I relocated in Los Baños last January 2021. Ever since arriving, I have settled on the comfortable routine of walking on Mt. Makiling’s foot (i.e., UPLB) every day. It is where one can really start to feel the character of Mt. Makiling—trees start to get taller, bird songs become weirder, roads begin to ascend, and the wind starts to get colder. It wasn’t until the week of May 10–15, 2021, that I decided to look at the map of Los Baños and see where else I might be able to walk.
I was astounded after seeing that Mt. Makiling and UP already took about half of the entire municipality of Los Baños. And as long as the quarantine continues, that half remains off-limits to people who want to walk.