On Christmas Day 2011, just a few hours after Moni and Kev had touched down in Manila, we all headed north to climb Mount Pinatubo in the December sunshine. The alarm was set for 2.30am and having hit the road 90 minutes later, we were at the prearranged meeting point ready to board our jeep at 6am.
The first leg of the journey in the 4x4 lasts almost 90 minutes and is over extremely rough terrain. Suspension was a luxury we weren't afforded in the vehicle, so needless to say it was tough on the joints at times getting bounced around, as well as up and down and from side to side.
The trek culminates in an exhilarating 2 hour uphill hike along a dried out river bed. Much of the scenery is grey in colour, due to the layers of volcanic ash which still cover almost the entire landscape.
After reaching the crater lake Moni, Jule and Kev ignored the warning not to swim in the water and instead they all took the plunge in the true sense of the word. It was obvious that none of them regretted it.
The view of the lake itself was truly spectacular and it was an incredible way to spend Christmas.
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