Valentine's Date with Nature :)

During my rendezvous with Marvsz at Baguio last Christmas, we discussed some of the travels that we are planning to do for 2015. One of the destination on our list is Mt. Pinatubo. Since my February is full, except February 14, we decided to do a Valentine date with nature :) Good thing Tripinas offers Pinatubo tours every Saturday. We availed their Mt. Pinatubo tour for PHP 2090 with round trip transfers, 4x4 ride and other fees in Pinatubo.

Meeting time was 2AM at Mcdo El Pueblo in Ortigas so yes, I did not sleep because I have to leave the house at 1AM. We bought our lunch at Mcdo since there are no restaurants/fast food chains in Pinatubo. The trip from Manila to Brgy. Sta. Juliana (base camp) is 2 hours. From the base camp, we were assigned to our 4x4 and tour guide. The 4x4 ride was exciting at first but after a few hours of the ride, my butt started to hurt. If not for the beautiful scenery, the 4x4 ride would be hell (HA HA!)

Waiting for the sun to rise

Before the trip, we were told that we could choose the long or the short trek. Since our group opted for the long trek, we walked for around 1 and an half to 2 hours. It was fun except that I have been inactive for a long time so it was really tiring. 

There were a lot of river crossings so it's advisable to use trekking sandals rather than rubber shoes. Good thing I have ninja moves to avoid getting my shoes wet. Hehe. We arrived the crater lake after a few hours and lo and behold, the 4x4 and long trek was worth it.

It was truly majestic. I have no words for its beauty. After a long sense of awe, I got hungry so I took out my chicken nuggets and ate while enjoying the view. It was love that I felt for nature and this country when I saw the crater lake. It was one of the best Valentines to date. (Well, I don't really go out during Valentines ever since because I don't like crowded places haha!) There are really more places to discover here in the Philippines and I'm just starting :)

Anyway, at around 11am, we started going back. I badly want to go home because I was super tired already (LOLA VIBES FOREVER!). On the way back, we only had a 15-20 minute trek then we rode the 4x4 again. I was really tired and the sun was scorching hot so I did not enjoy the 4x4 trip back. 

My travel buddy

We left for Manila at around 3pm and arrived Ortigas at 5:30pm. I was super hungry so Marvsz and I had dinner at Metrowalk then headed to Citigolf for a few drinks. 

It was a fun day despite the sweat and energy lost from the trip :) Over drinks, Marvsz gave me tip for my upcoming Pulag trip and I can't wait! I conquered Pinatubo, next on my list... MT. PULAG! Woot!