Sensuous summit curves; Sea in perpetual tranquility; Vibrant tangerine sunset and glorious sunrise; Wild mushroom blossoms;

Tantalizing breezes; Snaking silk fog

When it comes to romance, Mt. Gulugod Baboy looks like love, caressing, fresh, vibrato, mango-sweet. There is no question about it. This mountain is sensuous. Please read on and let me guide you on your online climb A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon when we reached one of the three peaks. They crawled forward teasing us with soft rain showers and cold fog while we are pitching our tents. It was already five oclock in the afternoon when we reached the campsite, just in time to catch the magnificent setting sun, painting the sky with vibrant hues. This is the priceless reward we all got after two hours of steep ascend the sun carries with it all our exhaustion as it sets.

Mt. Gulogod Baboy is definitely for the quikie romantic nature lover like you. Located in Southern Batangas and just a bus ride away from Manila, this simple itinerary takes in Luzons ideal weekend getaway. Just a short hop from the Philpan jump-off is the lovely coast of Anilao, which offers some of natures most incredible diving sites true to its title as the birthplace of Philippine scuba diving. These beaches will lure you from the peaks of Mt. Gulugod-baboy, especially a view from the

Pinagbanderahan, its highest peak, because from there you can see the Janao Bay, Maricaban strait which bears Sombrero and Maricaban Islands, hiding on the hazy bluish fog is my hometown Mindoro. This really is a sight!!! So, after the climb we will be having a side trip at Anilaos beaches for a refreshing dive. Perfect right! The lure of the triumvirate peaks

Now back to our love affair with the mountains. The sun-drenched panoramic peaks of this lovely mountain is actually a triumvirate (1) the Gulugod Baboy which means pigs spine so named because of the contours of the hills; (2) Gitna, the center peak and; (3) Pinagbanderahan, the historic peak where Japanese airmen crash landed and survived during World War II.

On this mountain, in the land of Ala-eh, romance, mysticism and adventure come into fusion. The array of swaying talahib grass and an occasional dash of wild flowers, solitary tree and white cows grazing, whispering breeze and silvery fog, form a natural picture of a Philippine countryside overpowering and irresistible.

It nestles in the very bosom of the Calumpan Peninsula, its triumvirate peaks casting wonderful shadows in the sunrise and moonlight dancing over the soft ripples of Anilao waters. This gave us enchanting sensation, which we cannot obtain anywhere else. The peeping Sombrero Island over rippling waters add to the sorcery and magic of the scenery, while the mountains intermittent breeze casting spells and murmuring pagan chants vary the allurement and mystic.

This is the spot where you can touch the brilliant horizon. Where you can talk to the clouds and play with fireflies. Where the grazing white cows are the perfect visuals for Bruno Mars The Lazy Song and not those monkeys. These scenes from the Gulugod-Baboy peak are without doubt one of the many explanations why theres traffic of hikers on this mountain. Hiking the Gulugod "The heights charm us, but the steps do not; with the mountain in our view we love to walk the plains." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-

If idyllic mountain pastures, bahay-kubo and occasional mingling with the locals form part and parcel of your hiking enjoyment, with high peaks and lots of sunshine, then you only have one problem with Mt. Gulugod Baboy: you will be spoiled.

However, before you start thinking that this is a chicken climb, let me disabuse you of that idea that this is just a 2/9-difficulty trek. You may end up with broken limbs and nasty bruises if youre impatient and heedless.

Nevertheless, it is worth trekking on in here to catch the afternoon sun peeping on palm leaves. Once in while its also nice to chat with fellow hikers for some bonding moments. Im not a full pledged mountaineer (yet) but I noticed that most mountaineers are courteous and friendly if you meet them on the trail, theyll take time to smile and give pleasantries which is really uplifting. Romantic dinner at the peak

How about ending the night with a romantic dinner set-up in the mountain. Yes, a romantic dinner at the peak complete with wine, wine glasses, candles, wild flowers and a guitar. This date with the mountain is a total romantic blast! Drinking those wine and rounds of vodka at the peak is pure pleasure, so is breathing the mountains living air - every detail is memorable. Our bodies seems to feel tired from the ascent but it was all

washed away by the twinkling heaven and occasional zooming wishing-star. Beachineering at Anilao

What makes the Mt. Gulugod-baboy extra exciting is that the jump-off is conveniently located just a hop away from rows of Anilao resorts. So after our romantic date with Mt. Gulugod Baboy and a muscle aching descent, we checked-in at The Brine Valley Resort in Anilao (Ligaya), Mabini Batangas just a few blocks away from Philpan. Personal notes: On mountaineering and building beautiful memories

When I received an e-mail from Carla about this climb, I quickly thought that I was up for this because I already missed their previous invites for the Mt. Makulot climb. With a little planning from our side (we are only guest hikers of the Emerson Mountaineering Club), we met at the bus station in Buendia. Together with Carla and her husband Kuya Vanny, (sorry if I got the spelling wrong) both first class pinoy mountaineers and with the weekend warriors from Emerson and my work buddies at Eastgate, we conquer Mt. Gulugod Baboy.

The weekend warriors: Emerson Outdoor Group and Eastgate guest climbers Together we experience the beauty of the countryside. No pain here, no dull empty hours, no worries about work and no pressure of corporate hassles. Mt. Gulugod Baboy are so compactly filled with beauty, no petty personal worries has room to be. I think we all share common understanding that Mt. Gulugod Baboy, [or any mountain on our future climb] offer us an escape from the stressful and typical cubicled life.

This is why I want to climb mountains. It always reminds me that theres more to life than chasing careers and dreams of having fancy house, cars and gadgets. This is why I can almost cry whenever I reach the peak, watch a sunset or sleep under the stars a primordial chance to experience what truly

means to be human in an infinite expanse of interconnected life. On the bus going to back Manila, I fret because I am entering reality again. So I tried to mentally explore my options in life in the mountains or at the beach. I dont know where it will take me, but I know it is where I want to be. and these are the moments that I'm gonna remember most.

Yodi chilling out at Mt. Gulugod Baboy

Such strategies recognized that through the use of government planning the tourism industry can be developed and managed in a way that conserve its natural resources and minimizes negative environmental impacts (e.g. Evans-Smit, 1994). The main tools of government policy aimed at tourismrelated environmental problems are

Legislation Regulation- including revenue collection and redistribution Control The coordination of policies and programs Infrastructure and incentives Planning and promotion between national and local level ecotourism ventures

The primary means of minimizing impacts is to control tourist numbers and as such much government policy is formulated around this intention. Such controls include quality controls, for example, zoning or limits to tour group sizes, as price controls- such as fees or taxes on local operators. However, the practice of limiting visitor numbers is often a blunt and simplistic solution. Sustainability is about a process, bringing stakeholders in to address the earliest stage of the problem and managing the visitor. Governments also have changing interests and priorities which lead to policies being inconsistent and unfulfilled. Countries with unstable political systems can often provide long-term vision and stability in policy and planning for tourism and ecotourism. Even countries where the political and democratic processes are well-established and secure, the frameworks and priorities for ecotourism change frequently. Integrated Policy Planning The tourism industry is represented at the ministerial level in the form of specialist portfolios which indicate a governments recognition of tourisms importance. A governments priority for tourism can be derived from the position of tourism portfolio within larger departments or if it is represented by a department designated solely for it. Generally, where ecotourism planning occurs, it follows the development of an overall National Development Plan and a Tourism Plan. A Tourism Plan should revolve around the natural and socioeconomic environment of a country, taking into consideration domestic and international tourist market groups as well as residents use of tourist attractions and facilities. Fundamental elements include: Tourist attractions and activities Accommodation Transportation and other tourist facilities/services Other infrastructure Institutional elements (Inskeep, 1991)

A resourcing or funding plan should accompany the implementation plan. An ecotourism plan should ideally encompass the following steps: Study preparation Determination of objectives Survey

Analysis and synthesis Policy and plan formulation Recommendations Implementation and monitoring

The coordination of government planning with private sector and non government organizations is also fundamental, as is the establishment of links with tourism operators and local communities to facilitate sustainable practices (Wild, 1994). For sustainability to be achieved at all levels of government, operators and developers, as well as tourists and local communities, must each be involved in collaborative partnerships. Although government has the power to legislate controls through policy and thus contribute to sustainable ecotourism practices, a cooperative approach between all involved parties under government guidance would enhance its ongoing success. Ideally then a sustainable tourism policy is a policy that stems from government bodies, from various levels, in the form of regulations, official statements of speeches, collaborations made and incentive given. Policy is used here to denote the formulation of goals and objectives and the setting of priorities as expressed in various forms (e.g. choices made, statements regulations) (Farsari et al., 2007). Tourism and Protected Areas It is a conflict over two primary orientations, preservation versus use, and tourism and protected areas embodies precisely this dilemma. To accept increased levels of visitation as the price of support significantly compromises the natural qualities upon which parks are founded. Everyday we witness increasing pressure on natural resources and a need for escalating protection of resources, particularly those found in protected areas and equivalent reserves. The major problem is in declining what directions and actions should be taken to ensure the future of such areas. Communities saw, what they considered well off tourists spending very little in their villagers. What transpired was a highly skewed distribution of wealth where operators, and those with arrangements with them, organized porters and accommodation for the trekkers increasing the wealth of those with connections and in a position to negotiate, while leaving many other on the track to miss out. The introduction of the KTA and the process of producing a trecking strategy saw a break down in the most total control of the industry by tourism operators who often oscillated between the utilization and avoidance of people participation where and when it suited them. For example the industry relied on a local porters to work within the labor conditions set out according to traditional and exploitative traditions. To mobilize the trekking strategy for workshops were conducted for the villages along the track. The second workshop of _______ gathered together representatives from all villages of the ___________

Planning for trekking development A key approach to manage to Kokoda track has been to employ methodologies which encourage local communities to mobilize their own knowledge and ideas in the management of their resources. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) is one such research tool which has been use successfully in aiding communities to make management decisions about their resources. The PRA approach was chosen in order to generate data concerning the lifestyle of communities on the Kokoda track, their expectations of trekking and watching changes could be made to enable them to benefit more completely from trekking. Research participants collective data by themselves with minimal assistance from the various researchers attached to the project. This enabled participants to take responsibility and assume accountability for their own knowledge and contributions with a view of enhancing self confidence, independence and an awareness of each individual potential. Any form of trekking tourism depends on the support and used of the host communitys available facilities such as accommodations, ancillary services and infrastructure such as medical, transport and labor. PRA was employed to help facilitate local communities (via various representatives) and to make decisions about the provisions of such resources for tourist use. The technique also facilitated the development of a cooperative and a coordinated regional approach to the tourism development between all land owning clans along the track. A regional/track wide approach to the development of the Kokoda was essential ensuring that trekkers will be able traverse the entirety of the track and pass trough sixteen different land owning clans. This approach brings increased level of complexity in the logistic of participatory planning and management as it takes far longer, requires the collation of far more information, requires a great deal more comprise on the part of the villagers and involves many more difficulties to engaged with the entire region rather than individual land owning units. Additionally issues can arise stemming from different levels of resistance, commitment and economic benefit between different participating communities despite this challenges, regional coordination is vital to the sustainability of the trekking industry on the Kokoda track as it can lead to a number of benefits this were found to include 1. Greater cooperation between stakeholders, creating economies of scale for marketing and training exercises 2. The selection of appropriate site along the track from camping in order to minimize impacts from trekking and to mobilize more people to become involved in trekking activities. 3. The development of a wider array of attractions in order to capture a wider ecotourism market. Despite significant headway being made in the participatory planning of trekking in the region, challenges to the conservation of the wider area still remain.