s I step down the Ferry I could already see Mt. Mariveles standing tall and proud at the horizon. This is another climb that I'm looking forward to. It stands 1,288 meters above sea level and is considered as a Level 2 mountain with a moderate to difficult trail. Even though this mountain is considered as a Major Climb, it is so accessible from Manila that's why it's an ideal weekend escape.
Daddy E, a senior MMS (Metropolitan Mountaineering Society) member is our TL (trail lead) for this climb. He is about 30 to 40 of age and has a built of a true mountaineer. Shaking his hand you could feel his thick calloused hand, which somehow makes an impression that he's been climbing and exploring for some time. He arranged our transportation to Barangay Alas-asin where we first have to register at its municipality and buy some provisions. In around 30-45 minutes we were already there. After signing up, the others went to buy food for their lunch. Eds and I didn't bother much about food because we already have prepared our Pita Breads the day before. We do however were looking for some snacks. Looking around, it's unusual to see that most of the stores are not open on a Saturday morning. We eventually found a fruit vendor who's in front of a house where we could hear some kids still playing the old, family computer console.
"Ito saging na Sabah" Eds said as I look at him curiously. I ate cooked sabah but not the raw ones. Well it turns out that it was a ripe Sabah and was fit for eating, we bought 8 of them, 4 for each of us. I tasted one and it was good actually. Shortly we rode of towards our jump-off point and there were only 1 banana left for me to eat at the trail.
