THE TRAVEL
When my cousin kuya Dean called me up for a wedding coverage in Kalinga, I was "yeah sure, when?" right away (anyway I have nothing to do for the moment..hehe). Though I knew we would have a limited time, I was hoping we would have a chance to experience the famous Chico River White Water Rafting and be inked by the last Kalinga "mambabatok" tattoo artist Whang-Od. These feat was included in my bucket list. Thanks to kuya Lapid who is a friend and a native of Kalinga who told me how their place was an adventure land.
Travelling to Tabuk City, the capital of Kalinga needs a tons of patience. We were supposed to take the GL Trans Bus from Baguio to Tabuk, but all trips were fully booked already early morning. Many were going home because it was the start of vacation of the universities in Baguio. Luckily, there were already vans taking trips from Baguio to Tabuk. It was just this January when they started to put up a terminal at Magsasay Avenue right beside the exit of the La Trinidad Jeep terminal.
Cy, who was one of the photographer and also from Kalinga made the reservations for our seats in the morning. I guess the dispatchers need to know how many passengers will travel so they can adjust on how many trips and vans to call. We were there at 5 pm but departed at around 8 pm, the fare was at P500. (Mind to those who will be travelling to Tabuk by van, less baggage less hassle.)
We had a fifteen minute stop over after a two hour drive at barangay Gurel, Bokod along the way to Ambuklao Road. It was good to stretch out our legs after being cramped in the van for that long hours.
Our van was literally too fast too furious overtaking the long line of traffic somewhere in Isabela. Although, we needed to stop at the starting point of a traffic congestion to give way to the other lane. The traffic was caused by the road construction and widening of DPWH.
We arrived in Bulanao, Tabuk City at around 4 in the morning, we saved four hours of travel time. Cy's family happily accommodated us to their humble abode before checking in at a hotel.
The hotel was very homey. It was structured mainly of Pinewood that provided the feeling of being exuberant. It had an old fashioned style dining table with a touch of Cordilleran culture. In one corner, Wow! a souvenir shop.
From the attic, you can enjoy the relaxing view of the garden, best spot to sip a hot Kalinga Barako Coffee while reading. But take note of the Sign "Shoes Off".
We only had the day to explore Tabuk City. After settling in, we continued our escapade. Good thing on having Cy as our instant local tour guide. The city's geographical location is between valleys so expect a warm temperature.
Our first stop was at St. William Cathedral, we took a tricycle from the hotel to the Church, the fare was ten pesos per passenger. This Church would be where our clients would tie the knot. We were able to capture a 1 minute time lapse of the place.
We took a passenger mini cab from the Church going to Dagupan, a barangay as developed as Bulanao. We went to some of the landmarks including the City Hall, National High School and market.
BATIL PATONG
We took our lunch in this eatery not far from the City Hall. Their specialty was "BATIL PATONG", the famous cuisine that originated in the Ilocos Region. In my not so good food analysis, it was mami noodles topped with egg, ground pork and chicharon. It had a somewhat crushed chicken liver as sauce and stripped sausage on one side. It also comes with onion, calamansi and sili and an egg soup that you can either savor straight from the bowl or mix up with the Batil Patong. One thing's for sure this serving was Oh So Delicious!
We went back at the hotel after our palatable meal. The plan was to return early and enjoy swimming at the pool, but when we were about to go to the pool, it rained, so we had no choice but to stay at the room and wait. Nevertheless, persistent as ever, though drizzling, we still proceeded and enjoyed the soothing warm water of the pool... feeling Nirvana.
At dinner, we had the opportunity to experience Kalinga's version of Bat and Balls (Soup number 5), a known aphrodisiac.
We woke up early the next day for the wedding coverage. It was my first time so I had to catch up with the group.
GRUESOME TRAFFIC
It was a funny, memorable and maybe a not so good experience for our group. Two of our companions traveled a day before the wedding to catch up with us but they met a very heavy traffic along Isabela. To cut the story short, it took them 15 hours on the road before arriving in Tabuk. What to expect? They missed the photo shoot at the couples's hotel and at the church. What's worse they were packed with a heavy crane supposed to be used for the shoot but was not utilized.
After the long trip, their consolation was to eat at the reception. We had an hour of photo shoot then packed up and prepared to go back to Baguio.
It was again a good thing having Cy to arrange our trip through a van. We departed Tabuk at 5:30 in convoy with 3 other vans. We had a stop over I don't know where for our dinner.
It was after almost an hour of drive when we reached Cordon, Isabela where we met the gruesome traffic. We were informed that two trailer trucks blocked the road due to an accident. The road was currently undergoing widening construction so the shoulder road was no alternative for the motorists.
We were even advised to sleep through the night because it may take until morning before they clear out the road.
The helpless passengers were waiting patiently on the road, hoping that the the accident be cleared out soon. We can't sleep on the van so we decided to shrug off the drowsiness by trying to walk to reach the accident but after a kilometer long of walk, we still see a long line of stocked motorists. We decided to go back walked the opposite side and looked for a store where we can buy water and other stuff.
It was until 4 am when the cars started moving. The motorists passing the other lane signaled us that the road was already cleared out. Our driver again with his "kaskasero" attitude took the chance to overtake. Finally, we passed through the traffic and arrived in Baguio at 10:30 in the morning, whoaah! it was a 17 hour trip.
TIME TO COME BACK
Although, I didn't have the chance to fulfill my bucket list, there would definitely be a time when I and Joyce will be coming back to experience more of the adventures in Kalinga. Added in the list were destinations I was not aware of until I saw the brochure at the hotel.
- TANUDAN ECO-ADVENTOUR
- Lubo Rice Terraces
- Mt. Binaratan
- Mt. Patukan
- PASIL FREEDOM TRAIL - from Tabuk City to Sagada, Mt. Province
- VILLAGE HOPPING
- Historical Lubuagan
- Get inked in Tinglayan
- SPELUNKING IN BALBALAN (Recently discovered)
- PINUKPOK ROCKS
- I DIG RIZAL (Archeological site)
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