Mt Kibungan Sept 22-24 2006

They said it was a pretty cool mountain. When i saw pictures of it, i had to go. This was a Training Climb (TC4) for the 2006 BMC trainees where I am training director. I wanted this to be TC3 so more members could join. AMCI board thought otherwise, They preferred Ugo. How many times have these people gone to Ugo? And how many more times will they do that again?

No offense to TB. Mt Ugo is a pretty cool mountain. In fact this was the first mountain i had climbed, ever. And i knew nothing about the sport. I joined a photographer friend who was already climbing with the PNB mountaineers. Of course, being new at this, i brought more photo equipment then mountaineering. It was an experience.

Now, Kibungan is different. Walls here and there. Steps. Steps carved off the rocks. Rope handrails were there for climbers to hold on to. One wrong step could cause a fatality.

I had volunteered to be sweeper. In my group were Paulo & Joyce. Aries and Aileen joined us, although they were just trainees then. They had completed the 3 required training climbs but i was able to convince them to join this.

Day three, everyone had packed up and began the day's trek. I decided to stay for a little while longer. me and my group, that is. We went over to a cliff overlooking a very large portion of the mountain range. They called it the view deck. Very appropriate, since you could see everything from here. Even the group who started trek an hour earlier.

There was no pressure at all on this climb. Everybody was doing well. The team's pace was fine. Something everybody looks for from the regular city life. Thats why i climb.

Care for some Roti?

Care for some Roti?

Twelve midnight and i'm sitting in my hotel room watching TV. I had been window shopping all evening and had forgotten about dinner. Looking out of my hotel window, the lights of the streets have not died down. So i figured i'd go down and look for a quiet place to eat. I've tasted the chinese food at Jalan Alor. I wanted to try something else. Walking down Jalan Pudu, i find a local restoran and have some chicken fried rice and a cold tea with milk.

"Want soome roti pesang? Or with beef? Or chicken?"

"What?"

"This." Pointing to the freshly heated dough on the 'hot plate'.

I've always wanted to know what that was. And why some people i see mix it in some curry sauce of some sort. I also did not like the idea of how they cook it - mashing and stretching (by hand) to get a consistently slim paperlike piece of dough. Remember the way, as kids we'd play with clay dough and flatten it with our palms? Yes, that way. Letting it cook on the hot surface, just enough not to be brittle. Then, leave it on the stove some more to cook.

"Ok, let me have a piece, please. The plain Roti" Will try something else some other time.

The next day, i'm having roti for breakfast at the hotel. And then at work with some friends. If in Pinas we had the pandesal, here, they have their roti.