The original plan was Mt. Pundaquit - Anawangin traverse and a side trip to Pundaquit falls but since its summer the trail and falls were dry as hell. Also, we were an hour behind schedule so we just did a quickie hike to, as the locals call it, Mt. Dionisio. It seems to me though that the so called mountain is a part of Mt. Pundaquit.
If you'll ask me, its more of a hill than of a mountain but it's high enough to see most of Barangay Pundaquit. What made this hike exciting was the fact that there wasn't a real trail or path to follow. Just go up and onward, don't trip, don't fall. We came across fallen trees, rocks and dried bushes. Be extra careful with the dried grasses, particularly the piled ones. They may look safe and fluffy but sometimes there are holes and huge rocks hiding underneath. Trust me. I fell once or twice into a knee-deep hole, lost my balance, threw myself to another pile of dried grass for safety just to realize that its a huge sharp rock. Tadah! Instant bruises!
Anyhooow, like any other mountains, this hill has its own charm, too. Although our guides didn't take us to the summit, the view from where we reached was just as picturesque. The view was a splash of color. Brown from the rocks and clay, blue from the sky and sea, and a mix of orange and greens from the grasses. Also, we hiked during the golden hour which added a nice warm tone to the view.
Cute little ridge, thought that perhaps this is the younger brother of Tarak Ridge in Mariveles, Bataan. I haven't been there but based on the pictures they somehow resemble each other. Or maybe not? :p
Unleashing the path finders in us, us girls trailed away from the boys as they obediently followed our guides. The others still in sight, we wandered off and looked for higher grounds. We're already by the cliff and piles of dried grasses got trickier and trickier by each step, we found this...
...this lovely Batanes-like scenery. We were all awestruck. Lovely, just lovely. We took turns in taking pictures, relaxed by the cliff, waving to the boatmen and tourists from time to time. Haha. I bet they felt how triumphant we were.
Sunburn? What sunburn? We couldn't care less. This was priceless. To be honest. I thought I've seen everything that Pundaquit and the coves can offer . Apparently, I haven't. As much as we want to stay a bit longer, our skins were already starting to hurt as well as our stomachs. They're screaming lunch! So we descended.
With a few beers for the boys, endless pusoy dos and some power naps for the girls , we got by until sunset. Living in a coastal town, sunset is something very familiar to us but it seems that we will never grew old of watching it. As for me, it has a soothing and comforting effect. Sooooo, that's just about it. From the humble morning hike to worth-the-wait sunset. Until next time. Hasta la próxima!
(Thank you cousin Jenny for my awesome solo pictures and to Aunt Emy for our group pictures.)
Sometimes it's not until difficult times does one truly appreciate the people around him/her. In the same way as, the lost of someone so dear brings the family s/he left closer. As painful as it may sound, there's a certain truth to it.
A year hence our grandfather left us, we are gathered once again not to remember the loss but to celebrate the life he lived. This may sound like an ordinary family adventure but for us it's a lot deeper and more personal.
More than passion and hobby, photography will always have a special corner in our hearts. We remember our grandfather in every frame we compose, with every shutter we release, and even with every pose we strike. We are not even half the photographer that he was but we will always live by his legacy. Our fathers always say, "Photography ang bumuhay sa pamilyang ito.". Perhaps someday, when we are able, we will revive the studio that started it all.
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