Rizal - Daraitan Exploration, Sosyal Klaymers' "Kalayaan Climb"

The "Kalayaan Klaymb" that turned out to be an exciting adventure... The Sosyal Klaymers and the Bomba Boys enjoyed 2-days of Camping, River Trekking, Rock Climbing, Swimming, Cam Whore-ing and Spelunking.

THE PLACE:
Daraitan is a trekking destination nestled within the Sierra Madre mountain range in Tanay Rizal. Getting there will take you a 2-hour trip from Shaw Boulevard to Tanay Rizal and another 1 hour going to Barangay Daraitan. Upon reaching the Barangay Hall, have yourselves registered in the barangay logbook by paying Php 10.00 each. Dito na rin namin kinuha ang aming guide na si Christopher, which costs Php 250.00.

We started to hike, and after about an hour, our guide told us na nasa campsite na kami. Huwaaatttt??? Sa kasamaang palad, hindi pala naunawaan ng aming guide ang pakay namin, dinala nya kami sa River at hindi sa summit. Hahaha!!! Sabi nga ni Ayie, "Mag-eefort ba kami mag outfit ng ganito kung magpapa-tweetums lang kami sa ilog?" Bwahahaha!!!

Anyway, we have to make the most of what we have na lang. Sa kabutihang loob ni kagawad, nag set-up kami ng tent malapit sa bahay nya. The site is situated along the riverbank, it is sandy - komportable para mag-set kami ng tents namin. Parang nasa beach lang kami, with the river replacing the sea. Hehehe!!!

THE CHARACTERS:
-Sosyal Klaymers-
Alex, Ayie, Bheng, Julius, Mervs, and Mitch.

-Bomba Boys Monkeyneers-
RV (with wife Sheng), Lucky, Nap, Harold, Roger, Jinnor, Bal, and Edmund
Guest - Aileen



-Extras-
Mr. Suave - ang driver ng Jeep from Shaw Blvd. going to Tanay, Rizal. Hay naku! Buwis buhay kung mag drive ang mamang ito!
Christopher Pineda - ang aming guide na dinala kami sa may ilog at hindi sa summit. Hahaha!!!
Kagawad - ang nagpatuloy sa amin upang kami ay makapag-camp malapit sa bahay nya. Salamat din po sa unlimited rice na binigay nyo sa amin.

TRANSPORTATION:

From shaw boulevard, take the Tanay bound jeepneys which costs Php 53.00 pesos each. Travel time from Shaw to Tanay town proper is 2 hours.



From there, take the jeepney bound for Brgy. Daraitan which costs Php 60.00 pesos each, but we opted to rent the whole jeepney for Php 1,500.00 so as not to wait for the jeepney to be completely full (including the roof) for it to go. Grabe!!! ganito pala dito, pinupuno talaga ang jeep hanggang bubong... Kamusta naman? Sa dami ng dala naming gamit at nagbabadya pa ang ulan, dehins kami sasakay sa bubong noh! Hahaha!!! Travel time is about an hour or so, on muddy rough roads.

ACTIVITIES:

-Camping-
Socials is one important ingredient of a great climb or a camping trip like this. We started the socials with one round of "The Bar" while waiting for our dinner to be cooked. Thanks to Ayie and Roger for doing the cooking.

After dinner, the "inuman" resumed and the customary Q&A portion started. Questions such as "kung ikaw ay isang bagay na mabibili sa hardware, anu ka at bakit?" and "kung ikaw ay isang mabibili sa sari-sari store, anu ka at bakit?". It was again a hell lot of fun! Hahaha!!!

-River Trekking-
We did the river trekking going to the cave on our second day. It was kinda scary because of the heavy current of the water, however we demonstrated "our bayanihan spirit" in helping each other to cross the river.

We also witnessed spectacular rock formations during our river trekking. I've also seen these rock formations before in my Mt. Pinatubo climb, the difference is the rocks here in Daraitan are mostly white in color.

-Rock Climbing-
Akyat sa mga bato para makarating sa cave. Matarik, madulas, matalas... Kailangan mag-ingat.


-Swimming-
Who can resist the cool water of the river and the water falls here? We can't!



-Cam Whore-ing-
It wouldn't be an adventure if no picture is taken. I won't be the "Mervin" that everyone knows if I don't pose for the camera. I am a certified photo addict / Cam-whore! Hahaha!!!

-Spelunking-
This is my first time to be inside a cave, however it was just in the first 3 meters from the mouth of the cave. I did not try to go inside because it's kinda scary; it's dark and there's a very small opening for us to get it. For a first timer like me to see a cave, ok na 'to... Hehehe!!!


Truly, Daraitan is a fascinating place that offers many things: river, mountains, caves, rock formations, etc. You should experience this as well.