We were in the middle of a one-man trail in a pitch-black forest at around 12 midnight when I felt Drowsy. There were only eight of us trudging the dark surroundings and our headlamps are the only source of light we had.
Tribung Mindanaw Club RMC Chapter organized a "Balik Eskwela Outreach Event" together with LUMOC, Black Tribe Trekkers and Happy Forest Kids volunteers. The outreach aims to provide the incoming students complete school supplies to boost their confidence in attending school.
It’s been 3 years since my last hiking romance with nature and I miss it so bad. To be honest, the call of nature adventure remains loud despite the fact that I have shelved the call after my Byaheng Mindanaw team disbanded. The scent of the mountain is a breath of life, a respite, a medicine, an addiction of which I can hardly get over with. And from time to time, I look back at my photographs, wondering when I will have another chance to immerse with the outdoors. Yes, I still wander. I sometimes plan a trek but it can be easily traded with the beach as my set of friends prefer it over an exhausting hike.
Our supposed Holy Week trip to Arakan Valley, where we are supposed to give medical kits and used educational books has been cancelled. We are unable to pursue our mission to Arakan Valley for some safety issues raised days prior to our actual departure. Hence, we re-routed our planned hiking activity to a community in the hinterlands of Marilog District.
Sitio Nangalid of Barangay Datu Salumay was among the seldom-reached sitios in the hinterland of Davao city. There we conduct a feeding program for the community and to the kids. We also donated used educational books and school supplies for them to use this coming school year. I made a short video below:
"Are we there yet?" Almost everyone expressed the same uncertainty to our young tour guide minute by minute as we continue to tramp deeper into the jungle of barangay Sicao, Tamayong. The supposed 30 minutes hike into the hidden Sicao falls had turned into a daunting and tiring two hours of endless pursuit. Later the tour guide affirmed she lost track of the trail. And we're stuck in the middle of the forest with no food to feed our hungry tummies.
Being the oldest town of the SoCCSKSarGen region, Glan Sarangani does not only boast with white sand beaches but also they have rich heritage structures that date back a hundred years ago. Last September 12, 2014 we were lucky enough to take a sneak peek at the 76 years old ancestral house of the Escobal Family at Brgy. Lagu just before they open their doors to the public. Let me take you to a quick tour inside the Hacienda Don Juan.
I first heard about this new spot in Kaputian, Samal Island from a friend about months ago where he seemed to enjoy much of his experience in this so-called "Sabang jumping cliff" basing from his facial expressions during our conversation.. "lingaw kaayo bai. promise!" he cheerfully uttered with some sense of pride. I, who had been to Kaputian numerous times, was left wondering where in the world is "Sabang" located and why I didn't hear about it from the locals.
Sabang Cliff or the Grotto - located just a few kilometers from the center - is slowly gaining tourists attention after some locals discovered the area then invited a few tourists to do some fun activity like cliff jumping at the Grotto and scuba diving. Since then, Sabang has become one of the alternative spots for beach frolicking in Kaputian aside from the famous Kaputian Beach Resort. And just recently, I finally fed my curiosity about this interesting place my friend told me when we scheduled our outing there.