Short Detours

Sagada is one of the best destinations in the Philippines with so much activities and picturesque landscapes to offer. Hiking, spelunking, culture, rice terraces, gastronomy, arts - they have it. Famous for its magnificent caves, rice terraces and rustic lifestyle, Sagada regularly attracts thousands of tourists specially on weekends. Even made more famous by the movie “Tadhana”, more and more people come to Sagada to find their own “tadhana” (fate). Viewing sea of clouds in Marlboro Country. But before going there, make proper preparations. Sagada is a highland with climate different from the usual tropical setting. Here are several things to consider when visiting Sagada The sacred lake Banao / Danum. Be Culturally Sensitive. This is the most important of all. Don’t go around asking stupid questions like where you can find Igorots. The kind of Igorot you’re looking for does not exist. Igorots are the ones who live there and they’re the ones you meet a...

The distant mountain on the left is Mt. Pulag while the peak on the right is Mt. Timbac The Queen's Curtain in Sumaguing Cave is one of the tourist destinations in Sagada. Cordillera has many beautiful places to visit like Sagada and Banaue. But the saying goes “it’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey.” So while we will surely enjoy our visits to these beautiful spots, we sometimes forget about the sceneries we pass along the road. If we are on a bus, we may even opt to sleep on the way. That’s the beauty of riding a motorbike coz you can’t sleep and you will surely notice all of the beautiful spots on the road. So let’s talk about the main highway connecting the provinces of Cordillera, the Halsema Highway. The Cordillera Mountains as seen along Halsema Highway. This is a challenging highway with sharp curves, steep inclines and declines. But passing here, you will be rewarded with scenic picturesque views along the way. The vegetable t...

Recently, I served as a guide to a group of riders going to a wedding in Kapangan, Benguet. I suggested to take the scenic Alapang – Alno – Tuel – Ambongdolan Road. This scenic detour is a single lane road perfect for motorbikes. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask the conditions of their bikes and their expertise in driving on mountainous roads as they all came from the low-lands. This road has very steep inclines and declines. A 110 cc bike with two passengers had its chains broken, thankfully, someone brought an extra. The ones driving scooters complained of muscle strains for the continuous and strenuous use of their brakes. This is the very reason why I did not buy a scooter coz I’m an extreme user of engine brakes and I need that a lot in the mountainous Cordillera. I’m pretty sure, my chains stretches faster than some bikers. These are some things to consider when you go riding around Cordillera's terrains.  The steep inclines My trustee 125 cc bike I ...

Baguio City launches today, November 10, 2018, the first Creative Festival as a celebration for its recognition as the first UNESCO Creative City in the country. This festival is a consolidated effort of the City of Baguio, the Department of Tourism (DOT), The Department of Trade and Industry, the Baguio Arts and Crafts Collective, Inc. (BACCI) and the different Art Groups and Craft Centers. The recognition as a creative city under Crafts and Folk arts was awarded on October 30, 2017 and a soft launch for the festival was done on February with the unveiling of the Creative City’s logo designed by National Artist Ben Cabrera. BenCab during the launching of the Creative City Logo. Applying for a creative city title only took 2 months to prepare for the proponents. Baguio was already an art haven and also a center for crafts and folk arts making it easier for Baguio to acquire the title given the short preparation time to fill in the necessary documents. Out of the ...

A young miner and a father of a four-year old boy found wire art when monsoon rains and typhoons devastated Itogon, Benguet and affected their livelihood. Last week, I made a short ride to Dalicno to visit this miner who is also a distant relative of mine. Kenneth Jones Pulsingay started experimenting with wire art during the month-long typhoon Habagat where he created insect-shaped designs like spiders and scorpions for his four-year-old son’s toys. When relatives saw his works, they encouraged him to create bigger designs. He started to make bonzai-like trees made of wires. Surprisingly, even without any formal training, he was able to make exceptional artworks. Timely with the order to stop small-scale mining, his relatives encouraged him to continue hoping this will help the family start a new livelihood. Pulsingay said what moved him to create these wire arts is to have something to give his boy to play with as he can’t afford the expensive plastic toys. Some...

BAGUIO -- An estimated 1.5 million tourists and locals attended Baguio City's much-awaited Panagbenga flower festival, which is now on its 23rd year. Just last year, Baguio City was named as one of UNESCO’s Creative City for crafts and folk arts joining the network of 180 creative cities and this year's festival was meant to showcased the culture and creativity of the Cordillera region. Among the highlights of Panagbenga 2018 was the Grand Street Dance Parade participated by local student groups and street dancers, who came from the different provinces in the north, some coming all the way from Aurora province; and the Grand Float Parade participated by 27 floats. Most of the local participants showcased cultural dances, swaying to the familiar Panagbenga Hymn. This short article was also published by ABS-CBN, see link below. http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/02/25/18/baguios-panagbenga-2018-showcases-culture-creativity Here are some of my shots dur...