Bakasyunan - Oyats Annual Getaway

Bakasyunan in Tanay Rizal

Ride with  Oyats

Bakasyunan Resort and Conference Center is situated in Tanay Rizal. We chose this place for our short overnight trip to celebrate a "Decade of Friendship" with our college friends - to get together, bond and enjoy each others company.

 Just an hour from Antipolo, this place is a new resort in Tanay where family and friends can stay  for a while from the crowded places in the city. It is ideal for corporate outing, with a lot of amenities and activities ideal for team buildings.

way to our accommodation

Itinerary:

exploring the area

Day 1

0900 - Meet-up Boni Chekwa
1000 - ETD Antipolo
1100 - ETA Antipolo (Early Lunch)
1200 - Resume ride via Sampaloc route
1330 - ETA Bakasyunan - Check In
1400 - Explore the Area
1500 - Videoke Time/ Snacks (100/per hour)
1700 - Swimming Time/Billiard/Table Tennis
1900 - Dinner
2000 - Videoke Part 2

exploring the area

2100 - Socials
2330 - Lights out


Day 2

0700 - Wake-up Call
0800 - Swimming Time
1000 - Mud Slide Activity
1100 - Wash-up
1130 - Check Out
1200 - Lunch
1300 - Photo ops
1330 - ETD Manila
1530 - ETA Manila

Team Building Activity

Mini - Golf

Videoke - Sky Bar

We chose Sampaloc route in Marcos Highway to avoid large volume of commuters in the route passing through the Tanay Proper.We reached Bakasyunan Resort after an hour. Check-in time is 1:30PM, but we arrived late, around 2pm. Good thing is we don't need to wait - rooms are ready.  Bringing of foods is allowed but you have to pay their corkage fee, though they are not very strict about it.We booked 2 rooms for 11 person which cost 7000php per night. When we got there, the room were already cleaned up. The room were simple - white beddings, a small refrigerator, AC, a  flat screen TV with cable channel and a bathroom.

night swiiming

Billiards / Table Tennis - Activity

Dinner Time

The first thing I saw that really caught my attention when we explored the area was the obstacle course. The ever-adventurous tried some of these while others were relaxing in their rooms. We simply chose some activity that will tailor-fit to the group. We enjoyed videoke in the afternoon, and then swimming at night. It's not an ordinary swimming since we also enjoyed the rain - thus perfectly describing what our event was: "Unang Hirit Sa Tag-Ulan". While waiting for our dinner to be served, some of us played billiards and table tennis, while the others took their time to clean up.

Delicious Food

Dekada na Tayo!

CHEERS for forever Friendship - Happy 10 years ka - OYAT

Having Fun

Having Fun

Dinner's served - a perfect combination of food complements amazing view of scenery from the top of the conference center, where the resto was situated.

Night - While waiting for Bryan and Gho to arrive, some of us washed-up, changed clothes, while the others had another hour of Videoke before heading to our Socials.

Socials -It's a nice time to catch-up again, celebrating our solid 10 years of friendship. Time flies so fast, good friends are hard to come by so I value this friendships I have which definitely will last  a lifetime.

Having Fun

Happy OYATS - Happy TAYO

Finale - Activity

Mud Slide

We took a dip again at the swimming pool early morning then proceeded to our last activity - the much awaited  "Mudslide". We witnessed the first attempt of Marvin and Cris and it looks exciting and thrilling when they reached the muddy area.  Each of us had the slides and laughs of our lives. We really enjoyed the mudslide so much, this being our first try. I’m now ready to conquer a  group mudslide in Caliraya. Most of us had so much fun tried it multiple times.

Having FUN - OYATs in Action

Having FUN - OYATs in Action

MUDDY!

Having FUN - OYATs in Action

Happy OYAT

Mini Golf

For the past few years since we all parted ways from College to pursue our corporate careers, we've been maintaining our agreement to gather annually and it was nice seeing that we're still into it even though some of us already have their own family, while some are busy at work. Still we never forget to keep in touch, set some time to bond, and remind each and everyone of our friendship we built that we never thought would last this long, and definitely for long.

Lunch

Oyat - Hitting the road

Special Thanks to Camille and Eldie who've arranged this, and make this trip successful.

I really appreciate the friendships I have built throughout my career, people I have known throughout my mountaineering journey, but one thing I am certain is that Oyats will forever remain Oyats - no one can replace this. Until next time ka-OYATs  #magkaibiganhabangpanahon

Oyat - Hitting the road

Happy 10 Years - Group Picture

Budget Breakdown:

Mt. Telakawa & Capas National Shrine

Mt. Telakawa in Capas Tarlac

filling-up waiver form

Mt. Telakawa  is a mountain in the province of Tarlac, at the foot of Mt. Pinatubo. Elevation is measured at 645 Meters above sea level. It is not a famous mountain but it offers a breathtaking view of Mt. Pinatubo and the entire "lahar" field.

We again joined the Conquer Team for the third time to explore another mountain, at the same time to learn more. We wanted to show that adding a bit of adventure in to your every day lives can help provide the feeling of fulfillment.

LNT Orientation

Itinerary:

Day 1

Start Trekking

0800 - Assembly at Cubao
0900 - ETD Capas Tarlac
1100 - ETA Capas Tarlac
1130 - Take Tricycyle to Brgy. Sta Juliana
1230 - ETA Brgy. Sta Juliana /Arrange Guide/Late lunch
1400 - Orientation/Activity
1530 - Start Trek
1630 - ETA Aeta Village
1700 - Kambingan / last water source
1730 - ETA summit campsite
1830 - Pitch Tent/prepare Dinner
1900 - Dinner
2000 - Socials

Happy Kids along the trail - good vibes!

2200 - Lights-out

Day 2

0530 - Wake-up Call/sunrise viewing
0600 - Prepare Breakfast
0630 - Eat Breakfast / photo ops
0730 - Break Camp
0830 - Start Descend
0930 - Kambingan
1000 - Aeta Village
1100 - ETS Brgy. Sta Juliana / Wash-up
1200 - Lunch
1300 - Post Climb

1400 - ETD Capas National Shrine
1430 - ETA Capas National Shrine
1600 - ETD Manila
1900 - ETA Manila

Trekking

Kambingan

The group consisted of Conquer Participants - a total of 32 happy climbers.  I would say that some of us were somewhat strangers to each other, but the world is small and so we simply gathered, here in this place with the same purpose - to discover things, to enjoy, to have friends, to reach the summit of Mt. Telakawa and make memories that we will forever cherish.

Lead pack at the summit campsite

Summit Campsite

Pitching tent

One thing that I appreciated most in this climb is having a lot of social interactions with other climber. At the very first part of the event, we had a short briefing regarding reminders on how can we preserve, protect and lower the impact of mountaineering in every mountain. It is also a time that we share our experiences and knowledge.

The group was divided into three due to the pacing of each climber. We started our trek around 2:45PM. We we're blessed to be able to hike during that time as we were not directly exposed to the heat of the sun.

panoramic shot - early morning

the majestic Mt. Arayat seen from the summit of Mt. Telakawa

Summit View

Around 5:30PM, our group acting as the lead pack reached the summit camp, followed by the middle pack around 5:50 PM and finally the tail pack around 6:30PM.

We were able to set our camps before the rain started. Some of the group were first timers when it comes to this kind of weather, and it became evident when they experienced difficulty on preparing their dinner due to the continuous rain. No socials for us that night. We chose to rest to be able to regain our energy, though I heard some of the participants were able to push through with the socials.

Conquer - Hitting the trail

panoramic view of summit campsite

Explorer pointing Mt. Arayat - Summit View

with sweet explorer - conqured Mt. Telakawa

Descending

Rise and Shine - The majestic Mt. Arayat greeted us an awesome morning. The view at the summit is simply amazing. The wide "lahar field" is visible. It is also offers a 360 summit view, that even the long Sierra Madre range can be seen. Though the sun is just right above us, we didn’t mind the heat, we just enjoy the scenery and the refreshing feel brought by the chill wind.

Descending

Conquerors - Summit of Mt. Telakawa

Descending

Lahar area 

trekking

We reached Aeta Village around 9:40AM. This is my first time to interact with these indigenous people. We were happy to help them in our small way by giving some of our food and medicine kits. Together we can help and make a difference - through big and small things.

In this climb - new things were learned, people were appreciated and most of all God, from time to time again, never failed to amaze me. People were awesome.

Indigenous people along the trail

Until we meet again

boodle fight

lunch!

post climb

Entering Capas National Shrine

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The group then feasted on a delicious boodle fight prepared by the friendly locals. BURRP!. Afterwards, we proceeded to another activity. We enjoyed the game prepared by Conquer Absolute.

Post Climb - The last part of the climb, every participants shared their either positive or negative thoughts about the climb. Overall, Conquer met our expectations.

We were able to visit the Capas National Shrine - a memorial created for the Filipino and American soldiers who died at Camp O'Donnel at the end of the Bataan Death March  This is significant site related to Veterans' Day in the Philippines. I'm proud to see the name of my ancestor ^_^ .

Time to go Home! - the sad part of every adventure trips.

Special Thanks to Conquer Absolute for hosting and preparing for the cool activities; to M'Jane, S'Edmund and the rest of Conquer Outdoor Equipment team for organizing this event.

Another lesson learned. Experience is the best teacher, reminding us that a formal training goes a long way when it comes to our passion for the outdoors. Through this we'll be able to rediscover ourselves and our purpose.

panoramic view of Capas National Shrine

The Conqueror's - Group Picture

Mt. Telakawa and Capas National Shrine Video <------

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