As of this writing, my heart is breaking into pieces: for the second time around… I was rejected. Just when everything’s perfectly laid, the universe decided to twist this ill-fated story. Why can’t March be a good month for me? What have I done to the God of War to declare such outrage against me? Is this the karma I was bound to receive for being too self-centered, for being too defiant, for standing to what I believe was right?
Then I remembered those people whom I often kid around when they talk about heartbreaks and their pursuits of love… and life. I remembered those times when it’s easier to say that God has better plans, that there are better and bigger opportunities prepared ahead. I remembered all those silly conversations of accepting that maybe we are made to stay single and become that traveling tita that comes home tipsy. I remembered the sister I never had… Badeth. HAHAHA. (OA ra kaayog into sa?)
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The thing about adulting is that it’s difficult to meet the people you usually hang out with before. So when an opportunity came, my Palawan and Buscalan gang, decided to go hiking around the famed “Island of Fire” – Camiguin. We were supposed to hike its highest peak – Timpoong – but due to some inevitable circumstances, we decided to visit Mt. Hibok-hibok instead.
Just like most of our ninja trips, we traveled early Saturday morning from Cebu and started the trek from Yumbing by seven in the morning on the same day. While most reviews would say that Hibok-hibok is just a piece of cake as it’s only a four-hour hike to the summit, I tell you… the assaults are hardcore, like literally. Unlike most mountains, the trail of Mt. Hibok-hibok entails pure assaults which results to quick change of altitude and long exposure to the heat of the sun. Moreover, because of its rich vegetation, as maintained by locals in partnership with DENR, mosquitoes and bees are flocking in the area. In addition, getting to the peak requires battling with blade-sharp rocks and an-almost ninety-degrees attack. Fortunately, my comrades have taken enough loads of dopamine to entertain such inconveniences not to mention our lack of sleep. And in between those senseless conversations and videoke sessions, were stories of downfalls, resentments, and regrets. Maybe this is what I like most about hiking – it allows you to open your heart to the people you are with, it allows you to vent your frustrations into the calming realms of nature.
When we reached the summit, we found nothing but a thick white background. After several minutes of waiting, the clouds didn’t thin out, we then decided to eat our lunch and take a nap. Mt. Timpoong can be viewed from the peak, as well as the provinces of Bohol and Surigao. When a new group of hikers arrived in the area, we then decided to cap off the day’s activity and started going down. The pacing started fast – jumping from one boulder to the other, trailrunning some areas; but when the fog started to embrace us, bringing rain with it… everything changed. We started to slow down and walked on normal pacing. In between shivers were thoughts on why on Earth did we choose to hike for our annual trip. There could have been other options. But you see, sometimes we blindly take some battles before we realize that some scars are not worth fighting for. We do crazy things before it would dawn unto us how stupid we have become. More often, it would take longer for us to comprehend this because we are stubborn beings – we fight with our heart, not with our brains.
We’d all get too tired of hearing the same pieces of advice from time to time when all that we need is someone who’d listen to us. In these daunting moments – when we start to question our existence, our decisions, our setbacks, and all those failed plans – I hope you’d be able to find someone who’ll listen to you. Because more often than not, we need ears to listen to us… not people who’d empathize us.
So to Badeth, thank you for being there when I badly needed someone to talk to, when I badly needed someone to understand myself on times I can’t bare with my mood swings anymore. For being tooooooo considerate to the point of rebooking your flight, staying overtime on the airport, and taking care of two other parasites (Debby and I). On this special day of yours (though you despise the thought of the Earth completing another journey around the orbit around the sun, aging in short), I hope God will finally unveil His plans for you. I hope He’ll grant the desires of your heart. May your dreams be bold and your courage rise to meet them. And if this year won’t be enough for that… aww… we’ll wait for the Earth to complete another revolution. HAHA. Happy birthday and hope you’d earn some of my unwanted fats already. HAHA.
And to you reading this, if you don’t have someone to talk to now… stay still, take a deep breath, and feel the loving presence of Somebody from above. Listen to Him and know that He’s more than willing to listen to your whims, to your complaints, and in time… He’ll answer all the questions you’ve been wanting for a response.
Tara? Let’s talk. See me on Facebook and Instagram! Hope to meet you soon on trails!
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TIPS ON HIKING HIBOK-HIBOK:
- Trips from Cebu to Camiguin are in daily basis by plane. Sadly, there are no boats that travel from Cebu to Camiguin anymore. Easiest accesses are from Cagayan and Bohol. Trip schedules may change from time to time so keep updated.
- You can directly contact our reliable guide (who also offers free accommodation) Kuya Guning at 0955-314-3310 or Ronald Rabile (common contanct for mountains in Mindanao) – 0926-946-9660.
- Environmental fee is P200 and local guide fee ranges from P1,500 above depending on the number participants.
- Make sure to wear something that would cover your arms and legs through the hike and bring tons of water as there are no available water sources along the trail.
See our full video here:
Dakilanglaagan 