Maybe it’s all the time I’ve been spending in nature lately that has catapulted me into this, but I’ve become increasingly interested in the idea of living off the earth, planting my own food, and eventually feeding many mouths from my crops. My parents have a garden, but it’s landscaped for decorative flora. When I was given the weekly task of mowing the lawn, I took it as a sign to start with my new project.
It’s been 6 weeks since my first visit to the nursery, where I bought my first seedlings: 2 different kinds of sili (chili,) eggplant, and avocado. Since then, I’d attempted to care for chives, a Malaysian chili plant, and most recently planted passion fruit seeds from my trip to the mountains, where I saw them crawling lazily on other tree trunks.
I joined a gardening forum I found online, and I’ve learned so much off the internet; but the best teacher has been every single day of sun and rain, observing what my plants like and don’t like. Unfortunately, I also learned the hard way, and that was watching some of my plants die. The biggest lesson so far has been to plant seeds and tiny seedlings in pots first. I think most of them drowned from the heavy rains, and I’m guessing my soil needs to be better prepped. I’ve been reading up on composting, and I love that it also functions as organic waste disposal.
Losing some of my plants was sad, but I don’t give up so easy. My eggplants, one chili, and avocado are thriving and are growing new buds every week. I’ve replanted some of my chili seeds in pots (instead of directly on a garden plot,) and some have grown into seedlings.
There is much to be learned, and I'm a willing tudent. Barely a month into it and I’ve already been rewarded with some fresh chives that I was able to share with my my two girlfriends. Best feeling.
The cover of the handbook features the author atop the Monolith, if I'm not mistaken
I got my copy of "Day Hikes and Nature Walks from Manila: Itineraries and Backpacking Notes" by Gideon Lasco. A friendcoordinated the order for 5 books, and we got free nationwide delivery.
Gideon Lasco is a licensed physician, and was apparently my sister's junior at PGH at one point. He is more popularly known as the Pinoy Mountaineer, and his blog at pinoymountaineer.com has becomemy #1 reference before hitting up the trails. His blog is not only extensive with details on altitude, difficulty, and trail class, but has beautiful descriptions of the terrain.
Sample pages and itinerary
The chapters are based on topography, like tropical rainforests or seascapes. Within these segments are lists of mountains or water forms, and each of those include short narratives that paint a picture of what to expect. Tips, sample itineraries, and sometimes estimated expenses are recorded as well. I wish I had gotten this sooner, because the rainy season has really put a damper on my hikes, literally and figuratively. For now, I'll have to read about the remaining summits on the lists, and wait for a perfect, sunny day to get back out there.
It was a Wednesday, and our first full day in Kauai. We planned a hike around the Waimea Canyon, and then have a peek at the Kalalau cliffs, one of the most beautiful and remote areas on the island. We knew we couldn't attempt to hike the latter trail, because it spans 11 miles and usually requires overnight camping; but we wanted to have a glimpse of it anyway.
The red, cream, and green layers of the Waimea Canyon
We had gone around the KΕke'e trails of Waimea, having gone as far as the Waipoo Falls, and were back on the road by 2:30 in the afternoon. By the time we got to the Kalalau Lookout though, the day had turned foggy and the entire range was covered by a sheet of white. For a tourist spot, there were hardly any people, possibly discouraged by the obscured view. Luckily, we met David, a quirky man sitting on a mat in the middle of the lookout, selling his own photographs of Hawaii and making bracelets, earrings, and necklaces from local seeds and stones. Aside from making good conversation (and entertaining us by sounding like Crush from Finding Nemo,) he tipped us off on an unofficial trail that may take us below the clouds, where we could hopefully see the Kalalau landscape. He vaguely pointed at a hedge to the side, and told us to try to be back before sundown.
David with his favorite whale photo
Did this mean it was forbidden?
The Kalepa Ridge Trail started beyond a padlocked chain-link fence, torn from its post, leaving a gaping hole just big enough for me to crouch through. It had very narrow paths, some did not appear well-trodden and led to drops. For most of the hike, we were walking along the edges of the cliff, keeping our weight toward the mountain to avoid falling off. Like many of the trails in Hawai'i, the vegetation was lush and varied, from fern, to wheat, and other shrubs I couldn't identify (and David said he knew of other 'happy weeds' that grew there, if you catch my drift.)
I could just about fit, and some of the barren branches kept snagging on my pants
The only trail where I saw wheat (?) growing in the mountains
On some parts of the trail, that excess brown earth was absent, so we were literally walking on the edge
My favorite part was when we suddenly found ourselves in an enclave of trees. The sun was just peeking through the canopy of foliage, bending outward and forming the most glorious halo. Coupled with the thick, white fog, it reminded me of those enchanted forests I used to read about in fairytales. We took a breather, as we had probably been walking for half an hour at that point, and only continued on after trying to capture the scenery many times on our phones' cameras. We went for a couple more kilometers, until we decided to turn back because it didn't appear that the clouds would thin; and since the trail was somewhat perilous, we didn't want to risk running out of sunlight.
Ethereal
When we were back at the lookout, I realized I had misplaced the sunglasses I borrowed from my friend, and I quickly recalled removing them to take a jump shot somewhere at the far end of the trail.
On principle, I volunteered to go back and get them on my own. I ran. I was doing good time, and had reached the beautiful clearing in less than 10 minutes, when two women emerged from the other end of the path. I don't normally make small talk, and I'm very awkward with strangers; so I surprised myself when I spurted, "This is my second time on this trail today, because I left my friend's sunglasses somewhere up ahead." They both smiled at me, then glanced somewhat incredulously at each other, and one of them said, "That's so funny..." while she reached back and pulled the very sunglasses from her pack. She said they picked it up thinking one of their friends had left it, as they frequent the place. We made our introductions, while gushing at the small twist of fate that saved me from searching pointlessly for the shades that were already in their possession. Considering how fast I was running along the trail, I could've easily zipped past them without making any contact; but I stopped and uncharacteristically initiated a chat and got the best ending I never would have expected. After thanking them profusely, I ran back to my friends, excited to tell them what just happened. I found them on the lawn, practicing some acroyoga, and they were surprised that I was back so quickly. I told them about the small miracle that just happened, and it made for a great story. Some time later, the two women stepped out of the fence, allowing me to introduce them to my friends. Turns out, they practiced acroyoga themselves, and we got to play with them before we parted ways.
Snow and Jen
Downward Dog Stack
It may seem like a small thing to some, but it was so significant to me because there was undeniably providence at work in those moments. Maybe we don't need to wait for miracles to happen to us, maybe we can make everyday miracles happen when we follow our instincts, do things out of our comfort zone, are thoughtful of others, and make new connections. Those were the things that turned a seemingly innocent, chance meeting into an extraordinary event. May you fill your week with miracles! One of the angels I met that day was Snow, and she is the founder of this great wellness movement called Wild Women's Way.
I've been back in Manila for a few weeks now, and I've been trying to sit down and write my stories, but it's so hard to start describing a trip that unexpectedly changed my life. Without getting into too much detail at the moment, I'll just share some of the things I've been up to since coming home - the product of an awakened sense of adventure, the longing to always be in nature, and the urge to share love and kindness to as many people as I can reach. During our time in Hawai'i, my travel twin, Celine, and I were initially so caught off guard that everywhere we went, the majority greeted everyone else with aloha. This word is popularly known to mean both "hello" and "goodbye;" but it became apparent that it was more than just a greeting, it's a culture. In a particularly moving, serendipitous meeting with a tribal leader during our stay in Kauai, we learned that alo means "to share the present/a presence face to face," and ha means the "breath of life." To say aloha to another acknowledges that we share this life and this world with every breath, and it is perhaps this thinking that is the root of their respect and compassion toward one another. I was struck by this one particular day, when we chanced upon a public school at the mouth of the woods. The campus is nestled by mountains, with its paths occasionally fenced in by small vegetable gardens that seemed to be tended by the school's attendees. We arrived at a busy time, at dismissal, with teachers and students hugging and saying goodbye to one another. Some were already pulling their cars out of parking, some were busy segregating garbage or gathering their bags (we later learned they had just arrived from a camping trip,) while others were just chatting and enjoying each others' company. Despite their business, most everyone greeted us with aloha as we passed through, and several children (the youngest to approach us looked about five) asked if we were lost, and offered information and help. I was positively floored by this treatment; and then immediately felt sad that those acts of kindness were jarring to me. What had I grown accustomed to? Shouldn't this be the norm?
Patches of vegetables and herbs to the left, and happy people to the right
Lucky we got lost here: teachers and students chatting before saying goodbye
This became food for thought for many days, and got me thinking about home. I pondered on aloha as a greeting, and searched for something similar in our language. Instantly, mabuhay came to mind, the word we tell foreigners to use to say hello (but don't use ourselves.) It was easy to see that both greetings focused on a common theme: life. I realized that our traditional (but neglected) greeting has an equally beautiful message: to say mabuhay could be a command to "Live!" or it could be a toast, "(Long) live!" Inspired by this, I told Celine that I'd start saying mabuhay to everyone when I get back to Manila (and she jokingly retorted that I might make it to the news for being a crazy balikbayan!) To cut the story short, both of us agreed that we want to ignite the same sense of community of love and kindness in our home islands... and where better to start than in the source of all life: nature. So, the Mabuhaykers was born, a portmanteau of mabuhay and hiking, the spontaneous merging of the things we love: nature and culture. We started planning trips between us, and invited some of our friends to come, and what an adventure we've had so far!
On all our trips, we've been trying to share our mission with our friends, and encourage them to say, "Mabuhay!" to greet people we come across. The responses have been varied, but all positive. Some assume that we're visitors to the country, and start responding to us in English; most reply with mabuhay as well. Filipinos are not used to "small talk," so some respond shyly, often others respond enthusiastically, but definitely all receive it happily. Isabuhay ang Mabuhay! Let's live and spread the spirit of Mabuhay! Love and kindness make little changes that matter. For more pictures, check out our albums on Facebook. Our rough itineraries and budgets are also posted on every event. Message if you wanna join us!
The late sunrises and cool evenings have come to pass. I don't know what the weather bureau has to say about it, but I think summer started on Monday. It's not so much the sun -- we have that all year round -- but the humidity feels like a sweater I can't remove. In this heat, all I do is daydream about being by the ocean. There, my body will match the brine, and I will float aimlessly... On Friday, I'm going to visit a friend in Hawai'i. We've been planning this trip together for months, listing down all we want to do, eat, and accomplish. Once we started making plans, I found it harder and harder to concentrate on my daily routine (thus, this extremely delayed post!) I think the anticipation of a vacation is one of the things that heighten the overall experience.
I love making plans, especially on my cute Kikki.K planner with stickers
The friend I'm staying with in Honolulu is a yogi, and she has prepared a pretty packed itinerary filled with the things I love most: food, nature, and fitness. She and her husband have also graciously included a trip to Kona and Kauai, after having mentioned that I'd never been and have always wanted to go. On top of my excitement to explore another side of the world, I'm looking forward to being in the company of two strong ladies I'm proud to call my friends. That in itself will make this a great vacation. I'm so grateful to have found people with the same thirst for adventure. By my next post, I should already be on another island, miles away from my beloved, native islands.So, so long, farewell, Manila! See you soon!
