The Kabayan Experience

                       How would you feel if you were told to climb a mountain from a place you've never really heard of? I'll tell you how I felt and how I still feel about it until now. It's annoying in more ways than one..1st. because I'm not prepared for it, I'm more of a homebody and I barely even go out with friends on weekends. 2nd, because I'm not build for things like that, I can't even spend an hour jogging or doing sporty stuffs, well, I do enjoy playing games of the general, but I don't really think that counts, does it? Well, I guess not! 3rd, I'm not brave enough to climb any ant hills, I'm scared of dogs, rats, paper works, being alone, and other trivial stuffs, and on top of my 'scary list' was my fear of heights.

I can give you one and a half million reasons why I wouldn't have climbed the Kabayan mountains which I did, but one good enough reason why I did and why I would still love to do so...because the experience was SIMPLY AWESOME. It's an experience not everyone would dare to try, not a thousand in a 3billion and more population of planet Earth would have the courage to do so. The feeling of being unsure of what's going to happen next..The feeling of not knowing if you'd ever be able to reach the top, or if you'd ever be able to go home, the super aching feet( I even thought of amputating it, just so the pain would stop), and the almost untolerable sudden changes in weather. In return, upon reaching our destination, I feel like I'm on top of the world, and like somehow I'm just a step closer to heaven. That's a moment I wouldn't trade for big bucks, or a car, or for a free shopping spree. 

There's a lot more I would want to say, but if I continue writing about this I'm afraid the essence would be somehow lost..So for now, I would have to keep it to myself. But before I say goodbye I would want to thank certain people who helped me in our 5-days hiking. Thanks to Sir Paul Lorica, for being our guide and for showing us around Cave Pugasan; thanks to Marz Lang-ay for being there to guide me in every step of the way, thanks to Ate Criz Anudon for the excellent food; thanks to Neil Eugenio for being such a gentleman and for being 'my eyes' when I can't barely see due to fog and rain, thanks to Ate Aileen for lending me her jackets, thanks to Kuya Samuel Diciano for being my 'hug bear' when I'm too cold, thanks to Syriane Tagatag for the giant mug, and thanks to Fitz Bravo for telling me he loves me even when he was in the civilized world at the time being while I'm eating frogs to survive in the mountains, and thanks to my family, esp. for my mom who loves me more than anything in the world, that's the best comfort I could ever wish for.