Mt. Romelo Misadventures

It was a day trip that turned into an overnighter. We were ill prepared for this trek. We didn't have enough food, enough clothes, and enough preparation. All we had was a stubborn desire to conquer the mountain and behold the beauty of its hidden waterfalls. We heeded not the warnings of the locals that it was going to be an arduous climb due to the uber muddy trail. 

The place did not disappoint. The four-hour muddy ascent to the campsite was all worth it. 

Manageable mud at the beginning of the trek

Refreshing vista on the way to the campsite

Healthy drink and snack 

We thought that this was one of the waterfalls, but our guide said it wasn't.
 It rained heavily the night before our trip so some of the waters
that  were gathered in the mountain poured through this gap.

Beau and Lira, happy to successfully get through
one of the most challenging parts of the trek.

A rainbow greeted us and cheered us on so we would proceed with our muddy, arduous trek.

Mud, mud, mud!   It got worse from this point on.
We slipped and slid  countless of times. (Photo credit: Beau Valencia)



Lovely, purple flowers urged us to take on step at a time,
but there were frogs and leeches lurking behind those plants!



See how muddy my Merrells were!
Thanks to gore-tex, the mud didn't get inside my shoes. 
(Photo credit: Monique Sy)

The descent to Buruwisan falls was very difficult.
We had to hold on to vines so we won't come tumbling down
and break our crowns.   

We had to swim our way to Batya-batya falls

Breakfast is a pot of noodles, corned beef, coffee, jellos,
and a pack of candies.  Thanks to Beau and Lira for crossing  the river
to fetch our steaming pot of noodles.

Blue skies and refreshing greenery

Windy day at the summit

We rode horses on our way down because we were in a hurry to get back to the city.
Next time, I'd rather wade through the mud than ride a horse.
(Photo credit: Lira Avedillo)

Sending you happy thoughts...