Aling Taleng's Halo-Halo

One of the most sought after "Halo-Halo" in Pagsanjan and even in the whole Laguna, Aling Taleng's Halo-Halo has been in the business since 1933. 

Unique as it seems, instead of using "leche plan" and "ice cream" as their topping, they use sweetened "kundol" instead. They also use other ingredients such as white and red beans, macapuno, ube halaya (purple yum), and some preserved fruits mixed in crushed ice and of course with a generous mix of evaporated milk which made it popular among locals and foreign tourists alike.

They also serve various Filipino dishes like "Puto Bumbong" as their other specialty. Their short orders for lunch and dinner are a little bit pricey with little amount of serving and no distinct taste to make it special. I can recommend them for "Halo-Halo", but for the other food on their menu, that is a different story.

On the otherhand, the place is a little bit cozy with dim lighting. The ambiance is nostalgic because of the paintings and pictures that are displayed on the wall. 

Address: 169 General Luna Street, Pagsanjan

Fantasy World

Fantasy World was an unfinished theme park located in Lemery, Batangas. The location was so ideal for medieval inspired theme wherein a castle sits atop a hill that overlooks greenland pastures and ridges. It was built with colorful walls which perfectly blend to the surrounding greenery. The stalwart structure seems to transport you back in the middle ages, it was definitely grand and could have been the Disneyland of the Philippines. But due to bankruptcy and lack of funds, the construction was halted, and to this day it still remained a fantasy.

The once colorful facade are slowly fading. Interior paint are slowly peeling from the walls of its unfinished rooms. The rides which were never used, lays dormant to this day with no hope of moving even it's first journey.

Eventhough the themed park never became operational, one can still enjoy explore and take pictures inside the whole place. Over the years, it has also become a favorite shooting place for TV shows like Majika (GMA7) and movies like Got to Believe and Fantastica. 

Mt Maculot can be seen from afar

Photo Credits: Amor Cabasan

Photo Credits: Amor Cabasan

How to Get There:
1. From LRT-Buendia ride a bus bound for Nasugbu. Tell the conductor to drop you off at the “Boundary.” It refers to the Cavite-Batangas boundary.
2. At the boundary, ride a jeepney bound for Lemery and tell the driver to drop you off in front of Fantasy World. If there are no jeepneys, you can take a tricycle.

***I joined an event organized by John Sarco which is part of our hike to Taal via Tabaro trail.

Mt Balingkilat Revisited

I've been to Mt. Balingkilat on three occasions, the first was the traverse to Nasasa Cove during the onset of Typhoon Marce way back last 2016. My second and third visit was both part of Cawag Hexa dayhike in 2018. My first ascent to the summit took 3h15m, and as I became more comfortable with the trail, I have also progressed the time to reach the summit with 3h5m on my second and 2h50m on my third time, all of which where I was part of the lead group.  

Mt Balingkilat is one of the highest peaks in the Zambales coastal mountain ranges and coves area which stands at an altitude of 3600 ft. above sea level and it is also among my top ten favorites because of the scenic view that it offers. Back in the days, American naval servicemen who served in Subic Naval Base used to call it as the “Pointed Peak” but the indigenous people (Aetas) prefer to call it as Mt. Balingkilat which means "Mountain of Thunder" for the reason that most of the time the summit is engulfed in clouds with ravaging thunder storms.

The first part of the trail is composed of grassland (overgrown "Talahib" and "Cogon" grass are present throughout the trail). After an hour of trek one will reach the only tree in the midst of the grassland which marks the start of the assault. The assault trail is more or less 2500 feet in altitude gain which has a lesser grass and is predominantly a rocky portion. It becomes very steep in the final 600 feet before the summit where it requires technical climbing skills through rock walls and boulders with almost 90 degrees vertical climb for a total distance of 7.4km. from the jump off point to the summit and a total altitude gain of 3100ft to reach the summit.

The summit offers  360 degree picturesque view of Zambales mountain ranges: Mt. Cinco Pincos and coves: Anawangin, Talesayen, Nagsasa, and Silanguin Cove. Mountains in Bataan can also be seen from afar:  Mt. Natib, Mt. Samat and Mt. Mariveles. And since most of the summit and majority of Balingkilat is a grassland, you can expect that is a blazing inferno and almost no trees to protect the hikers from the scorching heat of the sun. But compared to San Jose Circuit hike, Cawag mountains still has the soothing breeze from West Philippine Sea which makes it somehow cooler but still hellish.

Mt Balingkilat is usually hiked with a traverse to Nagsasa Cove or a traverse to the other mountains in the Zambales Coastal which includes Mt Nagsasa (Bira-Bira), Cinco Picos, Dayungan, Naulaw and Redondo for a complete Cawag Hexa. For both trails one has to descend a total of 1950ft through rocky ridges and steep knife edges before passing a portion of Mt Nagsasa.

Nagsasa Cove

With Ate Lorna, Noemi, Manuel, Alano & Arvin

With Akyat Tanaw Mountaineers: Jaime & Vincent

Photo credits to Arvin

The traverse descend to Bira-Bira

How to Get There:

1. Ride a bus bound to Iba, Zambales (Victory Liner) and tell the conductor to drop you off in PNP Station of Subic. You also need to prepare a letter of intent before you can start your hike which will be submitted to PNP Subic.

2. Then ride tricycle going to Sitio Cawag, Mt. Nagsasa's jump off point.

*I joined an event organized by Jaime Dequinon of Akyat Tanaw Mountaineers

**I recommend Kuya Joel Soria as a local guide for Cawag mountains (Balingkilat, Nagsasa, Cinco Picos).