Zipping away in Balungao

Work and leisure combined

What I love the most about my course—mass communications—is the privilege to roll work and leisure into one. It never bores me as it does not follow a routine, although the demanding and shifting and popping-out-of-nowhere schedules burn me out at times.

My latest work-and-leisure combo was the taping of my segment on August 16 and 17 for the talk show we are producing this semester for the subject radio and television production, and directing. My segment’s location? The marvellous inactive volcano, Mt. Balungao, in Balungao, Pangasinan, about 25 kilometers (forgive me for my indefinite calculation) southeast of Dagupan City. Since I used public transport system, and transferred from a bus to a jeepney to another jeepney and finally, to a tricycle from Dagupan, through Calasiao, Sta. Barbara, Urdaneta City, Villasis and Rosales, it took me almost four hours to reach Balungao. If you have your service, travel time will be cut down to roughly two and a half hours.

My destination, Balungao Hot and Cold Springs Resort, sits on Mt. Balungao which stands 382 meters above sea level. Too bad I did not climb to the peak, but I will when I go back there. My interview with Mr. Gerry Acosta, the tourism officer of Balungao, revealed that the mountain was the usual rendezvous of Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini for strategic planning during the Spanish colonization.

I was with my usual gang—my bestfriend Anissa, Will, Jane and Al. Among the four, only Will is my classmate in the subject. Anissa graduated from the same course this year, and the other two finished the subject two semesters before. But, I had all of them with me because I wanted to share with them the experience on and the wonders of this tourist destination.

Upon our touchdown on the municipality of Balungao, we rode on a tricycle to finally reach the mountain. We, however, did not expect that the ride up the resort would cost us P150. Since we were cutting costs, we decided to just pay P80 and alight at the foot of Mt. Balungao. That meant we had to walk about a kilometer to the resort and endure the strong gravitational pull. Good thing, my weight was not as much a burden as that of my friends, if you know what I mean. Hehe

The entrance to the mountain greeted us with lush green landscape and picturesque scenery. Halfway, the up close view of the well-preserved mountain caught us in undeniable awe and gave us extra strength to move our aching feet.

During the tiresome walk, we were looking forward to a sumptuous meal upon arrival. We, however, were dismayed to discover that there wasn’t enough available food at the resort. No cooked rice, no viands, no nothing; just cup noodles and some loaves of bread. Our mistake was we did not anticipate that and didn’t buy our own food in the town proper. Thank God there were good souls at the resort whom we requested to buy and cook some food for us.

Upon arrival at 4 pm, we put our baggage down in the room reserved for us and rested for a while before we went to the pool side to try out the hot and cold springs.

The Jacuzzi is filled with hot water coming from beneath the ground and is replaced every day. It is high in sulfuric content known to cure illnesses. The five-foot deep pool is also filled with water coming from the mountain, although it is treated with chlorine.

After a long day spent on the road, we laid ourselves to sleep in the air conditioned-room to gather energy for our extreme adventure.

The next day was more fun-filled as we tried out ATV (all terrain vehicle) driving and the famous zipline.

The ATV has no gear shift, so it won’t rattle you while driving. Also, the accelerator is easier to control since you just have to push a lever below the right handle. But, of course, you’ve got to release it before gripping the break lest you send the whole thing tumbling over.

We drove along the path we took to the resort the day before.

With a height of 80 meters, this is where the adventure starts.

The best part of the day was the zipline experience. I have to admit, though, that it made me so nervous my heart was beating in fast rhythm. Zipping away on the 620-meter steel cable was what I was most excited about during my Balungao escapade. While gearing up with the harness, I was imagining myself flying in the air and savoring the dancing wind over the scenic view below. I thought it was that simple. You set yourself in position, say I am ready, and off you go advancing to the landing pad, and that’s it. Heck, no. Not until it was my turn. I chose the superman position, so I had to be attached to the cable face down, 80 meters above the ground.

Signing the waiver.

Gearing up for a wonderful adventure.

We just got marked.

I was expecting that I would be set in position while still on the pad, but no, I was put on the edge. I had to hold onto the cable before they would set me in position. That moment sent my heart racing so fast it took me about 20 seconds before I let go of the cable. My body went rigid when I saw the view below from way up high. I’m not afraid of heights; I just had that feeling that when I loosened my grip on the cable, I would fall. My self soothing instinct kicked in and I reassured myself that I was safely harnessed. I manifested my attitude of not trusting too easily again. What made me more uncomfortable was the camera I was holding. I was afraid it might slip out of my hand. In less than five seconds since I was set in position, without even giving me a signal, I was accelerating.

The ride lasted for a minute. When I arrived on the landing pad, I found myself staring blankly somewhere, my knees trembling, and my heart still racing in immeasurable speed. It did freak me out, but I wouldn’t say no to a take two.

With Balungao's tourism officer, Mr. Gerry Acosta.

I just realized that it was my first time to try out something that extreme. The experience makes me think: Will bungee jumping and sky diving freak me out just the same? I damn hope not.

The talkshow titled "Now Trending," for which this segment has been produced, will be aired on a local cable TV network in October.

#4: Strolling at the beach

Little pleasure in an open space

The first time I went to a beach was in third grade. It was in Subic. That was also the first time I got fascinated with the sun’s beautiful reflection on the sea. The sound of the waves at night was melody to my ears.

Since then, I had always wished I would find myself on the beach again, wherever there might be.

Destiny had its own way of granting my wish—although I didn’t like it entirely at first. In 2005, for some reason, we moved from Antipolo City to Lingayen. I hated the idea of packing my things from the place where I grew up, a place I had grown to love, and unpacking them somewhere unfamiliar and foreign. I imagined that the place would be quite far from civilization. It felt as if I were crossing the boundary of the world I had known and moving on to the great abyss, the point of no return.

Mom said that the house we would move in was near the beach. Perhaps, she thought it would matter a lot to me. On the contrary, it didn’t banish my anxiety. Because of my dislike of transferring to another place, I forgot my wish of seeing the beach again.

I never realized that by near, mom meant less than a kilometer. Until one afternoon after school, I went to Lingayen Gulf. When the beach presented itself to me, it was like ice cream served in front of a child throwing tantrums. At that moment, I realized it was not that bad to live in a new place because new great things were about to unfold before my eyes.

It’s a place I have already tied my soul to. It has become my hang out when I have time to spare. Memorable moments were created on that wide space. That’s where I started courting my first girlfriend and that’s also where we marked our relationship official. That’s where my closest high school friends and I used to hang out when we had no classes. That’s where I cry myself out when I am down. And that’s where I go to when I wake up early to greet the sunrise and the morning breeze.

The waves touching my feet are like gentle hands calming me down when tension has risen to an unbearable level. The setting sun reflected on and diffused by the water is my solace. The cool wind touching my face partakes in my happiness. And the open space hugging me around tells me that I am free from screaming unfinished tasks and energy-consuming pressure.

Riding solo on the beach.

Priceless little pleasure.