We prepared early, ate early lunch, and arrived at the meeting place (Balite Chapel) an hour before the 1 PM climb at Loklok. Mom, Tita, and I were the early birds. No one was in the chapel when we arrived. Maybe because it was still early and the weather was quite hot that people decided to go on a later time. And so we waited and took the extra time to fix ourselves in preparation for the climb. As the clock ticked closer to one, people started to arrive and I was quite surprised with the volume. My mom was not exaggerating when she said that A LOT of people come here every year.
Then, at exactly 1 PM, the organizers just said a few reminders and the climb started. With a cap on my head, a bottle of water on my left hand, and a fan on my right hand, I knew I was good to go. The heat of the sun and the steep way up made it quite challenging. With every station of the cross, I started to feel the sweat on my body. My feet and legs started to shake, but I knew there was no turning back!
It took us a couple of hours before we reach the top. There, it was beautiful! The view of the mountains nearby and the sea were truly breathtaking. We also heard mass there and the homily was wonderful. Although it can never be compared to Jesus' sacrifice for all of us, the climb, for us people, was truly a sacrifice. Thank you Jesus for everything! You are truly wonderful!
It was actually my first time to do something like this. It was hard at first. 4 straight hours of walking and standing. I tell you, there was no time to sit. But in the end, it was all worth it!
