River Trek

One of my favorite outdoor pastime is river trekking with my mountaineering group. Clad in cotton shirts, polyester shorts, all weather shoes, a wet proof daypack with some provisions and water in Nalgene (mountaineers are gung-ho about this container brand) we trooped to the Barangay Hall to inform the local authorities of our presence in the area. Since we wouldn’t want to go trekking in a flooded river, we check the latest weather bulletin and look up for any rain clouds.  If we got clear skies and sunshine, we are set and ready to go! For river trek aficionados, here are some hot tips: 

Watch your step

Have a leisurely pace, trek one step at a time. Stepping in between rocks instead of on them can be dangerous. One time I sandwiched my foot between two submerged rocks with a gap small enough to grip the bone in my ankle - this instantly shot pain to my brain! Take caution, what you don’t see can hurt you. When negotiating your way on rocks in the river, always get a secure foothold, more often than not they are slippery or loose. So don’t jump on rocks, chances are, you will slip and bang your head, or the rock tips, gets you off balance and you go splashing in the river.

Watch what you’re holding

Sometimes the water is deep or the current strong that you need to go up the banks or mountain passes and wade through bushes. When there’s a wayward branch on the path, hold it and look behind you before slowly releasing the branch. Don’t yank it. It will snap back at your face. And be careful with what you’re holding, it could be one of those thorny plants (touch-me-nots), or you could be mistaking a tree branch for a snake!

Give directions

When trekking in a group, the one who leads is called the assault, the one who stays last is called the sweeper and those in between are called pacers.  Feel like a pro by giving directions to those lagging behind: In diverging paths stack three rocks to mark the path taken.  If you have seen Blairwitch Project, you know what I mean, but do not stack rocks as high. It’s better to cross the river in pairs or more - It’s for balance and strength in withstanding the river’s rushing water. 

There. River trekking 101. See you in the rivers and streams of our dreams!

8th Wonder

The rice terraces look majestic but there is more to it than meets the eye. The concept of the terraces is simple enough: In order to grow, rice needs water, which the mountain slopes can not hold. But what was borne out of necessity has become something else - a terraced masterpiece, a baffling transformation, a phenomenal sight worthy of UNESCO’s world heritage list. Due to its sheer size, the rice terraces flood your vision. But it is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the other senses. The vast space, the absolute quiet, and the wind softly brushing your skin almost bring you back to the dawn of civilization when our ancestors were carving those mountains. Come. Be there. Be awed. And let your spirit be lifted up the heavens.

Stairway to Heaven

There are as many rice terraces as there are little villages in the canyons of Ifugao. The world famous Banaue Rice Terraces is just one amongst many. It offers a stunning panorama you can view from a platform on a bluff surrounded by shops selling souvenirs. But the best way to go is visit Batad, one of the more famous and photogenic rice-terraces-villages. From the bus station, a tricycle will bring you in an hour on its foot. From there, a good one and a half hour trek on backcountry trail will bring you to Batad’s view deck, making those postcards come alive, and your adrenaline pumping for more. When I came, a shaft of light fell directly on one of the terraces squeezed beneath two slopes. It was long and narrow, and creeping up towards the mist and low clouds. It was mesmerizing, surreal, literally, a stairway to heaven.

Thousand-year-old walls

The massive 10-foot rock walls that hold the rice terraces together is the heart of the matter. No special mortar was used, just plain rocks, mud and hay, but strong enough to survive generations. Water from springs on mountaintops is channeled through irrigation canals beside slope fissures which are then brought to individual paddies by hollowed out bamboo poles - What struck me the most is its simplicity in such a grand setting, and the fact that it hasn’t changed for thousands of years.

The 8^th wonder experience has brought a fresh perspective of who I am. I suddenly became proud of my heritage, of who we are as a people, and of what we have contributed to the world. It is time to pay homage to what our ancestors have ingeniously created and which has given them immortality. I did already.

Bungee

I haven’t updated this blog for a long time. So, here’s something that will make your heart race and your adrenaline pumping for more!

The GX5-Reverse Bungee on the left, G-Max Swing on the right

If you haven’t tried bungee jumping, do it at Clarke Quay in Singapore City. There are two kinds, first is the catapult or GX5-Reverse Bungee. On a platform, we were strapped on our seats. One guy handled the controls. Smoke rose as we leaned back on the headrest then boom! We were catapulted up a hundred feet in midair. The harness was pressed on our bodies as we were jerked, twisted and turned. Our heads snapped and nodded back as the seats rotated downwards. Then the bungee cord pulled us down very fast as if we were going to get smashed on the ground. We shouted in delight but also of fear. The thrill of letting go is exhilarating. Up we go again while we struggled instinctively against gravity. We were slammed against empty air. My stomach felt like being sliced in two over and over again.

The other is the bungee swing called the G-Max. Now this one is the better ride, which means more challenging, all right, scarier. 5 people can enjoy it together. Imagine a gigantic swing – because that is exactly what you are going to get. From the bottom you will be pulled backwards by the machine on the highest point of the swing, slowly. Tik-tik-tik is all you hear. The city grows as you rise higher and higher into the cool night air while you hang facedown. You will see a good stretch of the Singapore river mirroring the mesmerizing lights of Clarke Quay. You feel the harness tightening around you as gravity tries to pull you downward. Your arms and legs dangle, longing for solid ground. The people below looked like ants and they are holding their breaths too. Then the green light is turned on. Somebody pressed the lever and you are released! The sudden falling sensation is so intense that your heart seems to rise to your mouth. Gravity takes control and you are swinging at 9.8meters per second. You try to breathe normally but can’t. Your muscles tighten and your heart race. You scream and hold on to the one beside you like your life depended upon it. Then you rise up again on the opposite side. You look down just when the swing peaks and reverses direction. Gravity pulls you backwards. And you let go. You close your eyes, feeling the wind on your face and butterflies flying in your stomach.

  Bungee at night

The anticipation of seeing that green light was scary. Couple that with the pressure of being the one to press the button, and you’re sweating ice. At the time, I was seated next to Ping who gripped my arm so tightly her handprint remained in my arm for days! That’s something to consider.

Hammock

The photo above is not much to see but it has an interesting story to tell. Please take note of the pair of slippers below the hammock. 

It was midday. In the middle of the ferry ride in the middle of the sea, one fellow rigged a hammock in the middle of the ship’s view deck. He wrapped himself in and then, fell asleep. We were enjoying the scenery out in the open when the rain came. It started as a drizzle then to a full-fledged rain. We seek cover but the fellow stayed wrapped inside the now dripping hammock. We were huddled close to the ship’s overhanging upper deck, but our eyes were glued in that unmoving lump inside the hammock. Alerted by the admiring crowd, the fellow’s friend run to his rescue. He shook him silly and run back, but his friend didn’t wake up, so back he went again. This time he yanked the hammock, his friend fell on the floor, and they both ran towards us.

It feels like a homerun hearing the cheering crowd. Ah whatta show!

Surf Symbol?

I can’t help posting this pic. This is my friend Paul’s daughter. Mine is 2 months older. This was taken by Laris while working on her thesis. She asked us if we were to equate surfing to a thing (to symbolize surfing) what would it be and why. The why part was easy: Because it makes as happy and excited, takes our troubles away and such. But the symbols make the answers more exciting. My symbol is a baby (hence, the pic with the baby and my longboard in the background), Micky-boy says a clean environment, Anthony sighs and says that it’s like getting married, Lemon (looking out to the ocean) says that its more than a sport, it’s his lifestyle. Now take this: George Tisoy says - his cat (which just had its 3 kittens), this has brought the house down!