Majestic Mt. Pinatubo: A beautiful disaster indeed! =)

The amazing view of Mount Pinatubo Crater Lake

How to get there:

02:30   Manila to Capas (Victory Liner, Genesis etc buses going Tarlac, Baguio or Dagupan)

04:30   Capas, Tarlac - ask to be dropped off either in McDonalds or Tarlac Public market 

            (there's a 7-Eleven store before the public market where you can have breakfast)

05:30   Take tricycle to Sta Juliana, Capas Tourism Office (it will be a cold 45 minutes ride; 

            you can ask the tricycle driver to stop by the Peniel Prayer Mountain)

07:45   From Sta. Juliana, start the one hour dusty and bumpy 4x4 ride while enjoying the 

            view; then trek for 2-3 hours going to Crater Lake

10:20   Lunch/snacks and picture taking at the Crater Lake

12:00   Start descent especially when rain starts 

02:45   Sta. Juliana (take a shower)

03:30   Side trip to Capas Shrine

04:15   Capas to Manila

09:30   Manila

Budget: At least Php3,000

Bus fare; back and forth - 344.00

Tricycle; back and forth with tour to Capas Shrine - 500.00

Capas Shrine Entrance - 50.00

Alvin's Guesthouse and Tours - 2,000 each for 2 persons (with free water, lunch and shower; they will also take charge of the registration, environmental fee payment etc.)

What to wear and bring:

sunblock + cap or bandana + sunglasses 

jacket with hood (preferably rainproof) 

shoes

water (500 ml bottle will do)

towel 

snacks/sandwich 

slippers (optional)

extra clothes - you will need to take a shower after descent 

extra money for the IPs and tour guide

A few reminders: (based on our experience)

• Be there as early as possible to reach the crater at around 10am and have a good view of the lake. It usually starts to drizzle during noon time. The locals call it 'ulang mayaman.' 
• You may go directly to the tourism office in Sta. Juliana if it is not a weekend/peak season. It would be much cheaper to pay for the registration and environmental fees personally and wait for the 4x4 ride. However, if many tourists are in line you can go to Alvin's Guesthouse and Tours. You can avoid the hassle of falling in line and waiting for a vacant 4x4 wheel drive. The guesthouse is just a few meters walk from the tourism office. 

• We have been told that walk-ins are not a priority of the tourism office. Many tourists have done their reservations and bookings. So if you haven't booked, you need to wait until the next 4x4 ride comes back. 

• Start trekking down when it starts to rain. 

• Always stay with your group.

• Be kind: 
• buy a bamboo stick sold by the Aeta children, you'll also need it during the trek
• give tip to your tour guide especially the Aetas - they have jogged for hours from Zambales to the jump off point in Tarlac to accommodate just a single group of tourists per day

A glimpse of the Pinatubo journey: 

The jump off point of tourists is in Tarlac and Mt. Pinatubo is located in Zambales which is four hours (1 hour ride and 3 hours trek) from Tarlac. 

The Peniel Prayer Mountain. Some tourists stay overnight in these houses donated by random people whose prayers were answered.

We were warned beforehand to hold on tight because we got lucky to be with the fastest driver. Indeed, he never failed to overtake all jeeps ahead of us. He was fast and furious. 

We were like on a race.

Our tour guide Alberto is an Aeta. Walking barefoot, he prefers to take off his slippers so it won't wear off easily. Alberto starts his jog late in the afternoon from his home in Zambales to reach Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac early morning the next day. He then falls in line along with other locals and waits for his cue to be the next guide who'll assist only one group of tourists for that whole day. 

Children were piling stones that served as their play houses and formed it in shapes of heart or circle. They never begged at tourists who passed by them. According to Alberto, most of the kids in the area don't go to school due to the proximity. A teacher would be lucky enough to even have one student.

My last shot of the Pinatubo Crater Lake. It started to drizzle at around 12 noon. Alberto and his tribe called it 'ulang mayaman.' Ulan means rain while mayaman means rich or wealthy. For me its an outpour of blessings. When asked why the term, he explained that it's because the rain shower is nonstop and continuously falls at the same rate throughout the afternoon or even until night. 

This is Kuya Jay, our tricycle driver who also served as a tourist guide. He knows a lot of Tarlac's history.

My travel buddy Charity and me =)