If the Amazon Jungle and the Moon got drunk one night, Mount Pinatubo would be the love child.

It takes a lot to get me up at 4am, but as we drove onto the lava ravaged plains that lead to the base of Mt Pinatubo I was anything but sleepy.  Pinatubo, or as Jay called it, Kiznorbo, last erupted in 1991 and the entire crater is now filled with a beautiful turquoise-blue water from a natural spring that was hit during the eruption.  This water filled crater and the incredible scenery leading up to it are the main reason that tourists take the 4 to 6 hour round trip hike to the summit.

Once at the top we all took a well deserved dip in the crater, swimming across to the nearest shore and relaxing in the warm sulphuric waters.  Apart from a little rain, the scene was truly idyllic.

Jumping across rivers that flow through ash ridden rocks, looking up at the mix of green and ash-grey surroundings, and swimming in the warm waters of a volcano crater were certainly memorable experiences and I highly recommend making the trip to anyone if they’re ever in the area.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 3rd, 2007 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Philippines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.