Trekking up the Eden that is Mount Pinatubo
Nobody prepared me for the stunning welcome when I finally reached the crater of Mt. Pinatubo one weekend in December 2009. The aquamarine lake water was cool and calm. The surroundings tranquil, but occasionally broken by excited cries of trekkers and mountaineers. The beauty of the lake, mesmerizing. Need I say more? Coming here is not really peanuts. I had to endure an hour-and-a-half ride on a 4 x 4, in addition to the 3 hour ride from Manila and pass through a wet desert where the sand or air dyes my black hair grey and worse, turn the strands into hard wires. The trek to Mount Pinatubo Crater begins at the Visitor Registration Center at Bgy. Santa Juliana in Capas, Tarlac. The registration process is a safety procedure and this is also necessary in order for the town to easily account visitors. After registering and paying for the tour guide and 4 x 4, the long, dusty ride begun. We passed by a bare, lahar-covered area. I learned later on from our guide that we were pass...