Summer is almost over and I’m definitely enjoying every bit of it. Been to a lot of trips lately and I realized I haven’t written anything on the blog for a couple of weeks already. In fact, it’s been months since I last wrote a travel guide and I really missed it. Sorry for not updating but hey, I’ve got tons of new guides so let’s get this started.
A Friendly Dinner
This will probably the shortest guide I’ll do, more of a storytelling than an actual guide. This trip was just so spontaneous and unplanned. It was a regular dinner at Maginhawa and the next thing we knew, we were climbing already. That’s how we work. It’s funny actually. We traveled from north to south. After dining along Maginhawa, we drove back home to Fairview where we spent the night at the park of a subdivision. We were supposed to end the night already since it was pretty late when Jess messaged us that she was locked out of her condo and asked us if we want to go to Tagaytay (she just came home from Anawangin, Zambales). Being adventurers, we rushed all the way to EDSA to meet her up along Boni.
Roadtrip to Tagaytay
Would you believe that I’ve never actually set foot in Tagaytay? I’ve passed it numerous times but never really went there so there I was at the backseat of the car, holding my action cam, windows rolled down, hands up in the air, head outside the window feeling the rush of the wind. The feeling was surreal. It was very cold. We stayed at 7-11 to buy some stuff and I was a kid enjoying the night. That’s when Jess asked if we wanted to go to Mt. Batulao. It all started as a joke but hey, that’s a kinda cool plan.
4am Trek
I had nothing with me except an action cam running low on battery. My phone’s batt was around 30% left. I was wearing a shirt, jacket and shorts. Good thing I always wear my trekking sandals (it’s the only sandals I have). Daren was wearing loafers, SJ and Jess sneakers. Everything was crazy. We started hiking around 4am and there was no light yet. The only thing the lighted our path was the the light coming from our phones. I’ve never hiked Mt. Batulao before so I was very excited.
It was one crazy trek. The trail was steep so we were extra careful since we can barely see anything. It was pure darkness. By the time we reach Camp 8, sun was almost up. Perfect time for sunrise. When we arrived Camp 10, the view wowed us. It was magical. The clouds were approaching and there were moments where everything was foggy and then it starts to get clear, like some scene from a movie.
I wasn’t able to capture everything because everything was lowbat but as Er would put it, it’s not all about the photos, it’s about the memories. It was truly a memorable experience.
#SquadGoals: (L-R: Jess, SJ, me)
Quick Guide
Because this was a very spontaneous trip, we have no itinerary. Daren was also driving a car so I cannot give you an exact budget guide but here’s some info that can help you.
HOW TO GET HERE:. If via car, just head to Nasugbu and turn left at KC Hillcrest. There are signs going to the jump off from there. If via commute, just ride a bus headed to Nasugbu and drop off at KC Hillcrest. From there you can walk up to the jump off or ride a trike ( Php 100 per way). I suggest riding one since it’s a bit far.
Guide is not required but there are A LOT of stations where you need to pay. This was once an issue and sadly, it’s still on-going. Each station asks for around Php 10 each. The trail is very easy to follow and you have the option to choose whether you want to go with New Trail of the Old Trail. Ours was the New-Old traverse.
Mt. Batulao is pretty dusty so be prepared. There are food stations along the way and the Halo-Halo was good.
Tip: Climb as early as possible. It was very hot during our descend.
That’s it for today. Excited to write more travel guides for the next couple of days and I hope you could check them out as well.
Cheers~!
– Justin –
