Apo Video

Just something my brother came up with. The backstory behind this was that our camera wasn't working properly. During the first day of the climb, I noticed that the pictures were too bright. I tinkered with the settings throughout our trek to no avail (My theory was that the graphics card was saturated with moisture). So I opted to record on video our visit to the top. My brother, a former Masscomm student, did the second part by editing a video out of the footage.

For later climbs, I'm thinking of doing a spoof horror-comedy film teaser using Apo as the backdrop. But that's for later. Right now, enjoy the clip. That's my proof I actually climbed Apo for good.

Here's the link to the video on Facebook (Be sure to log into Facebook first prior to clicking on the link).

Tips For The First Time Apo Climber

First up, a disclaimer: I've climbed Apo only once so far. That doesn't, in any way, make me an expert in the subject of climbing it. However, because I'm helpful and because I don't want those who follow me to have such a hard time, I'm offering some tips or advice for the newbie Apo climber.

In his song, Sunscreen, Baz Luhrmann comments that Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. And it's true. The tips I'm going to give you are essentially an elaborate rehash of whatever it is that most have learned over the years. But here I go anyway:

Days In Apo

Day 1

Slept for only three hours. Slept at 12 midnight after packing my bag. Woke up at 3 AM. Hugs from Mama and Papa as they see us off in ADDU. Bulec forgot his ID and registration form. Fortunately, I had mine not yet filled up so we had a copy scanned and printed in an Internet shop (which was still open thanks to the junkies still fixed on their respective computer screens). On a jeep to Toril, then to Santa Cruz. Picked up Rommel along the way. First challenge was climbing a steep slope in Santa Cruz. On another ride to the rural countryside, on a multicab. Stopped on top of a hill, surrounded by nipa huts, for lunch. Then came the downpour. Rested for awhile until the rain weakened down to a drizzle. On we walked and finally set up camp after the rain returned with a vengeance. Shivering underneath my supposedly waterproof jacket. Aim was to make it to Camp 1 but that's not possible anymore. Couldn't set up the tent because our guides advised against it; our tent didn't have a fly. Tried to sleep instead in a small tent shared by five other souls: Bulec, Rayray, Sir Ramy, Anton, and Rommel.

Day 2

Sunny morning. Had breakfast and, from then on, it was up, up, and up. Thighs hurt because of chaffed skin. Finally reached Camp 1. Refilled water bottle, had lunch, and it was off to Camp 2. Tried to self-medicate my chaffed skin. Reached the boulders. Otherworldly. Nothing but rock but that was the first time I appreciated our efforts because I could finally see Davao Gulf. Reached Apo's crater. Really cold. Wind is unforgiving. Climbed up short of the peak then went down to the campsite. Lots of climbers. Lots of shit everywhere. Against expert advice, we set up our tent. Had dinner and a satisfying sleep, all snug in my sleeping bag.

Day 3

Woke up early to watch the sunrise but the clouds spoiled the fun. Spent several minutes in the peak before climbing down to fetch some water. Then the descent began. Several slips as we walk down the now very muddy trail (thanks to the hundreds of climbers who have preceded us). Reached Lake Venado. Set up tent and rain again came pouring down. Sleeping bag got wet and the tent was leaking. Uncomfortable sleep. Very cold. Watched a trail of lights across Apo's face, emanating from the headlights of climbers still descending from the peak at night.

Day 4

Rather uneventful day. Continued our descent. Stopped at a campsite for lunch then stopped again for balut and softdrinks. Trekked a river then finally made it to the end of the trail where officials were trying to collect money (exit fees) from climbers. Went away scot-free thanks to Rhab and relaxed at Lake Agco for awhile. On a van bound for Davao City. Really tired. Nice experience.

Apo

Just climbed Mount Apo.

And I'm guessing most of my posts from hereon will be about this experience.

The Lady In Front

Let's take a closer look at one peculiar Filipino tradition. 

When I was a fan of Jewel In The Palace, I remember watching the closing scene featuring the main protagonist, Jang-geum, walking along the beach with her lover, Min Jung-ho. The man is in front closely followed by the woman. 

Now take this. In the Philippines, that's unheard of (if you exclude the Chinese community). Either both man and woman walk together (in the cliche "Holding Hands While Walking" or HHWW scene) or the woman is ahead of the man. It might not mean much but it does show a fairly accurate portrayal of how Filipinos treat Filipinas or women in general. 

There's a joke surrounding the practice of women walking behind their man, though. In a thread from the website, TurntoIslam, Barbara Walters, a journalist, was visiting Afghanistan again after a previous stint in the country:  

She noted (then) that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands. Now, she observed that women still walked behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to, and are happy to, maintain the old custom. 

Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghan women and asked, "Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?" 

The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, "Land Mines." 

The thread would go on to some discussions about the necessity of putting a man in front of a woman, namely, to "shield" the woman from "tsansing" or the inevitable, albeit accidental, brushing of a woman's body against any incoming person. But that's not something I would like to expound on here (since the joke was about an Arabic custom, I prefer that Arabs do the explaining, not me). 

For me, having a woman walk in front instead of behind a man reflects our egalitarian structure when it comes to gender. Specifically, there are three points to be mentioned here, all stemming from this practice:

First: the woman sets the pace. Since she's in front, she dictates how fast or how slow the whole party goes. Though this does not spell relief for the bedraggled husband carrying his wife's shopping bags across the mall, it does show how considerate we are to the needs of the opposite sex. 

Second: the woman sets the direction of the travel. She dictates where to go because she's in front and she's the boss. 

Third: the woman is shown, not hidden. Unlike our Arabic counterparts, we prefer that our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, or our wives/girlfriends walk in front of us and greet everyone else with their beauty and grace. 

Basically, this custom, our custom, boils down to respect. We respect our women enough that we allow them to set the pace, dictate directions, and be whoever they want to be. And that's neat, if you ask me.