Hello, Hive! Welcome once again to my blog. In this post, I will be continuing my personal account of our trekking adventure to Mt. Manunggal, one of the highest peaks on the island of Cebu, Philippines. This post is the 2nd part of my Making the Most of Mt. Manunggal Series. You can check out the first part through the link below. In the first part, I shared about our very tiring yet fulfilling trek towards the peak and campsite.
In this 2nd part, I will be showcasing the breathtaking views that we had while on top of the mountain. I'll also be sharing a little bit of history since the mountain is a location of a crash site that killed a beloved president. And lastly, I'll show you the mesmerizing sunset photos we had while we were on top of the viewing deck.
THE VIEWING DECK
When we arrived at the peak, the attendant asked us if we were going to the viewing deck. I was with my girlfriend and another friend, and it was our first time being in Mt. Manunggal. Of course, we said yes! They said that we could also set up our tents near the viewing deck.
We climbed further up and a tall green structure greeted us. There were still a lot of people on the top platform, so we set up our tents first and waited for the crowd to go down. After pitching our tents, we climbed up and the view that awaited us was superb!
Green and lush mountains surrounded us. Everywhere I looked, it was just green enveloping the rolling earth. We were in the middle of the island and I could see where the land ended and met the sea. I could make out the shipyard on the west side of Cebu and the other side, I could see the city plains where the buildings were concentrated.
Being on top of the viewing deck or any high altitude location makes you realize how wide and big the world is. And it's hypnotizing. I found myself just staring at the wide expanse of the beautiful natural creation around me.
I believe we were around 1000 MASL. I could look up and see the clouds so near. I overheard someone saying, "Singko nalay plete, langit na." That means, pay 5 pesos (Philippine money) and you'll be in heaven. Indeed, being so close to the huge and fast-moving clouds, you'd think you can reach the heavens.
BEING SMOTHERED BY THE CLOUDS
I mentioned in part 1 that the weather in Mt. Mangunggal is quite unpredictable. One moment, we were enjoying the view on top of the viewing deck and the next moment, the clouds were moving and covering everything. We couldn't see the mountains anymore and the air became colder.
I thought it was so cool that we were surrounded by the clouds. Everything was white! It reminded me of the time when I was in Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines. For someone who has spent most of his life in the city, seeing the fog and clouds up close is always a delightful experience.
I think there was a drizzle when the clouds surrounded us and I feared it would rain hard. But again, after a few minutes, the cloudy and gloomy scenario changed all of a sudden. The clouds were moving fast and you could see the bright sun just behind them.
AND THEN EVERYTHING WAS BRIGHT AND CLEAR!
Just like magic, everything went bright and clear, even clearer than what we witnessed earlier before the clouds took over. And it was even more beautiful! It was during this time that I was able to take the best photos. The lighting was just perfect and the sky was so blue. The sun was shining so bright that you could hardly look at it. But it didn't matter because everywhere else you looked, the view was breathtaking.
More people had arrived and went up to the viewing deck. We did not want to be around so many people because we were wary of the virus. We were still unvaccinated during that time. We decided to go down and check out the other places in the area. But before we went down, I took some more photos from the lower platform of the viewing deck.
GOING DOWN TO A FAMOUS CRASH SITE
I mentioned Baguio earlier. Mt. Manunggal actually claims to be the Baguio de (of) Cebu. Now I know why. I witnessed it firsthand. Aside from being popular for the elevation and the campsite, Mt. Manunggal is infamous because it's a location of a plane crash that killed a president.
We asked the local guides for directions on how to get to the crash site. Someone had told us to follow the path behind a building. He said the crash site and monument were just behind it. We followed the descending path and after a few meters, we decided to go back because we thought we were going the wrong way. The guide told us the crash site would just be 'behind' the building.
We asked another person and he told us it was still further down about 200 steps. We were going the right way after all! We returned to the path and there were footpaths lined along the trail. I tried to count how many footpaths we walked on but I lost count and decided to focus on where my steps landed. At last, we reached the crash site or what remained of it. There was a cross and below it, a portion of the plane's engine was cemented. The name of the aircraft was Mt. Pinatubo. Around the monument, there were names of the people that perished during the crash written on the concrete.
We knew there was another monument, the one with the bust of Ramon Magsaysay, the president who died in the crash. We went further down the trail and we saw a clearing. In the middle of it, there was the monument of Magsaysay. I remember memorizing his face during elementary school in preparation for an exam for our Civics class. The bust really resembled the pictures in the books. Magsaysay was famous for being pro-poor. He was referred to as the champion of the masses. What happened to him was very unfortunate. From what I've read, the plane crashed because of a broken part in the plane.
ENJOYING THE SUNSET
The sun was setting low and one of the things we were looking forward to was witnessing the sunset on the viewing deck. So we made our way back to the campsite and the viewing deck. By the time we climbed back up the viewing deck, the sun was nearing the western horizon. Honestly, I expected a lot from that sunset. Unfortunately, clouds started to gather around the sun, and they covered the sun while it was setting down the sea.
I was a bit disappointed because of how the clouds got in the way of the sunset. But the sight was still glorious. A sea of clouds was covering the mountains over the west side and how I wished I could get a closer look at it.
The sky was getting darker and the colors all around us became softer. The clouds were illuminated with the orange light from the setting sun. We played around by imagining what the clouds looked like. I remember seeing a dog, a monkey, a dragon, and a baby. And then it became too dark. We decided to go down for dinner.
After having dinner, we bought some beer from the store and brought them to the viewing deck. We watched a movie on my phone. It was a romantic comedy. I think it was the 3rd part of P.S. I love you. We enjoyed our movie under the stars and night sky while shielding our bodies from being battered by the chilling winds. After watching the movie, we stayed a bit longer and just reveled in the peace and calm after such a loaded day.
FOR PART THREE: ON TOP OF THE ROCK FORMATIONS
Our adventure is not over! In the next part, I will be sharing with you the activities that we did after spending the night at Mt. Manunggal. We trekked to the famous peak of the rock formations.
That's it for now! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed reading my post. I've been itching to travel again but I am so fortunate to relive my travels by writing about them here. Be sure to check out more of my travel blogs. There are still a lot of them coming up. See you in the next one. Cheers!
