At Grassland Summit, close to 3,000 feet above the rugged terrains of Northern Luzon, the first positive development of the evening comes in a thick French accent. “Dinner is ready!” calls Mister Tee, our group’s organizer for this climb.
Being called for dinner late in the evening – past seven, to be exact – would normally send me to my feet excitedly, but after six hours of riding a jeepney through ridiculously bumpy roads, four hours of walking in the rain and through muddy trails (even slipping once), and enduring an 8-degree Celsius evening in my shorts (my pants have been covered with mud), my enthusiasm instantly dissolves into a lethargic passivity. Inside my tent, I stare at the fog that has engulfed the campsite, shivering and cowering under my blanket every time the wind blows and aggravates the cold air.
But the arduous journey has taken its toll on my stamina and there’s yet an evening and a full day ahead so I open a couple cans of corned tuna and place them between two slices of whole wheat bread before lying down to sleep. I check my phone, which freezes for a few moments before dying out,
Joyriding, Cordillera-style
Top-loading, or using the roof of transportation to sit people or place loads, is a common practice in the hinterlands of the Cordillera region.a victim of the near-freezing temperature. I use a dry shirt to wrap my camera’s battery and tuck it in my shirt to keep the cold from also draining it out. Up here where there are no electrical outlets, resourcefulness is essential in maximizing power – whether of your gadgets or of your body.
Read more at http://www.travelblog.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment