20140223. Mt. Daguldol and Laiya Beach, Laiya, San Juan, Batangas

MT. DAGULDUL

The other side of Laiya beach less visited by tourist

Mount Daguldol and Laiya Beach Chronicles
This is our account on our descent to Mount Daguldol and a relaxing day at Laiya Beach.

You can view this link for our first day at Mount Daguldol and our Naambon Falls experience


Day 2 Feb 23 Sunday
0700 Wake up call. We missed the sunrise and we haven't prepared breakfast at all. But it was a nice and restful sleep and it was hard to wake up earlier than you should. And I'm on vacation! Kidding. I normally wake up before sunrise when I'm on the mountain because it's a view I never get tired of looking at. Unless there is zero visibility or the weather is cold and  perfect for hibernation. Today, there was a drizzle mixed with the soft winds that was just enough to keep you inside your tent and your dreams. Don't you just love camping?


0715 Chores. I didn't want to risk losing water for our descent so I went out to get 4 litters of water for cooking and for the girls to freshen up. Apparently, whether they wash up or brush their teeth before descending on a mountain is something that you have to take in consideration when fetching water. In any event, it was a nice and quiet walk to the water source. The fog was all around and the trees felt enchanted. It's a good thing my imagination weren't drifting to anything scary at the time or I might gone back to the camp and ask for someone to accompany me.

Path to the water source

Hut beside the water source

Water source

0900 Breakfast and coffee. We still had the half a kilo of chicken so we decided to cook this instead of our instant noodles and canned goods. It's a good thing we've already prepared our rice and we've already steamed the chicken the night before or it would take us a long time before we can pack up.

0930 Break Camp. Still, we were the last one to start the descent. We were too relaxed, and I don't really mind having that attitude. I like to enjoy every moment in a trek. But still, sorry and thank you for the people who waited for us at the jump off! And special thanks to Homer who waited for us and helped us in pack up to hasten our descent.
 

Traditional group photo before the descent

Joanne and Homer (Coordinator, Story Teller, Comedian, Cook and Photographer)

0945 Start descent. It was still raining at this time so some parts of the trail were a bit slippery, some parts were sticky and muddy and the fog was all around us. I'm just happy that the girls enjoyed this new experience. I've been blessed to be with Desiree and Joanne, they never seem to complain about anything and are just always happy even with new obstacles like this. These are people who are truly in love with nature and new adventures.
 

 
1200 In 2 hours and 15 minutes, we were able to reach the jump off. Everyone was hungry and was excited for the feast and barbeques at the beach! If you want a professional baseline on how long the descent should take, Homer took an hour and a few minutes to complete this. I took a mental note of this, it might be useful in the future in case someone needs to go down from the campsite to the town on an emergency or other circumstance.

Jump off. En route to our beach front picnic tables

The good and friendly people who waited and even offered to take photos of us. Thank you guys!

1215 Resort with floating huts. This part is a bit rocky but they do have nice floating huts.

We had a lot of time and we spent this taking a lot of pictures and enjoy the view around us. And not to mention the cool breeze and the scent of the sea and those nice rock formations.

 

 

1240 ETA. Rock formations. The rocks were just asking to be climbed. And it held a nice view of Laiya Beach too!

 

View of Laiya Beach on top of the rock

 

View of Laiya Beach on top of the rock

View of Laiya Beach on top of the rock

1300 ETA beach front picnic table. Lunch and rest.

1430 Swimming time. Poor Desiree. Since she's the best photograph in our group. She doesn't really have a lot of shots. But thank you very much for your kindness! We will always treasure your company!

1530 My main principle in life is simple: Never let an opportunity pass you by. If you want to do something, do it. That's why when I saw the huge rocks earlier, I simply just dropped my bags and just went ahead and climb it while my companions rested and just watch me. Now, far from the rocks. They realize their mistake and wanted to go back there to enjoy it. It's a good thing it was only 15 minutes away from were we are. And did they enjoy their time there! Just think of it as a suggestion for your next profile or cover pictures when you go here.

 

1600 Prepare for departure.
1700 ETD Brgy Hugom.

Final Group photo before leaving

1900 ETA Lucena Grand Terminal. We just went to the rest room and bought souvenirs. There were a lot of food to choose from. Some of us went inside SM Lucena to buy their dinner. I just bought Rice cakes, corn, ube and pastillas for pasalubong. Some of them ended up as dinner though.

Desiree and Joanne, very much happy with their new adventure and already excited for the next

2130 ETA Cubao.

Expenses in Peso:
850 - Event fee (includes all transfers, guide fee, registration fee, 2nd day lunch barbeque at the beach, use of cottage and comfort rooms)
165 Food and Supplies 
38 Breakfast
80 Pack Lunch
20 Coconut
25 Halo Halo
110 Pasalubong na naging Dinner na din
__________________________
1,288


Original itinerary was lifted from Hommer Pernia's Event Page
Day 1 Feb 22 Saturday
4:30 AM Meet up ALPS EDSA TERMINAL # 721 EDSA Southbound, Fronting Nepa Q-mart Brgy. Pinagkaisahan, Quezon City
05:00 AM ETD. Cubao. Bus. The ALPS Cubao Edsa Terminal
08:30 AM ETA San Juan, Batangas. ETD Brgy. Hugom. Chartered Jeep.
09:30 AM ETA Market Place. Breakfast
10:00 AM ETA Brgy Hugom. Secure guide and brgy fees
10:30 AM Start trekking
12:00 AM Naambon Falls (Lunch)
02:00 PM ETA Mang Lizardo's place
04:00 PM ETA Niyugan Campsite, Set Camp
05:30 PM Summit photo ops sunset
07:00 PM Dinner
08:00 PM Socials
11:00 Lights OFF???????

Day 2 Feb 23 Sunday
05:00 AM Wake up cal
06:00 AM summit photo ops sunrise *optional*
06:30 AM Breakfast
07:00 AM Break Camp
07:30 AM start descend
10:30 AM ETA Brgy Hugom
11:00 AM swimming time
12:00 PM Lunch (Hosted meal)
01:00 PM swimming Ulit
04:00 PM Prepare for departure
05:00 PM ETD Brgy Hugom
05:30 PM ETD San Juan Batangas. Bus
09:00 PM ETA Cubao
10:00 PM Home sweet Home!!!!!

20140222. Mt. Daguldol and Naambon Falls, Laiya, San Juan, Batangas

MT. DAGULDUL

Naambon Falls

Mount Daguldol Chronicles

Day 1 February 22 Saturday
0500 AM Meet up ALPS EDSA TERMINAL # 721 EDSA Southbound, Fronting Nepa Q-mart Brgy. Pinagkaisahan Quezon City.

0600 ETD. Cubao. Bus. The ALPS Cubao Edsa Terminal. This bus company is also the bus that I rode for my 11-hour bus ride in my Solo Backpacking Bicol Adventure. I was very well acquainted with it. The leg room in this bus is wide, the seats were comfortable and the space below the seats is enough to house a 45-L backpack for the duration of the trip. I believe this would cost you P184.

0900 ETA San Juan, Batangas. ETD Brgy. Hugom. Chartered Jeep. I suggest you go to the market here before you head to Hugom, for the reason stated below.

0930 ETA Market Place. Breakfast. Tsktsk. I was still a bit sleepy by this time, I forgot to take pictures of the last Market Place where you could buy meat. In any event, there are only two stores there that sell meat, there were canteens and bakery so you can also have breakfast and coffee here. Just a warning, the meat here is expensive, since they really don't have any competitions. It would be better to pass by San Juan wet market instead of going here, I think. Don't worry about other things like condiments, ingredients or vegetables. You will find these things in Hugom.


1000 ETA Brgy Hugom. We went around and realized that we forgot to bring a pack lunch. We had enough food to cook but then our itinerary stated we needed pack lunch and might not have the time to cook on our way to the campsite. It's a good thing that there were a lot of canteens in this place. We bought grilled squid and fried Tilapia for our pack lunch. We also had our brunch here and coffee while waiting for other groups to get here. The grilled squid was worth every peso.

1115 And so it begins. After lounging around and checking barangay Hugom. The start of the trek is at hand.

Start trek ceremony

The first 30 minutes was spent walking at the beach to get to the jump point. There were no shade here at all. But the sea breeze was a welcomed friend, and we enjoyed passing by around at least 10 different resorts, one of them is La Luz. This is when we realized we were just at the side of La Luz Resort earlier. I was taking a mental note of the resorts and the facilities that they have for future reference, most of them have floating dive boards which I might enjoy jumping from when I go back there again. There were also jet skis, floating small huts for when you want to drink with friends while waiting for the sunset.

Laiya Beach

Beach Trek

1145 Arrived at Jump off point. You better stretch before you take this on. It's never true when you think that the first part of treks are just for warm up. You will already be tested by the steepness and the heat in the first few minutes of the ascent. Luckily, it doesn't last long.

1230 Arrived at the first hut, with descent chair, roof and a view of the sea. Enjoy the cool breeze here but don't take too long in your rest here. This is 20 minutes away from Naambon Falls. It's definitely better there.

First Hut

1250 Arrived at Naambon Falls. To get here, you need to find a fork 10 minutes from the first hut. You just need to descend on the left side and follow the trail. You will hear the water even from the fork. We would've eaten our lunch here but we didn't want to be burdened by the heaviness with the additional weight in our body. We just lounged around and explored the falls. There were around 6 levels of Naambon falls. At the very bottom is a large pool where it would've been nice to jump and take a dip if it were the rainy season. The water was only ankle deep when we got there and as you can see in the pictures, the water itself is not impressive. But the waterfalls and the rock formation that it created was a spectacle. This must be a magnificent sight if the water was raging. Nevertheless, your climb will not be complete if you do not pass by here. We were all glad that we did.

Naambon Falls

Joanne at Naambon Falls

 Resumed trek. The trail is very straightforward and well established. There are also huts every now and then so you can rest and ask for directions if you feel that you are lost. I doubt you will. Shades from trees are also better in this part of the trek.

1400 ETA at a house and halo halo. There is a water source here and a halo halo stand. I believe there is also a comfort room. You don't really search for one when any excess water in your body has been drained by the heat and the trek. There is a comfortable wooden bench and table here so its an ideal place for eating lunch.

Water source and halo halo

1440 ETA at another hut. This time, they have Coconuts, Mountain Dew, Puto and pure Honey for sale. They also have a water source here. This is the last place where you could get a mountain dew or simple type of food so buy all you can if you came unprepared. Don't worry, there's a water source and a coconut station near the camp site..

1530 Photo opportunity or simply a chance to admire the sea. This place is shaded and windy and it's just a nice place to rest and look at the refereshing trees and the sea.

Joanne, she isn't resting because she's tired. I think she fell asleep while waiting for some of us to catch up. That's our runner right there.

1600 One more hut with wooden bench and a nice roof. I just thought I put this down in case you ever need a shelter in a storm.

1645 ETA coconut station manned by kids. There is also a wooden bench here and this is the intersection between the camps and the water source. To the right of this is where you will need to descend to get to the water source. Going left and up is where the other campsites and the summit are.

Desiree with food is a happy Desiree

1700 ETA Campsite. So that means it took us 6 hours from Brgy Hugom to this campsite of Mt. Daguldol with a side trip to Naambon Falls. Regular trek time is around 4-5 hours. We did enjoy our time at Naambon Falls.

I saw two other campsites on our way here. The first one is 5 minutes away from the last coconut station. The first camp has a water source and is well protected from the sun. Although, there aren't anything to see here. It still a nice place when you want to feel secluded and just be surrounded by trees and nature. The second one is also 5 minutes away from the last coconut station. We didn't checked it out anymore but I think it has the same properties as the third campsite. The third one is 5 minutes away from the second campsite. All of them have equal space enough to put 20 tents with out being too crowded. It can also get windy, cold and foggy so prepare your jacket if you're not used to this kind of temperature.

Third Campsite

And we reached the campsite just in time for the sunset.

View from Mt. Daguldol

Free time and socials. We were a large group so there were bound to be people who are just a natural at comedy and entertainment. Our very own coordinator took it unto himself to house the social. I bet other people that are not included in our group thought that there was a new comedy bar on the top of this mountain. The night was filled with food, drinks, talks of mountain adventures and equipments, tips and the like and a great deal of jokes and laughter. It was a nice night at Mt. Daguldol.

The next day, we just enjoyed our time at the camp and enjoyed the rest of the day swimming at Laiya beach before heading home. But that's a different story that you can read here.

Day 2 Feb 23 Sunday
0500 Wake up cal
0600 summit photo ops sunrise *optional*
0630 Breakfast
0700 Break Camp
0730 Start descend
1030 ETA Brgy Hugom
1100 swimming time
1200 Lunch (Hosted meal)
0100 swimming Ulit
0400 Prepare for departure
0500 ETD Brgy Hugom
0530 ETD San Juan Batangas. Bus
0900 ETA Cubao
1000 Home sweet Home!!!!!


Expenses in Peso:
850 - Event fee (includes all transfers, guide fee, registration fee, 2nd day lunch barbeque at the beach, use of cottage and comfort rooms)
165 Food and Supplies 
38 Breakfast
80 Pack Lunch
20 Coconut
25 Halo Halo
110 Pasalubong na naging Dinner na din
__________________________
1,288


Original itinerary was lifted from Hommer Pernia's Event Page
Day 1 Feb 22 Saturday
4:30 AM Meet up ALPS EDSA TERMINAL # 721 EDSA Southbound, Fronting Nepa Q-mart Brgy. Pinagkaisahan, Quezon City
05:00 AM ETD. Cubao. Bus. The ALPS Cubao Edsa Terminal
08:30 AM ETA San Juan, Batangas. ETD Brgy. Hugom. Chartered Jeep.
09:30 AM ETA Market Place. Breakfast
10:00 AM ETA Brgy Hugom. Secure guide and brgy fees
10:30 AM Start trekking
12:00 AM Naambon Falls (Lunch)
02:00 PM ETA Mang Lizardo's place
04:00 PM ETA Niyugan Campsite, Set Camp
05:30 PM Summit photo ops sunset
07:00 PM Dinner
08:00 PM Socials
11:00 Lights OFF???????

Day 2 Feb 23 Sunday
05:00 AM Wake up cal
06:00 AM summit photo ops sunrise *optional*
06:30 AM Breakfast
07:00 AM Break Camp
07:30 AM start descend
10:30 AM ETA Brgy Hugom
11:00 AM swimming time
12:00 PM Lunch (Hosted meal)
01:00 PM swimming Ulit
04:00 PM Prepare for departure
05:00 PM ETD Brgy Hugom
05:30 PM ETD San Juan Batangas. Bus
09:00 PM ETA Cubao
10:00 PM Home sweet Home!!!!!