Patchwork of Joy

Heaven is a place on earth with the strangers we meet. It was a rainy morning when my college friend from Polangui had her baby's baptism. On the way to Polangui, my slippers wrecked with the heavy rain. It felt ominous for a bad day. But the rain subsided eventually, it was sunny in the afternoon. We decided to drop by Kawa-kawa Hill before returning to Legazpi. Although, I've been to Kawa-kawa Hill before, coming to this place always fascinates me like a first-timer with the farm changing colors and blooms. We were lucky to see the blooming flowers of the Sorghum Experimental Plantation at California Village, the farm along the way to Kawa-kawa. In a couple of hours we stayed at the hill, we joined the last supper, waved our hands in the air for happiness upon the green sights, appreciated the flowers at bloom, and played around like kids! And so the afternoon ended, the bright day shifted to dusk. It was too perfect sight for my floundering young adult life. We were lu...

After more than 5 years without a get-together, my first bestest college freshmen classmates and I finally made a fun reunion. I had some great memories experiencing what our own neighbor town has to offer – the ATV ride at Cagsawa, Daraga, Albay. Travelling from Legazpi City, we took a jeep going to Camalig/Oas/Polangui then dropped off at Cagsawa marker. There’s a tricycle queue that provides service to go straight to Bicol Adventure Tours or to the church ruins. Since we wanted to save some money, we took a walk and we got  to see the house ruins along the road. (Update: A lot of ruined houses exist at time of visit but are now rare along this road.) For today’s activity, we skipped visiting Cagsawa ruins since we’re only signed up for the ATV ride. The rides offered by Bicol Adventure Tours are available in two trails– 1hr and 3hrs drive. The one-hour trail is estimated to be a 6KM drive and costs 599 pesos (at time of travel 2013). The three-hour trail is estimated to be ...

One day my friend called me for advice. " Should I stay or leave my job ?" he asked. At that time, I had no clear words to say but now: It's whichever that creates the best change in your life, but one that your mental health can handle. You see, there's always a road that you would not be able to take, you will have to come to terms about accepting whatever results arrived. The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost (1916) Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be t...

When I climb mountains, I would remember By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. Not everyone likes climbing and may have said "What's so good climbing those mountains, they're all the same, they look all the same." But once they try having challenged themselves they'll surely exclaim that a walk in the mountains was never a waste of time. Madlum River Hanging Bridge (in Bulacan) An excerpt from  By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept  by  Paulo Coelho  (page 156-157) "I thought again of the mountain climbers we had met as we traveled. They were young and wore brightly colored clothing so as to be easily spotted should they become lost in the snow. They knew the right path to follow to the peaks. The heights were already festooned with aluminum pins; all they had to do was attach their lines to them, and they could climb safely. They were there for a holiday adventure, and on Monday they would return to their jobs with the feeling that they had challeng...

I was moved to remember my first major climb at Tarak Ridge while reading the book By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept . I related my experience to what Pilar recalls on her trip about the young working people who were up for a holiday adventure. Like me and my colleagues, these young working folks return on Monday to their desks in the office with the feeling of having challenged nature—and won. We may not be the first climbers of the ridge but the feeling of having made our day pass differently is so gratifying. My colleagues who have become climbing enthusiasts organized the event.  Although there are two persons from our group who   have been there, with an assumption that the trip will go well in a smooth direction, I also made some blog research on the shared experiences of climbers. With this short investigation, I found that the ridges are fairly visited by mountaineers and well-planned itineraries for a day climb had been well documented by many bloggers. But, t...