2022-005 | ADRENALINE ADVENTURE HIKE: SEGMENT V

TEAM ADRENALINE ROMANCE have walked the entirety of the first half of the Cebu Highlands Trail before 2018 ended. For the last four sets of weekends, Gian Carlo, Sheila Mei and their friend, Apol, have crossed over “no man’s land” from Mount Manunggal, Balamban to Caurasan, Carmen, leaving nothing but goodwill and the thawing away of distrust that locals usually heaped on strangers.

After nailing Segment IV, they had consciously and purposely accumulated a total of 207.39 kilometers, a modest achievement but which, nevertheless, will increase, as their sights are now focused on the snaring of this great prize which only two people have so far achieved. The CHT is a difficult challenge and hard to wrestle. As 2019 entered, their plans of finishing the CHT are on due course. 

At 05:00 of January 12, 2019, we all met at the Cebu South Bus Terminal. The bus left Cebu City at 05:30 for Dalaguete. We dropped off at the road corner at 07:45 where we found a restaurant. At 08:30, we rode on motorcycles-for-hire bound for the village of Mantalongon, Dalaguete. We arrived at 9:15 and set about buying the needs for our meals which we would consume along Segment V. 

Segment V starts here in Mantalongon and terminate at Upper Beceril, Boljoon. This is two days with Nug-as, Alcoy as our resting place in between. Mantalongon has a huge public market where all the vegetables grown from around here are sold which is then distributed to the cities, towns and supermarkets. When we have bought enough vegetables and spices, we start our journey to the south at 09:30.

We left the very busy vegetable market and followed an asphalt pavement that became concrete. This is the other side of Mantalongon that barely had a visit by tourists. Mantalongon is also famous for being the jump-off point to Osmeña Peak, Cebu’s highest point. In the old days we walked from the market to the campsite which took us three hours. Nowadays, the trailhead is just a fifteen minute walk. 

The features you see around Osmeña Peak are everywhere even on this farm road, but much closer. Big baskets full of cabbages over the brim, some standing four feet high, are whisked from farms to the markets on motorcycles, a basket rigged on each side with ropes. It passes by you with the driver in full concentration on the road and his balance. Many such baskets wait for their turn beside the road. 

We pass by the village of Langkas, Dalaguete at 10:00 and we get to see the different crops grown on the many farms. It came out of the earth on all forms: cabbage, vegetable pear, spring onions, eggplant, bitter gourd, sponge gourd, string beans, mung beans, sweet potato, turnips, spinach vines, lemon grass, ginger, squash, taro, turmeric, breadfruit, lime, pepper, coconut hearts, bananas and their blossoms and many more. Such bounties earned the high Mantalongon Valley as “Cebu’s Breadbasket”.  

It was more of the same in the village of Nalhub, Dalaguete at 10:45 where we took a rest at a bakery to gulp down cold soda drinks to beat the humidity. After 15 minutes, we resumed our walk, oblivious of the motorcycles and baskets, full and empty, speeding by you on this narrow vegetable highway. At 12:00 we enjoyed noonbreak somewhere in the village of Catolohan, Dalaguete.

After an hour of rest, it was time to go. The narrow asphalt roads became a wide concreted highway. We are now entering the outskirts of the village of Nug-as, Alcoy, famous for its last stand of original forest cover. Along the way, we get to see some of this remaining forest, in pockets, as the land around it were trimmed to introduce farming. It is in Nug-as where people embrace tree farming. 

By 14:00 we arrived at the village center and did a courtesy call on their village council for a place to stay. Our arrival, however, was already expected by virtue of my liaisons with the Office of the Governor and the Cebu Police Provincial Office. Their multi-purpose building was made available for our use. After a very savory dinner, lights out came so early. Then it rained very hard!

We woke up to a very cold morning of January 14. The village and the whole landscape were swathed in fog. Even so, we have to keep the fire burning. On the stove, I meant. Under the comforts of a roof and a wall, cooking was seamless. After breakfast, we repacked our things inside our backpacks. We left Nug-as at 08:00 under a heavy downpour. The road was wet but it was wetter where there were puddles.

On this stretch of the road where there used to be a big coffee farm, the robusta shrubs were cut to make way for a fighting cock farm. What madness sometimes people inherit? Beyond the game cocks, the earth was turned inside out to the whims of another fake landscaping in progress. What got my ire is the building of a road into the last stand of the original forest of Cebu! I walked with a heavy heart for the government could do nothing with this madness! 

It was a long walk to the next village of Nangka, Boljoon which we reached at 09:15. The road narrowed into another concrete pavement. Farms and forested hills clasped each other perfectly to the joys of a passersby, seeing all these so close to the road. It was just beautiful and a balm for the soul tormented by the sight he previously saw and protested to the four winds.

The skies cleared for a while of raindrops as we approach the village of San Antonio, Boljoon at 10:45. Here we stopped at a community store to enjoy another round of cold soda drinks. It was at this time when a fellow hiker stopped by and introduced himself to us. He is Ronald Villanueva and he is the tourism officer of the Municipality of Boljoon. He invited us to visit Dayhag Waterfalls and he will be waiting for us. 

Naturally, we disengaged abruptly from our rest and hastened our pace, hoping that we would arrive there before noon. The waterfalls would be found at the village of Upper Beceril, Boljoon, and it was very far from San Antonio. We could never close the distance with the way Mr. Villanueva was moving. He was running, but we could try in our own pace. 

The road started to cant favorably for us and we arrived at a road corner leading to Dayhag Waterfalls. We have arrived at the terminus of Segment V. It is 11:30 and just a few minutes more we would be at this local resort. I have never been here but I found it, aided by signposts and a big welcome sign on its entrance. Entrance fee was waived because it was closed on Sundays.

Mr. Villanueva welcomed us and assigned a gazebo for us and, immediately, Sheila Mei and Apol changed clothes for bathing. Gian Carlo too. I followed them after I had rested for about 20 minutes but they were on the other waterfalls. There were seven. I did not stay long in the water. There was a slight drizzle and I need to dry my undershorts. I did not carry a spare. 

Mr. Villanueva surprised us with a free lunch courtesy of his office. It was black chicken (Local name: dongkoy) soup, grilled free-rein chicken, boiled bananas and unlimited milled corn. The food, except the soup, were splayed on banana leaves above a bamboo table. Meal was hand to mouth, literally, and it was deliciously cooked, especially the dongkoy. 

This was a real surprise on all of us, to be invited for a free meal and free use of this LGU-ran enterprise. But our unexpected visit in Boljoon was an opportunity also for Mr. Villanueva to take advantage of, upon knowing that Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei were genuine travel bloggers; while I, for my part is some sort of blogger and could bring clients here. It was, so to speak, a perfect exchange deal.

We said goodbye and many thank yous to Mr. Villanueva and his team for their hospitality. We found motorcycles-for-hire and we reached the highway at 15:30. Buses were full but we hopped onto one that was not full at 16:00. It would be a long way to Cebu City and the long day made us drowsy. It was perfect for the bus was airconditioned. 

Team Adrenaline Romance in their high momentum of adventure on this southern jaunt have acquired another 22.35 kilometers after snatching another segment of the CHT. They now have a total mileage of 229.74 kilometers and they are hot on the heels of the last three segments which they vowed to finish before the end of 2019.  

Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei wrote about their Segment V experience on the Adrenaline Romance Blog under two installments plus an extra on Dayhag Falls: 

Cebu Highlands Trail Segment V: Mantalongon, Dalaguete to Nug-as, Alcoy.

Cebu Highlands Trail Segment V: Nug-as, Alcoy to Upper Beceril, Boljoon.

Dayhag Falls: An Unexpected Surprise Down South.

2021-041 | ADRENALINE ADVENTURE HIKE: SEGMENT III

BOUYED UP BY THEIR SUCCESS of Segment I in February 2018 and Segment II in May 2018, Team Adrenaline Romance and Friends is on the right track to making their bucket wish of the Cebu Highlands Trail doable. They are now ready to snare the third pennant – Segment III – this August 18 and 19, 2018. It had become a commitment. A concrete undertaking which they now have the feel and the grasp. 

We started from the Cebu South Bus Terminal at 05:30 bound for Mantalongon, Barili; the terminus of Segment II. The blogging couple, Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei, were excited of another opportunity of another outdoor exercise and witness the other side of Cebu that have been denied them. With them were Apol and Kier and both are multi-disciplined outdoors enthusiasts just like the couple.

 

The bus dropped us off at the Mantalongon Public Market at 07:40 and we immediately searched the place for something to fill our tummies. We found one small family-run eatery, still closed, but through our urgings, opened prematurely to accommodate us. We ordered a breakfast of steamy fish soup, local noodles, omelet with bitter gourd and rice. 

Segment III starts from Mantalongon, Barili and goes south to Mantalongon, Dalaguete. Normally, this walk would have taken me three days but, Team Adrenaline Romance decided to lengthen the mileage on the second day to compensate for waiving out the third day and reserved this activity for two days instead. That was the plan. 

We started at 08:25, going by way on a path at the back of the market which led to a low range of hills which barely had tall trees. The sun was very warm at that hour but, looking back to where we had come from, the valleys beyond Mantalongon were still shrouded in mists. We arrived at a dirt basketball court for it was shady and stopped here for a while to munch on iced candies. 

After 15 minutes, we continued and arrived at Hunob Elementary School at 09:45. We were in Guadalupe, Carcar City and, where the unpaved road meet an asphalted one, we would be walking all the way through on the “Vegetable Highway”, a provincial road constructed in the ‘90s designed to open up a corridor where produce from mountain farms can now be transported and sold.

When we walked for about thirty meters on the road, we were overtaken by a team of police personnel on motorcycles. They were from the Carcar City Police Station and they were commanded by their superior to escort us along the way. We were embarrassed about such kindness and special attention on our cause. We tried to free them of such responsibilities but they were adamant. 

When we were walking for about five minutes, a police patrol vehicle arrived with armed policemen and what seemed to be four more full-packed soldiers. They were from the Barili Police Station and they were here on the same purpose as that of the Carcar policemen. They came to reconnoiter our presence and, once satisfied, they went back their way and will wait for us once we cross the border in Barili. 

Could their sudden presence somehow connected to a suspected Abu Sayyaf member recently apprehended in Carcar City for keeping a cache of firearms and explosives? I doubt that they were profiling us because of that. Anyway, I never walk among the hinterlands, much less guide people, without making courtesy calls on Capitol and the Cebu Police Provincial Office. These are my cornerstones of safety. 

Anyway, the cops from Carcar would sprint away on their motorcycles ahead and leave us to our own company. The “vegetable highway” is so beautiful on a stretch where it goes into a small valley and up in Napo, Carcar City. On the roadsides are fruits from the milla milla vine which sustained us and relieved our parched throats caused by our physical activity, heavy loads and by the warmth of day.

 

When we arrived at 10:30 in a place called Lamac, in Mayana, Barili, the cops and soldiers from Barili took over from where the Carcar policemen left off. We plead with our new escorts to rid us of their duties but, just like the previous team, they insisted and even invited us to ride while, they, would walk. We gave up. We invited them, instead to lunch in a corner store where there is a videoke. 

When we started to move out at 11:30, after our siesta, we discovered that the police patrol was gone. At last, we can walk freely. No sooner have we gone for a few minutes than another police vehicle arrived with flashing blue-and-red lights. They were from the Sibonga Police Station. Again, we pleaded to them to rid us off their watch and, again, they swore to protect us as best as they could.

We dropped that idea of walking in solitude as the police patrol followed behind us in a crawling pace. We were obliged to move faster. The secret to the success of walking the Cebu Highlands Trail was not about brisk walking and having the strength to withstand the rigors of terrain difficulty and distances. It was leisurely walking. I designed the CHT for the average hiker and for practicality’s sense.

 

Since the first hour, we applied pressure on our pace due to the presence of policemen up ahead waiting for us or crawling behind you. When you are in that state, increasing the pace, you are bound to injure a muscle or a leg joint, you rest sparingly, arrive early on the first few hours and, mysteriously, an event which I could not explain, you would lag behind your itinerary as the day wears on.

In Segment I, we were ahead of schedule from 30 minutes to even as early as 90 minutes because, well, we walked slowly. In Segment II, we were behind by 30 minutes most of the time on the first day due to a late start but we maintained it without thinking so much about our delay and rewarded for it by enjoying the views, lots of rests and evened the day at the last hour without being stressed. 

Haste makes waste and causes grief to so many. I am always guided by this. Although we arrived at Lamac and enjoyed our lunch earlier by 30 minutes, it was caused by pressure. Such abnormal conditions on our pace would take effect later in the day or, perhaps, the next day on the weakest among us. We arrived at Basak, Sibonga at 12:30 and we were entertained by village officials with cold soda drinks.

 

We overextended our rest time to 30 minutes and have to resume our journey. We arrived in Libo, Sibonga at 13:50 and we stopped for a while to let Team Adrenaline Romance study the terrain before them. What they saw was a wide valley and a peak in the distance. I told them that we would arrive on the foothills of that mountain before dusk. They were in a state of unbelief for it was very far. 

We crossed a highway and were now in Papan, Sibonga, following the same “vegetable highway”. This time it is unpaved and it relieved our feet from walking to so many hours of asphalt pavement. We get to enjoy the scenery of picturesque farms and the rural communities, notwithstanding the company of our police escort. At 15:00, we were now in Bae, Sibonga and, not far, would be Argao.

We arrived at another highway, crossed it, and we were now in Mompeller, Argao. It is 15:45. Our kind and patient policemen from Sibonga Police Station passed their responsibilities to their counterparts of Argao Police Station and the 7th Regional Mobile Battalion, who all were waiting. We were placed in such an awkward moment with this lavish show of force and concern accorded on us. 

The village council of Mompeller had been expecting us and we were welcomed to stay at their multi-purpose building. The cops from the 7RMB soon left on their 6-by-6 truck when they saw that we are now secure and safe while the Argao policemen would stay and sleep with us. Meanwhile, I secured a 5-gallon bottled water from nearby for our cooking and drinking.

The building is an unfinished structure but it is big enough to accommodate the tents of Gian Carlo and Kier. Apol would opt to hang in her beloved hammock on the posts near the tents. I chose my spot on the farthest end where a narrow space is found between fence and the health center. The cops has their hammocks too and would crowd next to mine later. 

When everyone settled down, it was time to prepare the food for our dinner. I met and had a talk with the new village head and the few people that I have befriended while I passed by here. I slept here during my route exploration in February 2015 and during my seventh day of my Thruhike in January 2017. We ate at 19:00 and slept late due to unexpected visits by locals who were curious of our presence. 

We woke to a fiery-red sunrise on our second day, August 19. Immediately, the tents were dismantled to give space for cooking our breakfast and for our packed lunch. We left Mompeller at 07:30, thanking the village officials for their hospitality. Only the two cops from Argao would go with us. I advised them not to follow us but move on ahead and wait to save on fuel which they did. 

This arrangement would be advantageous to us since we would not be pressured by somebody “minding” behind you. Anyway, yesterday’s condition, as expected, took its toll on Sheila Mei, who suffered from muscle cramps. The availability of the Willys patrol vehicle allowed her to transfer her bag there and she walked on bravely without a load on concrete road.

Along the way, as we approach Tulang, Argao, she could not force herself forward for it was very painful. Just in time, the Jeep passed by and she has to submit to the will of her physical condition and left Gian Carlo and company. After 15 minutes, we were reunited with her in Tulang where there were locals cooking just-harvested corn on embers and we joined them in the humble feast eating corn. 

After 20 minutes of rest, we continued on our journey while Sheila Mei remained as passenger of the police patrol jeep. We still have a long way to go. We increased our pace as if the police were right behind us. Apol and Kier would not mind. They are used to it. Gian Carlo probably would adjust easily since he does not worry about Sheila Mei. 

We arrived early at Alambijud, Argao at 09:15 but it is just a drop in the bucket for this day. We could only shave a few minutes from an expected hike which would last through near midnight. When your mind is focused on one thing you tend to ignore the scenery or appreciate it half-heartedly. At 11:00, we were now ahead of the itinerary by 30 minutes and took an early lunch at a public market of Bayabas, in Cansuje, Argao. 

Despite the stressful thought of an extended walk, I insisted that we enjoy a full hour of rest. By 12:00, we were raring to cross to Dalaguete before dusk but we still have a long way to go. For as long as Sheila Mei recuperates in the police jeep, we have a chance we would reach Mantalongon, Dalaguete at around 20:00. We were now in Butong at 13:15 and stopped to rest at a heritage tree. 

Next was Linut-od, Argao which we copped at 14:15; then Bala-as, Argao at 15:15. Here, we rested for a full 30 minutes to prepare ourselves for the nocturnal hike by eating bread and dousing ourselves with cold soda drinks. This time, Sheila Mei would be joining us. At 15:40 we crossed over to Manlapay, Dalaguete and a lone policeman from the Dalaguete Police Station would be our escort.

We passed by Maloray, Dalaguete at 16:30 and Ablayan, Dalaguete at 17:45. The hard pavements, walked since morning, began to take its toll on our feet. Apol and Kier, used to foot racing, ran ahead to lessen the pain. Sheila Mei cannot keep up with the pace as her cramps recurred every now and then. Gian Carlo and I had to rest when she stops. 

After a very brave effort, Sheila Mei with Gian Carlo and I arrived at Mantalongon at 20:30 or an hour-and-a-half behind schedule. We were all tired and we decided not to pursue our plan of going home to Cebu City tonight. We asked the village officials if we could spend a night at their village center which they consented. Immediately, we prepared food for dinner and ate it at a late hour of 21:30. 

At 04:00 the next day, August 20, we left Mantalongon and rode a bus bound for Cebu. We arrived at 08:30 and, I know, all of them would time in for work later and I could just imagine how they would manage to retain their balance and composure as they try to focus on their work with all those pain they incurred hiking Segment III.

I have mentioned the commitment of Team Adrenaline Romance of their wish to harvest the CHT this year or the next and they now are now beginning to assemble their own map of where their direction as adventure bloggers go. Segment III is not for the weak of tenacity and determination. The couple have it, exemplified by Sheila Mei who never wavered in her resolve to end this segment, with injury or not. 

Team Adrenaline Romance have proven that they are as tough as anybody else on any given weekend. Segment I, Segment II and Segment III were one hell of a route. If you combine the three and clinched it in your belt, you could make it with the rest of the CHT. They now have amassed a total of 166.56 kilometers or 37.5 percent of the CHT and expect them to finish the year 2019 with Segment IV. Hopefully.   

Let me then give this space my sincerest thanks to the special attention heaped upon our event like Hon. Governor Hilario Davide III; to Police Colonel Edgar Allan Okubo of the CPPO; to the chiefs of police and their men coming from Carcar City, Barili, Sibonga, Argao and the 7RMB. The same goes to the officials and residents of Basak, Sibonga; Mompeller, Argao; and Mantalongon, Dalaguete; for their Cebuano brand of hospitality which is second to none.  

Gian Carlo and Sheila Mei wrote about their Segment III experience on the Adrenaline Romance Blog under two installments: 

Cebu Highlands Trail Segment III: Barili to Mompeller.

Cebu Highlands Trail Segment III: Mompeller to Mantalongon.

CAMINO CEBU JOURNAL: Day One and Day Two

DAY ONE :::: IN FAITH, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Never have I dreamed that a Camino de Santiago would become a reality here in Cebu, Philippines in my lifetime. Yes, I have dreamed of this to happen sometime ago but it would have taken me longer, maybe never at all, under my own power. With divine intervention, this dream goes on “warp speed”, defying everything impossible. Praise be to God!

In three months, the Camino de Santiago in Cebu became a reality, after it was seriously broached by Rev. Fr. Scipio “Jojo” Deligero of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Señor Santiago Apostol of Compostela, Cebu to Bro. Cedee Neo of Doneo Host Making Community last March. The Municipality of Compostela found the undertaking a great honor to the town and would benefit the townsfolk and so lent its whole support. Even the town mayor, Hon. Joel Quiño, would come along.

 

Today, July 6, 2017, is another date with destiny. I just finished the first Thruhike of Cebu last February 14, 2017, churning around 400 kilometers in 27 days from Liloan Point, Santander to Bulalaque Point, Maya, Daanbantayan. Doing another long hike in a span of six months is mind boggling and the wife does not like it at all. The outdoors is now my bread and butter. I have sacrificed opportunities to earn before and during the Thruhike and now this, the Camino. I simply will donate my time, talent and everything for Jesus, the Mother Church and St. James.

Like the Thruhike, this is something that I not let pass away. It is a rare opportunity, not for recognition but for the benefit of my soul, who would reap the spiritual rewards gained after engaging in a pilgrimage such as the Camino de Santiago. I have identified the route of the Camino, following the wishes of Fr. Jojo that it should start from the Municipality of Badian. Fr. Jojo is from there and so is another parish dedicated to St. James.

I have requested Jonathaniel Apurado as my subaltern for the Camino. He fulfilled very well that during the Thruhike and he would walk as last man while I take the point. Coming with Fr. Jojo and Mayor Joel are Jemmelyn and Roderick Montesclaros, Mizar Bacalla, Roger Montecino and Alvie Rey Ramirez, the official photographer. Our food for the pilgrimage is almost the same for the Thruhike which Jon and I carry today. Everything is set except for the night stopovers. Fr. Jojo’s wishes. I surrender that to God’s hands.

At 03:00, I picked up a pebble from my backyard and start my pilgrimage from my home in GL Lavilles Street, walking to the gateway of the South Road Properties, just right across Plaza Independencia. Jon arrive thereafter and, a few more minutes, a hired passenger van came to pick us up. Inside are Fr. Jojo and Mayor Joel and the rest of the pilgrims. This would be a great adventure for them all, walking on places where they do not know yet but it is the least of their concerns. They are all there for the Camino de Santiago.

We arrive at the St. James the Apostle Parish of Badian at 05:53 for a special pilgrim’s mass concelebrated by Rev. Fr. Marion Mejia and Fr. Jojo. This parish was established in 1825, older than the one in Compostela, which was erected in 1866. The reasons why the latter was chosen as the pilgrimage destination is because it is an archdiocesan shrine and it is located in a town which namesake is the same as that of the Camino’s destination in Spain. After the mass, we had our pilgrim’s passport stamped with the seal of the parish.

We walk across the courtyard into the ancestral home of Fr. Jojo where we were all treated a fine traditional small-town breakfast. Fr. Jojo meets his 98-year old mother and asked of her blessings for our pilgrimage. At 07:45, the spiritual journey starts. I sent a text message to the Badian Police Station informing them of our hike as we follow a road going up the hilly regions of Badian. The ascent is gentle but it would not be like that in a few hours, I believe.

I am the most worried of everyone, possibly Jon’s burden too. I do not know how they would fare in a long journey on a terrain and climate that is found on the most rugged part of Cebu? I know their medications, allergies and hereditary illness but the stress of a hard physical activity could cause changes in their mental and physical conditions. I have seen that and I am made to believe that they have prepared and worked out their bodies for this. But my attention is trained always on Fr. Jojo and that is why I walked so super slow.

Fr. Jojo has gout on each ankle. He found walking very excruciating and burdensome. He told me once that walking from the rectory to the altar and back is difficult for him but he has to fulfill his sacerdotal duties. Yet, despite that handicap, he does not back away from fulfilling another obligation, as a steward and shining example of his flock, to engage in a painful pilgrimage for his parish that was founded on the deeds of St. James the Apostle and of the Camino de Santiago.

I asked Roger to transfer most of the load inside the bag of Fr. Jojo into his bag and to Mizar’s. Fr. Jojo seemed to walk better with less weight on his brown Camelbak 35-liter bag now. I advised Roger to provide him a walking stick which could aid his balance and could also help in lessening the pains on his aching ankles and knees. A bleached scallop shell with a painted Cross of St. James hanged from the front of his Camelbak, announcing to the world that he is on a pilgrimage.   

As an experienced wilderness guide, I treat my attention to all my guests equally and fairly but there are a few exceptions. Like Fr. Jojo’s case. And then that of Mayor Joel. As a local executive and politician, you cannot be too sure with people they dealt with. He came incognito without a police escort. I used to work in VIP protection and I know. As much as possible, I want to be closer to Fr. Jojo and Mayor Joel. More like an extra tasking for me but the experience afford me a rare opportunity which is denied to most guides and would be very useful for me in future situations.

We take rests as frequently as possible for a few seconds to a few minutes while in the village of Dagatan. On the way, I pick up a fossilized scallop and carried it along. I changed my route at the last minute when I consulted with a local and regretted that decision later. My original route was to take a well-beaten path in Dagatan that connect to another road that would lead to Tigbao and the village of Santican. I decide to follow the same road instead until we reach the village of Tiguib at 10:00 and take a longer rest.

Trying to correct my earlier blunder, I consulted with locals and we have to follow a trail which would lead to a public school in the village of Sohoton. Thankfully, there are water sources where we stopped and refilled bottles when there is an opportunity. We arrive at Sohoton at 13:00 and decide to enjoy noonbreak. We are already behind schedule but I am optimistic that we would cross over that high mountain range which separates Badian from Dalaguete before dusk.

After an hour, we continue on our journey. I cannot force a hurried pace. Our speed depends on our slowest member, Fr. Jojo. Refreshed by the rest and able to hire a local guide, everyone’s spirit goes back to square one. We walk on trails and on places where there are no more inhabitants. We pass by forests and gained good progress but exchanged it with rests and more rests. Dusk had claimed the forests and then night time came.

We longed for open spaces and we have that at around 19:30. It is good to see the stars again. The local guide led us through farm trails until we could see faint glows of light from a few solitary houses which would be very far away. We are now at Candungaw Gamay, according to our guide, and the name sounds so sweet to my ears. It means that below us would be Dalaguete and we have to go down a steep trail in darkness. Did I not tell you that Fr. Jojo is afraid of heights?

At 21:15, we are now on the edge of a cliff and there is that steep trail that would lead down to Dalaguete. Hearing the sound of a distant motorcycle from somewhere raised our zest. Fr. Jojo was having a hard time and every available hand have to help him negotiate the trail inch by inch, hobbling on his two feet when he is able or letting his butt do the walking. It would have been difficult for Fr. Jojo if it was daylight. We finally reach the bottom at 22:40 but, unknown to us, people were looking for us.

A Suzuki Multicab arrived to investigate the lights given off by our flashlights and they were smiling and feeling relieved. They were asked by Rev. Fr. Eligio Almazol Jr. of the Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Manlapay to assist in finding us. We thank our local guide and paid him more than he used to earn. Immediately, I let Fr. Jojo, Mayor Joel, Jem, Roderick, Mizar and Roger go with the vehicle while Alvie, Jon and I walk the rest of the muddy trail to a dirt road. The Suzuki came back for us and brought us to the parish. It is 23:15.

Outside the rectory, we sit on monobloc chairs and quite relieved after that very long hike. I ask forgiveness from everyone for my mistake of changing the itinerary at the last minute and promised that it would not happen again. Fr. Jojo is talking and laughing with Fr. Jun. Cold beer are offered and I took one. It is a nice feeling when cold beer slides down inside your throat. I finished it in four quick gulps and I asked for another one. The priest’s men are busy and they are cooking up something. I could offer a hand but it is better if I just sit and sip cold beer and not be in their way.

A very late dinner – a midnight meal – is placed on the table. We were left to our own world facing our own dining plate, spoon, fork, drinking glass, warm rice, steaming free-rein chicken soup, fried pork, native delicacies, ewers filled with ice and water, cold softdrinks and a bonus of bottomless coffee if it need be. These were the things and the nutrition I need before saying goodnight to the first day.

DAY TWO :::: MY BODY COMPLAINED ABOUT having to wake up at 08:00, though I was supposed to do that at 05:00, if you follow the itinerary by heart. I dismissed the alarm when it was on its first five notes, fearing that the unwanted noise would deprive the pilgrims of their much-desired sleep. Yes, my body muscles felt so tight and morose. The cold weather helped me to love the warm but soft mattress that I am laying on.

My blood seemed to be in a stupor but I have to rise up and rally them for breakfast. As I stood up, so were Alvie, Jonathan and Roger. They were watching my body language all the time and also feared to disturb my sleep. Automatically, the parish rectory became a beehive of activity. For lack of time and space, I decide not to take a bath. The cold weather would have to do with that, I guess, although I would not accept it.

When everyone has tidied up, we proceed to the Our Lady of Consolation Parish, just a few meters nearby. A Holy Mass is going to be celebrated by Fr. Jun at 09:00 and it is to be before the schoolchildren and faculty of Manlapay Elementary School. Our very own Fr. Jojo would join him at the altar. The children from six to fourteen years of age, about a hundred or more, barely filled up the six rows of pews.

The place of worship is huge and circular, or so I thought. The roof has an unusual shape. It looked more like a giant scallop! Good God! The symbol of the Camino de Santiago! St. James must have played optical tricks upon my eyes. How could that be? We are here on short notice and the church is just a year old. My skin curled at the sudden goose bumps I am experiencing but I kept to myself what I saw and understood.

After the church service, we go back to the rectory to pack our things back to our bags and to eat a full breakfast. We thanked Fr. Jun and his staff. It is not every day that they have visitors from different places, especially pilgrims doing the Pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago, which is kind of strange for them, since it is the first time they heard of such. Except, of course, Fr. Jun. He is most happy of the visit.

It is late now but I am consoled to the fact that we would be walking on the “Vegetable Highway”, a long stretch of familiar terrain which I have had the privilege of walking twice over the last three years, the latest of which was the Thruhike. We left at 10:30 and crossed over to Argao. I sent a text message to the Argao Police Station informing them of our presence. The day is pleasant and cloudy and the first few minutes was spent praying the rosary while walking on the road. The whole five mysteries.

At 12:15, we stop by a roadside house in the village of Linut-od to observe our noonbreak. The village head, Hon. Paz Caminse, entertained us as we boiled water for coffee and instant noodles. I have provided each pilgrim a set of energy bars as our nutrition for lunch, a practice that I have favored during the Thruhike, to control noonbreaks to an hour or less, but the pilgrims found this food strange and unpalatable. They are used to rice and warm food.

By 13:30, we proceed with our journey. The harder surface of the “Vegetable Highway” seemed to be felt on each pilgrim’s feet as everyone took frequent rests. I would not worry if we are overtaken by darkness. We are passing within habitations, although rugged and mountainous, yet the mountain road brought a sort of improvement in the people’s lives here. They could travel to the town centers easily now by motorcycles to sell their farm produce, secure their material needs and send children to schools. It is also very scenic.

At 16:00 we stop by a farm market in Bayabas, on the village of Cansuje. A patrol jeep from the Argao Police Station arrived to see how we are doing. The pilgrims decide to buy fresh meat from the market for dinner later on. The problem is, the meat would deteriorate after an hour without preservation. Someone has to bring it fast to the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Parish in the village of Colawin. Fr. Jojo has to ride a motorcycle with the meat so it could be cooked immediately. Someone would have to accompany Fr. Jojo on the principle of the buddy system. That would be Roger.

 

I am glad Fr. Jojo took that opportunity. He had suffered enough and he had already proven his steadfastness before his faith. At 16:35, we lurched forward, once more, dusk begins to overtake us. In dim light conditions, I missed the intersection going to Colawin. I proceed instead to the village of Alumbijud. A helpful local offered me a free motorcycle ride when he sensed me on the wrong way. I fully believed I was in the right direction but village peacekeepers on the lookout for us and who missed me passing by, suggested another intersection to the rest, which is why I was “lost”.

In darkness, we followed a beautiful concrete road, but consoled by the presence of policemen who would pass by in their patrol vehicle every now and then and us escorted by village peacekeepers on motorcycles, seeing to it that we are on the right track. We reach the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Parish at 20:35. Rev. Fr. Mario Villacastin welcomed us inside the parish compound. Food is ready including the meat that Fr. Jojo and Roger have so judiciously transferred in haste. It had become braised pork.

 

Each pilgrim is equipped with a hammock with a bug net and there are plenty of trees to tie to. However, the fatigue factor of two days walk on mountainous terrain has taken their toll. Unlike Jon and me, the rest are not exposed to these kinds of difficulties. They preferred the bamboo gazebos, the wooden benches, even on concrete under a covered court. Jon preferred the protection of the covered court and so am I but there is only one place for a hammock and I had taken it.

My things are arranged for quick repacking during the first hours tomorrow and my mind is mentally doing its drill that it had practiced and perfected long ago. I do not like to be in the hours where people use the bathrooms all at the same time together. I preferred the hour when the tiger is on the hunt and where people can be snatched unawares. That is the hour I would take a bath and the water all to myself.

Total Distance Walked: 38.80 kilometers.

 Highest Elevation Gained: 2,629 feet. 

Document done in LibreOffice 5.3 Writer

THE THRUHIKE JOURNAL: Day 6 (Mantalongon to Balaas)

IT IS A COLD DAY AND IT IS DECIDED that Jingaling Campomanes, Mark Lepon, Christian Tan and Glyn Formentera would not walk with us today, January 22, 2017. They were planning to separate from us once we reach the foot of Mount Kandung-aw but plans changed as easily as water shifts its current. The artificial mood of yesterday left. Back to reality, of walking the Thruhike with only Jonathaniel Apurado as companion. We do not speak often because I walk far ahead of him. We only converse during rests and with locals. The Thruhike is not a jolly activity, it is solitude.

The Thruhike then is a pilgrimage of silence, imposed on you by no one else, except, by you. Seriously, the Thruhike is thought to be an amazing journey of the self through places where your soul would want itself to be – in the serenity of the hills. I can not yet decipher the intrinsic value of the Thruhike for I am yet at Day Six and the hardest parts are yet to come, although five days of hiking are daunting enough. I will soon arrive at places where either my will, my patience or my determination will be stretched thin or pressed hard. I have experienced these often during the early explorations of the Cebu Highlands Trail and I was fortunate it had a short time frame of three to five days. But this is different. This is 27 days!

After saying my appreciation and thanks to the officials of Mantalongon, Dalaguete, we set off at 08:30. The weather is almost Baguio weather, cool and very mild. A thick cloud dropped a wispy shower that vanished instantly as it began. Sunday is a day of rest for most of Cebu and the rest of the world. For most people visiting the outdoors, it is a trip to peaks, beaches or waterfalls. For most destinations, people are expected, whether on official routes or on “backdoors”. In a Thruhike, or for that matter, explorations, you are viewed with suspicion since you are not supposed to be there or there are no precedents of people turning their places into tourist destinations.

Sunday is then a day which I considered very much with importance in my itinerary. This is the Thruhike’s first and I designed it that we walk today for Balaas, Argao. Whether we arrive early or late, it does not matter, for people there are already familiar with us. We spent a night there last February 20, 2015 after a lengthy explanation. We were then in the middle of the Segment III Exploration Hike and the late afternoon brought us to there. It ended well and, today, it would not be difficult to obtain their goodwill again.

There is no other way to walk the “Vegetable Highway” except on pavements. As of today, I cannot see a good reason yet to find a trail to Argao. I see many and they criss-cross deep valleys and climb over hillsides, which might be romantic but impractical due to its difficulty. Whoever designed this road was a genius and this road was not made when things were started to be ran by people “running the country like hell”. It was designed and constructed by someone who belonged to a country that was supposed to “run this country like heaven”, if you quote a dead president’s statements which does not make sense.

However, I see such two options in a future shift of paths. The first would enter Argao through the Cambantug Mountain Range, cross the Salug River over to Cansuje, Argao and go north to Alumbijud, Argao. The other would be that you would have to go to the side of Badian from Osmeña Peak, follow a route over the mountain ridges that connect with that of Argao which are dotted with coal mines and pockets of lawless enclaves. If I could have started the explorations 10 or 20 years ago, I would have not been wandering on roads but on trails. The fact that I started this epiphany in 2011 and finished it only in 2016, is a testament of that shortcoming plus, another fact, that I have no big corporate backing or a team of corporate personalities.

You would have to appreciate of what I did in completing my explorations of finding a route for the CHT, which no one had ever done before on the island province of Cebu, without support, except from a few notable individuals like Alvin John Osmeña, Aljew Frasco and Jose Mari Gochangco, who believed in what I was doing. And you would also have to appreciate me even more of my boldness to go on a Thruhike of a CHT that was not even made and documented with the benefit of a global positioning satellite system but on the premise of memory borne out of the quirks of traditional navigation.

Anyway, this memory brought me to the sixth day in such progress and precision as good as using a GPS. The week-long rain that happened before I started the Thruhike had left its mark on the appearance of this road. Just repaved with solid concrete, rockfalls from above and landslides undermining below threaten people who use this. It is simply dangerous to use this road for the moment. We are forced to walk on the outer edges, a safe distance from a rock fall, of even a size of a thumbnail, could be life threatening if it falls directly on the head.

Hazardous that might be but one village seems to live with that. On the road to Ablayan, Dalaguete are many small banners placed on both sides of the road, aside from three bigger ones strung across, declaring a fiesta celebration. People were in a festive mood and screams of pigs were heard everywhere up a hill or down a gully. The road wove on more hazards but not that many anymore yet this is one scenic stretch highlighting the valleys around Mantalongon as the “Breadbasket of Cebu”. We arrive at Maloray, Dalaguete at 10:30 and you will see many little rice terraces planted with an upland variety.

Mount Kandung-aw towered over us but we had been there in February 2015 and is now included as one of the interesting features of the CHT. The peak is a good alternative to spend a weekend in these parts and would relieve the pressure off the very popular Mount Osmeña from local tourists. We walk on and we see a lot of people waiting for porters to carry their goods over the other side of the road since a big part of the road was swept away by the rains of early January. Likewise, farm produce were dumped here coming over from the other side where it is loaded onto trucks while motorcycles waited on both sides. Ah, commerce.

 

We crossed the chasm nimbly as locals do while a few motorcycles braved the slippery and steep stretch. Since we covered so much ground in the morning, I deem it necessary to take our noonbreak as early as 10:55 since the mild climate changed into warmth. I munch on two pieces Titay’s Liloan Rosquillos, six pieces of Park N Go Bakeshop bread, a Nutribar and my jumble of trail food. With water I popped in a Herbalife Natural Raw Guarana capsule into my mouth and watch three locals walk past me with big baskets at their backs, carrying 70-80 kilos of vegetable pears, cauliflowers and carrots supported with tumplines to their head. This road made their lives bearable.

At 12:00, we proceed up the road. We saw another road joining the ones we are following. The junction got washed and a temporary patchwork of rocks and concrete were arranged to hold the earth above it but got washed again. It looks scary and that is why I saw no trucks parked on this side from the chasm we crossed. This road goes up to Badian while our direction goes to Argao. We stop by a new parish somewhere in Manlapay, Dalaguete where parishioners in their Sunday’s best just came out from a church service. The rest took longer, since there is a shady spot and a cold Sparkle to beat the heat as Jon enjoyed talking with the locals.

The journey continues into the heart of Manlapay, the last village of Dalaguete, and then into Argao. At a road corner going to Balaas, Argao, I immediately dispatch a text message to the Argao Police Station so they will be informed of our presence and our activity. We arrive at Balaas at 13:40 where the honorable barangay chairman, Ricardo Gonzaga, and the village council welcomed us. They expected us at 16:00 since that was the one indicated on our itinerary but we somewhat have developed wings on our heels. Or is it that I just made this day’s schedule conservatively kind?

Why are we expected along the way? Well I found it out the hard way early in my exploration hikes, especially at San Fernando during Segment II which was done last March 2012. Since then, I made it necessary to make my activities known by sending out letters to Capitol and to the Cebu Police Provincial Office but, sometimes, it does not give assurance like what happened during the last day of Segment VII last August 2016 in Daanbantayan. To make my Thruhike seamless, I made a courtesy call on the Honorable Governor Hilario P. Davide III last November 25, 2016 and the rest is history.

Under the protective shelter of the barangay hall, we claimed our billet area. We released all the stress of the day and just enjoyed the stillness of rest. Across us is the view of the wide Salug River Valley, the Cambantug Mountain Range and Mount Lantoy. We are treated as guests and a plastic tray with cold Sparkles and bread came our way courtesy of Hon. Gonzaga and the people of Barangay Balaas. We arrived early and the early rest benefited our feet. We are now in the middle of the southern leg and we made good progress. Tomorrow would be different. We would be expected at Sibonga and it would be a long day.

Distance Walked: 13.47 kilometers

Elevation Gained: 793 meters and a low of 502 meters

Document done in LibreOffice 5.2 Writer