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| "Live mighty, live righteously. Takin' it easy" |
Aside from the more common route to OPeak via the bus to Dalaguete (Php 84 fare, with student discount) followed by habal-habal ride (Php 50 fare) to Mantalongon Market, there is a direct bus to Mantalongon Market. Apparently, this would mean less expenses since you won't be needing the habal-habal ride anymore. The Dalaguete Bus Terminal is located in the lone Caltex gas station in the Carbon Market area (consult Google Map for details). A bus is scheduled to leave every two hours (9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM). However, for this trip, we had to take the more common route previously mentioned because two Dalaguete bus drivers had to skip work to attend a town fiesta.
Pro-tip: Bring your student ID and present it to the bus conductor upon paying for your student discount.
The trip from Cebu City to Dalaguete lasted for around 2 hours (11 AM to 1 PM). We took a habal-habal from the highway to Mantalongon Market. There was a 30-minute delay on the way to Mantalongon Market because of an on-going road-clearing operation.
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| The "motorcade" right after the road was opened. |
Pro-tip: The habal-habal ride depends mainly on the balancing act of the driver and his passengers. It would be easier to balance if the heaviest passenger sat right behind the driver. One passenger may also be asked to sit right in front of the driver.
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| I took the frontseat of the habal-habal! Haha, awkwaaard. |
(For comments regarding the trek to the peak, please refer to previous blogs with links posted above)
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| We called these landforms as "nipple mountains". LOL |
The third time's the charm with Osmena Peak. The weather was favorable in the afternoon until early evening. It rained hard that night but our tents were able to protect us from the rain (whew, fortunately!). We selected the perfect spot to pitch our tents and proceeded to the peak to appreciate the sunset. My, was it a sight to behold!
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| Our spot had an overlooking view! |
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| #nofilter for this beauty |
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| My brother and I |
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| The sunset was really beautiful! |
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| Dusk. Notice how the cloud looked like an eagle. |
Nighttime came and the sky showed another lovely view with the moon and stars. Taking a photo of the night sky would not do it any justice; it's better to see it for yourself. It made me feel so little yet so grateful to be able to witness such beauty.
Pro-tips:
-For a minimal service fee (Php 20 or more), you can ask children to fetch clean water for your group. We paid Php 60 for 4 gallons of water.
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| These kids will offer their services to you on your way to OPeak. |
-You may have a small bonfire there also, although it's quite challenging to make one - emphasis on "small" since large bonfires are prohibited in the area.
-You may also cook your own food using a butane-powered burner. Otherwise, you'd have to bring your own cooked food for the camping.
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| Most welcome warmth from the bonfire |
High altitude means low temperature, so it would help to bring warm company with you. Hmm... OK, OK, an alternative would be to bring some booze with you; not too much to get you drunk but enough to make your insides warm. Best paired with stories for entertainment, since there is no internet or television in the mountain.
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| There were seven of us plus one guide for the trek and camping. |
It can get really cold at dawn so make sure to bring sweaters, socks, cap, gloves, and anything else that can keep you warm. The sunrise is difficult to see because of the thick fog in the area. Wake up early and break camp so that the trek down won't be so hot.
*Photos by Marian Ave Ibon and Ruel Olaso
Until the next adventure,
Dena
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| Highest praise to the Creator of all! |
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