Mt. Pinatubo crater. WOW!
The journey began dawn of May 13, 2012. We went to the terminal of Five Star Bus and got on a bus en route to Capas, Tarlac. We got off at Capas Junction in front of McDonald's and had a very early breakfast with a cup of hot coffee. We waited until 6am for our contact to pick us up and traveled for another 20 minutes to get to the tourism office. After the registration, we were introduced to our guide, to another group of 3 persons and to our 4x4 ride.
That's not a mountain. That's dried lahar.
The 4x4 ride started started at around 7am along the wide valley of dried lahar. There were several stops where we would take photos of the "mountain-like" lahar. After a little more than an hour,t. we got off the vehicle and started the 2-3 hours trek. It was a relatively easy trek. The trail was not steep except for the last 5-10 minutes to the crater itself. We passed by boulders of dried lahar as well as water with sulfur content.
Welcome! The majestic crater of Mt. Pinatubo.
When we finally reached the top, our first word was, "WOW!". The view was amazing! It was just like how I imagined it to be. The green and blue water, the hills of the volcano - it was picture perfect! I could not find the words to describe it.
Getting closer to the water.
After having our lunch, we stayed for another hour or so and though we wanted to stay longer, we had to start our trek back to town. The weather could be so unpredictable and rain usually pours in the afternoon. It could easily cause flood or landslide and we wouldn't want to get trapped.
Dark clouds forming behind us.
It was a very tiring day. But I would go back just to see that beauty beyond words.
