Dalya's Thoughts: A Climb For A Cup Of Coffee

A CLIMB FOR A CUP OF COFFEE

Mount Manabu – A Cross’ Summit

It was Saturday, the 4^th of July when four of my friends - Francis, Erich, Jake, Hanna and I agreed to climb Mount Manabu. Our day started early by meeting at around 5AM at Greenfield District. This is my third climb with these super cool and witty friends. I swear, there is no dull moment when you are with these guys. We can all talk about anything under the sun and end all conversation in the funniest way possible.

When we arrived in Batangas we looked for a short stop so we could eat breakfast and when we were ordering Kuya EK (Erich) decided he wants to have some coffee so he ordered. The storekeeper asked him “Sir, yung kape nyo original po ba?” and he responded “Bakit Ate, meron bang fake nyan?” and just like that we all ended up laughing while eating. Batangas is known for their “Lomi” so Francis and Hanna decided to try it. It is a must try when you visit the province.

Prior to proceeding we had to register at Sta. Cruz base and get the Acacia tree which we needed to plant near the campsite just below the summit. This is our small part to create Social Awareness. A mountaineer just doesn’t climb. We care for nature in our own little ways – One tree at a time. We went straight to the jump off point afterwards as we needed to go back to Manila so I could attend another event for #Kundirana2015. Of course, we could not miss to take a group photo before we start the climb.

Mount Manabu stands 720 meters above sea level and is relatively recommended for newbie hikers. It got its name from MAtaas NA BUndok. There are eight stations before reaching the peak of the mountain. There are two trails to reach the summit. One is following the stations as it is listed numerically from Station 1-8 which is the shorter trail. The second trail - is the longer and more difficult trail, after Station 4 you take the left side of the trail straight to The Grotto which is Station 8 – this is also where the spring is located, we took this route. See map below:

Stations 1 to 4 can be considered light but after that the trail becomes more challenging because of the upward hike plus it was a bit muddy and slippery on the day of our visit because of the rain and there was a storm signal raised at that time. There are parts where it gets difficult specially for me because of the huge gap between the stones, woods and mud trail and since I am not gifted when it comes to height, it is given that I have shorter legs so it becomes more challenging on my end.

When we reached the summit, there’s already a group of hikers that was ahead of us (around 20 people) so we did not want to miss the opportunity to make new friends. Below are our group pictures.

Reaching the top is always the reward. Appreciating the scenery and beauty of nature. It is at its finest. It always gives me a certain type of goosebumps (a good one) and makes me realize how lucky I am to be able to experience and witness God’s wonderful creations.

As we descend – we needed to take another stop over. This time to a place that makes Mount Manabu famous with hikers, at Mang Tino’s Kapihan where you can experience unlimited and free Civet (Alamid) coffee which is considered as the most expensive coffee in the world. And of course, we cannot leave without some of it so we all ended up buying some packs. Mang Tino is very accommodating. A man living a very simple life in the mountain. I wish there are more Mang Tinos in this world, it will make Earth a happier living place. Kudos to you, Mang Tino!