Tatlong Krus and Matabuncca Falls

Paete, Province of Laguna
30 October 2016

Few weeks since our Mt. Makiling climb, we were longing to set our feet on a new trail for another adventure once again.

We had been planning to see the "Tatlong Krus" (three crosses) atop a mountain called Mt. Humarap (a part of Sierra Madre mountain range) in a village called Paete in the province of Laguna. Though it remained a plan for quite sometime, finally it turned into reality on a long weekend.

We were five - Myra, Bags, Louise, Jeannie and myself. We left Paranaque at 0705H and headed on to South via SLEX. It was a gloomy morning but the surroundings were dry. 

Along the way, we were pranking not to have a breakfast at Delifrance Shell along SLEX to avoid "unwanted events" from happening along the trail, which we had experienced in our past escapades after having breakfast at the said eatery. To cut the long story short, we had our breakfast at Delifrance as our cravings could not resist the tasty menus.

The restaurant was full at that time. I was thinking that maybe most of the customers were travelers, who were escaping the bustling city for a holiday somewhere down south. After patiently waiting for almost 20 minutes, we finally had our breakfast at 0833H.

According to Google Maps, the town of Paete is approximately 111KM away from Paranaque City and a 3H drive on private vehicle.

After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, we resumed our journey to our destination at 0854H. As expected, traffic along SLEX was quite heavy due to the high volume of vehicles moving to the south. We exited at Sto. Tomas and continued driving south passing through Los Banos, Victoria, Pila, Sta. Cruz, Pagsanjan and finally Paete.

The town of Paete, according to Wikipedia, is a fourth class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 23,523 people. The town, is located at the north-eastern part of Laguna, along the shores of picturesque Laguna de Bay. It was founded in 1580 by Spanish friars Juan de Plasencia and Diego de Oropesa of the Franciscan Order. It is believed that the earliest inhabitants were of Malay lineage, coming all the way from Borneo in their swift and sturdy boats called "Balangay".

In addition, Paete is well know for wood carvings so much so that it was called the "Carving Capital" of the Philippines.

At the town proper, we were informed that there is a road for cars that leads to the Tatlong Krus, similar to the road that leads to the peak of Gulugud Baboy in Batangas. The entrance of the road is at Longos.

One thing that surprised me while moving around the town looking for a parking space was the compactness of the village. Commercial and residential buildings were already occupying the supposedly shoulder lane of the highway. Nevertheless, it made me feel cozy.

We parked at the town plaza opposite the old church and the town hall. While parking, we were approached by a man who offered to guide us for the trek to Tatlong Krus.

The Talong Krus can actually be seen from the town plaza. Before starting the trek, I had a chance to move around the church for a few snapshots.

It was a Sunday and a mass was about to start at that time. We were lucky to see the priest at the entrance of the church and asked for a blessing.

The Saint James the Apostle Parish Church also known as Santiago Apostol Parish Church, Saint James the Great Parish Church or commonly known as Paete Church is the only Roman Catholic church in town. Its patron saint is Saint James the Apostle and his feast is celebrated every 25 July.

The church is known for its huge and exqusite collection of images depicting the Passion of Christ, its century-old paintings and wooden images of saints (or poon). The current parish priest is Reverend Father Noel B. Conopio.

Construction of the present church building started in 1864, according to the church administrator.

We started our ascent to Tatlong Krus at 1210H. The jump-off point is actually at the center of the town. We snaked through narrow streets towards the trail that leads to the Tatlong Krus.

The trail is very well organized. In fact, it is actually a winding narrow concrete stairs in the middle of a lush-green and rocky mountain slopes.

From the start of the trail, I counted 298 steps to another trail that leads to the Matabuncca Falls. At the fork, there is a concrete shed and a cool potable water coming from the waterfalls stream.

We resumed trekking at 1256H. From the concrete shed, I counted another 712 steps to the Tatlong Krus. 

 

 

 

We were at the site at 1337H. The three crosses, which are made of concrete used to be wooden crosses, according to our guide. At the area, there are few settlements.

Standing infront of the crosses provides a stunning view of the Laguna de Bay and the town of Paete down below.

After enjoying the place, we started our descent at 1505H and headed on to Matabuncca Falls.

At 1540H, we reached the Matabuncca Falls and it started to rain. As a result, the water coming from the Waterfalls turned murky. The Waterfalls is around 22 meters high.

We were back at the plaza at 1625H and tidy up. There was a last anticipated mass for the day at 1800H which we decided to attend before driving back to Manila.

While waiting for the mass, we had a chance to move around the town to see some souvenirs and wooden sculptures.

We found a nice Coffee and Gallery shop while hopping from store to store. I was personally touched by the warm welcome of the shop owner. The place is nice and cozy.

The architecture of the place resembled a colonial house mostly seen in the Ilocos provinces with sliding windows made of polished capiz shells and colored glass providing a relaxed and yet warm ambiance of the place.

We left Paete at 1928H and while on our way back to Manila, decided to satisfy our cravings and rewarded ourselves with crispy bagnet.

-o0o-

Indonesian Volcanoes that Captured my Heart

Exploring the Volcanoes of Indonesia

Gunung Tangkuban Parahu

Bandung, West Java

October 26, 2012

Full story

It was a rainy season in Indonesia when I explored Gunung Tangkuban Parahu. 

Crater Rim

Tangkuhan Oarahu has three craters - Kawah Ratu ("Queen Crater"), Kawah Domas ("Domas Crater"), and Kawah Upas ("Upas Crater"). Ratu crater is the bigger crater and possibly, the main crater of the volcano. 

I was fascinated by the boiling mud inside the crater and the white smoke coming out from the vents. The local government installed a wooden fence for safety.

Ratu Crater

From the Ratu crater, we descended a few meters and reached the entrance gate leading to the Domas crater. To see the Domas crater, we did a short trek along a well maintained trail. A local guide was assisting us.

Domas Crater

The Domas crater consists of several smaller craters. I enjoyed boiling Chicken eggs on the boiling water coming out of the volcano.

Dieng Plateau, Sikidang Crater

Dieng Kulon, Batur, Banjarnegara, Central Java, Indonesia

March 27, 2013

Full story

Sikidang Boiling Mud Pond

It was summer time in Indonesia when I visited Central Java to see World Heritage Sites - Borobudur and Prambanan Temples. I happened to see the active Sikidang Crater during this trip and explored the area.

The Sikidang Crater is a boiling mud pond with billowing white sulfur smoke. to have a better view of crater, I had to climb a hill beside the boil pond of mud.

Gunung Rinjani

West Nusa Tenggara, Lombok

June 29, 2013

Full story

I traveled to the island of Lombok to see the second highest active volcano in Indonesia, Gunung Rinjani. It was a hot month of June.

Summit

Gunung Rinjani has an elevation of 3,726 MASL. To reach the summit, I had to camp near the crater rim and climbed up the highest point of the crater rim the following day. 

We started the summit assault at around 0300H. This is the most challenging part of the trek. The first part of the trail is a steep climb on loose rocks. At around 0400H, we reached the upper crater rim leading to the summit. 

Massive Crater of Mt. Rinjani overlooking "Segara Anak" and "Gunung Baru" 

Rinjani Caldera

We reached the summit at 0700H. The view of the caldera from the summit is so majestic. Indonesians call it Segara Anak (Child of the Sea) because of the blue-green color of the lake and the new volcano that formed inside the caldera reminded me of Mt. Mayon and Taal Volcano. Indonesians call it "Gunung Baru" (New Mountain).

Gunung Ijen

Banyuwangi Regency of East Java, Indonesia

April 15, 2014

Full story

I was at the Eastern Java in Indonesia to explore Gunung Ijen.

Inside the Crater

This volcano is famous for its sulfur mines and the blue flames coming out of the volcano vents.

From my accommodation, we drove to the jump-off point for an hour on a 4x4 vehicle and we arrived at the jump-off point at 0200H. 

Together with few hikers, we started trekking Gunung Ijen at 0230H. The trail is nice. One of the highlights of this trek was the sulfur miners carrying atleast 4 heavy blocks of natural sulfur from inside the crater of the volcano. 

Sulfur Mines

We arrived at the bottom of the crater at 0425H. It was still dark and I was amazed by something inside the crater that I had never seen before from any of my past volcano explorations.

Blue Flames

According to Alyn, the flames are actually very hot sulfur gas coming out of the volcano active vents. 

Gunung Bromo

East Java‎, Indonesia

April 16, 2014

Full story

Gunung Bromo has a look-a-like in the Philippines. It's Taal Volcano less the water on the lake.

Viewing Deck

Bromo could be one of the mostly visited volcanoes in Indonesia because of the scenic view of the crater complex. 

We arrived at the viewing deck at 0500H and waited for the sunrise. A sea of cloud covered the caldera and slowly disappeared giving way to the sunrise. 

Bromo Caldera

It was so amazing. I was just like watching a nice stage play that started with the opening of the stage curtain.

Bromo Crater

We started trekking the crater wall of Gunung Bromo at 0900H. The trail of volcanic dust reminded me of Gunung Rinjani.

Gunung Kelimutu

East Nusa Tenggara, Flores

October 02, 2016

Full story

This volcano has three craters, just like Gunung Tangkuban Parahu. But the unique thing about Kelimutu is the changing color of the crater lakes.

Western Crater

Furthermore, the crater lakes of Kilimutu are almost adjacent to each other and therefore easier to explore.

The two crater lakes at the eastern side of the volcano were both in Green color at that time. Locals said, these crater lakes were usually in Blue and Red colors. While the remaining crater lake at the western side of the volcano is in dark Blue color. usually, it was Black according to Alyn.

Eastern Crater Lakes

At 0945H, we proceeded to the crater rim of the two crater lakes and there I saw the full magnificence of the two craters closely. I enjoyed taking few shots in between the two eastern craters and created a panorama of both craters.

-o0o-

Exploring Mt. Kelimutu

Moni, Central Flores, Indonesia
October 01 - 03, 2016

The last time I explored the wonderful islands of Indonesia was when I climbed the majestic Gunung Rinjani in the Island of Lombok. For more than three years since, I was again ready to wander in the wonderful islands of Indonesia and to see another volcano.

There are many volcanoes in Indonesia, in fact, according to experts, most of the active volcanoes in the world today can be found in this country. For quite sometime, I had been planning to visit Indonesia again to see a special volcano.

This particular volcano is special because it is unique from any other volcano that I had explored in the past. There are two things that made this volcano unique for me. First, this volcano has not one but three unique craters and second, these craters are changing colors regularly, according to the locals.

Aerial View of Mt. Kelimutu
(Image source: https://feel-planet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kelimutu.jpg)

Finally, after careful planning and close coordination with a friend in Indonesia, once again, I had another unforgettable adventure exploring an active volcano overseas.

"Gunung" in the Indonesian language means mountain. Gunung Kelimutu is a unique volcano with three crater lakes of varying colors. According to the tourism office in Indonesia, Kelimutu (pronounced [keli'mutu]) is a volcano close to the small town of Moni in central Flores island in Indonesia.

The volcano is around 50 km to the east of Ende, Indonesia, the capital of Ende regency in East Nusa Tenggara province.

Gunung Kelimutu rise to an elevation of 1,639 MASL. Each of its three crater lakes are called differently by the locals.

Tiwu Ata Bupu

Tiwu Ata Bupu (Lake of Old People) is usually blue and is the westernmost of the three lakes.

Tiwu Ko'o Fai Nuwa Muri

On the eastern side of the volcano, the first crater is called Tiwu Ko'o Fai Nuwa Muri (Lake of Young Men and Maidens).

Tiwu Ata Polo

Tiwu Ata Polo (Bewitched or Enchanted Lake) is another crater at the eastern side of the volcano and separated with Tiwu Ko'o Fai Nuwa Muri by a shared crater wall and are typically green or red respectively. 

The lake colors vary on a periodic basis. Subaqueous fumaroles are the probable cause of active upwelling that occurs at the two eastern lakes.

Eastern Craters

According to volcanologists, the lakes have been a source of minor phreatic eruptions in historical time. The summit of the compound 1639-m-high Kelimutu volcano is elongated two km in a WNW-ESE direction; the older cones of Kelido and Kelibara are located respectively three km to the north and two km to the south. The scenic lakes are a popular tourist destination.

Kelimutu is also of interest to geologists because the three lakes have different colors yet are at the crest of the same volcano. According to Kelimutu National Park officials, the colour changes as a result of chemical reactions resulting from the minerals contained in the lake perhaps triggered by volcano gas activity.

DAY 1: Travel to Indonesia

I left Manila at 0400H onboard a flight bound for Denpasar (Bali) and landed at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali at 0750H. Immediately after my arrival, I met an old friend Mr. Alyn at the domestic airport. We were both set to travel to Maumere Airport in the island of Flores at 1125H.

We left Bali International Airport at 1125H and boarded a flight bound for Maumere. Travel time from Bali to Maumere at approximately 2H. I was reminded by the chartered plane that brought me to Batanes in the Philippines looking at the plane that brought us to Maumere.

 

At 1315H, we landed at Maumere Airport and we met Edy who accompanied us to Moni, the nearest place to Gunung Kelimutu. Onboard Edy's car, we left the airport and headed on to Moni. Along the way, we decided to have a lunch at Ikab Bakar Suroboyo. This is the equivalent of "Turo-Turo" eatery in Manila.

 

After lunch before finally departing for Moni, Edy suggested that we drop by his place to pick some mangoes. It was the fruit season in Indonesia at that time. I enjoyed the sweet taste of the ripe apple mango from the mango tree at the backyard of Edy's home.

The people of Flores are predominantly Roman Catholic. According to Alyn, the Portuguese brought the faith to the people in the island several hundred years ago. As such, it was not surprising to see churches all over Flores. 

We had a chance to see one along our way to Moni. The church, according to Alyn was built in the late 18th century.

 

Upon entering the church, I immediately noticed the spectacular display of wooden trusses, beams and columns. According to the church care taker, the present church walls, columns and trusses are still the original ones.

It was only the roof that had been changed. Just like the baroque churches of the Philippines, Indonesian catholic churches have their own architectural design that is uniquely Indonesian.

Beside the church, there was a demonstration of the making of the native cloth in Flores. I was reminded of the "Inabel" the native Ilocano cloth and the "Tinalak" in Mindanao. 

 

The process is quite the same as the process in making "Inabel" but instead of using nylon or abaca thread, the thread is created out of cotton from a tree and then designed and finally colored with a pigment from plant roots.

 

It took us almost four hours to reach Moni on a winding road through the mountains and dense forests. We reached the town past 1825H.

I checked in at a lodge perched on a hill overlooking the highway from Maumere. Alyn and I had a sumptuous dinner together. 

 

Lights out at 1000H and prepared to explore the crater lakes of Gunung Kelimutu the following day.

DAY 2: Explore Kelimutu

I woke up at 0300H and prepared to explore Mt. Kelimutu. Alyn picked me up from the lodge at 0430H and then we drove to the jump-off point.

 

Gunung Kelimutu is a National Park in Indonesia. From the jump-off point, it took us 25 minutes to reach the summit of the volcano.

The trail going to the volcano summit is very well maintained. There are also signs along the trail that points to the summit to guide tourists.

 

At the highest point of the volcano, a concrete viewing deck was installed by the park authorities.

We were a bit early hoping to see the sunrise, however, it turned out cloudy at that time and so we missed the actual sunrise.

Though it was still quite dark when we reached the summit, I started to get amazed as the crater lakes started to appear slowly. The two lakes at the eastern side of the volcano became visible first. It was in Green color while the remaining crater lake at the western side of the volcano was still covered with clouds at that time.

Alyn and I had to wait for nearly four hours to get a complete clearing and to see the full magnificence of the three crater lakes.

It was 0920H when we had a very clear view of the three crater lakes. I was completely amazed.

The two crater lakes at the eastern side of the volcano were both in Green color at that time. Locals said, these crater lakes were usually in Blue and Red colors. While the remaining crater lake at the western side of the volcano is in dark Blue color. usually, it was Black according to Alyn.

At 0945H, we proceeded to the crater rim of the two crater lakes and there I saw the full magnificence of the two craters closely.

I enjoyed taking few shots in between the two eastern craters and created a panorama of both craters.

At 1010H, we left Gunung Kelimutu and drove back to the lodge and prepared to leave Moni and traveled back to Maumere.

We finally left Moni at 1123H and headed back to Maumere.

Along the way, we visited a white sand beach called "Sikka Beach". At the beach, we had a bite of a fried Banana, similar to "Toron" in the Philippines.

 

At 1506H, we were back at Maumere and had a lunch at "Surya Minang" where I had my regular fried chicken favorite.

After lunch, I checked in at a hotel few minutes away from Maumere airport and then we had our dinner at "Bunaken" at 1930H.

 

Lights out at 2330H.

DAY 3: Travel back to Manila

We left Maumere and traveled back to Bali at 0825H. Alyn took a domestic flight from Bali to Lombok while I took a flight bound for Singapore and then Manila.

It was another memorable adventure in Indonesia.

Terima Kasih!

--o0o--