Planning to go to El NIdo? You might want to try this out!:))
THOUGHTS:
Ever since i saw a picture of this place, I made sure that I included it on my bucketlist to see for myself. At first, my parents were hesitant to allow me to climb, but I insisted. To tell you honestly, this might sound pessimistic but whenever I do risky stuff such as climbing, I would always think that this might be my last day on Earth. But lucky me and thanks to God, I am still okay and was able to write this.
Several times I have thought about whether I would do it or not. Thoughts went into my mind like “If others can make it, then surely I can too”, “I’m already here anyway, so why not go for it?“, and “Hey it did not rain yesternight, so probably God is allowing me to do it”… Hahaha! but thank God for allowing me to go there safely. Nights before my arrival, it had rained and people were not allowed to climb as precaution to the slippery terrain. I was just alone with my tour guide kuya Jojo. Thanks to Mr. Michael Yao and Ms Reciel for the contact 🙂
Day 2 (Taraw and Tour C)
4:30am wake up time
5:15am Meet up with kuya jojo, tour guide for taraw
5:30am Jumpoff
6:30-7am Peak of Taraw cliff
8:00am End of taraw cliff
8:30am Start of Tour C
4:pm End of tour
THE CLIMB:
It was purely rock climbing. There were no banayad moments if you were waiting for it. Chos! There were three vertical rocks that you had to climb, and I properly labeled them Prelims, Midterms and Finals. 🙂 Since you had to pass them twice as you climbed up and down, it felt like you conquered a whole school year with 2 semesters.
PEAK:
We reached the peak and appreciated the view. I felt a sense of achievement by doing just that… but as I was feeling triumphant at that moment, I forgot that I still had to go down to complete the whole climb! If only I could just jump down. Haha. I wish I was a little faster going down so I could have arrived at the time of the sunrise.
Nevertheless, the view was still breath taking and I could not help but take lots of pictures!! Wooo!! OMG///
I met Georgina, and it was her last day in El Nido. She said she also climbs. I hope our paths would cross again in our future adventures. Nice meeting you, Georgie!:))
ATTIRE:
Good thing my aqua shoes did not fail me. Although, I wished I had better footwear for the climb because I can still feel the spikes of the rocks push through to my soles. Nevertheless, with aqua shoes I’d say it is doable. Some were wearing rubber shoes, or outdoor sandals.
Also, bring rubber gloves because the rocks were spiky. Better to get your hands protected. You wouldn’t enjoy swimming in saltwater with wounded hands, right? haha. I also wore leggings for extra protection. I don’t want to risk injuring my legs. Who would want to 🙂 Kuya Jojo on the other hand wore slippers. I coudn’t imagine just being in his “shoes”… I mean “slippers”. haha!!!
TOUR GUIDE AND FEE:
I paid 400php for the accommodation, then kuya Jojo fetched me. We rode a motorcycle to the foot of the Taraw. It was my first time to ride a motorcycle (seriously) and it was pretty cool. Haha lol. Probably next time, I should also learn how to ride a motorcycle so I could just rent a motorbike as we go to places.
During the hike, kuya Jojo would tell me that it was his first time to climb as well, but duh, who would believe a joke like that!! hahaha..(But what if he was not kidding? Lol now that is a joke). Well anyway, kuya Jojo was a great guide. He took some videos and pics of me! haha. BTW, Kuya Jojo happened to be the brother of kuya Bryan, our tour guide in the island hopping. He was not that talkative but he was funny when he cracked up some jokes.
MORE PICS:
Whenever people see pictures of the peak or summit of mountains, they often say “I’d like to be there too someday”. But once they see how the path looks like, they become discouraged.
DESCENT:
I ascended alone (by alone I mean I didn’t have anyone with me aside from the guide). But on the descent, we were with another group. I just knew it would be more fun if I am with a group.
Thanks again Kuya!!!Job well done!
Rz BITS and PIECES 