Arayat: Aring Sinukwan’s Mountain | A Guide to Hiking Mt. Arayat National Park

12 04 2012

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Yo Muan, Carla Ocampo and Lester Valle

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LOCATION | TRAILHEAD: Mt. Arayat National Park | Bgy. San Juan Baño, Arayat, Pampanga

ELEVATION | DIFFICULTY: 1,030 meters above sea level (MASL) | Class 2

COORDINATES:  15°11’47.94″N 120°44’37.68″E

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The Filipino hiker is quite unique. Beyond following the established Leave-No-Trace principles, we also add another facet to respecting the Great Outdoors.

With animistic spirituality, deeply ingrained in the Filipino psyche, we make it a point to pay our respects to deities — spirits — that may be inhabiting the trails we tread on.

Some offer silent prayers before the start of every trek. Some call out “Tabi po!” excusing themselves for disturbing the ground. Even the most hardened atheists — and Catholics! — among local hiking circles do not question these practices, if only in the name of camaraderie.

These spirits, it would seem, appreciate sincerity. For one, Aring Sinukwan (or, The King, Sinukwan) was such a benevolent deity during Team KT’s trek up his lushly vegetated home, Mount Arayat.

Perhaps, as a token for our hushed behavior, the spirit king and his daughter Mariang Sinukwan gifted us with great weather, a spectacular sunset, and a clear view of the farthest plains of Central Luzon.

But we’ll tell you the story later. For now, here are the particulars. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Alternative Education, Mountains, Travel and Adventure

“Why is Mt. Arayat called Mt. Arayat?”

3 01 2012

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Carla Ocampo

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The name “Arayat” denotes a couple of things: one, the municipality in the province of Pampanga; and two, the inactive volcano lording over the vast plains of inner Central Luzon.

Conventional stories about how Arayat got its name have been propagated by several online sources, and even by the municipality itself. But after much thought and research, Team KT offers a different idea.

In popular texts, the name of Arayat the town is attributed to a certain Fernando de Arayat, an encomiendero who governed this part of Pampanga and its surrounding towns during the Spanish Era. He was born in peninsular Spain, in a place that was— allegedly— called “Arayat”. But…

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2011 in review – KT’s Blog Stats

1 01 2012

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 17,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.


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Categories : Travel and Adventure

There’s A Place Called Sanchez Mira…

1 12 2011

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Carla Ocampo and Lester Valle

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There’s a place called Sanchez Mira, and its long stretch of rock-less, reef-less gray sand beaches are unbelievably empty, when they’ve got consistently big, barreling waves during Surfing Season! What gives? Well, Sanchez Mira (or Sanchez for short) is 12 hours by bus from Manila. Or, three hours on a van from the Laoag or Tuguegarao Domestic Airports. Not exactly the shortest trip to surfing paradise, BUT…

As we’ve said, nothing will stop a real wanderer to get to the best places of these islands, not even uneasy 12-hour trips on a bus! Tara, take up those boards and head to this ENTIRELY UNADULTERATED coastal town; Team KT will now bring you what else to expect, with and beyond the waves.

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Categories : Beaches, Food, People, Travel and Adventure, Waterscapes

Daklis: Dance of Sea, Hum of Harvest

10 11 2011

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Wing Larase and Lester Valle

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“Daklis,” said a middle-aged fisherman, as he let a shy smile peer out from his eyes, when KT lensman Lester Valle asked “Anya dayta, Manong?” (“What is that, Sir?” Lester had asked in Iloko)

It was almost 9AM, the sun was already white hot and everybody on the balmy Lakay-Lakay Beach in Claveria, Cagayan had begun wiping his or her brow, picking out fish entangled from this neat network of cross-knotted nylon strings.

Daklis could then denote the two things that comprise this entire activity: ONE, the very, very long net that could span a whole square-mile of coast and waters, with a funnel-shaped “dead-end” at its very center; and TWO, the community chore itself, of hauling in unison this very long net ashore, where tens upon tens of residents from Claveria’s fishing villages would join in and eventually get their share of the catch, enough for the day’s three meals or —- if they are favored by Apo Lakay-Lakay —- enough to be sold by the kilo for added income, however humble the sums may be. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Alternative Education, Beaches, People, Travel and Adventure, Waterscapes

Claveria in Pictures: Nu Haan Nga Agtudo, Here’s What to Do!

9 11 2011

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Lester Valle

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Summer is still the best time to go to Claveria; on these days the weather is predictably sunny for weeks.

See, the Wet Season brings in quite a lot of rain along the northern Philippine coast. This could be a real bummer, since Claveria (a coastal town) is more of an Outdoorsman’s Playground than a here’s-a-shopping-mall-so-it’s-perfectly-fine-to-be-indoors kind of place —- not to mention the damage to the crops and the meager fish catch in the aftermath of typhoons, which are not too welcome news for the town’s simple folk, whose lives depend largely on the gifts of earth and waters.

For an easy-breezy trip, you’d most probably opt for a pocket of time without rain. Once you nail the perfect schedule, though, Claveria WILL give you the time of your life, and that’s a guarantee.

Nu haan nga agtudo (and that’s “If it ain’t gonna rain” in the Iloko language), here’s what to see, and what to do! Read the rest of this entry »


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Claveria, The Northern Escape

14 10 2011

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Wing Larase and Lester Valle

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Nothing will stop a real wanderer. Not even the thought of butt-bruising, sleep-depriving, day-long rides just to get to the best places of these islands.

For the knighted ones, who’ve been to several summits, crossed a dozen seas, and endured century bike tours at least five times over, a twelve-hour bus saga is kindergarten.

But for the rest of the populace who’d want to live the traveler’s life, but have yet to pack in the guts— and experiences— to realize it, this 12-hour land trip is a fair enough baptism of fire. And if you’re at all considering this sort of initiation, you might as well choose a destination that’s entirely worth the butt cramps. The KT Prescription: try Claveria, Cagayan: way up north in the Philippine island of Luzon, and twelve hours away— by bus— from Manila.

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