Policarpio St.

Christmas season is just around the corner and the famous "Policarpio Street Lights" had just opened their streets to visitors and spectators since mid November.

Policarpio Street in Mandaluyong is one of the most visited Christmas attraction in Metro Manila where houses are adorned with colorful lights and decor for more than 20 years now. Some of the most notable houses are the “House of Light” which has become the iconic image of the street and the “House of Santa Clause” which has several display of Santa Clauses.

Policarpio’s Christmas display is open from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM until the first week of January 2016.

How to Get There:

1. From Boni Ave., ride a jeepney bound to Stop and Shop.

2. Tell the driver to drop you off in Policarpio St.

Nagsasa Cove

When Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, it spewed dark clouds of ashes that caused devastation to the province of Zambales particularly Sitio Nagsasa. Twenty Seven years have passed after the infamous eruption, the beachfront has now become a popular tourist getaway particularly for campers and adventure seekers known today as Nagsasa Cove. According to locals, the beach was not as beautiful before Mt. Pinatubo's eruption. Over the years, Pine trees has began to grow in the area, the once rocky shoreline is now composed of fine grain ash-grey sand that turns almost whitish during afternoon. 

The beach cove is enveloped between the mountains of Cinco Pincos, Bira-Bira and Balingkilat directly facing the West Philippine Sea which is ideal for viewing the sunset. On the far north western portion, is the Anawangin Cove, Capones Island and nearby rock formations.

What I like mostly about this hidden paradise is that it doesn't get too crowded with other tourists. There are only a few campers, thus making it a perfect place to spend weekend getaway and commune yourself with nature. 

The blogger with the Adventurous People

How to Get There:

1. Ride a bus bound for Iba, Zambales.

2. Alight in San Antonio town proper.

3. You then need to ride/hire a trike to take you to Pundaquit Beach (this is the jump-off for boat ride towards Capones Island, Anawangin & Nagsasa beach)

**You can also do a traverse trail via Mt. Balingkilat which usually takes 12 hours of trek (the blogger hiked together with the Adventurous People).

Tatang's Lechon Cebu

After recent cravings with "Lechon" my office mates and I decided to try the newly opened Tatang's Lechon Cebu which is located in Mandaluyong. 

They are famous for their boneless and crispy lechon. The resto is a little bit small and can only accommodate 10 to 15 people. We were the only customer at that time (lunch) and they had no change for a 500 and 1000 peso bill, so better prepare for an exact amount if you wish to dine at their resto.

I ordered two Lechon value meal (Chili and Sisig), they are both good and tender while the pork skin is crispy, the meat is succulent that just melts as you chew, it is not the typical "lechon" - it is original Lechon.

The price is too expensive with minimal amount of serving, and since they claim to be the original Lechon Cebu - don't expect to have a "Sarsa ni Mang Tomas", bring your own.

Rating:

6 out of 10

Mt. Arayat Traverse

Rising above to an altitude of 3360 feet over the plains of Central Luzon, Mt. Arayat is the most notable landmark of Pampanga. It is an extinct volcano with no recorded eruption and has become a favorite day hike near Manila with trails and difficult level which is comparable to MakTrav except that there are no Limatiks yet with a whole bunch of Mosquitoes instead. The traverse stretches a total of 14 km. with the entry trail at Magalang DENR station and ends in Arayat DENR station.

According to a local legend "Maria Sinukuan" is the fairy guardian who protects Mt. Ararat and is also inhibited by other mystical creatures, but in spite of the mystical stories surrounding the mountain, hikers are not deterred from exploring the beautiful yet very challenging mountain. 

I hiked with the Adventurous People then I would later found my climbing buddies with the same pacing as I do (Mildred, John, Jam and Anje) and we called ourselves as Team Una. We then started the traverse via Magalang DENR station, at the beginning of the trail we passed by large grottos which are part of "Stations of the Cross", our local guide told us that Catholic devout visits the place during Holy Week. The trail is forested with an established path that leads to the summit with a 2620ft elevation gain to the reach the Noth Peak where a telecom tower is located, which also serves as a police outpost. The peak is a plateau surrounded by grass slopes and can accommodate 10 to 12 tents which is actually the highest point in Mt. Arayat. 

The traverse becomes interestingly challenging upon the descend from the North peak towards the South peak. It is composed of a 620ft descend which includes rope segments, steep slopes which requires technical climbing and all sorts of maneuvering through vertical clay and rock walls. The trail is densely forested composed of Balite trees, Rattan and thorny bushes in a ridgeline that circles the broken Caldera of Mt. Arayat. Then after passing a ridge with a mossy forest one has to ascend 480ft through vertical walls that requires technical climbing where one will reach a huge boulder perched between two peaks known as "Haring Bato". Another thirty minutes of trek leads to the South Peak's viewing deck where it offers a rewarding view of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and nearby Central Luzon provinces.

Dredd, John, Emer, Jam and Anje (photo credits)

Bev, Dred, Patrick, Anje & Jam

North Peak

(North Peak as seen from South Peak's Viewing Deck)

Traverse Trail

South Peak

(South Peak as viewed from the North Peak)

How to Get There:

1. You can ride buses bound to Arayat from Monumento.

2. Another option is to ride a bus bound to San Fernando Pampanga.

3. Once in San Fernando you ride jeepneys bound to Magalang, then ride a hail a trike that will take you to DENR Registration (Jump off if you are interested to do a traverse)

Nuvali Road Trip

Nuvali is a sustainable community developed by the Ayala land and owned by the Yulo family which is located at the cities of Santa Rosa, Calamba, and Cabuyao in Laguna. It was formerly a sugar plantation in the late 1940's until was turned into an agro-industrial estate. It aims to be a wholly sustainable community where premiere business estate and nature coexist known as Evo Living.

Aside from business establishments, restaurants and shopping centers there are also leisure activities that you can do in Nuvali which includes: Biking, bike tracks are located in the area designed for leisure and off road bikers alike. There are also wakeboarding (Republic Waterpark), is a world class water sports facility which offers water ski, surfing and snow boarding. Koi Fish Feeding, one of the most popular activities to do in Nuvali, where a large outdoor pond is full of Koi. And of course, our favorite thing do is to ride the Speed Boat across the man made lake, it is a 10 minutes ride which cruises back and forth the lake.

How to Get There:

1. One can ride UV Van Express bound for Nuvali

Mt. Atimla

Mt. Atimla has an elevation of 2146 ft. and is usually climb together with the nearby Mt. Kalisungan for a twin dayhike. It takes an average of 6-7 hours to complete the traverse between the two mountains which starts from Kalisungan (entry point is Brgy Lamot) and ends in Atimla (exit point is Brgy Curva).

It lies between the Laguna de Bay and mountain ranges near the Banahaw complex and are surrounded by the famous seven lakes which are bounded by the towns of San Pablo, Nagcarlan, Victoria and mostly part of Calauan, Laguna. Mt. Atimla's summit is characterized by three distinct peaks but only one peak has a established trail and the two is yet to be explored for possible routes.

The descent from Mt. Kalisungan initially features going down through a very steep eastern portion of Kalisungan comprising of almost 70 degrees for about 400 ft. It has a total 1020 ft total descent to reach a valley that commences the assault to Atimla. It was so steep that it was actually my first time to sit and slide down during a descent with nothing else to cling on except the razor-sharp samurai grass.

Upon entering the trails of Atimla, one will be surprised that it is totally a forested woodland that is teeming with red ants, mosquitoes and a wide array of insects (It is recommended to wear long sleeves). From the valley, one has to ascend another 700ft to reach the summit which is like a jungle as seen from Jurrasic era untouched and unexplored. It is steep with no rocks and tree branches to cling on, just pure muscle power. 

The summit of Mt. Atimla is like the peak of Mt. Obabis, except that it is larger and the terrain is more varied. Almost like a plateau, except that it’s not very flat. The summit is surrounded by trees and vegetation, thus a 360 degrees view is not possible but one can still take pictures in strategic locations.

How to Get There:

1.) Take a bus bound to Sta Cruz, Laguna (DLTB or Greenstar), their terminal is in LRT Buendia.

2.) Tell the conductor to drop you off in Masapang.

3.) You can then ride a jeepney bound to Calauan/San Pablo tell the driver to drop you off in Brgy Lamot 2

4.)You will be requested to register and take a guide with you for safety purposes.

* I hiked with my fellow Team Una friends.

Push-Ups: The Classic Strengthening Exercise

Push-ups are one of the oldest and most basic form of strengthening exercises for a simple reason that it works. When I was a cadet in a military school, I hate doing push-ups (it was a form of punishment at that time). Until recently, I realized the benefits that I can reap with this classic strengthening exercise. It's no wonder why push-ups are included in military physical fitness test.

It targets all the muscles in the upper body: increasing endurance, stamina and builds optimal strength in the forearms, shoulders, chest. And when done properly, it also put emphasis on building a strong core by stabilizing the abdominals, back and even the quads.

A great exercise that can be done anywhere. No expensive equipment needed. No gym membership required. No trainer instruction is necessary. You don’t need to be in a group to do push ups. 

(Decline/Wide Shoulder Push-Ups: develops upper body strength and chest)

(Clapping Push-Ups: develops speed and explosiveness)