Chasing Waterfalls in Iligan City

In late 2012, I scheduled a hiking trip to Limunsudan Falls in Rogongon, Lanao Del Norte. It was supposed to be a two-day trek to the secluded and rarely-visited falls. Plans changed as national elections neared. Just to be on the safe side, we decided to visit the more accessible waterfalls of Iligan City instead. The trek was supposed to be a sidetrip anyway since our main purpose in flying to Cagayan De Oro, the airport nearest to Iligan, was to join my side of the family in our yearly camping trip, usually done during the Holy Week in my mother's hometown of Initao, Misamis Oriental.

During our two-day trip to Iligan City, we visited Mimbalut Falls, Tinago Falls, and Maria Cristina Falls. Some say all three can be seen in a day but we decided to take our time and enjoy nature's wonders, the people, the food, the feel of Iligan City at a more relaxed pace.

Gianne's Scrapbook of our North Luzon Road Trip

The trip was the first time my father was to return to his roots after more than 20 years. We were to visit his sister (my auntie) and see some of the historical, cultural, and tourist sites of Ilocos in Northern Luzon. There was no fixed itinerary, we just went where the wheels and our gut took us, but here's how our schedule went:

Day 1: Drove to Baguio City.
Day 2: Drove northwest from Baguio City to Marcos, Ilocos Norte. Spent the night at auntie's.
Day 3: Headed to the northernmost end of Ilocos Norte, then northeast towards Cagayan, and southbound to Isabela. Spent the night in Ilagan, Isabela.
Day 4. Drove to Santiago, Isabela to see my father's other siblings. Drove back to Manila.

On that weekend, my daughter Gianne, then 6 years old, was supposed to go on a field trip with the rest of her kindergarten class, but we had to take this rare chance to drive to my father's birthplace in Ilocos Norte which meant she had to skip the field trip. To make up for it, we decided to make this scrapbook.

Facebook Rules for my Tween

Despite Facebook's popularity especially among kids and teens, my hubby and I have maintained our rule not to let our kid, Gianne, have an FB account. We believe that the internet is not a very safe place for young kids. But while she was in 7th Grade last school year, it seemed like she was the only one among her peers who did not have an FB account. And since she was studying in a Science high school, her academic load has grown heavier and she needed all the support she can get in making the load easier. So we made a compromise. She was allowed to have an FB account, but only I knew the password. And with it was the promise for me to never pretend to be her while on FB because that would be dishonest (and that would be identity theft). 

So with the creation of her Facebook account, I gave her some rules to follow. So far, she has been trusting when it comes to the rules I set and she follows them knowing that there's logic behind it. Yes, for her to follow a rule, it has to be logical to begin with. As with any parent-child relationship, some rules may not work for all kids; they're just based on what works between the particular parent and the child, and in this case, us. This is still a work in progress and can be revised as the need arises. 

The Year that was 2012

So what happened in 2012? The world did not end, the skies did not fall, and life went on as usual. It was a good year. It was a year of many small blessings, simple joys. It still brought its share of frustration and sleep deprivation, but 2012 was also a year of achievements, fun, and adventure. God is good... all the time.

The year started as usual, but it was probably the most lethargic New Year's Eve celebration we ever had- we had a hearty family dinner with extended family members, then we each found our places on the couch, went to sleep, and woke up as the fireworks were about to start. We joined in by lighting our Dragon fountains, sparklers, and fireworks with a prayer for another round of blessings in 2012.

Gianne Graduates from Elementary School
This was the year our daughter, Gianne, finished primary school and went to high school. She was aiming to qualify for two science high schools- Makati Science High School (MakSci) and Manila Science High School (MaSci). During the school year, Gianne had been busy with school work making sure she had the required minimum grade to qualify for the entrance exams, and at the same time she had to make time to review for the tests.

Exam results came out during the first quarter of the year. I was ecstatic to find that she qualified for both schools! Since she was the first in her school to qualify for these Science high schools, her school made a congratulatory poster of her and displayed it during graduation:

Proud parent moment

Wearing her two medals: Honorable Mention and Writer of the Year

Summer
Summer was spent mostly at home doing chores and working on my struggling "business venture." Since I did not have househelp, life revolved around chores, occasional outdoor trips, my favorite halo-halo bought from the corner store, errands, and more chores, and more errands. As has been the trend, the temperature seemed to get higher every year. There were days when I was just completely unproductive as I refused to leave the comfort of a soft couch and a fan on full blast.

Mt Batulao on a Sunny Day

I consider myself lucky for having been able to climb Mt Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas both in rainy and sunny weather. Mt Batulao's rolling trail is mostly open and exposed. Closer to the summit are grasslands on its flowing slopes, while in the lower hills are farmlands tilled by the local farmers. 

On beautiful sunny weather, the trail can be hot and scorching. The cool Tagaytay wind makes up for the heat but it's enough to give anyone a nice tan. On rainy days, the trail gets terribly muddy because the same lower part of the trail is used by farmers in transporting their produce on horseback. While the higher parts of the trail are not frequented by livestock, certain parts are steep and can be very slippery.

For this hiking destination, I decided to make two blog entries- one for the rainy hike, and another for the sunny day. Rain or shine, Mt Batulao is always worth the trip.

View from the trail

In October of last year, hubby and I decided to take two American friends, a newlywed couple, on a quick dayhike in Mt Batulao. It was sort of a double date and a chance for us to show them our neck of the woods since both hubby and I grew up near the Tagaytay area. Mt Batulao was a perfect destination for us since after a quick hike, we could also do some sightseeing and go on a quick food trip in Tagaytay City.