Mt. Samat | For the Love of History

By finishing Tarak Ridge day hike earlier than usual (read our quick Tarak Ridge hike), our team had an opportunity to spend more time in Bataan. So I told them, "since we're here in Bataan, we might as well go to Mt. Samat and visit the province's most renowned landmark—the Shrine of Valor."

And so we did hike Mt. Samat that same day.

Mt. Mariveles (Tarak Ridge) | Tarak Peak at Last

Have you ever had this urge to climb a mountain just so you can test (or probably show off) your newly bought, still-fresh-from-the-shelf item or mountain gear? Haha. I actually did that when we climbed Tarak Ridge in Mt. Mariveles several months ago. The kid in me simply wanted his newly bought ANBU Mask to be displayed on the trail. Is it not obvious that I'm a Naruto fan?

Alright, I'm just kidding. Actually, my sole purpose in doing this hike was to finally reach Tarak Peak and have a picture at the famous tree which I never had in my three previous Tarak Ridge hikes. Yun lang naman, wala nang iba.

Kalinga Province | A Great Cultural Experience

Talk about Cordillera culture. Being the less explored area in Luzon during the 300 plus Spanish occupation, the landlocked mountainous region of Cordillera has preserved its unique mountain culture intact, free from all foreign influences, thus one of our country's cultural hotspots today.

Now, the region is subdivided into 6 provinces: Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Apayao, Mountain Province, Abra, with Baguio City as its regional center; and each province has a dominant ethnic group: for Abra it's the Tingguians; for Apayao - Isneg; Benguet - Ibaloi; Ifugao - Ifugao; Kalinga - Kalinga; Mt. Province - Bontoc and Kankanaey.

I am forever a fan of these people, my desire to immerse in their distinct culture has been growing everytime I get to visit a new Cordillera province. Of the six provinces, I've already explored Benguet, Ifugao and Mt. Province. So when a friend told me they're bound for Kalinga, I blocked off the date and made sure I'll be part of their trip.