from many angles: tawi-tawi's bud bongao

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends,

but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers.

The mind can never break off from the journey.”

-- Pat Conroy

destination: bud bongao, the natural watchtower of the southern seas

this is part 6 of a series entitled breathtaking tawi-tawi: our journey to the philippines' southernmost frontier.

bud bongao location
and the starts & stops of our island hopping adventure in tawi-tawi
image source: google maps
(i provided the red and blue labels)

day 3. april 23, 2011. black saturday.

adventure 1: island hopping -- bongao, tango, panglima sugala, sangasiapu, laa, pababag, pasiagan

adventure 2: destination: bud bongao

adventure 3: destination: balobok rock shelter in brgy. lakit-lakit
adventure 4: destination: provincial capitol

a closer look at the google map: bud bongao and pasiagan

bud bongao (or bongao peak) is a prominent natural landmark in the southernmost province of the philippines. at 314 meters above sea level, it dominates the municipality of bongao and nearby areas with its flat top (read: table-like) appearance. people at sea or from neighboring islands can tell where the island of bongao is just by locating bud bongao in the horizon.

charming flat top | the table-like mountain of the south
bud bongao as seen from the pier in tubig indangan, simunul island
during sunset

because of its height relative to the rest of the landscape, bud bongao is also considered as a natural watchtower of the southern seas. at the top, the islands of sanga-sanga, sibutu, and simunul can be seen. more than that, sitangkai and even malaysian borneo are visible on clear occasions.

bud bongao, the natural watchtower

for the locals, bud bongao is more than just a landmark and a natural watchtower where foreign land (borneo) can be seen. for them, bud bongao is a sacred place where they go for pilgrimage and offer prayers.

during our 3-day tour in tawi-tawi, i had the privilege of seeing bud bongao from many angles -- from the national road as we crossed the bridge connecting the islands of sanga-sanga and bongao, from the governor's residence, from the middle of the sea as we were heading to sitangkai, from tubig indangan in simunul, from sangasiapu island, from the shores of pasiagan, and up close during our trek. from those different vantages, i took snapshots and clearly understood why it is unthinkable for bud bongao to be not part of one's tawi-tawi itinerary.

bud bongao and the landscape it defines
on bongao island and nearby sanga-sanga island:
photographed from mid-sea

bud bongao is difficult to miss -- this natural landmark is "everywhere" so much so that to be already there in bongao and not take the chance to experience it simply makes the journey incomplete.

seeing bud bongao "everywhere"
from top-left clockwise: bud bongao from beyond sangasiapu island,
bud bongao as part of the land transportation franchise sticker,
bud bongao as a t-shirt print design, and bud bongao from pababag island-side

on the day we arrived in tawi-tawi, bud bongao's towering presence and vegetated rocky slopes already made an impression on us. even when we went to the governor's place for a courtesy call, the mountain remained visible in the distance like a dedicated guard standing proud.

bud bongao watches over the governor's compound like a sentinel

bud bongao defines a very photogenic landscape in tawi-tawi's bongao island. whether from near or far, it is such a charming sight to gaze at.

bud bongao as seen from simunul's sangasiapu island

bud bongao, a closer look

on the shores of brgy. pasiagan, the mountain can be seen as an enchanting backdrop to a shrine simply adorned with white cloth.

bud bongao as seen from pasiagan

we were told by kuya jan and alvin that the shrine is actually a tomb of a revered virgin 'princess' -- a daughter of a royal family -- who lived and died centuries ago. the tomb of a revered male elder, also a member of a royal family, is one of the two graves near the summit of bud bongao. my impression is that, and if i understood correctly what kuya jan shared, this is how it is for the local pilgrims: "first, visit the daughter at the foot of the mountain, then go to the top to pay respects to the elder."


appreciating the mountain from afar and, eventually, up close
our bud bongao trek started where our island hopping adventure ended -- in pasiagan. after a day and a half of looking at the mountain from afar, we were finally at the foot and eager to conquer the peak.

kuya jan, alvin, and kat
my bud bongao climbing buddies

it was early afternoon when we started our trek and pasiagan was sun-drenched. the heat was draining our physical energies but, once we began our ascent, the vegetation of bud bongao gave us enough cover. the forested nature of the mountain allowed us sufficient respite from the sun as we followed the trail.

a coastal view of pasiagan
as seen from a few meters up the slopes of bud bongao

along the way, my attention was won over by some of the exposed rock layers that make up bud bongao. the patterns are interesting clues to how bud bongao was formed by the gentle might of the forces of nature.

bud bongao's rocky layers

  
the other things that got my attention were some abandoned pairless slippers, detached soles, and broken footwear -- it was easy to see that quite a lot already used the trail and not everyone had an easy time going to the top and back.

we had only gone up about one-fourth of the way to the summit when kat and i decided to retreat. awwww. the climb was not technically demanding and we already conquered higher peaks in other places but, on the slopes of bud bongao and after having been exposed to the sun too much during our island hopping adventure, we found ourselves already too exhausted to complete the climb.

we did not push any further and gave up thoughts of rewarding ourselves with views of tawi-tawi from the peak. we agreed to shift our excitement to seeing the balobok rock shelter, which was the next destination we listed on our tawi-tawi itinerary.

the long-tailed macaques of bud bongao

although kat and i failed to reach the summit, the long-tailed macaques of bud bongao still rewarded the time and effort we spent in visiting their protected mountain sanctuary. they showed up long enough for us to have a good look at them and to take their pictures. hooray, they did not drive us away! :)


up next: destination: balobok rock shelter and thereabouts

breathtaking tawi-tawi: our journey to the philippines' southernmost frontier | the series

part 1. the unplanned part of our tawi-tawi trip: the zamboanga city sidetrip
part 2. destination: sitangkai, the southernmost municipality of the philippines
part 3. exploring tawi-tawi's sibutu island
part 4. setting foot on tawi-tawi's simunul island
part 5. island hopping in the southern seas, island hopping in tawi-tawi and the continuation: island hopping in the southern seas, island hopping in tawi-tawi
part 6. from many angles: tawi-tawi's bud bongao
part 7. destination: balobok rock shelter and thereabouts
part 8. breathtaking tawi-tawi, truly breathtaking tawi-tawi

taal trek happiness!

"Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember,
and remember more than I have seen."
--Benjamin Disraeli

after i first set foot on tagaytay and got the feel of the place in 2002, there was never a year that i missed visiting the place. i've experienced the birth of many life-long bonds and heartwarming moments there -- intangible stuff which, aside from the uniquely tagaytay ambience, i look forward to in every visit.

i relish experiencing the beauty of tagaytay and the wonderful sights to see there and from there. from the numerous viewdecks (each one of them unique, i say) of tagaytay, one gets to see the taal lake and the islands in it -- one truly inspiring sight to behold, especially in the early mornings when the fogs let up and reveal the distant islands and during sunset when darkness slowly creeps and blends seemlessly with the mesmerizing scenery making it fade, but with the promise of being seen again along with the next rising of the sun.

with my yearly visits to tagaytay, those distant islands in the lake always caused me to wonder and to imagine a lot of great things. seeing them always reminded me of those times when i used to look into my sibika at kultura book in grade school and i'd be lost in those pages where pictures of the volcano in a lake are printed. for me, back in grade school, the sight was reachable and can be viewed only, at best, in full-colored postcards. needless to say, that changed and i got to see with my own eyes what i only used to see in pictures -- a lake and, in it, distant islands, beckoning.

taal lake as seen from the ridge

one of those distant islands in the lake and the most popular of them all -- by name, at least -- is the taal volcano, reputed to be the world's smallest active volcano. if that does not make taal volcano interesting enough, read what the travel guides say about it. it is believed to be a volcano within a lake within a volcano -- the ridges of tagaytay being remnants of a big, old crater of what used to be a big, big volcano in the biggest island (luzon) of this volcanic archipelago (the philippines) in this part of asia (southeast asia).

last october 11, 2009, which was a sunday -- and a sunshiny sunday to boot -- i laid my what-ifs and what's-in-that-island-thoughts to rest. i set foot on taal volcano and walked all the way to where i could get a full view of the crater, which is hidden when viewed from tagaytay.

setting foot on taal volcano | following the path to see the crater

it was a 4-kilometer uphill walk under the direct heat of the mighty sun with the awesome company of equally adventurous and travel-loving people, most of whom i first met and made friends with in el nido, palawan. for us, a trek is a trek is a trek is a trek...

taal trek buddies!

while most other tourists would opt to rent horses to reach the taal volcano viewpoint, we went for the old school alternative. we spared the horses and exercised our legs and lungs instead.

part of the 4-km regular path going to the crater of the taal volcano

we chose to walk the 4-kilometer regular path up and the 4-kilometer regular path down -- encountering earthworms, mountain snails, crows, malnourished papaya plants, one dead baby cobra, and lots of horse manure along the way. the volcano is gently sloping so the trek isn't really difficult. in fact, our tour coordinator walked with us on her wedge sandals. yes, wedge sandals! way to go.

the taal volcano crater

the sight of the crater is breathtaking. what's interesting about it? it has an island. imagine this: an island (vulcan point) within a crater (taal crater) within an active volcano (taal volcano) within a lake (taal lake) within an old volcano.

vulcan point in taal crater

apart from the sulfuric-smelling steam steadily coming out from some of the rocks we passed by, there's not much to see along the way that i haven't seen in other places. maybe, it's because it's the regular path, after all. i believe taal's secret trail (yes, there is a so-called secret trail which is not really so secret but so named because only a few people opt to take that less popular but more challenging path) would be something else and would reveal a lot of things that are really uniquely taal. there's always a next time, right?

two-hulled sailboats | taal lake yacht club

oh, i love, love, love the boat ride and the sight of colorful catamarans (two-hulled sailboats) in talisay's taal lake yacht club. the lake looked so big and blue and yet so calm; crossing it on our bright yellow boats felt so perfect.

crossing the taal lake on board the yellow boats from the yacht club in talisay

when our boatman lost control of our boat, dalag, and we hit the rear of pawikan (the other boat) even before we could reach taal volcano, i had the time of my life. it was one of those could-have-been very dangerous moments that i ended up enjoying because i had so much faith that the boats will hold together and the big, deep lake will not dare eat us up.

taal trek happiness!

p.s.
(1) may tumalo sa tour coordinator namin... inakyat ang taal na naka-fishnet stockings and high heels! winner!
(2) na-dehydrate ako that day kasi nakalimutan kong uminom ng tubig during the uphill hike. ano ba? haha
(3) mabibilis kami maglakad pero tumagal lang kami sa trek path kasi picture kami ng picture.
(4) ok, ok, enough of this... next trip!