Rizal Beach (Gubat)

Sorsogon is gradually gaining popularity as a province with some of the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines and even the world which includes: Rizal, Subic, Tikling, Dancalan, Libanon, Tolong-Gapo and Cawit White Beach to name a few. The extensive coastline stretches hundreds of kilometers that are definitely some of many reasons why the province has become one of the most favorite destinations for tourists and backpackers alike.  

One beach that has surged in popularity is Rizal Beach which is located in Gubat Bay, Sorsogon City that is characterized by a long and wide beach coastline comprised of fine grain sand that varies from light beige to white and is surrounded lush green vegetation of Gubat. It faces the blue seas of the Pacific Ocean with its crystal clear water and huge waves.

What makes Rizal Beach a preferred tourist destination are the waves which are ideal for surfing. Just like Baler, learning to surf here is very inexpensive compared to other surf spots around the world. The town’s surfers have organized themselves into a club (Gubat Bay Surfers) and have given surfing lessons to everyone who are interested to learn surfing.

How to Get There:

1. There are buses with direct trip to Sorsogon from Metro Manila

2. From Sorsogon City, take a jeepney bound for Gubat (fare is 25 pesos)

Surfing lesson and board rental is 300 pesos per hour

***The following pictures were shared to me by my sister who went to Sorsogon, thus it was based on her pictures that this write-up was made.

Banga Dance

The "Banga Dance" is performed during festivities as a way of entertaining the guests. The dance portrays the Kalinga tribal women as they illustrate their daily task of fetching water and balancing the banga along the mountainous rice terraces

"Banga" literally means a pot that is round or a spherical jar which is made of clay, used for fetching water. Kalinga women place coiled piece “jikon” that is made from a straw plant “ligis,” or they use a rolled cloth on their heads for support while carrying the banga. Heavy earthen pots, as many as seven or eight at a time, are balanced on the heads of maidens as they trudge to the beat of the "gangsa" or wind chimes.

***I was fortunate to watch a Banga dance performed in Villa Escudero, it was simply amazing.

Batad Amphitheater Rice Terraces

The Rice Terraces located in the Cordilleras were inscribed by the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995. It includes the Rice Terraces of Batad, Bangaan, Mayoyao, Hunduan and Nagacadan which are all located in Ifugao Province.

Although Batad is located in Banaue, the Banaue Rice Terraces is totally different from the Batad Rice Terraces which is famous for its amphitheater-like rice terraces. It is considered by many as the most beautiful of all the terraces in the region where it offers grand views of lush green surrounding and breathtaking rice terraces. The terraces were made from compacted soil without the aid of machinery that provides level steps where the locals plant rice. It is believed to be more than 2,000 years old, but the locals say its possible that it can go way back to the stone age. 

This write-up is actually a prequel to my Mt. Amuyao blog because Batad Rice Terraces is so grand it deserves its own entry. The trek to the rice terraces is a trail commendable to anyone which passes through pathways wide enough for one person to pass but has steep drops of approximately 10 to 20 feet in some areas. It requires a lot of focus most especially during a heavy rain where it becomes slippery during a downpour. According to our guide, there were even reports that some tourists almost fell down from the terraces but was fortunate enough to cling on, thus caution must be observed at all times. 

Photo credit: Ramon Obmerga

Photo credit: Ramon Obmerga

Photo Credit: Ramon Obmerga

How to Get There:

1. Ride a bus bound for Banaue via Coda lines

2. From Banawe to Batad there are 2 scheduled trip 8:30am & 3pm

3. Alternatively,  for a large group one can take a rented jeep to Batad (jump off point)

I joined a DIY KKB organized by Ken Lignes, highly recommend at astig pa magluto.

Together with the whole Team Banayad sa Pilapil: Skyy, Mojo, Ramon, Marissa, Rodel, Edam and Kuya Jhun our guide

Mt. Amuyao (Batad-Barlig)

Situated between the provinces of Ifugao and Mountain Province, Mt. Amuyao is the 11th highest mountain in the Philippines which stands at 8865ft above sea level. It is also known as Mt. Finaroy where it was discovered by two prominent hunters named Amfusnun and Limipaw which serves as a hunting ground of Barlig ancestors and the people have claimed their ancestral right over the whole mountain. 

According to a local legend which tells about the first Ifugao couple, Bugan and Wigan who took refuge in this mountain during the 40-day deluge that inundated the province. Being the only survivors, they became the first ancestors of the Ifugaos. 

We did a reverse traverse from Batad (Ifugao) and eventually exits in Barlig (Mt. Province), this is arguably a more insanely trail which is reversing the usual traverse trail, coined as the Mount Amuyao Reverse Traverse trail  The difficulty of this may increase from 8/9 to 9/9 with the same trail class of 1-3.

From Batad Saddle Point we started the trek which passes the world-renowned Batad Amphitheater Rice Terraces, it is considered the easiest part of the trek with gradual ascent passing several paddies and gradual stair climb along the trail. Then after several hours, we arrived at  Barangay Cambulo where we took our lunch. It was starting to rain when we started the trek towards Sitio Pat-yay which is characterized by a narrow path of the rice terraces or ‘pilapil’ which could be more challenging and quite dangerous to deal with, most especially during a heavy downpour. It requires an almost 1200 ft ascent through a steep and muddy trail, which will then descend a 1020ft along an equally steep forested trail which becomes muddy and slippery when rain sets in. I had my share of mishap during the descent to Pat-Yay where I slipped through a ravine. Fortunately, I was able to cling on to some rocks and roots, it was one of those moments when my whole life flashed back. Earlier that afternoon, I almost stepped on a snake as it was one of those days that I'm thankful that I am still alive which makes it truly unforgettable. At around 1900h we reached Pat-yay Village where we had our dinner and camped for the night. Our guide told us that is almost equidistant between Barangay Cambulo and the summit of Mount Amuyao.

The next day we resumed the trek which is considered by some as the most difficult part of the reversed traverse trail because it was pure assault. Based from my Casio Altimeter there is a total of 4980ft altitude gain from Pat-Yay to Mt. Amuyao summit which only means pure assault where the ascending part is characterized by steep yet forested trail and mossy forest which is infested with blood-sucking limatiks. After several hours of trekking, we reached the waiting shed which is considered the halfway mark to the summit, there is also a nearby watersource where one can refill. The trail towards the summit is mostly mossy forest then it becomes an open grassland which then passes a ridge consisting of a steep assault that is about 15-20 minutes trek before reaching the summit of Mount Amuyao. 

The summit is characterized by a bunker within the compound GMA and ABS-CBN Network towers where hikers coming from Barlig can spend the night (it is actually part of Barlig so they have the access key). According to Kuya Jun (our guide) each part of the towers/bunkers were carried from Barlig all the way to the summit manually at 20pesos per kilo. Since we don't have a key to the bunker we pitched our tents outside, have some dinner and of course spend the night on socials. It was freaking cold and based from my Casio thermometer it was ranging between 8 to 12 degrees, honestly, I wasn't able to sleep until 3am.

The next day everyone was in awed as we witnessed the sea of clouds, some say that Mt Amuyao has more chances of viewing the sea of clouds compared to that of Mt. Pulag. It offers a 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape which includes Benguet (W), Abra (WNW), Kalinga (N), Cagayan (NE), Isabela (E), and Ifugao (S) and of course the breathtaking view of sunset and sunrise. We took some pictures and cherished the moments, then had our breakfast (courtesy of Ken and Skyy, thanks guys sa masarap na meal) and prepared for the final leg of the trail.

From the Summit of Mount Amuyao to Sitio Macalana, Barangay Barlig, Mountain Province – Rodel, Edam and I descended it in almost 2 hours which is more or less 7 km. The trail is characterized by a very steep and narrow but established pathway consists of wooden steps and stairs that can be very dangerous and slippery when wet. The last part of the trail after passing thru the rice terraces, hikers still have to deal with several concrete stairways up to the end point at Sitio Macalana, Barlig then we headed directly to the Police Station to register which commenced the end of the trek that is approximately 32 to 34km and had a total altitude loss of 3960 ft from the summit to Barlig.

Photo credits to Skyy Chiong

Kuya Jun, Edam, Emer, Marissa, Ramon, Ken, Rodel, Mojo and Ken (photo credit)

Photo credits to Edam Bunso

 (photo credit: Ramon Obmerga)

Mossy Forest

Rodel, Sky, Mojo, Marissa, Edam, Emer, Ramon, Kuya Jhun and Ken (photo credits)

Photo Credits to Mojo Santiago

Photo credits to Mojo Santiago

Photo Credits to Marissa Binuhe

Barlig

Kuya Jun, Skyy, Emer, Mojo, Ramon, Rodel, Marissa, Edam and Ken (Photo credits)

How to Get There:

1. Ride a bus bound for Banaue via Coda lines

2. Take a rented jeep to Batad (jump off point)

I joined a DIY KKB organized by Ken Lignes, highly recommend at astig pa magluto.

Together with the whole Team Banayad sa Pilapil: Skyy, Mojo, Ramon, Marissa, Rodel, Edam and Kuya Jhun our guide