Cuenca’s Maculot, The KT Chronicles (Part 1)

19 02 2011

text | Carla Ocampo and Lester Valle

photography | Carla Ocampo, Wing Larase and Lester Valle

 .

“Ay, Maculot… Paboritong bundok.”

- Axel Pinpin, Pilipinong makata

———————————————

LOCATION | TRAILHEAD: Bgy. Poblacion, Cuenca, Batangas, Philippines

ELEVATION | DIFFICULTY:  Maculot Rockies: ~ 706 meters above sea level (MASL); Maculot Summit: ~ 830 meters above sea level (MASL) | Class 1

COORDINATES: 13°55’14.44″N 121° 2’30.95″E

———————————————

Not too many people would realize that the view from Mt. Maculot— one of Batangas‘ most celebrated mountains— is world-class beauty.

With its oft-mentioned toothed Rockies gifting hikers with an unobstructed vista of the Taal Lake and Volcano (a geologic wonder, cited in books the world over), the perspective that Maculot offers is a hundred times better— and fresher— than that of tourist-frequented, infrastructure-defaced, smog-invaded Tagaytay City in the neighboring province of Cavite (although the lure of Tagaytay is an altogether different story). Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Alternative Education, Food, Mountains, People, Travel and Adventure, Waterscapes

Bulgogi sa Gulugod Baboy

9 07 2010

text | Carla Ocampo

photography | Elton Chua, Carla Ocampo and Lester Valle

.

—————————————————

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

—————————————————

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 »


Comments : 6 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Alternative Education, Beaches, Food, General, Mountains, People, Travel and Adventure, Waterscapes


%d bloggers like this: