Not 'Sawi' at All

‘Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected.’

All about rain and traffic

I expected it somehow but I didn’t anticipate how much worse it would be. I’m talking about the traffic that almost messed up my hike to Gabaldon in Nueva Ecija. I was a bit uneasy since it was March when I last travelled down south, and it would be the first time that I will be doing a Saturday hike. I was pessimistic before I left home that Friday night because I knew the condition of traffic during that time. As I was about to leave the house there was a sudden downpour. With misgiving, I made my journey to the Metro. What transpired next led me to realize that I would indeed be unfortunate that day. Ironically, that’s exactly the name of the mountain I was about to conquer. My Mount Sawi journey was all about rain and traffic. It was one of my most unremarkable climb ever. 

I was hopeless as I was stranded in the heavy traffic along North Luzon Expressway. I was in contact with Alvin during the entire time while I was inside a bus bound to Cubao. I knew I will be late to our meet up time of ten in the evening of Friday. I finally decided to get off at Balintawak and just wait for our van at one of the fast food stores there. There was supposed to be another member of our group waiting in that area. There was a mild drizzle as I walked along EDSA and made my way to the store. The group was already on their way as I settled in and waited. While waiting, I began to shiver because of the cold weather. I decide to buy some kind of hot drink to counter the cold.

It took half an hour before the group finally arrived to fetch me and another companion. After that, we continued traversing EDSA before entering the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). After almost an hour, we made a stop over at a gasoline station along the expressway. Some of us took an early breakfast while some bought supplies at a convenience store. After another half-hour we hit the road again. We exited the expressway along Bulacan. It was there that we encountered another nightmare. The traffic on that part of Bulacan was worse than the traffic I experienced at NLEX. I observed that it was due to a construction that’s being done on a part of the road. The traffic took most of our time. Thankfully, we still reached Gabaldon early. It was still dark then and with a mild downpour.

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‘Sometimes, you just have to bow your head, say a prayer, and weather the storm.’

No clearing, no problem

We made our way to the barangay hall to register and secure our guides. During that time, the rain began pouring heavy. I initially decided to stay at the barangay hall and not join the group in their trek. My hiking buddy, Alvin, will also be staying behind since he has an injured ankle. I really hated trekking during a downpour so I was really hesitant to do the trek. Also, I didn’t bring a rain coat and although I bought an umbrella it may still be worthless. I was in a dilemma during that time, weighing my options of what would be the best thing to do. The group took some time preparing for the trek as the rain continued to pour that early morning. At the last minute, I decided to do the trek. There was no sign of the rain stopping and staying at the barangay hall would be boring. I decided to go and pursue my main goal in going there, instead of harboring regrets later on.

Our trek of Sawi started before seven in the morning with the mild downpour. We made our way to the back of the barangay hall compound that led us to a wide road where some parts were paved. We passed by rows of houses as we started a gradual assault. The scenario somehow reminded me of the initial trail of Daraitan and also of Maculot. Being a fairly new hiking destination in Nueva Ecija, some parts of Sawi’s trail were not fully established yet. The first part of the trail was a gradual ascent. It was manageable except for the fact that the path was slippery and muddy. It was not exhausting though because of the obvious weather condition. On the way to the summit we passed a waterfall, a flat surface of Cogon grass, some steep parts, and a narrow path boarded with plants, grass and trees. Photo opportunities were limited during our trek as it was impossible and risky to take photos. Alvin did lend me his water proof camera though, but taking photos was not a priority since there was no clearing due to the rain.

We reached the summit after more than two hours battling the rain and cold. We did our usual group and individual photo shoot. We did not stay long at the summit as it was senseless. The fog was engulfing the whole area blocking any scenic view of the surrounding mountains. We hastily made our way back to the jump-off point. We made a short stop to rest inside a small shack. I was beginning to shiver because of the cold. Although I was using an umbrella to protect myself from the rain, getting wet was unavoidable. After a few minutes, we continued our trek. We braced against the rain and proceeded with the trek, taking a few stopovers to rest. Descending on some parts of the trail was challenging because of the muddy and slippery path. It took time but we safely made it down after less than two hours.

Upon arriving at the barangay hall we decided to change our wet clothes. There were bathrooms there but no available water, and taking a bath was near impossible. We simply put on some dry clothes to make us comfortable as we still be traveling to Dingalan. I changed my shirt and shoes and chose to keep my pants as I only brought one extra pair of pants, which I will be wearing later. After everyone was ready and ready to go, we left the jump-off point a little late. After more than 30 minutes, we reached Dingalan. We passed the Dingalan marker and made a stop there for some photo-ops. It again began to rain so our photo shoot was quick with some of us managing to take some individual photo beside the marker.

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'One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.'

So little time in Dingalan

We reached Dingalan port after a few minutes. We parked our van at the port. Alvin made a prior arrangement for a boat ride to take us to the White Beach where the famous Dingalan lighthouse was located. The boat ride took more than half an hour. Upon reaching the resort, we settled ourselves inside some of the cottages. During that moment strong winds coming from the shore made us shiver. We were also starving since it was three in the afternoon and we haven’t had our lunch yet. It was supposedly a hosted lunch. We patiently waited while our food was being prepared. The staff of the resort thought we were not coming because we arrived late so they prepared the food hastily. After minutes of waiting, they finally served our food, which consisted of macaroni soup, grilled pork and rice. The food sucked and it was below any of our expectations but it didn’t matter because I was really starving and I immediately devoured the food that was served to me. Forget dignity as I have to replenish my body and regain my strength considering we still have some trekking to do.

After consuming our food, we took some short respite then decided to make our way to the lighthouse. We were given two options: to go the lighthouse or to go to the viewing deck. It was getting late and going to both was impossible. We decided to go to the lighthouse. Two guides accompanied us. Some in the group decided not to go and stay in the cottage instead. For the second time, I made the decision to go on and make the most of my short stay there.

The path to the lighthouse was muddy. It actually looked like we were passing a river because the water was ankle deep. It was a good thing that I was wearing sandals as it didn’t bother me stepping on mud and water. I almost backed out at the start of the trek because we encountered an area where mosquitoes were abound. I became skeptical and afraid about the possibility of contracting Dengue. After some deep thinking, I decided to go on regardless of the risks. So goes our journey to the river-like forest-like path leading to the lighthouse.

And after more than 20 minutes, we reached an ascending path with makeshift railing that ultimately led us to the lighthouse of Dingalan. It was raining when we reached the famed lighthouse. As I stood there watching the amazing view, it made me realize why Dingalan was dubbed as the ‘Batanes of the East’. The scenery from where we stood is reminiscent of Batanes with its cliffs and the view of the ocean. We did some photo shoot amidst the rain and strong winds. The view from the top of the lighthouse would have been much more picturesque, but sadly the lighthouse was off limits to visitors. Our guide told us that after some irresponsible visitors stepped on the solar panels on the top of the lighthouse the Philippine Coast Guard prohibited visitors in entering the structure. The Dingalan lighthouse was a modern one but I was still ecstatic upon seeing it. It was actually the first lighthouse I’ve ever visited. 

After a few minutes, we decided to go down. It was getting late and the weather was not being considerate at all. We carefully and safely managed to get back to or cottage before it got dark. Upon our return, we were served tinola and rice by the resort staff. The food was limited and very ordinary but again I did not complain because I was still hungry from a whole day of walking and braving the rain and cold.

After the dinner, we prepared our things and started boarding the same boat that will take us back to Dingalan port. It was already dark during that time. The boat ride was quiet as we were all tired and eager to go home. Upon arrival at the port, we hurriedly went to the nearest bathroom to take a bath but after realizing that there is only limited supply of water inside and it was not properly lighted, we just decided to change to decent clothing.

After everyone was able to change into their clean clothes, we boarded our van and left the port. On our way back to Cubao, our driver decided not to take the same road along Bulacan earlier that day where we encountered the traffic congestion. We headed instead to Tarlac and entered the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). It was a good thing for me because the group dropped me and my companion at Dau in Mabalacat, Pampanga. The day was spent battling the standstill traffic and the downpour, but I was still grateful that I made it home before midnight. 

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‘If life was easy where would all the adventures be?’

The adventure is worth it

My adventures in Gabaldon and Dingalan were disappointing and it ended up unremarkable. What compensated for all the shortcomings was the experience of discovering new places and meeting new people. Somehow, the annoying rain and traffic didn’t matter at all because the experience along the journey always led me to some self realization. I learn and grow personally along the way in each and every one of my hikes. It was priceless and I consider it part of my maturity as an individual. Having said all that, my journey to my two neighboring provinces in Central Luzon one stormy Saturday was indeed life changing. I am not Sawi after all.