Radgirl Boondocks: Sea of Clouds: The Other Worldly Scenery of Benguet

Having no coastline or seaport, Benguet province is confined to freshwaters located in the Southern tip of the Cordillera Administrative Region of the Philippines. It is also known as the "Salad Bowl of the Philippines" because of its huge production of upland vegetables.

My friends and I were lucky to experience travelling Benguet last October 30, 2015. We left Manila 10:00 o'clock in the evening riding a Victory Liner bus at Pasay City. It was a six (6) hour trip from Manila. We arrived early at Baguio City and rode a jeepney going to Benguet to have our breakfast.

Travelling is fun with amazing friends!

The zigzag road brought us to our 1st stop where we took our breakfast. I had a delicious Tender Boiled Beef Soup and rice which cost me P90.00, and it was worth the price. You can taste the pure beef and fresh vegetables served. Our next stop was the Ambuklao Dam situated at Bokod, Benguet.

Ambuklao Dam

Sad to say this, but our guide told us that after Marcos regime, Ambuklao Dam became privately owned by Aboitiz. The view was breathtaking and you can feel Benguet's cool climate. You can also see the powerplant at the Ambuklao Dam.

Powerplant

We left Ambuklao Dam riding the jeepney on a top load. The experience was exciting and thrilling at the same time, because the roads have hair-raising steeps and rocky road. Fortunately, we made it until we reached the Hanging Bridge. The hanging footbridge that benefited communities in the remote area of this town, provides safe passage for school children and facilitates transport of products from local livelihood like fish. I have also learned that it was inaugurated by SN Aboitiz Power Benguet.

Our guide decided to proceed at Baban's Homestay for us to rest before our Mt. Pulag climb. Upon arriving, we were welcomed by the owner of our homestay and experienced their soft beds and good service.

We strolled around our homestay feeling like an heir, because of the vegetable farms everywhere. The view was relaxing. The flowers and the trees were gently swaying in the breeze and the view was awesome. I was also challenged to take a bath or should I say take the icebucket bath challenge. My friends requested for a hot water which cost them P40.00 and for very cold water is P20.00. I can't help but shout inside the bathroom but it was a refreshing bath after a long walk.

View from Baban's Homestay

Perfect place to stay.

Dinner was served at 6 in the evening. We had a sumptuous dinner at Baban's serving their best Watercress vegetable, Beef Stew with potato and carrots, and their best soup on a cold night. It was a very romantic dinner too. We used candle lights and laugh our hearts out while eating our dinner together. We slept at 7 pm and woke up at 11 pm to fix our things for our Mt. Pulag climb. We rode the jeepney going to the foot of Mt. Pulag. The howling wind, drizzle and fog welcomed us as we hiked the mountain. When we attended the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) orientation, we were told not to make a loud noise while climbing the mountain. It is believed that the gods can hear us and might bring strong rain once we make a loud noise, resulting to not having a chance to see the sea of clouds and the sunrise that everybody is crazy about.

Foot of Mt. Pulag

At the Grassland Summit with our guides Cynthia and Brent

We took the Ambangeg Trail. They said it was easy, yes it was! (haha) but it requires a lot of strength because it was a 5 hour hike from the foot of Mt. Pulag. The trail was slippery and muddy. The mountain challenged us with strong howling gusting wind, drizzle, fog, muddy and slippery trail but we managed to keep up the pace with our guides. We watched our steps as we walked in the wilderness to avoid falling from the cliff and it was a one-way road with ascending trails.

As the third highest mountain in Luzon, the highlight of our climb include the montane forests and the grassland summit with its "sea of clouds". Mount Pulag is also the natural habitat of the Pine trees, Edelweiss flower and Moss trees. Mount Pulag is the only place that hosts Cloud Rat species.

Moss tree

Pine Tree

Edelweiss Flower

Fresh water is also available at the mountain. The DENR advised us to follow the Leave No Trace policy so we can preserve the cleanliness of our nature. It is also one way of respecting our mountains in the Philippines.

I saw the sun peeping already at 5:25 in the morning. I gave my best effort to reach the top of the summit just to witness the sunrise ever! I was in awe when I saw the sea of clouds. God's creation was so perfect. Suddenly, the sun rose and I was mesmerized by the beauty of the mountain and no words can describe the majestic view on top of Mt. Pulag.

I have learned that when you respect the mountain,

the mountain will reveal its beauty to you.

The sea of clouds was steady for hours and it was worth reaching the summit of Mt. Pulag despite the strong howling wind, drizzle, fog, slippery and muddy trail. We descended from the mountain 7 in the morning and the sun-kissed our cheeks. We felt warm as we walk down the mountain, and lessen our jackets to feel comfortable. We reached our homestay and ate the freshly cooked vegetables and their own version of Tinola at Baban's. Splendid meal!

If you are planning to climb Mt. Pulag, wearing knitted long sleeves, a poncho and light weight jackets are really helpful. Wool socks is better and a heavy duty headlamp to light your way up the mountain. A pair of gloves is essential for climbing. You need to hold onto the grass as you climb the mountain to keep away from falling off the mountain. Water and trail food is a must too. I also tried the Habal- Habal experience for P100.00 only and it was really fun despite the steep mountain slopes and rocky road. Happy trails!