Montalban

I had brought my rock climbing harness/shoes/helmet along on the trip to the PI, but was having a hard time finding anywhere to actually climb. To rock climb, you need an exposed rock face, the equipment, and a partner. Despite the presence of mountains all over the Philippines, exposed rock faces are surprisingly difficult to find. Its as if the lush tropical vegetation quickly covers every inch of land as soon as it is exposed. While sitting in a mall in Urdaneta, I ran into a group of folks who were part of the Metropolitan Mountaineering Society out of Manila. They invited me to join them on an ascent of Mount Pulag, the highest mountain on Luzon. I declined as I did not have any of the equipment one needs for this type of ascent (sleeping bag, large pack, etc). I immediately regretted not joining them and really think I could have roughed it and had an enjoyable time. Anyways, I told them that I was looking for a spot to try out some rock climbing. They recommended Montalban, right outside of Manila. This was convenient since Rose has some relatives in this area and we had to make a trip to Manila any way. Montalban was actually pretty decent...especially considering its close proximity to Manila. I still wouldn't call the exposed rock that great.

Montalban was an area where the Japanese military got backed into these caves during WWII and we, with the help of Filipino militia, were able to drive them out of the Philippines.

There were a couple of bolted routes at Montalban, but no climbers that day. So, once again, I lacked a rope and partner.

While walking through the small village of Montalban, I happed across some guys training their fighters. The spurs are wrapped to prevent injury. During an actual fight, the spurs are removed and replaced by a razor-sharp blade.

For me, the highlight of the trip was actually visiting Raymar's pig farm about 10 minutes from Montalban.

Raymar is a cousin to Rose by marriage. He commutes out here from Marikina daily to feed his pigs and then hangs out all day. Its a surprisingly relaxing area. There is a family who lives on his farm who is extremely poor. Every day, Raymar brings enough meat and vegetables to cook a meal for himself and the poor family.

Raymar's farm sits right downhill from a big coconut grove. This guy (the father of the poor family) climbed up and retrieved a buko (young coconut) for me.

Buko juice is a popular drink in the Philippines. All you do is chop the top with your machete and...

...enjoy!

Montalban just reinforced the idea that, in order to rock climb in the Philippines, you need to bring your own equipment and be willing to go search out good climbing spots. It is still such a young sport in the PI and information is difficult to come by. I told Raymar that I would bring my own equipment and teach him to climb next time I come to the PI. He seemed pretty excited about the idea. That's my future plans for now.