Kayumanggi Surf: Kindergarten Days

10 10 2012

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Erwin Barrientos, Yo Muan and Lester Valle

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On the road to greatness, everybody’s got to start somewhere. At times, that “somewhere” fills your quota of darndest moments for a month. Especially if you go talking about SURFING.

Flashback to Perth, Western Australia, February 2012. KT frontliner Yo Muan was carrying his surfboard ashore. The day was perfect: sun of the right heat, waves of the right size, the wild wind on his face. It felt good. In the midst of ecstasy, he was distracted by a strange sensation of clapping.

Flesh. Clapping flesh.

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

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

Cuenca’s Maculot, The KT Chronicles (Part 2 – A Photo Essay)

26 05 2011

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Elton Chua, Carla Ocampo and  Lester Valle

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(Congruent to The Kayumanggi Trails’ alternative education thrust, members Elton Chua, Lester Valle, and Carla Ocampo brought along greenhorns Emil Hembra and Eldwin Cabus to a newbie trek up Mt. Maculot in Cuenca, Batangas. Photographer and outdoorsman Rap Rios— a perennial KT partner— went with them, as guest sensei. This is Team KT’s photo essay of the December 2010 climb)

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After having Lomi Batangas for lunch, we hired two tricycles to take us to the trailhead. In no time, we were on Mt. Maculot’s footpath, with Eldwin and Emil pacing the climb. These guys are newbies, but they sure are quick and nimble! Lester estimated the hike to last for three hours. Lo, we completed it at an hour and a half. Read the rest of this entry »


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

PadyaKayumanggi, Unang Sabak: Marikina-Infanta Road

28 10 2010

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Elton Chua, Wing Larase and Lester Valle

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Some would ride bicycles to satiate their need for superhuman speed and set their competitive spirit ablaze. Others would pedal their way and sell goods for a living. Still others have bikes just for the heck of it, and go on upgrading sprees while bike parts are “in mint condition”. More and more people, though, are discovering the power of the bicycle in giving them a privilege that lazy butts could only dream of: THE ABILITY TO TRAVEL, IN THE CHEAPEST WAY POSSIBLE. Yes folks, meet the concept of… cycle touring.

This is the first in possibly several long rides to be  undertaken by Team KT. Next time, we’d be asking guests to join us, but before anything else, here’s the story of our collective “baptism of fire” in the gorgeous-now-treacherous-later Marikina-Infanta Road. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Alternative Education, Beaches, Cycle Touring, Food, General, Mountains, People, Travel and Adventure, Waterscapes

Bulgogi sa Gulugod Baboy

9 07 2010

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Elton Chua, Carla Ocampo and Lester Valle

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LOCATION | TRAILHEAD: Bgy. Ligaya, Mabini, Batangas (Calumpan Peninsula) | PhilPan Dive Resort

ELEVATION | DIFFICULTY: ~ 525 meters above sea level (MASL) | Class 1

COORDINATES: 13°43’23.90″N 120°53’55.96″E

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That’s just about the tastiest tongue-twister to ever grace The Kayumanggi Trails blog. And with a near-perfect back-story, to boot!

Bulgogi, of course, is one of the more famous Korean dishes that has landed on these shores— marinated in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic— ah, Google away and you’ll know. And Gulugod Baboy (or, as the ever-witty Lester puts it, “Swine Spine”) is one of the more famous climbs along Batangas Bay; an extremely easy one for seasoned hikers, it is mostly reserved for first-time trekkers.

So it may strike you as a weird pair-up. You’ve heard of “Instant Pancit Canton sa Gulugod Baboy,” or “Ginisang Corned Beef sa Gulugod Baboy,” all those ready-to-eat types… easily packable and quickly consumed after an exhausting newbie hike. And besides, who would want to slave away— preparing some Asian gourmet stuff— on top of a peak notorious for ridiculously strong winds?

But we have an entirely different team here, see. Five out of eight, non-hikers, and two of those five… happened to be CHEFS who have the penchant for cooking nutritious masterpieces… outdoors! Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Alternative Education, Beaches, Food, General, Mountains, People, Travel and Adventure, Waterscapes

The Secret that is Romblon, Part One

22 06 2010

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Carla Ocampo and Lester Valle

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Oh freakin’ yeah, there will be a Part Two. But first, we’re telling you about our FIRST EVER trip to this Philippine province… that changed our lives in so many ways.

What do we know about Romblon? From our elementary geography, it would seem to be famous for nothing more than: Marble quarries. Marble tiles. Marble sculptures. A thorough scan of their current provincial brochure would tell us that one of their smaller islands, Alad, has enough marble to be commercially mined everyday for the next twenty years without running out of it.

But elementary days taught us a lot of half-truths, we always say, and there was just nothing left to do but to see it for ourselves. What more is there to see in Romblon? Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Alternative Education, Beaches, Cycle Touring, Food, Mountains, People, Travel and Adventure, Waterscapes

The Filipino State of Mind, Suroy Style

4 04 2010

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Lester Valle

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A good twenty meters of Puerto Princesa City‘s Rizal Avenue is virtually fenced off by tanods running to and fro. Locals stretch their necks from the sidewalks, out of curiosity. A band-less parade is marching by, and their only means of catching the people’s attention were excited shrieks of “Sisay papalag?!” “Haggiye!” “U-nang re-hi-yon ng Pilipinas!” “On-se-seksi, Onse-seseksi!” among other shout-outs. Every minute or so, a voice goes:

“Maayong buntag kaninyong tanan. Kami po ang mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman. Nagsu-suroy-suroy po kami dito sa lungsod ng Puerto Princesa para sa aming klaseng Araling Pilipino 12. Kinakatawan po namin ang iba’t ibang rehiyon ng Pilipinas…”

It is Prof. George Fabros on the megaphone. His lanky frame proudly walking alongside costumed UP students and teachers, some in g-strings, some in Mindanao regalia, some with feathers on their heads, and a couple of others wearing their salakots.

They have come to represent the geo-cultural regions of the Philippines. Researchers and culture bearers divided into 16 groups, carrying the name of all 16 regions of the country (should have been 17, but the National Capital Region, or Metro Manila, has been excluded). Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Alternative Education, Beaches, Caves, Festivals, Food, General, Mountains, People, Travel and Adventure, Waterscapes

Barkada Bidyo: Caramoan, Paraiso

5 08 2009

CARAMOAN, PARAISO [2009]

videography | Mario Muan II

main photography | Lester Valle

additional photos | Arnold Ortil

post-production | Carla Ocampo, on Windows Movie Maker

SYNOPSIS: Snippets of the group’s Caramoan blast, in photos and video… reminding everyone that it’s (GI-HA-LO) and not (GWA-HI-LO) :D

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© 2009 The Kayumanggi Trails  | All Rights Reserved


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