Mt Pinatubo in Philippines near Manila erupted in 1991, causing thousands of deaths and havoc in the surrounding areas that the remains of the washed away cars could still be seen on the way to the foot of the mountain.
It was a relatively easy 1 hour hike to Mt Pinatubo lake, but the journey, however, the journey and whole trip from Manila took more than 1/2 day. We left Manila City in the middle of the night at 3am. The van took around 2 hours to reach the starting point of the 1st adventure. Every hiker had to be screened for fitness at the registration counter. Then, we took a 4 wheel drive around 1 hour in the dawn of the day filled with chilling surrounding misty view of the vast plains of the foot of the mountain.
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| Registration cum health checking centre |
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| 4 wheel drive journey to the foot of the mountain |
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| Start of trek |
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| Some grassy trail |
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| Nearing the crater |
After about 1 hour drive, we reached the starting point to begin our hike. It was a hike through the valley with rocky river streams along the way. Upon reaching the peak, I was in awe of the beauty of Pinatubo Lake the mountain. The bright sunlight piercing through the sky enhanced the beautiful nature like a wallpaper. We walked down the stairs to the lake. The water was crystal clear.
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| Crater Lake of Mt Pinatubo |
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| Stairway to crater lake |
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| Nearing the end of the trek upon descending |
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| Few river crossings |
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| It was fun riding the 4 wheel drive |
