Four years ago, a friend of ours organized a hike in Mt. Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas. Being the sure-why-not person I am, I said "Sure. Why not?". I got ready for the hike and went.
It was horrible.
We weren't even at the jump off yet and I was already exhausted. Every ascent to a peak is a nightmare. The rocks, rain, and mud, even more so. At the summit, the weather did not even have the decency to reward me with a view. Everything was obstructed with thick fog. I was cold and wet, not sure if from the rain or from my own tears and sweat.
Four years and eight hikes later, I've finally decided to return. This time, it was entirely a different story. I loved it.
The three of us met at Evercrest around 8 in the morning. After a quick bathroom break, we begin the adventure that would hopefully change our bad memories of Batulao.
We walked all the way to the jump-off. You can opt to ride a tricycle though or if you have a car, you can drive until the nearby parking lots.
Along the way, you'll find the locals selling walking poles made out of bamboo. You can get yourself one for php20.
We arrive at the jump-off at around 9:00 am. The official hike begins.
The first two peaks sort of jump started our system. We took a couple of minutes after an ascent to catch our breath. But after that, our body was 100% ready to take on the mountain. No more dizzy, hingal kabayo moments.
The best thing about Batulao is that there is no shortage of beautiful views wherever you are. Taking breaks is even more revitalizing when you are surrounded by such beauty,
A few peaks later, we arrived at the camp site. We paid the php30 registration.
The first time I was here, it was raining so we had to deal with mud. This time, it was dry and the weather is good so there was no mud to battle with. What we had to deal with, though, is very, very loose soil. Even Rem who's gone there his second time (this is his third) don't remember the soil being that loose.
There was a moment when I couldn't get a good foot hold and I slid down the dirt on all fours. I tried to crawl up but when I found that the situation was hopeless for me, I shouted for help from my giggling companions. Lucky for me, no one else had a camera to take a photo of it so have a photo of Allaine looking at the distance like a boss instead.
There are a lot of stands along the trail so you shouldn't worry if you're low on hydration. You should worry though if you're low on funds because the refreshments are quite pricey.
After much dirt-crawling, we finally reach the summit. And only 11:15 in the morning!
We took out our lunch boxes and had our meal.
When our stomachs are filled and we've chatted all that we could chat and when Rem returned from wherever the hell we went, we got ready for the descent.
We began the descent at 12:20 pm but we had a hold up by the rappel.
The descent continues when we all got down the wall of rocks.
The old trail seemed more "friendly" to me than the new trail. Maybe it's because of all the campsites.
It was horrible.
We weren't even at the jump off yet and I was already exhausted. Every ascent to a peak is a nightmare. The rocks, rain, and mud, even more so. At the summit, the weather did not even have the decency to reward me with a view. Everything was obstructed with thick fog. I was cold and wet, not sure if from the rain or from my own tears and sweat.
Four years and eight hikes later, I've finally decided to return. This time, it was entirely a different story. I loved it.
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| We all had bad first time experiences at Batulao. I guess we were really that weak back then |
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| It would be nice if someone would give us a car |
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| This kid is just one of many who were selling these |
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| And the fact that you were there a couple of minutes ago boosts motivation |
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| Taking a much deserved break |
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| Allaine registering our names |
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| Took a break while waiting for the sun to hide behind the clouds |
We continued with the hike.
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| This was the rock where a crazy companion of ours took a jump shot at our first hike here. Rem says it's not that rock though. |
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| The dirt is swallowing my feet |
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| You can have fresh coconut water |
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| Awyiss!! No fog in sight! |
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| The view that I was denied of during my first climb here |
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| We found a good spot to enjoy the scene |
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| The best seats in the house |
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| Time to go down |
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| We waited for the people to get down |
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| Finally. We were about to run out of topics to talk about |
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| The two chatting while I do obligatory photo shoots |
We reached the Camp 1 and payed the php20 registration fee.
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| Souvenir shop |
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| T-shirts |
Later on the old trail, somewhere after the dried-up river, there was a guy who asked for a 10php registration fee.
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| AGAIN? How many times are we suppose to register? And what are we registering for anyway? If it's for maintenance, can't we just call it maintenance fee? |
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| Why do we have to keep logging our names? It's not like you're going to validate it for anything anyway. Except for maybe computing the fees you've collected for day that will be used for god knows what. |
We arrived at the jump off around 3:15 pm. There are a lot of tricycles preying on us, shouting their best offers, but we chose to walk all the way back to Evercrest.
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| I remember when this was just all mud |
Along the way, a man driving an owner type jeep offered us a free ride back but we refused. Then later, one of the hikers we ran into earlier offered us a ride at their car. We refused again. We wanted to walk all the way back to Evercrest because that was what we did on our first hike. That, and the fact that I was not waddling like I did before because of all the muscle pain. I was so proud of how I'm still walking like a normal human being until we arrived at Evercrest. We got there around 4:00 pm.
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| WE HAVE CONQUERED BATULAO. We are no longer weaklings. |
We took a bath and freshened up at Eva's store.
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| There is a new cheaper bath nearby but we chose to go here anyway |
When we looked like humans again, we rewarded ourselves with hot bulalo and some crispy shrimps at Mahogany Market in Tagaytay. The hot broth was perfect for the cold weather.
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| Steaming hot bulalo. YUMS |
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| Crispy shrimp |
I bought some jackfruit from the market for the people back at home and we waited for a bus that will pass by Pala-pala, which means any bus actually. We bid our goodbyes and separated ways at Pala-pala,
That ends our awesome day in Batulao. We have successfully overwritten our bad Batulao memories with good ones. Good job, everyone! Excellent! Perfect! Five stars!
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| In your face, Batulao! |
How we got there:
- To Evercrest
I waited for a bus headed to Nasugbu by Aguinaldo Highway in Pala-pala. I had to wait for some time because it was quite early. The fare from Pala-pala to Evercrest is php61 (airconditioned bus). My companions rode a bus to Calatagan from Coastal Mall. The fare is php85 (ordinary bus)
- From Evercrest to Jump off point
From Evercrest, you can choose to ride a tricycle that will bring you to the jump off for php60 or less if you haggle, I suppose. If you have a car, there are parking lots near the jump off. I'm not sure how much the fee is though.
How we got back:
- From Jump off point to Evercrest
We walked. But if you're too tired, you can take a tricycle for php60 or less.
- From Evercrest to Mahogany Market
We rode a bus headed to Manila. The fare is php20 (ordinary bus) to Mahogany market. From Mahogany, we rode a bus headed to Manila and got down at Pala-pala. The fare is around php40. From pala-pala, my companions rode a van to Alabang and I rode a jeep to GMA.
Registration fees
New trail : php30
Old trail : php20 + php10
Guides
We didn't get one. But there are many guides available. They will somewhat flock you during start of your walk from Evercrest. Based on PinoyMountaineer's post about Batulao, fees are not fixed but recommended is php300 a day. I'm not sure though if that's still the case today.
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BTW, the Batulao is derived from bato (rock) + ilaw (light). When the sun sets between the peaks of Batulao, it's as if the mountain is glowing. Hence, the blog post name. :)
