LAGUNA A journey to hot springs, and an enchanted forest

Rainy days set the mood for tales of the enchanted. Who does not remember childhood afternoons spent listening to stories of enchanted forests, friendly dwarves in the garden, meek giants sitting on treetops? We grow up with such memories that on rainy days - when there is time to reflect - we sift through the tales to decide which ones we can pass on to our children as local legend, or which ones were products of a yaya's imagination.

A childhood memory must have activated a subconscious mood for sifting through those enchanted tales. During the rainy days of June, we – Aris Ilagan, Anjo Perez and me – were drawn toward a trip to the mountains. We attempted to explore the mountains of Sagada but two typhoons and a landslide kept us away. Then a thought pulled us toward Mt. Makiling, which folklore has named “the enchanted mountain”.

Of course we say that is a coincidence, but we enjoyed the thought of exploring an enchanted forest.

Anyone can “climb” the trails of Mt. Makiling. You just have to determine how much time you have for the whole adventure. If you have only two hours, turn back and retrace your steps after the first hour. Letting time pass you by will be a problem. When you feel tired and decide to turn back, you may not have enough energy to make the walk to your car.

Enter the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) campus and follow the signs to the Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems (or ask anyone where the staging area for the climb to Peak 2 is). A “stop” sign stands beside a small guard house where you will find Alfred Baloyot, a forest protection officer. He will ask you to sign your names in a logbook. Do not skip this seemingly small task; if you don’t sign out after the time you say you shall be back, they will look for you.

Most people leave their vehicles in this area to start their climb to Peak 2 which is about ten kilometers away. It is an off-road terrain after this. If you have a 4x4, drive on.

The next sign of life will be about 3.5 kilometers away where you will find three sari-sari stores selling among others, fresh coconuts. This is also where you will find a guide to bring you into the forest. (Edwin, our guide, has a store there).

Since you’re halfway to the peak, your guide will tell you that you have about two to three hours to reach it – on foot, and depending on your speed. The leeches are thickest as you near the peak. (You will leave your vehicles here).

We did not have time – or the courage – to meet that many leeches, so we decided to follow the trail to a nearer destination – the Mudsprings (less than a kilometer). The guides will tell you how easy the “walk” is, but be careful anyway. The trail is quite slippery, and there are leeches along the way, as well as snakes (once in a while)!

Without thinking, each of us murmured our own versions of “Excuse me, allow us to pass…” a chant we all seem to have picked up along the way to adulthood. Our guide, Mang Edwin, approved of that and said so. “Yes”, he said, “Maria Makiling still roams the forests.”

Having found a common tale that established our respect for the enchanted forest, Mang Edwin was generous with stories. He pointed to a large mound of dry earth, almost as hard as stone with a hollowed side. He said a fortune hunter had found gold and jewelry there.

Beside the steaming Mudsprings, now surrounded by chicken wire fence, Mang Edwin related how the mud bubbles more when visitors are noisy and reckless.

Mang Edwin related stories of enchanted chicken, birds and other small animals which always evaded the hunters’ guns. “They are Maria’s pets,” he said.

We were back at the sari-sari store enjoying another round of coconuts in about two hours. We could have done the whole trail in less time but Mang Edwin detoured us through some dense foliage – just for effect, I guess. There while he continued his stories of the enchanted forest, the swish-swish of his itak cutting bushes provided a rhythmic background.

We could not just drive straight to Manila after that enchanting morning! We decided to locate a hot spring resort owned by a rally-driver friend, Mike San Miguel. There are more than 200 hot spring resorts in Calamba and Los Baños drawing its water from deep wells warmed by Mt. Makiling which is also a dormant volcano. It seems that every other house has a hot spring pool and thus claims to be a “resort”. Some rent out rooms and cottages, a few rent out the whole resort to families and office functions. We turned into a narrow street in Pansol to find many such signs advertising the same thing – hot spring pools!

Just be wary of the hordes of young men on bicycles waving at you or following your car. If you wave back, or even ask just one simple “where is…” question, they will charge you a “guide’s fee” as they did to us.

Or worse: They will follow you to your preferred resort and claim that the management should give them a commission for leading guests there! Our contact said the standard commission is ten percent during summer months and 20 percent during the off-season.

Bernard San Miguel, who has spent a good part of his life in Pansol, has seen the growth of the hot spring resorts. The first ones started in the sixties but it was only in the eighties when hot springs mushroomed around Pansol (near the border of Calamba and Los Baños).

Villa San Miguel, owned by Bernard’s brother, was opened in 1992. It now has three large swimming pools with hot spring water, 11 rooms and a conference room. Entrance fees are R50 for adults and R45 for children. Rooms start at R600 for non-aircon and R1,200 for aircon.

Since we were in Villa San Miguel on a rainy Monday afternoon, we had the place to ourselves. The warm pool, the company of friends, and a long walk through an enchanted forest all started with an hour’s drive from Parañaque. What a pleasant way to relax!

(Reprinted from Cruising Magazine, August 2001 issue)