Summit to Sea in Marinduque

Marinduque. Island heart of the Philippines. Home of the Moriones. And now, a bona fide addition to my summit-to-sea adventure options.

You've seen the gorgeous sneak peek post. Now, here are the detail of that trip from a year back.

Tinuto

Our first stop when we got to Marinduque was Mogpog, where my companions had relatives. We arrived at lunchtime, where we were served with a hearty course of hot, sour sinigang na baboy (pork in soursoup) and rice. I swear--nothing beats sinigang on a hot, humid day! It was super good.

We had a good chat session with the titos and titos and the kids. My companions had stories to tell, and there was a lot of catching up to do, so it was quite a fun interlude.  And then off we went for our planned hike.

Photo by Your City Promdi

Summit

Our group went hiking on a hill that leads to one of the highest points of Marinduque--the Luzon Datum. Our group went on a large vehicle and was led by my companions' relatives, among them a retired chief of police and an active police officer. It was quite fun and they knew a lot of the cops we saw on the road, preparing for the Moriones Festival that will take place the following week. 

As we were driving up the hilly countryside, we received messages that there was an earthquake in Batangas. Thankfully, we didn't feel it, but the workers who we passed by along the way said that it was strong, and that there were some areas where there were minor landslides.

We drove as high up as we can, and then went down and prepared to walk the rest of the way to the summit. It was an easy trek, I know. But because I've not been on a climb recently, so I was already panting maybe a quarter of the way up. The usual trip takes about 30 minutes to an hour, but it took us about three hours--mainly because I slowed down the group, and because we really took our time enjoying the view at the top.

At the summit, there was a small clearing with a gazebo. We also found a plaque there that explains the Luzon Datum was  the origin of the American survey of Luzon (and the Philippines) in the early 1900s. Literally, that spot is the heart of the Philippines, in geological terms, at least.

And the view from up there was spectacular. We can see the blue, blue seas surrounding the island of Marinduque! 

Photo by Your City Promdi

Sea

The sea was even more spectacular on our way down.

By the time we finished our trek, the sun was beginning to set. So on our way down, we were offered gorgeous glimpses of the setting sun mirrored on the sea and through the foliage on our way. By the time we arrived near the port, we were greeted by the sun setting at the end of one of the roads near the pier. It was awesome!

We spent the night in tents on the beach property of my companions' relatives' friends. There was a couple of parties (a reunion and a party?) also ongoing but it was a fairly sedate time for us. We bought food and water from the resort store, played a couple of games and then took an evening dip.

The sea was at a comfortable temperature, just slowly losing the warmth it absorbed during that summer day. There were bio-luminescent things that spark tiny glitters as we waded through the beach. And when we looked up--man! The sky was cloudy, but somehow alight with  moonglow and the occasional stars peeking through the cloud cover.

That's always my favorite part, I think: just floating on my back in the warm sea at night, the darkness shielding me from most people's sight, and then watching the night sky. Feels like heaven!

We're definitely returning!

Logistics

From Manila to Marinduque via bus: Ride a JAC or JAM bus from Buendia or Kamias going to Lucena-Dalahican (Php210.00). Ride a barge going to Marinduque (about Php200.00). There are tricycles that you can hire from the port to wherever.