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| Passing Tinglayan. |
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| Waking up at Barangay Buscalan. |
My fondness of the mountains and rice terraces isn't limited to Ifugao alone, but I must admit, some of Kalinga's are also amazing. Toploading the jeepney through the winding road to and from Barangay Buscalan, where we spent a weekend to see Apo Whang-od (a Mambabatok and the legendary tribal tattoo artist) and to see the hidden beauty of the place, was a breathtaking experience seeing the rice terraces and the Chico River valley. Boars were freely walking on the streets and everywhere.
There are three ways to go to Kalinga. One, take the 9-hour bus ride from Manila to Banaue. From Banaue, travel for 2 hours by jeepney to Bontoc. Bontoc is the capital of Mountain Province and at the south boundary. Two, take a bus from Manila to Tabuk and travel for 11-12 hours. Tabuk is the capital of Kalinga. Three, take the 6-hour bus ride from Manila to Baguio and 4-hour bus ride from Baguio to Bontoc. We took the third option. We bought some supplies for our 3-day stay at Kalinga since there are no restaurants or eateries there. Being a traveller, I've learned that it is best to cook for ourselves sometimes. From Bontoc, we travelled for 3 hours by jeepney to Buscalan. The scenery and the jeepney-driving was breathtaking. From the jump-off, we walked along the mountains and rice fields for one hour. We passed by a waterfalls and after which, had a 30-minute assault to the village.
We visited the place of Apo Whang-od when we reached the village. After being awed by the legendary Mambabatok, we went to the homestay where we will spend our weekend. We were received warmly and our host served us a hot native brewed coffee when we arrived. After a few minutes, a heavy downpour came that made the electricity went out. Travelling these past few years made me think that I brought rain to every places I visited, or Low Pressure Area sometimes. According to our local guide, they haven't experienced rain that summer until we came. Coincidence or not, the rain made the rice and crops bloomed the following day.
The following morning, we witnessed the beauty of the sun's rays to the land of the highlanders. It was a laid back day. We went to Apo Whang-od's place for the tattoo session. It was a hot sunny day and we were tempted to take a nap in our place after lunch. By 2:00 pm, we were walking to check out the place. We saw a lot of women with traditional tattoos. It has been said that these tattoos are sign of beauty and class. We were enjoying the rice terraces when we saw a cold black cloud coming to us ready for a heavy downpour. We made our way to our place right on time. The electricity was still out that evening.
We made the best out of our last night in Kalinga. Early the following morning, we prepared ourselves for a long journey back to Manila. It was a hot sunny day but we can feel the cool breeze coming from the mountains of Cordillera while riding at the top of the jeepney. The ride was an adventure along the zigzag road. The scenery was worth the hours of the travel.
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| The experience of riding at the top of the jeepney. |
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| Experience the traditional ink of the 'Mambabatok'. |
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| Native pigs along the streets of Kalinga. |
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| The craftsmanship of the natives. |
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| The rice terraces of Barangay Buscalan. |
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| The work area of a metal-smith. |
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| The winding road of Kalinga. |
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| Loving the greens embedding Chico River. |
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