Mt. Sembrano

February of 2011, The BACKPACKERS targeted that prominent mountain in the Jalajala Peninsula: Mt. Sembrano. Everything is all set when BP Lead Ivan got hospitalized for a week. The climb responsibility was handed over to BP Vice Ralph and BP Sec Liz. But come climb date, the group decided to postpone the trip. Mt. Sembrano was cancelled. Since then it has been an inside joke that planning a Mt. Sembrano climb can spell out bad luck for the group.

March of 2011, BP Lead invited the group to conquer what the group failed to conquer a month ago. But since only five members confirmed, they had a last minute change of plan to go to Madlum Park in Bulacan instead. Mt. Sembrano was cancelled again. A recon climb to Mt. Manalmon was conducted instead.

September of 2011 in The BACKPACKERS calendar was supposedly for a Mt. Sembrano climb. But the Ultimate CDO-Camiguin-Bukidnon trip satisfied the adventurous spirit of the group and the scheduled climb to Mt. Sembrano was later forgotten. Mt. Sembrano was cancelled again. Mt. Hibok Hibok was conquered instead for that month.

Several more cancellations, numerous surveys and attempts to head to Mt. Sembrano, but it never happened. The question was whether or not the group will be able to visit Mt. Sembrano? Come August of 2012, The BACKPACKERS finally gathered and conquered the mountain. That month, the target was Mt. Sembrano (and Mt. Sembrano only).

FINALLY, MT. SEMBRANO!

Pililla, Rizal

August 18-19, 2012

by: Ivan Ignacio

Solo Backpacking at Talim Island

In the heart of Laguna lake, we will find a dagger shaped island, hence the name Talim Island. This is where the Backpacker Lead spent his interesting day last weekend. He was not lucky for the weather was not on his side, but he was fortunate to witness a festivity celebrated on the island that day.

Monsoon on My Third Time

Solo Backpacking at Talim Island

by Ivan Ignacio

Boracay Island

I Love Boracay

By Heinz Lopez Alvarez

To set foot in Boracay for a vacation or whatnot did not excite me at all. That was before and the reason was I  had experienced living a life near the beach ( beaches, actually) and mountains in my younger years. Our families in both sides, Lopez and Alvarez, came from Bicol. My parents were both born and raised in Caramoan, which is now a famous destination for both local and foreign tourists coming from different parts of the globe. But after spending four fun-tastic days in that Visayan jewel, I uttered "I love Boracay!"

I, together with my IBM workmates, explored Boracay in August 2011. Allow me to virtually share the fun and the experience through this feature.

Balite Falls

Amadeo, Cavite

P h i l i p p i n e s   


                          The BACKPACKERS Were Here...

Balite Falls

By Heinz Lopez Alvarez, Jr.
Photos taken by April Bedana and Alexi Lee

To celebrate the success of the Group's first official night trek, Mt. Talamitam Climb, The BACKPACKERS and guests had a refreshing treat in a place where the bustling of flowing water is irresistibly inviting - Balite Falls.

Balite Falls is a small but definitely a good place for some water fun! This somehow hidden nature offering is located in Amadeo, Cavite, a good 20-30 minutes drive from Tagaytay Rotonda. In our case, we are all grateful to Wilson, one of our guests, for making the Group's transportation from Sitio Bayabasan to Balite Falls comfortable because of Tami, his L300 box type. 

Mt. Talamitam

It was the second month in a row that The BACKPACKERS visited Batangas, a nearby province blessed with several impressive mountains. Nestled in the town of Nasugbu is Mt. Talamitam - a mountain no stranger to many of us as we have seen it when we visited its sister mountain Mt. Batulao a year ago. We have conquered several mountains to date but each new mountain that we encounter does not fail to impress us in its own unique way. Backpacker Anna said it best when she posted this on her facebook wall after a successful Mt. Talamitam climb:

BP Anna at Mt. Talamitam summit

The mountains indeed have their own unique beauty. And that makes them incomparable to each other. ~BP Anna

Aside from the breathtaking landscapes, you will get your unique experience from the people that you climb with, the unexpected challenging encounters and the beauty offered to you by the destination during the time that you step on it. These are some of the reasons why it is very difficult to replicate a climb so one should always make the most out of it.