. Batulao is a cool mountain, that you get to wear your jacket in noonday..sounds refreshing to me! It's a minor climb that would take just about 2 hours. Like all mountains Batulao also has a story to tell, it got it's name from "Bato sa Ilao" or Illuminated Rocks which derived from the phenomenon that happens every year end where the sun sets right between Batulao's two peaks that creates an image of rocks beaming with red light thus the shortened word "Batulao".

For itinerary or detailed information on how to get to Mt. Batulao...visit my favorite website: Pinoy Mountaineer; Photos care of Icoy Mercado and Pogs Manalili

 
We started walking from Evercrest parking area passing through the community and now here, where we walk up and down on these slopes

Posing before the marker...Mt. Batulao ROCK!!!

with Mt. Batulao's peak on the background...

last stop before reaching the Camp site near the summit, last chance to drink mountain dew...but it's no longer available at the time we reached this spot

jumping for joy when we reached the PEAK...it's not that easy but it's fun going through the WALL and making it in here =)

team Batulao!!! Icoy, Donald, Sonia, Sheila, Bing, Janet, Carina, ME, Chrome, Dens and Pogs

FHM models....For Hikers Magazine bwehehe

for .......... hmmmmmmmmm.............. ????

the new trail...mostly up and down the many slopes of Batulao, but we took the old trail...we're newbies remember?!

slowly descending ....

 

it's amazing how mountains has that capacity to put people together and work their way up, helping each other, making sure that everyone reach the top....another team building activity in preparation for Pulag.....truly this hike is once again a demonstration of the saying "We're all in this together."