LA PRESA - CONFESSIONS OF A YOUNG TRAVELLER

I never thought I'd be interested with buses and planes when I was little, when I was seven or nine. I would be even more interested with socializing and playing, just across the neighborhood.

Because I vomit just after two hours riding in a bus, I never swore to myself I’d be this far, that I will one day be thinking of just traveling and making money and fortune, learning new things, having acquaintances and connections all over the world.

I was growing and my interests were changing. At thirteen, I decided to give music a chance to be given attention. Idolatry pushed me, Taylor Swift was the image behind all my liking to music. She was young and so I was, that's why, I have had to go with her life story as she lit me up.

Now I smell my Buddha Beads, I smell summer when I take a sniff at it. I was in Benguet Philippines then, the summer of '15 is unforgettable. And I was 18.

I was in a training for academic requirements for the whole summer of the year. It was about to end then, our internship at the Luzon Morning Sun in Baguio City, a newspaper publisher. I worked there as their feature writer. Our last day ended like this, we were given a treat by our editor-in-chief. We went to MT. KABUYAO AKA LA PRESA, where the slopes were treacherous but very very beautiful.

 Hi sir Sam Bautista! Hope you'll be reading this one day :)

He was kind enough to do that, it's like we were his kids and he did pay for all that had cost us.

In front of me were big mountains, a revelation of the boundaries of the earth. I wasn't in the Philippines for a while, I was daydreaming that I was completely out of the world.

The Sulfur Spring

I remember when we went to "Badekbek Sulfur Spring." If my buddha beads smelled like oldies' perfume, the spring smelled like egg that has been boiling for 3 days. The color was gray, boiling, ready to gobble me up, all the time I have been imagining myself in it. Oh-em-geee.

We stopped for few minutes, put the scenic spot of hot spring in our eyes, then made our way back to Baguio. That's when I vomited at the car. Just because every way back to the city was curvaceous!

Let's go back to "La Presa," originally Mt. Kabuyao. It was called La Presa after the hit PH Teleserye "Forevermore". Now try to imagine a gliding camera effect where you get to see, in a motion of slow and momentuous event, picture perfect mountains, like you're roaming around, sitting there, and smelling the green leaves of the pine trees, cool, fresh, and clean.

You couldn't wait for a moment where you see yourself in a photograph, and each night you ask yourself, all these beautiful creations stay there, naturally wild and attractive.

At least, that's what I experienced. You can't just make a film here, but you can make memory like a film and it's all movie. 

I have been trying to put story in everything I do, and in every time, I always try to make it a fairy tale, without a curse, I'm letting myself grow and mind bloom just blinking in the foggy morning at Benguet province. I said, "I want to have a place here."

The fire has been burning in my heart, the pleasure, overwhelmed by the monstrous cliffs of the mountains, I smile and realize I also am standing in a cliff viewed by an innocent child on the other side.

Sometimes, the blank area in the view is a full view of my dreams, I feel it with exciting dramas, extra different people, my passion in achieving a life that's happy and successful can never be left behind.

The people here are busy merchants. They are already rich, they live in an area that shows the slopes of the world, treacherous but not dangerous. Together, they take leap into advertising their products, I like what they do.

I could be careless and carefree, but art surrounds me, meaning, I will always see the bright side of what others might not understand.

Now I want to tell my readers, they could explore all they want, the world has so much to offer and the beauty is being held in our own eyes. How we see them is even more important than the actual picture our eyes see, it's how we see them from the heart. 

Please follow me on my IG, from @meaganmangoma to @chasingmeagan.

Thank you!

Add caption It's a road up there.

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 So near I can almost touch them!

 Foggy Pechay Plantation!

Me on a yellow shirt. Such a messy get up! LOL.

The Two Time Tagaytay Thrill

Once, I told myself to do travel on my own or at least have it only to those people close to me. As I started to live alone in the most improved city of my country, I started to realize what matters and what doesn’t. How to be happy in rough times. How to give advice to vulnerable and fragile people. And most importantly, how to share my being optimistic.

I was so eager to let all the ventures be experienced. Just at a short time, as I always was interested with the nature and addicted with wandering, I wanted more and more. Because I was young, I want to have all the time and opportunities in the world. And if you’re reading this, I know you re young or once was young, you know all these opportunities have come our way.

***First Round***

So here how it went, the first time I went to Tagaytay City was with my sister. I was October of 2016. We rode a bus going to Tagaytay, Olivarez Terminal through a DLTB. Co bus liner. Along with us was the cute white rabbit we named Grey. We put it in a bag, chopped carrots for it and got a little container for his water. The excitement is different if all things are for the first time. Fare going there is just php100.00 and upon getting off at the Olivarez terminal, you just have to ride a jeepney going to Picnic Grove or People's park. It's the same route.

As far as I remember, it was just a 15-minute ride. There's also an entrance fee of php100.00 and you can stay anywhere you want in the groves and enjoy the view of the historical Taal volcano. You can even try the zip line for a full panoramic eyebird's view of the nature. :)

It's not an expensive trip and it was totally worth it!

**The second round**

 I was with one of my best friends. It was the latter part of November and was a Saturday. We headed straight to Skyranch and it's still a month prior to Christmas yet the fog is already thick and almost all the roads appeared gray. It was cold and riding the Ferris wheel would be senseless for nothing will be seen. Lol.

We were as well with her sister who tagged with me all along like I was some kind of a map that if she'll be lost, it would only be me she'll ever have. HAHA!

I like that though. The ride on the bus is about 3 hours and so it is advised for every traveler from Manila to leave as early as possible ;)

It was already late night when we arrived in Manila and that moment when you needed to pee while on the road and there's no gas station stop over or anything that sounds like pee time? It's a bad bad feeling that I needed to endure it until we reached Manila.

Travel thoughts?

Well, everything makes sense when you learn a lot of things on your own and part of it would be from people around you, those who actually care and would let you discover yourself in the best way.

Those who learn from you and those who you also learn from and those who are actually making sense about life and expenses and good trips.

Life is short, money come and go. Yet it's still how much you keep and not how much you earn that counts. And cherishing every moment is never a waste of time, because time can never come back to you like you’re getting any younger but money? It can be wasted, but it sure will return, know how to take it back though.

Even if you're a travel savvy, make sure that you're doing it wisely. Otherwise, you'll be left with nothing.

Learning to commute and schedule the best time and take advantage of plane ticket discounts are very important. Knowing the highlights of the year for vacation seasons, in the chosen spots is highly required so you won't be battling for life (like for a space). Yes?

I hope this helps. And more updates on my adventures. Let's live life while we're young. Earn and save money. Earn moments and taste life like how it should taste for the moment and the present time.

Lastly, live for the moment for it will be left as a history tomorrow, already. So live the moment. And be responsible enough while living within your means.

Obviously, the Sky Ranch!

This was in Picnic Grove

A TREACHEROUS ENCOUNTER - MT. PAMITINAN, RIZAL

Mt. Pamitinan, Rizal, PH

**Nearest Sea of Clouds from Manila**

If you're on a cardio-vascular exercise, this is for you. But test first your endurance. Know how far you can go first. Knowing your capability is a must in this game.

**Don't be like me**

**5:30am**

We rode an FX (public vehicle) routed to Antipolo. They can be found under the Cubao MRT Station.

I went on a trek straight from a night shift work, it was 8:00am when we arrived at Antipolo and guess what, good thing that I did not stumble along the way. One advantage of being young. Funny part is, our guide to the mountains was the first one to give up. She was vomiting when we haven’t reached the half of th trail yet. LOL. So we sent her down the mountains instead. It was a two-hour trek. And there's a lot of people going down and up, it was traffic in the mountains that day.

**What's good about what I did**

We ate before we climbed. I packed a bottle of water. I wore a T.S. 1989 shirt with gray leggings, cheap gloves for the rocks, rubber shoes bought from a young mum, and a military green colored watch. I was far from being wounded. LOL. That’s so literary!

**The view**

It was a complete view of scattered greenery, mountains, a long river, the city from afar. And we were moving upwards, passing by and holding on rocks and trees using them as guide to treacherous slopes. Sadly, it was already late morning when we reached the peak. :(

But I spent this trek with two of my college mates. All of us had a good endurance going up straight and down for 4 hours in total so it was not a problem at all!

And of course, my body was all exhausted when I arrived in my room. Exactly what to expect when you haven’ slept at all, went to te mountains for a day hike, and eating just after arriving in the city.

I arrived at my dorm 2 hours after and still I was tired. I was, I guess, over fatigued. I only drank water, changed clothes, washed a bit, then slept until morning of Sunday.

**And I was so hungry I couldn’t go down the stairs straight**

Didn't imagine myself being hungry like that. But I stood up, shaking and really hungry, then ate and told everyone what I did the day before. To me, aside from posting on social media, everyone should also know I did something fun and exciting.

Travel thoughts?

It's always a great feeling, to share what you're doing and inspire others to do it too. Not the same way as yours, but their own way. :)

You can always take a photo with these rocks!

The bridge to Terrabithia. LOL. The bridge to the mountains!