The Evolution of Totoy Tutong

29 01 2011

text  |  Carla Ocampo

photography | Lester Valle

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January 29, 2010… long-time friends and hiking buddies Elton Chua, Lester Valle and Wing Larase met up at a white-walled and noisy Krus na Ligas hub notorious for lukewarm beer, for a little pep session over bottles of ale. There came the usual banter about life, career and geology shiz (all of them being geol majors at one point in their lives).

But one thing set this night apart: at the moment they started talking about their plans for the future, they actually began jotting things down.

It was the first formal, WRITTEN recognition of their common passion: The Great Outdoors and Traveling. They have realized, it was time to put their practical skills to good use… and that it was high time for graduation, from being hobbyists to educators. Alternative educators. Read the rest of this entry »


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2010 in Review

19 01 2011

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 6,100 times in 2010. That’s about 15 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 17 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 28 posts. There were 46 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 11mb. That’s about 4 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was October 11th with 181 views. The most popular post that day was The Virgins of Baler.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, philippineblogawards.com.ph, philmofo.org, WordPress Dashboard, and en.wordpress.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for kayumanggi trails, gulugod baboy, kayumanggi trail, levi nayahangan, and the kayumanggi trails.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

The Virgins of Baler April 2009
9 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

2

The Secret that is Romblon, Part One June 2010
5 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

3

About The Kayumanggi Trails April 2009
10 comments

4

PadyaKayumanggi, Cordilleran Kilometers: LAGAWE-LAGAWE LOOP (PART 1) November 2010
8 comments

5

Pulag Particulars | A Guide to Hiking Mt. Pulag National Park January 2010
13 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com

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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

Día del Galeón (Day of the Galleon)

11 10 2010

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Lester Valle

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How could a silk shawl worn by flamenco bailaoras be known as manton de Manila, yet trace its origins— in design and material— back to China? There was a moment in history when one eclipsed the renown of the other, and the only explanation to this (and more) is that Manila once enjoyed unprecedented fame and presence on the world stage… in the glory days of the Galleon Trade.

During this era, when chronicles were largely Euro-centric, Manila was the port from which the best products of the “Far East” were shipped to the Americas via Acapulco, and then to parts of Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. To paraphrase Nick Joaquin, during the height of this intercontinental exchange, Manila practically became a Pentecostal Jerusalem of sorts, where people spoke in tongues. At that time, the Philippine capital was an economic hub where traders and curious minds from across the globe converged. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Alternative Education, Festivals, General, People, Urban

Daranak Falls. Rock Bottom.

14 09 2010

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Lester Valle

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Daranak Falls in Tanay, Rizal would have been an image straight out of a fairy tale— yip, butterflies flitting around moss-covered rocks… Richly-crowned trees huddling together to frame a lacy triple-cascade waterfall… the interplay of shadow and sunlight as a spray of water envelopes you like pixie dust… hell yeah, the works. If not for the ugly, ugly truth. We’re letting the pictures talk.

How long would it take before Daranak goes the way of Antipolo‘s Hinulugang Taktak, another waterfall within the province of Rizal where the stream banks smell like rotten Chippy-con-Safeguard, and the “cabanas” look a tad too kitschy for comfort? Not too long, we believe, unless the local government springs to action.

At this point, The Kayumanggi Trails Team has seen enough trash around “eco-tourism destinations” (what a misnomer!) to sustain our collective teeth-gnashing for a lifetime. Enough. Read the rest of this entry »


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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 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

Meet our Mascot, Totoy Tutong!

30 03 2010

So you’ve caught him on your white cyberwalls and imagined him together with THAT purple dinosaur, but you ain’t seen nothin’ yet from our smilin’ ol’ hiker, have you?

A few tidbits about Totoy Tutong, The Backpacking Pinoy Dinosaur… Read the rest of this entry »


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How The Kayumanggi Trails came to be

16 03 2010

(We’re reposting the KT history from the Weekend Warrior Philippines blog. To the unoriented, here it is…)

THE BIG SWITCH

We got a loooot of explaining to do…

The WWP family has grown bigger, nearing 500 fans to date. True, we all have become so used to associating the term “Weekend Warrior” to this blog, but we cannot actually sustain this name for life.

See, the WHOLE WORLD uses the “weekend warrior” concept every minute for every worthy weekend shebang. Even in the Philippines, we take our hats off to the Weekend Warrior Magazine for providing an alternative medium for all avid bikers of the country to show the world what the hardy Filipino siklistas are made of. Read the rest of this entry »


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WWP is now KT!

11 03 2010

To all the followers of the WWP blog, thank you, thank you… We’re now moving to our new home, and we hope you all stay with us, as we bring travel blogging to the next level.

This is it.

Welcome to THE KAYUMANGGI TRAILS!


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