Cruising

Text and photos by Joseph T. Bautista

My original plan for the five-day vacation after Christmas was to take things slow, and just spend days lazing around in Banaue and Sagada. In fact, I already packed my hammock and brought several books, and was already looking forward to doing nothing but just reading under the cool shade of the pine trees in Sagada.

However, when I arrived at the assembly point in Alabang, I knew my plan would change. It was only my friend Caloy and his wife Nancy who showed up. The rest of the people whom I invited somehow could not make it.

There is one big advantage of travelling either solo or a small group of two or three: it is very easy to change itinerary. Caloy is one of my most adventurous friends, so it is very easy talking him into changing the original plan. Over breakfast we discussed that our new itinerary must be flexible, and would allow us to visit destinations in the Cordilleras outside the usual tourist paths.

DAY 1: Manila – Baguio – Ambuklao – Bokod – Kabayan

As soon as we fixed the new plan, we left Alabang at 4:30 a.m. and drove my 4×4 D-Max to Baguio. Traffic was very light and by 10 a.m. we were already in Baguio for our last fuel refill before we head to the mountains.

Our first stop after we left Baguio is Ambuklao Dam. Located 35 kilometers from Baguio, this dam was completed in 1956. Considered at the time as the highest and biggest dam in the Far East, it provided 75-MW of hydro-electric power to the region. However, in 1999 due to damages caused by earthquake, Ambuklao Hydro-Electric Plant was shut down.

Nowadays, Ambuklao Dam serves only as a catch basin for upper Agno River. During the recent typhoon Pepeng, waters that flooded Pangasinan came from Ambuklao, passed thru Binga Dam, and then finally, San Roque Dam.

Ambuklao’s fate, however, may soon change. It is now being rehabilitated by a private company so that it’s worn out turbines will soon be upgraded to again produce better and higher hydro-electric power capacity. There is also a newly constructed detour road that now avoids passage thru the aging dam. And, the newly opened well-paved Aritao-Ambulao road makes the access from Baguio to Cagayan Valley easier.

From Ambuklao, we drove 10 kilometers to take a quick lunch at Jang-Jang Eatery in Bokod. For many climbers of Mt. Pulag, this quaint eatery is the final stop where one can get a full meal before ascending to Luzon’s highest peak. I saw several young climbers with their designer backpacks and expensive gadgets milling around Jang-Jang. It made me smile as I remembered my first climb to Mt. Pulag decades ago when I had to make do with climbing outfits and gears bought from second-hand stores.

At the 50 km. junction, we took the road on the left bound for Kabayan. After more than two hours drive along dusty road, we finally reached Kabayan proper. Lodging in Kabayan is available only at Coop Lodge (P200 per person).

Nestled in a bowl-like valley surrounded by mountains, Kabayan is an interesting alternative to Sagada. It is a nice place to relax, hike, explore its many burial caves, drink its famous Arabica coffee (P5 per cup at Manang Catherine’s cafeteria at public market) and see its famous mummies.

Between 500 to 1,000 years before, the Ibalois of Kabayan practiced mummification. According to history, the process of mummification starts immediately after the deceased breathes his last. The deceased is immediately undressed, tied securely on a high chair, his mouth opened, and a solution of salt and water poured through the mouth.

A low fire is then lit under the chair to help in the process of drying. Tobacco is also blown through the mouth to help preserve internal tissues and to drive out worms.

Although there are several sites around Kabayan where mummies can be found, only two known sites are accessible: the six-hour trek Timbac Caves or the short-distance Kabayan Museum.

We opted to visit the latter. Another interesting site to visit in Kabayan is the easily-accessible Opdas Mass Burial Cave where skulls and skeletons of hundreds of deceased Ibalois can be found.

DAY 2: Kabayan – Bugias – Tinoc – Kiangan – Banaue

Our original plan for Day 2 was to visit two of the five mountain lakes of Mt. Pulag: Tabeyo and Bulalakaw. Unfortunately, we cannot contact our guide (no signal), and visiting the lakes would require us to make a long detour, that we finally decided to postpone the visit the lakes to some future adventures.

The 21-kilometer road from Kabayan to Buguias is also mostly unpaved. Three kilometers after Buguias poblacion, the road forks: straight to Abatan junction (12KM) in Halsema Highway and the dirt uphill road to Tinoc.

The road between Buguias (Benguet province) and Tinoc (Ifugao province) passes through Mt. Tabayac with its magnificent view of pine forests and vast vegetable terraces.

We made a brief stop in the barangay of Katlubong in Buguias to marvel at an endless field planted with all types of upland vegetables. We met Elion Madino, a vegetable grower, as he proudly showed us his fresh harvest of cabbage and pechay. According to him, the farmers at Buguias take all their produce to Baguio via the long mostly unpaved road to Abatan (three hours), before finally reaching Bagsakan Center (another three hours). I checked the trucks they are used to transport vegetables: they are all second-hand 4×4 Isuzu trucks.

From the last barangay of Katlubong, the road makes a steep climb to the provincial boundary of Ifugao. Big rocks and deep mud lined the almost hidden road, and only 4×4 vehicles with high clearance can navigate the 24-kilometer stretch to Tinoc.

As we reached the mossy forest at an elevation of almost 2,300 meters, we stopped our vehicle to take a closer look at wild flowers and dwarfed plants, covered with green and brown moss, framed by the bluest sky and cooled by thin but unpolluted air.

From the highest point, the road makes a long and winding descent to Tinoc. We arrived at the poblacion at already half past one, and when we ask around where we can find a place to eat, we were directed to an eatery at the corner of the ‘oval’. When we arrived at the eatery, we were told that they are serving the town’s specialty: dog-meat. We settled for a can of sardines and cup noodles.

The road from Tinoc to Kiangan was only formally-opened this year. Once fully-completed, this road makes an interesting alternative to Halsema Highway. The road is very narrow, and even during dry season, is mostly muddy. It took us more than three hours to navigate its 40-kilometer stretch.

We arrived in Kiangan already past 5 p.m. The roads in Kiangan are lined with bettle-nut trees instead of pines. We also had a glimpse of its famous Julungan and Nagacadan terraces, both of which are World Heritage site listed. It was already dark when we made a brief stop at its pyramid-shaped War Memorial Site.

Kiangan is Ifugao’s oldest town and former capital. Around its poblacion are well-preserved American-era mission houses. Kiangan is also an alternative base to explore Ifugao province. Kiangan is better known as the place where General Yamashita and his staff surrendered to the U.S. Army. There are still many hunters combing Kiangan looking for Yamashita treasures.

Nine kilometers from Kiangan, the road connects to the highway leading to Banaue (another 30 kilometers). We arrived in Banaue almost 7 p.m., and we immediately asked our friend, Leo Bustamante, owner of Las Vegas cafe to prepare a special dinner for us. When dinner arrived, we immediately consumed the hot vegetable-noodle soup, fried bangus and red rice which Leo prepared.

We stayed the night al Leo’s Las Vegas Lodge. Although the place is located one kilometer from the center, it has a good parking, hot water and charges only P200 per person.

DAY 3: Banaue – Bontoc – Mainit – Sagada

After two days on bumpy roads, we decided to take it easy on the third day. The 48-kilometer drive from Banaue to Bontoc was a breeze as we navigated through almost well-paved roads. We made brief stops to view the barangay of Bay-yo, with its high fortress-like terraces, and the village of Talubin, with its interesting rows of galvanized roofs.

Bontoc is the capital of Mountain Province, and the Cordillera’s biggest town. Nestled at a valley of 800 meters, it is the region’s oldest trading center. Bontoc is also an ideal base for expeditions to Mountain Province, Ifugao and Kalinga, with its network of public transportation, inexpensive lodging and food, and very knowledgeable guides.

An interesting outing from Bontoc is the village of Mainit. From the Provincial Capitol Building, the road on the left climbs to Mainit. 15 kilometers from Bontoc and at an elevation of over 1,200 meters, Mainit has some scalding hot springs. Rows of wood and galvanized houses and small pools lined the smoking hot creeks. The local government has now built a lodging house near the village entrance so that tourists can now stay overnight in the villagers. At night-time, villagers and guests gather around the public pools to enjoy the hot spring waters while sharing a bottle of tapuy (rice-wine).

From Bontoc, it is an easy one-hour uphill drive to Sagada. We checked in at St. Joseph’s Guesthouse. St. Joseph’s still maintains the old dormitory room which they rent out for P500 (good for two).
As soon as settled in Sagada, I jumped into my usual Sagada routines: walk around town, buy native oranges, eat pasta with tuna sauce at Shamrock, enjoy coffee and lemon pie, and have a relaxing massage. By 8 p.m., I was asleep.

DAY 4: Sagada – Sabangan – Bauko – Tadian – Cervantes – Bessang Pass – Suyo – Tagudin – Bantay – San Vicente – Vigan.

Day 4 is a long drive as we retraced the old Spanish trail that linked the Cordillera with the coastal town of Ilocos. Before the Americans built the Kennon Road in Baguio, trade between the mountain people and the lowlanders already flourished. Among the most important trading centers during the Spanish time is Cervantes, which can be accessed thru Tirad Pass from Candon.

The province of Mountain Province originally came from the old sub-provinces of Lepanto-Amburayan. This old Cordillera sub-province originally included Tagudin, Suyo and Cervantes. The river between the last town of La Union (Supiden) and the first town of Ilocos Sur (Tagudin) is called Amburayan.

From Sagada, there are two ways to reach Cervantes: the unpaved road via Besao and the better-maintained road via Sabangan. Both roads meet in Tadian, where a 17-kilometer stretch of mostly-unpaved road leads to Cervantes.

We left Sagada at 8 p.m. and by 9 p.m. we were already at Sabangan junction, where the road on the left leads to Bauko, then Tadian. The first few kilometres of the 12-kilometer stretch is well-maintained, until we reached a “Road Close” sign where we were rerouted to a dusty road up the mountain. At the end of the detour, the road leads to a junction: turning left returns to Halsema, turning right leads to Tadian.

The 10-kilometer road between Bauko and Tadian is well-paved. Tadian has a beautiful town hall and a sprawling campus. I also saw an old boungavilla tree right in the middle of the road blooming with red flowers.

From Tadian, the 17-kilometer dirt road descends to Abra River before finally reaching Cervantes. The bridge which used to connect the Cordillera with Ilocos Region still remained unrepaired. All vehicles crossing to Cervantes and vice-versa now have to go down to the river and wade through knee-deep water.

After travelling for three hours, we finally reached Cervantes. The town has a very interesting location: a valley at 600 meters nestled between the green Cordillera mountains and the brown Ilocos mountains, with fertile rice lands in the middle irrigated by the upper Abra River. Cervantes is known as a source of the red mountain rice and the black malagkit rice.

Cervantes was formerly a small Igorot village known as Mantamang. It became part of the sub-province of Lepanto-Amburayan in 1879, and by 1899, when the Americans captured Cervantes after the fall of Tirad Pass, it became the capital of the military province. During the American occupation, Cervantes became an important base for expeditions to the Cordillera. Even today, a dozen American mission houses still stand around Cervantes.

From Cervantes, two important mountain passes cut through the Ilocos mountain rage: Bessang Pass which leads to Tagudin and Tirad Pass which leads to Candon. Both have historical significance: Bessang was the site of the bloody battle between the Japanese and the joint American-Filipino forces, and Tirad between American and Filipino forces.

The road to Suyo from Cervantes snakes through Besang Pass. This empty well-paved road which reaches an elevation of 1,600 meters has a roadside landmark at its highest point commemorating the Battle of Bessang Pass. The same landmark is also the jump-off point for exploring a mountain peak called Nose Bridge where a 55-meter Japanese dug-out called Yamashita Cave can be found.

The 64-kilometer Cervantes-Tagudin road takes less than two hours to drive before it joins the main highway to Vigan. Compared with Candon which was an old Igorot trading center, Tagudin was established as a mission base among Igorots occupying the Amburayan River. Nowadays, with a sparkling newly-constructed bridge crossing Amburayan, Tagudin is poised to regain its reputation as the gateway to both Ilocos Sur and the Cordillera.

From Tagudin, the most important trading center during the Spanish time of the North, Vigan, is only 85 kilometers away.

Located at the mouth of the Abra River, Isla de Bigan was an important trading post of the famous Silk Route connecting the Philippines with the rest of Asia, Arabia, America and Europe. Seafaring merchants bartered gold, beeswax and other mountain products from the Cordillera with exotic goods coming from the rest of the world. It is through these merchants, mostly Chinese, that the world discovered the golds of Lepanto –Amburayan.

Vigan was a very important trading post between the merchants and the natives that the Spanish government felt it should be well protected. The Spaniards built baluertes or watchtowers at the mouth of Abra River: Bantay in the north, and Santa (previously Sta. Catalina de Baba) in the south. Bantay (Ilocano word for “Guardian”) bell tower sit atop Calvary Hills served as a lookout for approaching enemies and pirates. When we climbed the belfry during our visit, the guide explained that each bell was rung depending the type of boats the watchmen see approaching from South China Sea.

Before entering Vigan, we made a brief detour to the adjacent town of San Vicente to check its distinct twin-towered Baroque church and the impressive, but now abandoned, Asilo de San Vicente. The Church of San Vicente de Ferrer is now sporting a brand-new coat of paint, but the Asilo, which was once used as governor’s vacation home, is now in a sorry state with its once ornate windows falling off and its once beautiful garden is now a grazing ground for cows.

It was already dark when we finally entered the city of Vigan. My D-Max is now covered with mud and dirt after a four-day expedition around Cordillera. As we traversed the elegant streets of Vigan, we can’t help but get disapproving stares from locals and tourists. This must be the same reaction when the mountain people of the Cordillera roamed around the mestizo district in the past.

We finally checked in Vigan. We had a quick dinner of empanada and okoy. The whole Crisologo Street was filled with tourists mostly from Manila. I was planning to do some night photography but there were so many people around that it was very difficult setting-up low-light photography with a tripod. By nine o’ clock, I was asleep.

DAY 5: Vigan – Manila

I woke up early to take some photographs of Crisologo Street and Plaza Burgos. As I was going out of the hotel lobby, I realized that my Cordillera adventure was not over yet: the hotel where I spent the night is called Cordillera Inn. Perhaps, the owner of the hotel was aware of the historical significance of the Cordillera in the development of northern Luzon that he named the hotel Cordillera Inn.

When I arrived home nine hours after we left Vigan, I felt happy of the wealth of information I learned criss-crossing the Cordillera. I now have deeper appreciation of the peoples of the mountain, of the many struggles and difficulties they went through to survive and to preserve their culture. The people I met and the places I visited and the new trails I discovered made this expedition to the Cordillera even more endearing. I was glad that we took roads less travelled in Cordillera.