Talim: Trekking the island shaped like a blade
Published Jun 18, 2022 12:05 am
SENIOR BYAHERO
Not many people are familiar with Talim Island. They may have heard about it, but chances are they have no idea where the island is. They may have seen it from the window of the airplane as it approaches Manila airport from Laguna de Bay but cannot identify that blade-shaped island.
The island actually got its name from its shape. Talim, the blade-shaped island that most of us are not aware of. It is actually the closest island to Manila. It can be considered the biggest fresh-water island in the Philippines, inside the largest fresh-water lake, which is Laguna de Bay. It is volcanic in origin.
Rizal mentioned it in El Filibisterismo. Bernal shot the classic 1976 movie Nunal Sa Tubig in Talim. But how come most of us are not familiar with Talim?
It is way outside the tourist trails. The island, which belongs partly to Binangonan and partly to Cardona, hardly gets written about on travel journals. Selfie-hungry social media influencers will be disappointed that the island has no coconut-tree-lined beaches, no Instagram-worthy seafood restaurants despite being surrounded by water.
As soon as I retired, I listed down the places which I wish to explore but never got the chance. Talim topped my list.
So, one weekend, when a travel friend asked that we go on an adventure trip, I simply answered “Talim.” I tried to get as much information from the web on how to get there and what to do, and I could only gather that the entry point to the island is the port in Binangonan, and that its highest point, Mt. Tagapo, can be climbed in half a day.
I have been doing a 30-minute walk every morning and so I felt I could easily scale Mt. Tagapo.
We have no idea if there’s parking at Binangonan port, so we decided to do full public transport. As most of the jeepneys going to the towns of Rizal start from the terminal across Starmall Shaw, we agreed to meet there. When we arrived at the terminal, there was no Binangonan bound jeepneys. We asked around and was told to take the Angono jeepney, then take another one bound for Binangonan. We rode on the jeepney with the sign “Angono market,” and after 45 minutes, we arrived at the market. We asked where we could take the jeepney bound for Binangonan, and was told that there’s none there but we could get one at the “highway.”
At the highway junction, we got more confused. There were many Binangonan signs: “Highway,” “Double highway.” We just took the first one that stopped in front of us.
Finally arriving at the port, we rushed to the gate and asked where the jump-off point to Mt. Tagapo. Take the Janosa boat, we were told. We saw many boats waiting for passengers and the one we were looking for had a huge “Janosa” signage. We signed the passenger log, then boarded the boat immediately.
It was a huge boat, an oversized outrigger that can probably carry about a hundred passengers. We saw supplies, groceries, bags of rice, sacks of fruits, being loaded. Two motorcycles came, and loaded as well.
As we sailed, I finally saw up close the fish pens and the narrow island with packets of bamboo and concrete houses in between thick forests.
We arrived at Janosa landing an hour later. I asked where we could get information, and we were directed to the barangay hall right next to the chapel. As we walked through the narrow road, we finally saw Talim at its purest: simple people unbothered of the usual problems of living in the metropolis only few kilometers away.
We were assigned a guide. His name was Carlo. Carlo explained that Mt. Tagapo is 438 meters in height, and considered a beginner’s trek. He explained that while the climb would be easy, it’s going to be hot as we started already late. He added that the we have to be back before 3 p.m. to catch the last boat to mainland.
The trail started behind the chapel, and passed thru narrow paths along the residential area. After 10 minutes, the trail opened to the bamboo forest and continued for several kilometers of nonstop ascent to an open grassland leading to the summit.
I thought my daily walking had me prepared for such a climb. I was wrong. In my desire to reach the summit immediately, I slipped several times.
We arrived at Tagapo’s shoulder at 12 noon. I was completely exhausted. The summit was only a 15-minute hike away, but it was very hot and I was getting worried about missing the boat back. We decided to go back.
We did manage to get on the last boat to Binangonan. As we sailed back, I felt no regrets for not making it to the summit. Getting to and reaching Talim was already enough. Climbing Mt. Tagapo even only up to the shoulder was already a bonus, especially for a 60-year old man like myself. I waited 50 years to reach Talim. A few more months to reach its summit is worth another wait.
(Joseph Bautista is an adventure traveler. He used to write a monthly column in Manila Bulletin’s Cruising Magazine. He recently retired.)
Not many people are familiar with Talim Island. They may have heard about it, but chances are they have no idea where the island is. They may have seen it from the window of the airplane as it approaches Manila airport from Laguna de Bay but cannot identify that blade-shaped island.
The island actually got its name from its shape. Talim, the blade-shaped island that most of us are not aware of. It is actually the closest island to Manila. It can be considered the biggest fresh-water island in the Philippines, inside the largest fresh-water lake, which is Laguna de Bay. It is volcanic in origin.
Rizal mentioned it in El Filibisterismo. Bernal shot the classic 1976 movie Nunal Sa Tubig in Talim. But how come most of us are not familiar with Talim?
It is way outside the tourist trails. The island, which belongs partly to Binangonan and partly to Cardona, hardly gets written about on travel journals. Selfie-hungry social media influencers will be disappointed that the island has no coconut-tree-lined beaches, no Instagram-worthy seafood restaurants despite being surrounded by water.
As soon as I retired, I listed down the places which I wish to explore but never got the chance. Talim topped my list.
So, one weekend, when a travel friend asked that we go on an adventure trip, I simply answered “Talim.” I tried to get as much information from the web on how to get there and what to do, and I could only gather that the entry point to the island is the port in Binangonan, and that its highest point, Mt. Tagapo, can be climbed in half a day.
I have been doing a 30-minute walk every morning and so I felt I could easily scale Mt. Tagapo.
We have no idea if there’s parking at Binangonan port, so we decided to do full public transport. As most of the jeepneys going to the towns of Rizal start from the terminal across Starmall Shaw, we agreed to meet there. When we arrived at the terminal, there was no Binangonan bound jeepneys. We asked around and was told to take the Angono jeepney, then take another one bound for Binangonan. We rode on the jeepney with the sign “Angono market,” and after 45 minutes, we arrived at the market. We asked where we could take the jeepney bound for Binangonan, and was told that there’s none there but we could get one at the “highway.”
At the highway junction, we got more confused. There were many Binangonan signs: “Highway,” “Double highway.” We just took the first one that stopped in front of us.
Finally arriving at the port, we rushed to the gate and asked where the jump-off point to Mt. Tagapo. Take the Janosa boat, we were told. We saw many boats waiting for passengers and the one we were looking for had a huge “Janosa” signage. We signed the passenger log, then boarded the boat immediately.
It was a huge boat, an oversized outrigger that can probably carry about a hundred passengers. We saw supplies, groceries, bags of rice, sacks of fruits, being loaded. Two motorcycles came, and loaded as well.
As we sailed, I finally saw up close the fish pens and the narrow island with packets of bamboo and concrete houses in between thick forests.
We arrived at Janosa landing an hour later. I asked where we could get information, and we were directed to the barangay hall right next to the chapel. As we walked through the narrow road, we finally saw Talim at its purest: simple people unbothered of the usual problems of living in the metropolis only few kilometers away.
We were assigned a guide. His name was Carlo. Carlo explained that Mt. Tagapo is 438 meters in height, and considered a beginner’s trek. He explained that while the climb would be easy, it’s going to be hot as we started already late. He added that the we have to be back before 3 p.m. to catch the last boat to mainland.
The trail started behind the chapel, and passed thru narrow paths along the residential area. After 10 minutes, the trail opened to the bamboo forest and continued for several kilometers of nonstop ascent to an open grassland leading to the summit.
I thought my daily walking had me prepared for such a climb. I was wrong. In my desire to reach the summit immediately, I slipped several times.
We arrived at Tagapo’s shoulder at 12 noon. I was completely exhausted. The summit was only a 15-minute hike away, but it was very hot and I was getting worried about missing the boat back. We decided to go back.
We did manage to get on the last boat to Binangonan. As we sailed back, I felt no regrets for not making it to the summit. Getting to and reaching Talim was already enough. Climbing Mt. Tagapo even only up to the shoulder was already a bonus, especially for a 60-year old man like myself. I waited 50 years to reach Talim. A few more months to reach its summit is worth another wait.
(Joseph Bautista is an adventure traveler. He used to write a monthly column in Manila Bulletin’s Cruising Magazine. He recently retired.)