Work at home: On Call Duty

On call duty? Again? as i said to my husband. We all know that mostly on call are residents in the hospitals. On call simply means that although you are not scheduled for that day that they can call you to come in during that time period if they need you to so you need to have a phone or whatever so thay can call you if necessary.

Residents on call stay in the hospital over night caring for patients on their team, other teams, and new admissions. A typical intern works every seconds of the day for a quite a period of time with almost no sleep or more. Though this tradition, it allows interns to see the amount of patients necessary to complete their program and provides the hospital with after-hour patient care. Alternatively, residents may leave the hospital but all their phones are alive to be prepared to return immediately if needed.

That is what we usually know. But now a days. Not only residents form the hospitals. Public and private offices like in the IT industry, Telecommunication company also experiencing or practicing this. Less office office, less traffic, less people and less hassle to food and the boss. This is only my opinion. My job also also a 24/7 duties, meaning shifting. hehehehe This weekend my husband experience another "maaction" weekend, because he is the on-call duty for this weekend. Well, another whole week. On call based are some doing it at home. Less all the efforts.

Mount Pulag Adventure

MT. PULAG (AMBANGEG TRAIL)

Major jump-off: Ambangeg Ranger Station, Bokod, Benguet
LLA: 2922 MASL
Hours/Days required: 4-5 hours / 1 - 2 days
Specs: Major, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-2

Once again, I got a chance to explore another mountain with some fellow hikers. This time I am with my husband, I didn’t let him not to go with me in another cold night at the top of the mountain. Hehehe...! This February, we opted to go to Mt. Pulag.  

trails going to summit

Sunset :)

nice view :)

 Mount Pulag is the highest peak in Luzon with 2922 meters above sea level, the second highest in the Philippines and one of the most beautiful mountains in the Philippines. It is one of the most well-maintained national parks in the country. It is the home of the rare and endangered species of flora (like the dwarf bamboo) and fauna (e.g., the cloud rat, kock’s pita, serpent eagle, Philippine deer, Philippine pig, etc.). Though, I didn’t experienced any of this fauna when we assaulted the mountain. The native tribes say that Mount Pulag is the "playground of the gods". So respect the mountain. But this I believe that wherever mountain we climb you should respect the place.

views at the camp site

flora at the forest

these are the things i saw in the trail

wild strawberries

Mt. Pulag is located within the municipalities of Buguias, Kabayan and Bokod in Benguet, Tinoc in Ifugao and Kayapa in Nueva Vizcaya.

The Trail: Ambangeg- Ambangeg Trail

This is the well established and considered the main trail going to Mt. Pulag. Considered the friendly trail because it’s just like a park going to the raiforest. Vehicles can negotiate the trail all the way to the Ranger Station which is the entire Ambangeg Trail. Still others can choose to hike the entire trail.

The DENR office and the Ranger station are located along the trail, a few meters from the park entrance. From there, the Mt. Pulag base camp is a 4-km hike along the well-paved trails with a convenient rest stop waiting shed. From the base camp, the summit is just a 45-90 minute hike away.

contact details at DENR

This Should be our ITERINARY

Day 00 (Friday)

2300 – ETD Bus from Manila to Baguio

0430 – ETA Baguio

Day 01 (Saturday)

0500 - 1000 ETD Baguio to Bokod, Benguet (Rental Jeep)

1000 - 1030 Registration and Briefing at DENR Ambangeg

1030 - 1200 Ambangeg to Babadac Ranger Station (Rental Jeep)

1200 - 1300 Lunch

1300 - 1600 ETD Ranger Station to Camp 2 (Hike)

Set camp. Take photos of sunset.

Dinner at Camp 2.

Overnight.

Day 02 (Sunday)

0400 - 0430 Wake-up call and Light Meal

0430 - 0530 ETD from Camp 2 to Summit (Hike)

0530 - 0630 Sunrise at Summit

0630 - 0900 ETD to Camp 2 and Breakfast (Hike)

0900 - 1100 ETD to Ranger Station

1100 - 1200 Lunch at Ranger Station

1200 - 1330 ETD Ranger station to Ambangeg (Jeep)

1330 - 1700 ETD Ambangeg to Baguio (Jeep)

1700 - 2200 Dinner at Baguio (Personal Account)

2200  ETD from Baguio
0430   ETA Manila (Monday)
 

What to Wear and Bring:

Three layer clothing( insulated, fleece, waterproofing system clothes)

Bonnet and gloves

Head lamp with spare batteries

Trek pole

Trek pants

Warm socks, trekking shoes

Tent with flysheet, ground sheet (mine don’t have this so we ended up raining inside the tent)

Back pack with raincover

Sleeping bag

Head lamp with spare batteries

Trek pole(optional)

Trail foods and water

Mess kits(plates,cup)

Warm clothes

Trek shoes

Personal medications, first aid, trash bags. Fully charged phone( no sun signal in the area)

Camera with lots of batteries (protect also your camera because of the moist. Bring silica gel)

The Experience:

After setting up at the camp with Namar and Grant. We took photos of sunset near the camp site. During January – February, temperature drops to its lowest that sometimes makes freezing mist. But ours are different. It rained after our noisy neighbors had stopped their party. I should say RESPECT MOUNT PULAG.

above sea level :)

Kulet Jump shot of hubby :)

trail going to the summit

just relaxing :)

nice shot at the hill :)

Expenses:

Jeep Rental: PHP 8500 rountrip (Baguio-Bokod, Benguet-Baguio);15-20persons(capacity of the jeep)
Contact person: 0920-553-8758; kuya Eddie Santiago
Porter: 250 pesos per day
Tour Guide: 500pesos, 1-5 persons (100pesos excess persons)
Environmental Fee (at the DENR): 200pesos
Manila-Baguio-Manila: 900pesos(450pesos one way via victory liner)

Sagada Trip: Lumiang Burial Cave

What is really famous in Sagada, Mountain Province is their hanging coffins. It is their traditional belief that the dead are better buried above ground since this allows their souls to freely wander near their loved ones. We saw newly hanged coffins when we went there.

The first one we visited in May 2010 is the Lumiang Burial Cave which you can actually go near the coffins well if you are brave enough to touch it.

Coffins at Lumiang Cave

The Lumiang Cave houses have at least 200 coffins that have been there for 500 years. Our guide Kuya Jerome said family members or friends of the dead would pass and take turns in transporting the coffin to the cave. They believe that when the one that carries the coffin is stained with the dead’s blood, he gains good fortune and blessings in life.

A Deep Cave Entrance, connecting in Sumaging Cave

To get to Lumiang Cave, you need to walk about half an hour from the town. Our guide Kuya Jerome directed our attention to gigantic human-shaped stone formations on each side of the road along the way. To reach the cave’s mouth, we had to walk down some 500 meters, a railing aiding us down the slippery slope.
The entry point for the cave connection was pitch-black. The entrance is deceptively deep.

view going to the caves

hanging coffins

 Halfway through our hike, we passed by towering rock formations where you can see the hanging coffins, almost unnoticeable if not for tourists we saw taking photos.

trail going back to main road

Next stop: Sagada Trip: Spelunking at Sumaging Cave