Philippine Raspberry Sapinit Picking, Lipote and BK Valley Natural Farm Tour with Mr. Dion Pullan in Dolores, Quezon!

When I hear "Quezon Province", I think about the colorful Pahiyas Festival and the Pancit Lucban (to which you pour one of my favorite condiments - vinegar haha). Now, my head is filled with ice-cold Organic Raspberry Shake... partly because I could probably never forget my first time in Quezon just last month! :D We had a wonderful time walking around an isolated valley, checking out oyster mushrooms and picking raspberries (then putting 'em directly into our mouths) at the Bangkong Kahoy Nature Retreat & Field Study Center in Dolores, Quezon with environmentalist Mr. Dion Pullan. I've never had fresh raspberries before and I never knew there are local raspberries called sapinit - which were tested to have higher anti-oxidants than their foreign counterparts.

Mountain Farm Retreat near Manila, Visiting The BK Mountain Lodge and Finding Oyster Mushrooms at the Bangkong Kahoy Valley in Dolores,Quezon!

I'm having an unbelievable streak this year of going to places (in the Philippines) that I've never been to and heard of before! Haha. Folks, this is about a protected area, an isolated valley, a retreat place and mountain lodge at the BK Valley in Barangay Kinabuhayan, Dolores, Quezon! As we are nearing Holy Week, would you want to consider an alternative to climbing Mt. Banahaw or Mt. Cristobal - like sitting on a wooden bench with the view of the holy mountains, getting close to nature and learning about the sustainable efforts of the community who live around it? Say hi to environmentalist Dionisio Pullan - a descendant of Agripino Lontok (known as the first hermit of Mt. Banahaw) who found his way back to the Bangkong Kahoy Valley and pushed for eco-tourism. Spend some time in this 21-hectare private property (also bird-watching haven) and don't forget to eat organic food (think raspberries and mushrooms...) to your heart's content! More importantly, this is a field study center and a big classroom - where we can immerse ourselves fully and learn about the land, the community, the environment, our ecosystem and the important role that certain species play.