Mt. Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas

Please pull down the menu above to view more pictures

Light rain, the mountain
Is wrapped in mist,
Slowly the fog changes
To clouds and haze.
Along the boundless river bank,
Many crows.
I walk to a hill overlooking the valley
To sit in zazen.

- Ryokan (1758-1831)
Dailyzen

Love at First Sight

The moment I saw her cloud-shrouded peak from afar, I immediately knew that she's going to be on my list of favorite mountains. It's just like meeting a person for the first time. I have my own first impressions and I can always tell whether I'm going to get along and “really” like someone or not. I just fell in love with Mount Batulao.

Mountaineers usually shun the place because of the heat. The mountain barely has trees to shade its climbers from the blazing heat of the sun. Instead, it has a wide expanse of grassland spread out on its volcanic form.

Ironically, its utter emptiness is what I find appealing in the first place. It's just like life. The truth is in the basics, free from the shackles of social trappings. There are no distractions to one's mind and senses; each step on its steep terrain is meditation in itself. As the wind blew around me and the fog swirled into mist, the world was reduced to the sound of my footsteps and heavy breathing. I was there and I wasn't....I had company and I was alone....

Info on photos

Thanks to Edwin Viray of Crusade Earth Movement for some of the photos. I took my photos using Nikon N80 and 28-80mm G lens. Film: Kodak Supra 100. Scanning was done at the lowest resolution possible for faster loading.

Copyright © 2002. All Rights Reserved.