Due to the impending structure change at my work, one of the two teams I handle will be transferred to a different manager to promote a more efficient structure. As of the moment, I handle two different data sets that are from different time zones. Few months ago, upper management decided to transfer my EST team to another team lead who also handles a group of analysts within that same shift.
Because of this, my team decided to plan an adventure trip that will serve as a farewell activity to our small group. It was a good thing that one of my colleagues is from Siniloan (Laguna), and his house is near the gateway to Buruwisan Falls.
Buruwisan Falls is located in Mt. Romelo (Siniloan, Laguna), and it is one of the five falls of Sierra Madre Mountain Range. My colleague mentioned that the trail to the falls is not that difficult and that his mom successfully completed the hike without any major fuss. With a collective hiking/trekking experience relative to none, we all felt that this must be the adventure we are looking for.
Siniloan is a few hours away from Tanay, Rizal. The initial plan was to take a shuttle from Shaw Boulevard to Tanay and from there, we’ll take a jeepney to Siniloan. But since the team’s shift end at 6am, and mine around 12mn, we then decided to just meet up at Tanay.
From my dad, I learned that there are Tanay bound jeepneys near Sta. Lucia East in Cainta and this is where I started my journey. As advised by the friendly guards from the mall, I took a Cainta Junction jeepney and from there, Tanay bound jeepneys are aplenty.
Day 1 of the adventure is consists of travel to Tanay, Laguna, and even to Real in Quezon, which is around 2 hours from Siniloan. At the evening of our first day, we went to Exotica, a restaurant that offers exotic foods. (Photos are taken by Alissa Evangelista)
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| Fried frog - taste like chicken |
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| Adobong Palaka (frog) |
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| Sizzling Eel - Aldrin's favorite |
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| Canada Team with Aldrin and Jomar |
On the day of the trek, we woke up around 5am but journey to the falls started at 7am. We were expecting that it would be a easy hike to the falls, but to no avail, it was a challenge for all of us. It was a test of balance, patience, and will power. I almost gave up, good thing I didn’t because the view was amazing.
It took us three hours to reach the falls, and 2.5 hours to return to the base.
Photos below are taken by my colleague, Alissa Evangelista
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| Quick bite before ascend |
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| Lake at the base of the Mt. Romelo |
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| Trail |
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| Hike Up |
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| Tired but still excited |
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| With our tour guide (two kids in the middle) |
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| Rest |
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| Buruwisan Falls |
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| Canada Team at Buruwisan Falls |
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| Canada Team at peak |
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| All of Us |
