I've got a score to settle with Puray.

My MTB buddies and I tried to go there on our second week of mountain biking but failed. We didn't know the way and even if we did I don't think we could have done it, not with our MTB skills at that time. The trip also "gifted" me with a deep cut on my left ear as a result of a "jack tumbling down the hill" incident. Twas pathetic. But we vowed to return.

And so we did, last week, via the mountain trail (one could go via the river trail, much easier). The trail starts from barangay Mascap in Montalban. We soon found out that ambitious was really the right description for the trail. The uphill portions should really be called "upmountain" if there is such a term. Rut strewn and sticky with mud, even the strongest in our group couldn't pedal it all the way up. We had to push our bikes most of the way.




The killer uphills and scary downhills seemed to never end. I lost count after 3. The best way to attack the trail was to use positive distraction :). I distracted myself by admiring the beautiful scenery along the way.

I'd dismount in downhill sections if my tires began to lose traction. The heavy bulky bag (its the first time I brought a DSLR to the trail) on my back is giving me some balancing problems.


Before noon we reached our destination. Finally, we have conquered Puray! It felt like a piece of cake but we found out that the falls is still 1-2km away in Sitio Mabolo. And its another climb! Oh well, time to ride (and push) the bikes again.




By the time we reached the point where the road crosses the river in Mabolo (the trail head to the falls) the sun's quite hot already. Although tired, it didn't stop my buddies to "play" first before looking for the actual trail to the falls.











The scenery at the falls was worth all the troubles, if there were any :)

On the way back we decided to go via the river trail. It was much easier. Since its not rainy the river is shallow enough to cross on bikes if you don't mind getting your hubs wet. It'll be 11 river crossings before we got to the paved roads in barangay Mascap.

Puray is one of the most isolated barangay of Rodriquez (formerly Montalban) in the province of Rizal. When "Montalban" is mentioned, one familiar with the town would most certainly associated it with Wawa, the scenic river (in barangay San Rafael) dotted with huge white stones . Wawa is very accessible, there are jeepneys plying the major routes from Quezon City to Wawa while Puray, to most, exist only in the tales of mountain bikers who frequent the place because of its trails and its falls.

Puray is already in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges, several mountains away from the town center. Its hard to believe there is even a flourishing community there - basically a small farming community, no electricity, no running water. But what Puray lacks in modern amnesties it makes up with the pristine beauty of its surroundings. The streams and rivers there are absolutely gorgeous, with crystal clear cool waters.

One of the attactions there is the Puray Falls (known as Tungtong to the locals). Its a short hike, about 2 kilometers, from the barangay center.


From the point where the road crosses the river in Mabolo, we had to hike upstream some 500 meters to the falls. A quick dip in the catch basin would be enough to cool you down after the hike. Even on a sunny day, the water in the catch basin is freezing.


Getting thereThere are two routes going to Puray - both of which will require that your vehicle can handle a bit of punishment (we were on mountain bikes when we went there).

From barangay Mascap there is the river trail where have to cross the river 11 times. Difficult during the rainy season when the river swells and the road disappears. There are jeepneys from Montalban that goes to Puray via this route but the schedule is not consistent. Sometimes there is only 1 trip a day, the return trip is always a challenge.

The other road (still from Mascap) takes you via the mountains. To say that the road is terrible is an understatement, you'll need a 4x4 or a motorcycle to go via this route. There are special tricycles (those with roofless sidecars) that go via this route (Php 60 pesos one way fare from Montalban, limited number of trips a day).

If you missed the jeep or the tricycle for the return trip, you can also do what the locals always do: walk to Mascap, just about 3 hours away.

I'll try to post our ride details and well as photos of the trails later.

It was late afternoon when I spotted this fisherman on a dugout canoe in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato (in southern Mindanao). With his paddle on his left hand, he was getting ready to leave for home after pulling his nets. I noticed he was able to catch a good number of medium sized tilapia, probably enough for his family's meals the next day.

He made balancing on one end of the canoe looked so easy. I tried it before, as a young lad. I always end up in the water.

I hope you all have a nice weekend. Keep it simple.

Don't you just love it when a stressful day is rewarded with one of nature's best spectacles?

I went out yesterday to "field test" an officemate's new digital (point and shoot) camera. The sky was ablaze! When nature flaunts its colors, you won't need an expensive photo gear to capture it. You won't even need to Photoshop it :)

One of the attractions in the town of Norzagaray in Bulacan is the huge formations of large limestone rocks found in Brgy Matictic. It is called Bakas, which literally translates to "marks", "traces" or "footprints".

The top of the large boulders offers a great vantage point to spot those interesting marks, supposedly left by the legendary giant known as Bernardio Carpio, and his pets. The other set of marks can be found in Wawa in Montalban, Rizal.

I biked there last weekend (an 81km loop, see related story here) but arrived when the river started to swell and its impossible to cross to the boulders without a raft. Bakas is downriver from two major dams: the Ipo and Angat dams and they release water from these dams usually at around 11 AM. By noon time the current's too strong that they would not even recommend swimming near the rocks.

If you fancy roughing it out here, the shores in front of the Bakas rocks are flat and wide enough to accommodate quite a good number of tents. There are also makeshift cottages (good enough shelter from the sweltering heat in the summer) that the caretaker is renting out for 200 pesos (overnight stay). Amenities: absolutely none!

There are a couple of nice swimming spots further upriver. But current's still a bit strong so its best to stay close to the shore.

Getting there:
The best way is to catch a bus or jeep going to Tungko from Philcoa in Quezon City. From Tungko there are many small buses and jeeps to Norzagaray town proper. Go to the town market and get a tricycle to Sitio Kanyakan where Bakas is. I have not noticed any jeeps going there so you may have to rent the tricycle also for the return trip.

Another weekend, another day of exploration. While most of our PMTB (Pinoy Mountain Bikers) friends were hitting the popular trails in Licao licao, I (together with a regular MTB companion - see his blog here) decided to veer off the beaten tracks and go somewhere else. The mission: find Bakas (in Norzagaray, Bulacan, some 30 km from home) and then find a way out of Bakas without passing through the main roads.

We started out early, woke up at 3:30AM, had an early breakfast, and was on the road by 5AM. The ride to Norzagaray was uneventful, we rode without rest stops. I notice my front hub to be a bit wobbly, strange since I just had it repacked a couple of days ago.

A few kilometers on the rough road from the town proper to Bakas, my front hub completely gave up on me (darn these amateur bike mechanics!). We were determined to reach our destination that day. So we (slowly) rode back to town, bought a cheap hub from a local bike shop and cannibalized the internals. After about 30 minutes we were back on the trail again.

The sight before us when we reached Bakas was worth all the troubles. The place was absolutely scenic! The place was called Bakas (translated to "tracks", "marks" or "footprints") because of the large limestone rocks and the interesting footprint like impressions and formations. Folklore has it that those were left by the giant named Bernardio Carpio and his pets. The other set of prints can be found in Wawa in Montalban, Rizal.

The river was running deep that time, so we were not able to cross to the big rocks. From there you should be able to see the marks.


From Bakas we explored upriver and found a nice picnic/swimming spot. The midday sun was getting hotter so we took shelter in one of the makeshift cottages along the river bank. Soon a group of excursionists arrived and started setting up camp. The overwhelming smell of their BBQ was to much for us, so before our mouths water we readied our gears and was soon heading further upriver.


We reached a point where the rideable riverbank vanished. The river started swelling and the water was getting deeper. There is a dam several kilometers upstream and they usually release water at around noon. From that point we can already see the quarry site of Holcim cement factory, one of the largest in the country.


Its either we head back to the nearest road or find a passable trail. The decision: find the trail. The folks at a nearby sand quarry was giving us perplexed looks when we headed to the nearby hill. We found a small foot trail, if people go by this way surely we can bike it, we reckon.

Soon there was no trail at all! We had to ride on top of large volcanic rocks and climb over bamboo fences (designed to keep livestock in/out). After a few push and pedal, we wound up in a rice field. At least now its bikeable :)


We were getting hungry and had to quickly find a way out of the rice paddies. We estimated where the road could be and pedalled to that direction. We ended up in someone's backyard and was met with curious and amused looks.

"You came from the rice fields? There's a road there, why didn't you use that?", a man said while pointing to the direction of the main road. We just smiled and politely asked permission to pass through. We found a small sari sari store and quietly ate our packed lunch there. We too were amused with the trail we took :).

From there its a ride passing through the Holcim factory grounds and then out to Tungko-Norzagaray highway. We took a quick break after reaching the main road, its going to be long pedal home on a hot stretch of highway.

We were home by 4PM, 81 kilometers later. Not a bad ride, we got to see a very beautiful place.

Yay! I got lucky again :)


Here's the original image:

We decided to skip the technical trails last weekend and go on a "tour" of Norzagaray in Bulacan. We headed to Ipo and Angat Dam, some 46 km from our house.

From the rotonda in Norzagaray its uphill all the way to Barangay San Mateo where Ipo Dam is located. On the way there we made a side to Pinagrealan Cave.


According to www.bulacan.gov.ph:

This cave is a subterranean network of caverns extending more than a kilometer deep. The Katipunero Revolutionaries during the war against Spain used it as a camp in 1896 and again during the Filipino-American War in 1898 as hideout of General Emilio Aguinaldo (the First President of the Philippines). It was also used as a sanctuary by the Japanese Imperial Army when the Philippines was liberated by American Forces.

We we got to Ipo Dam we found out that they don't let visitors in unless you have some permit from the Manila Water Authority. We did not let ourselves be daunted by a minor "glitch" in our plans. We decided to head further up mountain to Angat dam. A storekeeper told us there is a quaint spot called Bitbit on the way to Angat dam

On the way there we passed by a place called "Hilltop". Its considered to be the "Baguio of Bulacan". From there you get to see Ipo Dam with the Sierra Madre mountain range as backdrop.


Its downhill all the way from Hilltop to the San Lorenzo bridge. From the bridge one can see a beautiful clean and emerald green river below.



The scenery that greets one in Bitbit is enough to rejuvinate the tired muscles.





We took a quick dip in the cool and clear waters while some picknickers nearby enjoy their BBQs. Unfornately that day we were not able to bring any food with us (we normally bring packed lunch). So before our mouths begin to water, we decided to head back up to San Mateo to look for some grub.

I haven't been out on a photo safari lately. Most of my weekends are spent mountain biking around the provinces of Rizal and Bulacan. And with the small point and shop cameras we carry around, photos are a hit and miss thing.

But sometimes you do hit something.

My ride last weekend took me to the eastern part of Norzagaray in Bulacan. My MTB buddies and I were hoping to catch a glimpse of Ipo and Angat dams, part of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa Dam Raw Water System that provides drinking water to Metro Manila.

We were denied entry at Ipo but we decided to head to Angat dam in the Sierra Madre mountain range. A storekeeper told us of a quaint spot called "Bitbit" (Sitio Bitbit) just below the bridge leading to Angat dam.

True enough, the spot was amazing. The water was very cool and clear. The weather cooperated, lighting was good enough for me to take some decent snaps.


There's a flat area near the big rocks that's perfect for camping. I also saw some interesting rock formations up and down river.


We took a quick dip to cool down and rest. I did not have enough time to explore the area but I will on my next visit. We have a long way to pedal home.

Our ride last weekend took us to the nearby province of Bulacan. We woke up at 3AM, had a hearty breakfast and were on the pedals at 4AM. The trail head is in the quiet town of Norzagaray some 30 km away (and we usually are the early birds).

After doing a quick pandesal (salt bread) and mami (noodles) pit stop at the town's rotonda, we headed to the Norzagaray bridge to wait for other riders, some coming from Pasig some 60km away.


I was amazed at how clean and green the Norzagaray river. Unlike the Pasig river in Metro Manila, there river of a nice blue green color. I saw fisher folks casting their morning nets and while others were spearfishing near the banks.


Our trail that day will take us from (under) the bridge to Brgy Bayabas then to Brgy Matictic on the nearby mountains then loop back to the bridge again. The start was manageable, wide rough road but sharp rocks and mostly uphill.

The at some point we forked to the left and the trail transformed into a single track. First it was just muddy but rideable.


Then there were the huge slippery rocks. At some sections we had to push our bikes. The traces of a "road" completely disappeared. One could swore its not a "road" anymore but a dry creek, with houses dotting both sides sparingly. It looked like a place some politician forgot to be build a proper road to.


I started to enjoy the ride more when the trail became downhill. Still the same slippery rock and rut filled single track but at least now its downhill with a view of the lush green country side. Several riders "hit the ground" in some sections of track. I guess its part of MTB riding and I had my share of those, but not that day :).


The best part of the ride was the river in Bayabas near Puning Cave. Some of us could not resist and jumped right into the water for a quick cool down.


We had our lunch near the barangay hall in Bayabas. I saw a sign with directions to Puning Cave but we did not have the chance to go there... maybe on the next ride.

After Bayabas, its a muddy trail with devilish uphills! We were so wasted to even take photos :). I think the only thing that kept me going was the promise that soon it would be a smooth paved downhill back to Norzagaray bridge.

True to the promise, it was indeed a nice several km of downhill paved road. An uneventful ride back to the bridge, except for the occassional splatter of accumulated mud from my tires to my face as I cruised down.

When some of our regular trail buddies saw my new rig a few weeks ago they jokingly said that I contracted a very serious disease called "upgradetitis", and its quite difficult to cure :D.

I think its natural for us to upgrade our equipment especially when our old ones are already giving up on us (denial stage hehe). So last weekend I decided to let go of my (non even entry level) Altus rear derailleur which is already giving me pedaling and shifting problems (chain slide problems). I replaced it with a Deore XT (M771) RD (XT is the crown jewel of the Deore family).

The new RD is supposed to provide precision shifting: "Smooth and precise chain movement to the aimed gear allows for comfortable shifting." - the Shimano website advertises. I'll see how it performs on the trail next weekend.

I could have just cleaned my old RD and maybe it'll still work, but that sleek design and that embossed XT logo is just so hard to resist!