Konted's Make My Day 2

Sunday, 17 July 2016

A Pleasure Ride Via The Nasugbu-Ternate Highway

A Pleasure Ride Via The Nasugbu-Ternate Highway

A very wide area of Tagaytay City was enveloped by thick fog that morning, forcing drivers to switch on their headlights. We took this as an opportune time to have a quick breakfast of longganisa, pancake, hash brown, coffee and iced tea at McDonald's. Done in 20 minutes, we were cruising down Aguinaldo Highway en route to the western part of Batangas when weather cleared up.

The quiet town of Lian in Batangas was celebrating its fiesta as traffic along the highway was diverted to the innermost, side streets. Marching bands could be seen as the townsfolk paid homage to their patron saint John the Baptist, with water being doused on passing cars. At the outskirts of the town, there were wide green fields. We parked by the side of a lonely road to have a bagful of Indian mangoes.

Nasugbu was our next stop. Right then and there, we decided to take the newly opened Nasugbu-Ternate Highway, a route we had not yet taken, a route that would ultimately lead us back to Manila. It is a well-paved highway, not even one pothole can be seen. Scenery is nice all throughout, with spectacular bay views up to Kaybiang Tunnel.

Kaybiang Tunnel connects Nasugbu, Batangas to Ternate, Cavite. The newly-built tunnel pierces through what was once an impregnable rocky mountain called Mt. Palay Palay. With a length of 300 meters, it is considered as the longest road tunnel in the Philippines. It is now a favorite destination of cyclists, bikers and travellers.

Traversing the Ternate side of the highway, with high elevation and with tall trees all around, we breezed past the junction leading to Caylabne Bay and Puerto Azul and started descending towards the populated areas of Ternate and Maragondon. We wanted to make a side trip to Mt. Nagpatong where revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio and his brother were treacherously executed. Due to time constraints, we decided to forego as Manila was still many kilometers away. See you next time, Supremo.

- Konted

Panoramic view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano from the ridge

Fog envelopes a wide area of Tagaytay City. Visibility is almost zero.

At Tagaytay Country Homes

Breakfast at McDonald's

Welcome landmark at the Tagaytay-Nasugbu boundary

Wide open space at the outskirts of the town of Lian in Batangas. This is a few kilometers away from Matabungkay.

Rice paddies in Lian, Batangas

Making a stopover by the side of the lonely road leading to Newport Hills and San Diego Beach. There is an abundance of Indian mangoes.

It's Lian's fiesta. Patron saint is St. John the Baptist.

At the town proper of Nasugbu in Batangas

Part of the Nasugbu-Ternate Highway. There is a cluster of beach resorts here such as Punta de Fuego, Kawayan Cove, White Sand, Munting Buhangin, etc.

Ocean view from Kawayan Cove

Munting Buhangin Beach Resot in Nasugbu, Batangas

A long stretch of the Nasugbu-Ternate Highway after driving downhill.

The famed Pico de Loro Rock Monolith looms on the horizon.

Cows grazing by the side of the road as one makes an ascent. Take note of the beautiful Fire Tree.

A fishing village near the Nasugbu-Ternate Highway

View of the coastline from the highway

This is still part of Nasugbu in Batangas

Taking our own sweet time

Approaching Kaybiang Tunnel

Kaybiang Tunnel connects Nasugbu, Batangas to Ternate, Cavite.

Kaybiang Tunnel pierces through Mount Palay-Palay.

With a length of 300 meters, it is regarded as the longest road tunnel in the Philippines.

The Cavite portion of the highway. It leads to the towns of Ternate, Maragondon, Naic, Tanza, Noveleta and Cavite Expressway (Cavitex).

Late, late lunch

Monday, 30 May 2016

The Sierra Madre Mountains

The Sierra Madre Mountains

There was a roughly built shack by the side of the lonely road leading to the innermost part of the watershed. It was actually on a ridge with a commanding view of the vast Sierra Madre Mountain Range. Without asking permission, I took a seat with my companion standing near the ridge. In the stillness of the Sierra Madre, we could hear the rustling of the leaves, the chirping of the birds and the blowing of the wind. Our attention was focused on an old, historic dam where river tributaries flow and merge.

Near the end of World War II, as General MacArthur and his men were liberating Manila, Ipo Dam was the scene of a bloody fight with the American Forces fighting it out with the defiant soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army who had been occupying and controlling the dam. It was a crucial battle as the dam was Manila's main source of water. With the help of Filipino guerrillas, the Americans seized control of the dam after almost a month of fierce fighting. More than 2,000 Japanese solders were killed.

It was almost sundown when we left the ridge and proceeded to our mountain hideaway. We pitched our tent notwithstanding the strong, cold winds that usually blow from the northeast. We had grilled pork, beans and steaming rice. In a little while, a group of youngsters arrived and pitched their own tent. It was a starry, starry night and, as expected, as midnight approached, trade winds began to make their presence felt.

The tree leaves were swirling and the bamboos were swaying. From a far distance, we could hear the faint voice of the fruit picker, singing an old Tagalog song filled with hyperboles: "Doon ay kaya kong ipunin lahat ng bituin, doon ay kaya kong igapos ihip ng hangin, doon ay kaya kong ipagbawal buhos ng ulan, sa panaginip lang kita mahahagkan tuwina, doon lang." After a short while, there was complete silence followed by snoring. The fruit picker was slumped near the haystack. He was dead drunk. Immobile and insensible.

- Konted