PREENING AT PUNING'S

The boys of Aklan Catholic College

On a recent assignment with Aklan Catholic College, I brought the students to Puning's Hot Spring and Spa. The idea was a brainchild of both Ms Portia Robado and Ms Aiza Orbista Nahil.

Main entrance to the spa

The Aklan Catholic College has immersion classes in which the students are brought to Manila to experience and learn from hands-on experiences as they travel from one site to another. Puning's Spa was a welcome treat for the students.

beauty amidst rugged countryside

We traveled all the way to Pampanga, leaving our buses at the edge of the gate towards  Mt. Pinatubo in Clark Air Base. The  air base is a vestige of the American Occupation in Manila. During the bombing of Manila by the Japanese, Clark Air Base was one of the first casualties as the Japanese knew the American planes were in Clark. There is a small patch of cemetery where the victims of the war were buried and honored. But that's another story...

4x4 ride in the gorge

From the pick up point the students boarded into 4x4's and off we roared into the wilderness of Pinatubo. Nobody had known there was a volcano in the area until Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1996. Lahar and pyroclastic material engulfed most of the province of Pampanga, completely burying towns in its path.

Tiers of hot spring pools

But out of the ashes, pockets of beauty emerged and an entriprising Korean married to a Filipina wanted to take advantage of the hot springs emanating from the volcano's vents. Puning's was born! The name itself is taken from the Aeta word "punang" meaning tree. True enough, if you leave nature alone, it will come back!

From Lahar flows, lush greenery emerged and as the 4x4's roared through the gorges, we experienced such a rush, the boys at the back of the jeep screamed in delight. The spa has three stations and we spent a few hours in the station three which had hot water pools fed by the vents. The pools were nestled among the rocks and water cascaded to other parts of the station. Careful not to get enticed into staying under the waterfall... it's 70 degrees hot!

70 degree waterfall

After spending the time interacting with some Korean guests, the group backtracked to Station 2 aboard the 4x4's again careening between the mountains. Station 2 is where they were buried up to their neck in warm sand for 30 minutes. The  treatment ends with the kids being slathered in a mudpack of cool volcanic mud to close and tighten the pores.

mudpack treatment

After a cold shower, we went back to Station 1 where tables were laid out for a sumptuous fusion of Filipino and Korean food. All the staff were friendly residents of the Pinatubo forest area, now employed by the establishment. It's was interesting to hear their stories of the volcanic eruption that nearly wiped out their ancestral territory. Currently, the Pinatubo area falls under the jurisdiction of Tarlac. By three p.m, we headed back to Manila and the kids were spent and slept along the way...

station 1 pavillon