Very Long Trip Report: Part 6: Sagada to Bontoc to Tinglayan

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Very Long Trip Report: Part 6: Sagada to Bontoc to Tinglayan
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Day 10 (21st November 2010) – SAGADA to BONTOC to TINGLAYAN

(Posted again, as original post was deleted, by me, by mistake)

DAY 10 (Sun 21st November)

We awoke to lovely Sagada sunshine, which was a relief considering we had a jeepney ride ahead of us. Once we were all packed up and ready, we headed off to the Pinikpikan for our usual breakfast. As we passed Grandmas Yellow House, all the Ducati motorcycle club were firing up their beasts ready for the off.

Back up the hill we thought we should just double check the jeepney times for Bontoc. Here we spotted the Filipino group we had followed to the Bokong falls, the day before. They also were ready to catch the 9:00 bus back. We couldn’t help thinking that all those leaving today had come such a long way for such a small amount of time, but applauded their endeavours.

Whilst I dropped off my Red Horse bottle collection for the deposit return, we noticed that the transport today seemed to be leaving slightly earlier than stated, even though they weren’t full.

We had decided to catch the 09:30 am jeepney, as, if for any reason it didn’t depart, we still had the option of the 10:00 one. So we went back and checked out of the Olahbinan hotel and managed to get our packs back up the steps without having a heart attack. Then we trundled them up to the waiting jeepney, where they were loaded on top. We climbed in and sure enough it left early, at 9:20 am, with only about six of us onboard. An hour later and we were back in Bontoc, at the jeepney terminal, where we had previously left from.

Luckily I’d done my research last time and knew exactly where the jeepney to Tinglayan left from. So we headed up there hoping there was somewhere to leave our packs, to enable us to explore Bontoc town. The jeepney didn’t leave until 1:00 pm, and we therefore we had a lot of time on our hands.

Now we had tried to get in contact with Francis Pa-in, who is a well written about guide for the Tinglayan mountain area. However, we weren’t certain as to whether he’d understood our attempted telephone calls and text messages, as the reception in Sagada had been poor. Despite all our trekking up to this point without a guide, there was no way we were about to attempt Tinglayan without one. We had read that visiting the hill tribes with him was akin to arriving as a friend, as opposed to arriving on your own as a stranger.

Anyhow, we made it up to where the jeepneys depart from (near to the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College) – See previous report for exact directions. But unfortunately there weren’t any waiting. We were just about to try calling Francis again, when a jeepney pulled up and a guy in a blue camouflage jacket jumped off the back. He came over to us and asked if we were going to Tinglayan. This was the infamous Francis Pa-in and he had received our communications after all. We’d found the “Tourist Hunter”, as he called himself.

We stood there with him, whilst waiting for the Tinglayan jeepney to arrive and we got to know each other. This was a two way street and it was a good ice breaker seeing as we would be spending so much time with him. We discussed his fee which was still the standard 800 pesos per day, we had read about (only trekking days – meeting us was free). He asked how long we planned to stay in Tinglayan and when we told him 3 nights, he said that was a good period of time as it would allow us to trek up into the mountains, overnight with the hill tribes and then back again, the following day. We asked what the trekking would be like and he joked that if we took the hyphen out of his name, it would give us a clue, (go on – work it out).

We enquired what the weather was like in Tinglayan, seeing as we’d had quite some rain in Sagada. We were quite relieved when he said it was sunny, which surprised me, as I had visions of it being like Mordor.

Finally, at 10:45 am, a bright orange jeepney arrived. Francis took our packs and hoisted them up, making sure they were secured on the roof. He said if we wanted to explore the town, and told we should be back for about 12:00, just in case the jeepney left early.

BONTOC MUSEUM

Luckily this left us with plenty of time as we wanted to visit the Bontoc Museum, but thought it was closed on Sundays. So we were quite pleased when Francis told us otherwise and gave us directions on how to get there. It wasn’t that far from where we were standing really – just up the hill a bit and turn left.

We found it easily enough and wandered in. It was open but deserted, so we just took our time looking at the exhibits and photos, until a lady found us and asked if we would sign the visitor’s book and pay our 50 pesos entrance fee.

I have to say that the museum is definitely worth a visit and well worth the small fee. We found it fascinating looking at all the old photographs of the tribes and headhunters, together with the various tools and implements they used to use in everyday life. The headhunters tools of the trade are also on display. One photograph of a tribesman sporting a Yale padlock as and earring made me smile and I just had to take a photo of it. But there is a sign saying no photos allowed, so obviously I only saw this after I took the snap.

(If you need to know, they have toilets here, on the lower floor, which we took advantage of, as we knew we would be on the jeepney for quite some time).

Outside in the grounds are a collection of traditional thatched Ifugao Bontoc houses along with the pig huts and a large meeting house or Ato. To enter these low buildings, requires you to stoop down low and almost crawl inside. Some entrances were so narrow, even I couldn’t squeeze through. In one of the houses you will see a statue of a deceased man sitting on his “Death Chair” together with a sign explaining the death rites ceremony. This confirmed the story behind the chairs we had seen at the hanging coffins in Sagada and the buffalo skulls in Batad.

After exploring, we visited the souvenir shop and had a chat, with one of the Belgian nuns who manage it, about what we had done so far and where we were headed next.

We had spent quite some time mooching around here, but it was still only 11:30am and we thought we would have a quick look around the main town. So, heading down the hill we reached the main road and turned right, which led us past all the shops. Further along here on the right we came to an indoor market area, which we had a look around. There were some ladies lining the entrance selling all sorts of produce, but it was the cakes that caught our eye. We were unsure what they were but thought we would give them a try. I can’t remember what they were, but they were so good we bought some more for provisions, together with some biscuits.

Now as we were heading up to Tinglayan to visit the hill tribes, we had read that matches were always welcome up there, so we bought a pack of 10 boxes to distribute. Also we had brought some packs of Paracetamol tablets with us from the UK, to hand out, as again we knew they would be welcomed.

Back at the jeepney for just after noon, we had to hang around in the shade waiting for departure. This again gave us some time to chat with Francis, who asked if we wanted to travel on the roof. As the weather was good, we thought why not, and agreed, as though this had naturally been what we had intended, all along. We had read that this was the best way to travel, as it provided for fantastic views. Francis climbed on the roof and started re-arranging all the cargo, so we could have a good seat. Finally at 1:10pm, things started to happen and people started to board, which for us meant climbing on the bumper, then the bonnet (hood) and onto our roof seats. Francis had dragged two big sacks of rice up to the front and this was for us to sit on, with our feet resting on the spare tyres, right over the drives cab. Talk about having pole position!!

TRAVELLING TO TINGLAYAN

Anyhow at 1:15 pm we were off, with the best seats in the house. Once out of Bontoc the road soon deteriorated into a bumpy narrow single file track, full of potholes. But the landscape was superb with lush rice terraces on the right hand side. We’d only been travelling for 15 minutes when we were stopped by road works ahead. A large tracked excavator was digging out the loose hillside and loading onto waiting trucks. It looked like it had been a bad landslide, no doubt caused by the Super Typhoon Megi (or Juan), and they were still clearing it away. It wasn’t too long a delay and we were on our way again after only 5 minutes. Parts of the journey were strange, as you would be bumping along on the dirt track and then suddenly, as if for no apparent reason, you would be on a smooth concrete road. But don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security, as they don’t last long and you are back to bouncing your eyeballs out. The journey is all about the scenery and it doesn’t disappoint. Around every bend you are presented with an even more breathtaking view.

The road, which follows the course of the Chico River, twists and turns along the mountain side, whilst presenting vertical drops off to your right. If you are scared of heights then you should definitely sit on the left or wear incontinence pants!! Especially if you travel as we did, after a major typhoon has passed though. Not all the landslides had been cleared and the jeepney had to slowly climb over some patches of compacted soil, making it lurch to the right. This did prove to be a cure for constipation and my wife had to grab hold of me to stop me free falling down the cliff face. We couldn’t help smiling when we thought that people pay lots of money for 30 second rides like this in Disney World.

At 2:05pm the jeepney stopped for a comfort break at the side of the road and for people to fill up their water bottles from a constantly running pipe protruding from the rock face. Off again and it wasn’t long before we saw a small truck coming towards us, just as we encountered a particularly narrow section with a sheer drop off. How we managed to squeeze past without going over the edge I’ll never know, but I’m still here to tell the tale.

Then at 2:35pm, the road disappeared completely and there were two tracked machines trying to reinstate it. There was nothing for it, but for us to park up and wait until they finished. Luckily they were quick workers and after 10 minutes they moved out of the way and we were able to progress. Soon we passed two large religious statues on the right, with a sign saying “Welcome to Mt Province”. If you had your own transport you could try walking up the steps to the base of them.

Further on and we had to stop whilst the drivers’ assistant jumped out to remove a large boulder that had come down and blocked the road. Next, at 2:55pm, we arrived into a small village. All the livestock were quite happily wandering around in the middle of the concrete road and looking down there was a pig suckling her six piglets. Life was beginning to get more rural.

Surprisingly we managed a full 10 minutes before we stopped again. As at 3:05pm, we rounded a corner only to be presented by another two tracked machines in the middle of the road, digging away. This time the work took longer and we were parked up for half an hour before we were allowed to pass. This journey was nothing but one obstacle after another. Was it fun? You bet your life it was – we were having a great time.

Another village and this time we had to stop whilst a jeepney in front loaded up with passengers. It was like a human swarm watching them climb on board and onto the roof. They even stopped a short distance out of town to collect some passengers who had what looked like a Christmas tree with them. Further on and they must have realised we had more power and they pulled to one side to let us past. This gave us a clear run into Tinglayan, well apart from landslides that is. At 4:30 pm we were there after three hours and fifteen minutes of pure thrills and magnificent views.

First stop was at Luplupa village (well the village is really down the hill and across the suspension bridge), where Francis pointed out his house and his dog that was waiting for him. We had thought about staying at the Riverside Inn which was the only real accommodation here. But Francis told us it was closed and the owner and his wife had gone back to Germany. This was of some relief to my wife who hadn’t relished the idea of crossing the long open hanging bridge to get there. She’s a bit like Mr T (B.A. Baracus) when it comes to them, as she is scared of heights - “I ain’t crossing no bridge, fool”.

Francis said the only place to stay was at the Sleeping Beauty down the hill in Tinglayan proper. However we had read this was somewhat of a grot shop. First the jeepney pulled up out side the orange and blue Good Samaritan Guesthouse, which looked quite reasonable. We asked if we could look at the rooms here, but Francis explained that they no longer rented them out, it was simply just a restaurant now. So we had no other option, but to stay at the Sleeping Beauty and, further down the hill that is where our bags were offloaded.

Now we hadn’t expected it to be the Ritz and we weren’t disappointed – it wasn’t!

Francis led us into the gloomy reception area – well it was more of a shop than a reception, as they had rack upon rack of provisions etc. Before Francis left he said that he would meet us the following morning at about 7:00 am and take us for coffee at his house, before setting off on our trek. Then it was time to see our room. We were led through a side door and down some steps, past the middle floor which seemed like a rice storage room, and down to the lower basement or dungeon as we would later call it. Then it was through another door and down the corridor to the end room. Inside it was fairly spacious; it had a full length window, a fan and two beds – one single and one small double. We also had the luxury of and en-suite Wc and shower. No, sorry luxury isn’t the right term. Perhaps availability is a better word. The window in the WC was an afterthought and was simply a hole punched through the concrete wall between the reinforcing bars. The door into the en–suite looked like it had been eaten by something at the bottom and the WC itself was like something out of a skip and of course the shower was just a bucket. However they did tell us there was a communal toilet and shower along the corridor, and this is the one we used as it was larger, had a wash basin and was much cleaner. We did get soap, towels and toilet roll included.

Our room also came complete with a religious painting, a mirror held together with sticky tape and a light switch that you only wanted to press whilst wearing heavily insulated rubber shoes!

Still it was a bed for the night and was only 200 pesos each – what more did we need?

Time to explore and at 5:00 pm we turned right out of the hotel and walked a few paces to the edge of the village. The views across the valley, river and rice terraces were really worth it. Then we walked back up the hill, over the bridge and looked for a sari sari or shop selling cold Red Horse beer. First we stopped off at the Good Samaritan to see what food they did, for that evening. They looked shocked at seeing two tourists walk in and even more surprised when we asked for a menu. They didn’t have one. We asked if they did food and they told us they had fish. That was it – just fish!

Finally I found a shack selling beer, on the left just past the school and bought a couple for that evening. Back at the hotel we asked if they did any food. They said they did, but again instead of giving us a menu, they simply asked what we would like. We settled on fried vegetables and rice for 7:30 pm. It was then time to start our repacking, as we again had to take all our requirements for the next couple of days in our day sacks. We packed our waterproofs and a fleece, just in case, as Francis had said it could get cold overnight, up in the mountains, plus a change of clothes. Luckily the hotel was empty as nobody could hear our screams when we showered by pouring cold water over ourselves!

Back up stairs for dinner and we spotted Francis parked up in the shop area, having a few beers and gossiping with his friends (didn’t know it but the hotel sold beer). Then we were led into a large restaurant area where there were a lot of tables and plenty of seating, so they must get busy sometimes. Our food was ready and waiting and was basic but reasonably tasty.

That night, back in the dungeon, we killed the few roaches we could see and found some old bath mats in the corridor. I wasn’t prepared to touch them with my hands, but managed to kick them into our room and stuffed them into the crack under the main door and filled the holes in the bathroom door – just to avoid any unwanted visitors in the night.

So that was it – we’d made it – the next day was the big trek. Bring it on!

......................................... PHOTOS HERE ...............................

http://s1101.photobucket.com/albums/g426/infoaddict/Philippines%202010/06%20Sagada%20to%20Bontoc%20to%20Tinglayan/?albumview=slideshow

PREVIOUS LONG TRIP REPORTS

Part 1: Cauayan to Banaue

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294249-i10488-k4415955-Very_Long_Trip_Report_Part_1_Cauayan_to_Banue-Banaue_Cordillera_Region_Luzon.html

Part 2: Batad

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294249-i10488-k4436158-Very_Long_Trip_Report_Part_2_Batad-Banaue_Cordillera_Region_Luzon.html

Part 3: Batad to Cambulo to Pula to Banaue

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294249-i10488-k4450866-Very_Long_Trip_Report_Part3_Batad_Cambulo_Pula_Banue-Banaue_Cordillera_Region_Luzon.html

Part 4: Sagada (Part 1)

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g294248-i3259-k4470562-Very_Long_Trip_Report_Part_4_Sagada_Part_1-Luzon.html

Part 5: Sagada (Part 2)

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g304053-i11284-k4482298-Very_Long_Trip_Report_Part_5_Sagada_Part_2-Sagada_Cordillera_Region_Luzon.html

1. Re: Very Long Trip Report: Part 6: Sagada to Bontoc to Tinglayan

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