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Mt. Pulag diaries: Day 1

11:00 AM. It was cold and foggy when we arrived at Baban’s Homestay, the chill penetrating my clothes and clinging to my skin like a wet blanket. It was tolerable, though; the cold wasn’t biting enough to make my teeth chatter.

A handful of vans already filled the parking areas, and I immediately knew that the next 24 hours would be chaotic.

11:05 AM. We were ushered into the dining room—it held three rows of tables, with each table sitting around 12 people. There was a small kitchen on the left; the countertop was jam-packed and messy, a medley of ingredients, condiments, and kitchen utensils. A tall, lanky guy with long hair was whipping up something in one of the stoves, and it smelled divine. After nearly 12 hours of travel, we could all use a real home-cooked meal. Right across the kitchen countertop was a small table filled with buffet chafing dishes.

11:30 AM. A loud, extroverted guy introduced himself as our lead coordinator. He was young, probably in his late twenties to early thirties. The first thing I noticed was his calves—they were ginormous, a living proof that he most likely climbed Pulag every single day. He gave us an overview of what to expect for the homestay and the hike, including the schedule and essentials to bring.

It started to sink in that I’m really doing this. I’m actually climbing Pulag! The highest mountain in Luzon!

11:45 AM. It was too early for lunch or check-in. Some people from the previous batch were still coming down from the summit, so the mouthwatering lunch was for them. I did my best to hide my disappointment and to ignore my grumbling stomach.

With nothing left to do, we decided to explore the area a little. Farms flanked Baban’s Homestay, and we were itching for a bit of an adventure.

We observed each crop, fascinated, and joked about being in Stardew Valley in real life.

The downside to going to Pulag during May was the flies—they were everywhere. Thousands and thousands of them lurked in every possible corner, feasting on garbage and crops that weren’t adequately cared for (the cabbages were the biggest casualty) or lounging lazily across surfaces, particularly the dining tables. I didn’t even know flies could survive in such cold weather! Anyway, it was a small price to pay for the cold and the landscape.

We also went to a view deck overlooking the Cordilleras and distant farms.

12:15 PM. It started drizzling, and we had to take refuge back in the house.

1:00 PM. We finally had lunch: home-cooked chicken mechado! It was a little too oily for my liking, but still surprisingly good.

2:00 PM. We settled into our room. It was small and bare, and the only furniture was the three bunk beds, enough for the six of us. There were no cabinets or surfaces to stash our bags, so we just dumped everything unceremoniously on the floor. I called dibs on the bed closest to the door.

I could smell a faint whiff of cleaning solution and detergent. The pillows, bedsheets, and fleece blanket were clean and freshly washed. Thank goodness.

We unpacked, and the rest of my companions passed out immediately. I took that opportunity to take a shower. I knew it would be a nightmare later in the day, when it was much colder, and people were all getting ready for bed. Unfortunately, both the shower and heater weren’t working, so the water was ice-cold. My sole water source was the faucet near the floor, so washing up was a real struggle. There wasn’t even a balde or tabo in sight.

3:00 PM. As you may know, I was still feeling unwell at the time, and I was scared I might finally get a full-blown fever. It took me a while to doze off, what with my damp hair, gnawing anxiety, and excitement at the upcoming hike. I somehow managed to drift off to dreamland, but I’m sure I didn’t get more than a couple of hours of sleep.

7:15 PM. Dinner was scrumptious—an exotic-tasting tinola (probably a Benguet version), fried chicken, and baby potatoes doused with a generous dollop of takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise (unexpected but surprisingly delicious).

After that, we were free to do as we pleased.

9:00 PM. We got ready for bed. I set my alarms, put on my trusted Loop earplugs, and covered myself head to toe with the thin blanket, a feeble attempt to ward off the pervading chill. I was hoping to snatch at least a few more hours of sleep before the wake-up call at 1 AM.

12:00 AM. We were all excited and already wide awake at midnight. We immediately got down to business and started prepping for the hike.

I splashed my face with ice-cold water, the chill instantly waking me up and settling deep into my bones, then I did my skincare (not even Pulag could make me skip my routine). I smeared my face with a liberal amount of moisturizer, let it absorb, then proceeded with an equally generous amount of sunscreen. I let everything dry, dabbed my cheeks with a bit of blush, then set everything off with translucent powder. I didn’t need to do any of this, I know, but the familiar motions calmed my racing heart and silenced the demonic voice telling me that I wasn’t ready to conquer Luzon’s highest peak.

1:00 AM. We had a light breakfast of ube champorado (I’m not a huge fan of ube, but the steaming bowl was so comforting), then it was just a waiting game.

2:00 AM. We left for the Babadak Ranger Station, the jump-off point of the Ambangeg Trail. We had a quick photoshoot session, and our coordinator gave us some final reminders. He also introduced us to the tour guides.

2:30 AM. With our headlamps turned on and all bundled up in our cozy layers, we finally made our way to Camp 1.

Note: Photos taken with my Sony Cybershot DSC-T50 and minimally post-processed on Lightroom.