To me, a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.

–Helen Keller

I’ve reached the peak of Maria Makiling once before when we went mountain climbing. But I know that the mountain offers just more than legends and mountain treks. Maria Makiling holds one of the best [and undisturbed] nature trails in the Philippines.

Nothing beats walking and basking in nature…seeing the trees and flowers, hearing the chirping of birds and the rushing of waters, and smelling the scent of leaves and fruits. And it is in these quiet reprieves that nature touches our souls.

I made this nature trek a week ago, and I must say that it was one of the must fun nature trips I had in a while. It also made me realize that the world is so big and so diverse that a lifetime is not enough to get to know and see every single thing that nature has to offer. I must say that I love learning about nature, but there were still some new things that I saw in Maria Makiling!

I’ve seen better and clearer rivers. But nothing beats listening to the rush of water!

A flower starting to bloom. Perhaps bird of paradise?

This stem has a ring of thorns…talk about sending a message of “leave me alone!”

A snail holding on for dear life. Its shell is harder those of snails found elsewhere. Perhaps, here, they must learn to be strong to survive.

A tree with a bark that looks like an artist’s pallet

This was one of my favorites! If you look closely at the leaves, they seem to be shining. I don’t know why, but this plant reminds me of Christmas.

This must be a new breed of Santan.

Looks like a wishing plant. What I love about this plant was the leaves. They look so unique [and reminded me of watermelons]!

This very big tree has very unusual roots: they seem to be twisting!

Here’s the oddest of them all: I call this the Langka tree…the whole bark is made up of spikes! Looks scary!

Exercise + nature = one hell of a refteshing experience!

If you have the time, visit the Makiling Botanic Gardens in UPLB. Entrance fee is just PhP10! Cheap, considering the exhilarating experience!

Have a great week everyone!