At Mount Apo: The Highest Peak of the Philippines with an elevation of 2,954 meters, me and my friend decided to finally check one of the things on our bucket-list by joining a package tour with experienced mountaineers. It was my first major climb. As a beginner, it requires a lot of physical preparation. Personally, I had gym training for 2-months and endless early morning jogs just to build up the stamina required. It was never an easy path but the experience was very fulfilling once you’ve reached the summit. And let us not forget those who were a part of the journey. Here are 7 reasons why you should consider joining a mountaineering tour package:

Everything’s new to you. The place, people, surroundings, climate. This is not your typical day at the beach. You will encounter hardships until you find that relaxing destination. Here is where you can also test your limits, because this journey equals to no power supply, internet access and limited water source. Away from the easy and comfortable city life but the best escape from traffic and polluted air. 

2. PEOPLE

Personalities and age gap differences. Here is where you encounter a clash of personalities and professions, a 3-day climb also means three days of struggles with this group of people. You will all share laughter, sweat, coldness and breath catching moments. Our journey consist of 17 people including the guides and porters. Our group has representatives from all three of the Philippine 's major islands: Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and one even came all the way from Hong Kong.

Team LuzViMinda + HK

3. GOOD PICTURES

One good thing about a package tour is that someone in the group is bound to be talented at taking good photos, or who has Go Pro and high definition cameras. Not only that, you will have nice pictures with them and they may also suggest more instagrammable photo ideas. Just don’t forget to grab those photos before going your separate ways. Or you can just use Viber or WhatsApp. We are all techies anyway, right?

4. GOOD FOOD

Food is life when going on a climb. Mainly because you will need enough energy to bring those feet up the surface. It is also a good time to get to know each other. Grab some conversations during or after a meal. Some can share their well-made coffee with you if you don’t have any burner with you. Or if you want to feel a little heat with their burner because camp fire is strictly prohibited at the mountain. It was an advantage for us because our guide is a great cook. Every meal at the mountain is a feast.

5. SHARED EXPERIENCES

The journey is not complete without any social gathering. Where all of you can share previous climb experiences or personal experiences. Let’s not forget the horror stories everyone has stories to tell. The night before we ascend to the peak was very memorable for us, it was full of laughter. The guides made the night a comedy, full of jokes. It makes all your exhaustion go away.

6. THE GUIDE

The best climb came from the best guides who never leaves anyone behind. Plus the locals/porters who have been there many times with so many interesting stories, histories and facts to share. There were no dull moment during the hike with all their jokes. If you want to climb Mt. Apo, I highly recommend the group Explore Mt. Apo of Davao City with Kuya Arj Seron as the guide.

7. FRIENDSHIP

Finally! Bucket list checked! All there’s left are unforgettable memories and bond between new found friends. It’s always an advantage to extend your connections, especially on our field of profession (engineers). After the journey, some tends to invite you to visit their homeland or invite you to join their other trips. Not only we can visit new provinces around the Philippines, but we can also have free tours and have a meal together. Yey!

Are you having a hard time reaching the 10,000 mark on your daily step tracker? It looks like you shouldn’t be guilt-ridden if you end your day short of the 10k benchmark after all.

Although there is a lack of scientific evidence, it’s been a common public belief that 10,000 steps a day is a goal we should all strive for if we want to live a little longer. However, a new study from Harvard Medical School claims we may not actually need to.


The study, which was published in the Journal of American Medical Association Internal Medicine, claims that achieving even only half of that can be linked to a decreased risk for early deaths in older women.

The study followed 16,741 women, with a mean age group of 72, for four years. The women wore trackers to measure their step count and speed during their daily activities. During the study’s 4-year period, 504 of these women died.

More Daily Steps, Longer Life

The research found that women who has an average of 4,400 steps per day had significantly lower mortality rates than those who averaged only 2,700 daily steps. The lower death rates progressively decreased with additional steps, however, this leveled off at approximately 7,500 daily steps. No effect on life longevity was added by hitting the 10,000 goal.

“Just do a little bit. If you just do a little bit, you're better off” said co-author I-Min Lee, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, to Time.

“I think it’s encouraging that you can get significant health benefits with less steps. But if you do 10,000 steps, then more power to you”, Lee adds.

The study only looked at mortality rate in relation to the volume of daily steps. It did not consider quality of life and other daily habits, so there is definitely more research to be done.