Mount Pinatubo “The Sleeping Giant”

Travel Date: February 24, 2013

Crater of Mount Pinatubo


      When I was just a little girl, I remembered how the Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 during the rainy days of June.  It was known as a sleeping giant that awakens after centuries of being dormant.  The eruption was so strong that we even received an ash fall in Alaminos, Pangasinan.  I will not elaborate how much destruction it created.  But today, its crater is a beautiful lake to behold.  A popular tourist destination, not to be missed by an adventure seeker like us.

     From Angeles City, we drove for an hour to reach Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac.  Upon reaching the town, we registered and paid at the Tourism Office for our 4x4 ride and tour guide.  We were supposed to meet fellow couch surfers during that time, but they arrived earlier than us.

     So we moved on with our trip, riding the 4x4 jeep.  The ride was so bumpy that you need to hold on tight.  You can’t even sleep because you might bump your head on the metal railings from the sudden drop when crossing some streams with big boulders.  The way to Mt. Pinatubo is a hectare of lahars with rocky and rugged terrain.  Boulders ejected by volcano during the eruption in 1991 are scattered everywhere.

     After 2 hours of bumpy ride, we arrived at the base wherein we need to hike for 15 minutes to reach the top of the crater.  As we went through the foliage, we passed by the crystal clear streams with some sulfur in it.  It was a little tiring climbing up and down, but so worth it once you see the green calm lake of the crater.

     You can walk at the side of the lake and sit there while enjoying your packed lunch meal with a magnificent view of the crater plus the blue sky and clouds encircling the top of the mountain.  The lake was clear even though it was very deep that you can’t see the bottom.  Swimming is prohibited, because a few months ago a visitor drowned here.  I’m not sure though if you can kayak the lake.

     My boyfriend and I are very thorough when we visit places.  We explored the area surrounding the lake.  Examined the rocks and minerals on it.  Took plenty of photos to get the best shot.  Then after we got tired of it, we went back to the base to board our 4x4 jeep back to Sta. Juliana town where our next destination begins.


Lahar at Mount Pinatubo
Lahar


Aetas at Mount Pinatubo
Aetas posing for photos.


Trek to Mount Pinatubo
On our way to crater


Streams at Mount Pinatubo
Streams


Sulfur at Mount Pinatubo
Sulfur


Mount Pinatubo
Group Picture :)











Location: Santa Juliana, Tarukan, Capas, Tarlac, Philippines

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