One thing I love about Cebu is the proximity of its tourist spots and attractions. Relative to other islands in the Philippines, especially in Luzon, Cebu's attractions takes less time to travel. As what I told Gabriela, who is one of the best travel bloggers here, you can be at a beach in the morning and go hiking in one of the mountains here in the afternoon. With that, I'll never get tired of promoting Cebu to the international community.
The mountains here may not be as towering as those in the neighboring islands, but it doesn't make them less spectacular. They have their own interesting stories that are worth to be told. As a self-proclaimed mountain person, one of my goals is to climb every mountain and peak here and share my experiences with you.
Hello Hiveians!
This quarantine has really made me revisit my old travels. Since almost all of my plans were cancelled for this year, going through a bunch of old photos feels nostalgic but I'm happy with the memories they hold for me. I realized that I still have a handful of travel posts that are yet to be uploaded and the best opportunity to share them is now that we are all stuck in our homes.
This time, I would like to share one of the very first mountain climbing I've done and one that made me promise not to stop as I was mesmerized by the view at the top. If all of the views at the peak mountains are like that, the pain and the sweat would be all worth it.
This time, let me share about Mt. Mauyog.
When I look at a mountain, they seemed to be intimidating as they're so tall and climbing them would need a lot of determination and strength, but when you're at their peak, you would feel that everything's worth it. I already had a major climb last year and let me tell you that the sights at Mt. Mauyog made me pursue mountain climbing.
Mt. Mauyog is located in Balamban, Cebu and is part of Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL). CCPL is a protected area that is made up mountains, virgin forests, and drainage basins located in the center of the province. It's about 16 kilometers away from where I live.
When the mountain slowly gained attention here in Cebu, we decided to scale its peak. From Ayala Terminal, a van is available going to Balamban via Transcentral Highway. There's a signage in Transcentral Highway that shows an unpaved road going to Mt. Mauyog. From the van drop off point, the foot of Mt. Mauyog can be reach via motorcycle for about 30 minutes, but I chose to walk and it took me almost an hour of walking while my friends rode a motorcycle.
From the foot of Mt. Mauyog, it will take you 30 minutes to 1 hour to reach the peak depending on your pace. Before, there were no entrance fees to be paid but now you should pay an entrance fee and you're required to have a guide as the barangay decided to have it that way.
The first part of the trail was grassy and firm soil, but the ascent was already steep. You'll know you're in the middle part because bushes and small trees now dominate the trail and you have to be careful of the thorns and blades of the grasses. The last part of the trail before reaching the peak was jagged rocks with mosses.
As we were nearing the summit, I noticed that the ground seems to be a little shaky and bouncy. More sharp rock protrusions can also be observed so we had to be very careful in our ascent and we had to use all of our four limbs in the process. I think the name of Mt. Mauyog was derived from the Bisaya term "mauyog" which means shaky. I swear the ground was really bouncy at some parts. It might be due to the rock formations that were overladen and held together by tree roots and then covered with moss. Some parts might be hollow, hence the bouncy or shaky feeling.
We knew we were already in the summit when we saw the second rock monolith that looks like a brain just below us. This was the famous rock where most of photos of Mt. Mauyog were taken. Just look at the photos above, they're really alluring to see.
Aside from the magical view from that brain-like monolith, standing or sitting on a rock that's probably shaped by thousands of years of weathering is an experience of a lifetime.
I mean look at that view! Mt. Mauyog is not a tall mountain, it's not that technical, and it's not too difficult to access, but the view at the top is astounding. I was reminded of how insignificant I am on the grand scale of things.
We took a lot of selfies using my friend's (@legendarryll) GoPro, but I'll just share three here:
The plan was to camp overnight, so we went there in the afternoon. After Mt. Mauyog, we decided to have a camp in Magsasay Shrine near Mt. Manunggal. That area part of Philippine history. That's the crash site of the plane that carried the late President Ramon Magsaysay.
Aside from its historical value, the place is also beautiful. Almost every morning, a fog would envelop the area resulting to a magnificent scene when the rays of the sun strikes the surface. It also has a certain mystical vibe, but it was not creepy as I didn't feel afraid at all. It was just so cold.
Because my last visit was in 2017, one of my things to do was to visit the area when everything will be back to normal. I would like to see how the place has changed over time.
I guess that's all for this post. See you on the next!
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines) and the rest of the world even if he's still a poor corporate slave with tons of bills to pay and two siblings to support in college.
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