Santa Juliana - Mt Pinatubo
Shortly past 5h00, a four-wheel drive jeep left the tourist office for an hour-long
drive to the crater, a bumpy and dusty ride along a riverbed. The landscape was
stark and barren, with only the odd water buffalo.
Surprisingly enough, people who looked completely different to the Filipinos in the
rest of the country lived up in the hills. The Aeta were indigenous people who lived
in Luzon’s isolated, mountainous parts. They were thought among the earliest
inhabitants of the Philippines. One theory suggests that Aeta are the descendants
of the original inhabitants of the Philippines. Contrary to their seafaring
Austronesian neighbours, they arrived through land bridges that linked the country
to the Asian mainland almost 30,000 years ago. Unlike many of their Austronesian
counterparts, the Aetas have resisted change. Thank goodness, all attempts by the
Spaniards to settle them in reservations failed.
We continued until the jeep could go no further and then set off by foot for about
an hour to the top. The hike was a relaxed one along a stream until finally
reaching Crater Lake. The lake was much larger than envisaged. We took a few
pics, and spend some time soaking up the tranquil atmosphere, imagining the
devastation this peaceful crater caused before retracing our steps.
Once in Santa Juliana, and already past midday, I was too lazy to proceed and
stayed put.