Surviving Subic’s Apaliin Trail

SUBIC is home to a precious little Aeta man that goes by the name of Mang Casuy. This curly-haired man knows the Apaliin Trail inside out. He is everyone’s favorite guide.

That afternoon, Mang Casuy’s mission was to take us on the Apaliin Trail and give us a crash course on herbal medicine and nature. The group included Yasmine, Isra, Ruth, Ate Che, Tonito and Ray Babst. All of us eager to start, we trooped from the bus in comfy clothes and sneakers, ready to face the challenges of the trail.

Challenge No. 1

RIDING toward the sunset

I needed to use the bathroom--badly. Both sides of the road were covered with trees and bushes. No hope of finding a restaurant with a decent washroom. I was thinking of holding it in, but the trail promised to be a bit long. I couldn’t take chances. There was a mint green portalet off the side of the road. That would have to do.

"Don’t look, don’t look," I chanted to myself in the cramped toilet. I didn’t. And I survived.

Mang Casuy led us into the trail. Naturally, there were trees everywhere. The natural shade protected us from the sun, making the trail comfortably cool. At least it wasn’t as humid as they said it would be.

As we began walking, Mang Casuy pointed out plants we should avoid. Some were poisonous, others might cause skin irritation.

It was more than just a walk in the woods. We learned about the Aeta culture--firsthand.

The three snakes

He showed us what young Aeta children played with--whistles made out of bamboo. He even showed us how to make love potion to reel the man or woman of your dreams in. He showed us the burial practices of his tribe.

"Umm, dito ba sila nililibing?" I asked.

"Hindi," Mang Casuy said.

I chuckled in relief. But my relief came too soon.

"Dahil nandito ang tinatawag naming Triboa," he continued.

Tri-what?

"Ang tatlong boa constrictor na nakatira dito."

Okay. I moved closer to Yasmine and company.

The road is not at all difficult to trek. Even kids do it. There is a clear path, although some parts have fallen over trees that you have to climb.

As I looked at the dried leaves, branches and piles of rock surrounding me, I reminded myself not to think about the "Blair Witch Project."

Mang Casuy, aside from being a fantastic guide, is a very talented actor. He feigned sickness and started plucking leaves that would cure him--the perfect way to demonstrate herbal medicine.

Mang Casuy had a lot of surprises for us. He would suddenly disappear, and we’d find him, many feet above us, hanging from a vine. We had a real Tarzan in our midst.

Another thing that blew me away was the fact that he led us through the whole trail barefoot. Forget the giant ants and the rocks--they were no big deal for this man.

On the way, he made us eat leaves. Uh huh, you read it right. We ate leaves. Although we were hesitant at first, we were soon chomping away. Mang Casuy is such a charmer you couldn’t say no.

The leaves were good, too. There were some that tasted like green mangoes (Where’s the bagoong?); there were others that tasted like kamias and siniguelas.

Doom

We also drank water from bamboos. Mang Casuy chopped a part of the tree and held it over our tilted heads so we could drink the fresh water.

After an hour or so, I felt something bad. I needed to pee--again. I made a big mistake when I grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the coaster’s cooler. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the next few minutes to pass by quickly.

Then I heard words that spelled my doom, "Wala pa tayo sa kalahati," another Aeta said. Oh no.

I began to trek fast. Really fast. Maybe, if I went faster, the others would be inspired, too. Soon, I left them behind. I was climbing right behind Mang Casuy. He noticed my change of pace.

"Ang lakas n’yong maglakad ma’am, ah. Pwede kayo sa militar," he said. I couldn’t laugh. My tummy was beginning to hurt.

I continued to move fast as I made small talk with our guide. I asked him how he learned about herbal medicine. "Kasama na yan sa kultura ng mga Aeta. Buhay na namin ’yan. Turo pa ng magulang ko." Aeta kids start learning when they’re 10 years old.

Despite the interesting conversation, I still couldn’t forget my need for a bathroom. I wasn’t about to drop my pants there and hide in the bushes, especially not after Mang Casuy’s stories about pythons there. I continued to move fast.

Mang Casuy said again, "Ang bilis n’yong pumanik. Ang lalaki ng hakbang niyo, ma’am. Baka pwede kayong mag-asawa ng Aeta." I smiled.

Fire in the woods

We continued to trek, stopping every once in a while so Mang Casuy can share stories with us about the trees and plants found there. I picked up a few leaves and a flower, but they all shriveled up in my bag.

Mang Casuy demonstrated how to start a fire using a bamboo. A small slab of bamboo may be used for an entire week, according to him.

"Marami pa sanang pwedeng ituro, pero hindi na tayo makakahinto. Baka abutin tayo ng dilim."

Thank god. It was fun, enriching and all, but I had no desire to prance around the forest at night.

We were sweaty, some of us were panting. I could see that the feet of Yasmine, who made the mistake of wearing moccasins, were all red.

Soon, we found ourselves in a clearing--a steep area still covered with plants and trees called Apaliin Point. It was overlooking the ocean. The view was breathtaking.

We made our way down the steep cliff, with the help of Mang Casuy’s strong hand. Slowly and steadily we made our way to the motorized banca that was waiting for us below.

Postcard moment

When we started moving, all thoughts of mosquito bites and scratched arms disappeared. The tiredness was neglected, the sticky perspiration on our bodies completely forgotten.

We whooped and shrieked like little kids as the water hit us. The boat continued to sail toward the sunset. It was beautiful--a postcard moment. I couldn’t stop taking pictures.

The trail was memorable, not because it was tiring but because it brought us closer to nature.

We docked at Miracle Beach, where our shoes got all wet and sandy. Nobody cared. We were still overwhelmed by the bliss of total nature immersion.