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| With Badjao boys in Badjao Village, Hadji Panglima Tahil, Sulu |
Taking photos with locals is among my passion when visiting places. Sharing genuine smiles with the kids and adults alike makes me feel one of them. This also makes me feel attached to them and their wonderful place. And when they willingly pose to the camera with me giving their beautiful smiles makes me feel so accepted.
Three hours. That was the time I spent falling in line with hundred other visitors from around the world who vied for an instagrammable pose at Pura Lempuyang Temple a.k.a. Gates of Heaven in Bali, Indonesia. This is situated at the highest Peak of Mt. Lempuyang in Karangasem in East Bali.
A close up shot with baby owl. It was one of my best fauna shots in my many years of trekking. It was after an hour hike from Tunaan View Deck in Barangay Portulin, the site where we spent the night. This beautiful avian basked in an early morning sun along the trail heading to Mt. Kilakiron, one of the major summits of Mt. Kalatungan Range in Bukidnon.
Mt. Kilakiron can be accessed from Barangay Portulin, Pangantucan, Bukidnon. A climbing permit should be secured from Pangantucan Tourism Office.
I slept safely in the open in Basilan. I quietly spent the night alone in an open cottage in a white beach of Malamawi Island. Malamawi White Beach Resort is located at Barangay Lukbuton, Malamawi, Basilan. After taking a night dip in its crystal clear waters, I installed my net hammock, grabbed my scarf and snored the night away.
2020 is the most challenging year in my whole trekking life so far. It paralyzed the whole world. It cancelled my many travels, climbs and flights. It disappointed me for having cancelled my trips to new places especially my trips abroad. Yet, this year is not all that bad. It enabled me to explore more of my home Bukidnon. Besides, before the lockdown, I was also able to revisit some of the misunderstood paradises, Basilan and Sulu and my long dream destination in Mindanao, the Agusan Marsh.
Below are the Top 20 Reasons why 2020 is still a great trekking year for me.
20. MAINIT HOT SPRING, Davao de Oro
The Mountaineer's Creed states "TAKE NOTHING BUT PICTURES. LEAVE NOTHING BUT FOOTPRINTS. KILL NOTHING BUT TIME.
This saying has been my vow since I understand mountaineering. I have been trying to live by this "LEAVE NO TRACE" principle everytime I go trekking.
There are also meaningful sayings about mountains. As mountaineer, a single quotation about mountains touches me in many different ways. Among the Mountain Quotes flooding the web, below are are my Top 10 choices:
