Where the Wild Things Go, What the Wild Things Do

Jumping off a cliff. Maton River, Apayao province.
Photo by Anna Varona.

I guess things just happen.

Finally, I have managed to go on an adventure trip with the Last Wild Bunch, the wandering force behind an upcoming kick-ass TV program. I am still stunned by it, even by memory.

Let me just enumerate this suspension; I am astonished that I ---

1. Rode a 4WD pick-up truck and crossed the back mountains of Benguet which includes numerous river crossings that are tire-deep. The thrill was that it happened in the evening. Oh, and we emerged in the province of Pangasinan afterwards and then went back to Benguet via Kennon Road.

2. Went white water rafting in a quite wild segment of the Chico River, the Tucucan-Anabel run. Glad that I didn't fall off the raft, but there were few moments I thought we'd flip over... without meaning to. Oh, and on the plus side, I took a jump into the river from a jutted rock about eight feet from the surface. Not too high but it was a rush!

3. Took part in a magnificent ride through the Mountain Province, particularly in the Barlig area. The views were astonishing: mountains, mountains everywhere! And the mountains are covered with thick forests that you just want to kneel and pray it will stay that way forever.

4. Spent the night in Barlig Centro and explored its rice terraces. It was amazing walking through the golden tiered fields, especially as a lot of them were ripe for harvest! Met very impressive people and I was so impressed by the culture. Self-preservation is inherent among them. Learned a few things about the wild plants that grow along the paddyfields and chewed on some wild mint as we balanced ourselves on the dike which is at least six feet above from the next paddy.

5. Traveled all the way from Barlig, Mountain Province to Apayao via Banawe-Nueva Vizcaya-Isabela-Cagayan Valley. That was insane. The trip lasted as long as going to the Mountain Province straight from Manila that we had to spend the night in Tuguegarao. We had the option to travel via Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis and then Kalinga province, but due to the previous bad weather we didn't want to risk it because of the road conditions. Actually, the morning we left Barlig they had to clear a small portion of the road due to a landslide; and to think it merely rained for an hour or so the night before.

6. Apayao, in itself, can pass as a statement. First of all, I didn't know that Apayao was already a separated province from Kalinga; I studied parts of Luzon and it used to be Kalinga-Apayao... back in grade school (haha). Second, who would have thought that Apayao is such an amazing place? Speaking of, say, perceptions I thought Apayao was just a boring province with mountains and an interesting history involving head hunters and the usual "threats" that come in the form of the New People's Army. But what the heck. That province is such a wonder.

7. Went spelunking in the Lussok Cave. One of the best cave mouths I've seen although unfortunately there are portions of the cave that were vandalized. The challenge in entering though is one has to swim or ride a small boat. We didn't have the latter, hence, we started swimming. From the swim you climb up and then you get an amazing visual ambience: the glistening wet ceiling, the different hues of gold and brown, the brilliance of the greenish water. Oh, and the stalagmites actually made my imagination run wild; they gave me the impression that a lot of dead souls have settled in this cave.


8. Rapelled inside the Lussok Cave as we reached the last cavern we explored. It was probably a 50-60 feet drop. It had been a couple of years since I did any rapelling, but the rock face was a challenge. I lost my balance and ended up slamming on the side when my foot slipped inside my slippers thus I lost my footing. I was a bit shaken but afterwards I wanted to shout WHOA!


9. Tasted the gamey Apayao cuisine. They still serve dog in this province although--- "legally" --- for special occasions only. They served us bayawak (monitor lizard), duck cooked in blood stew, and tons of chopped and spicy pork insides. Same with the other portions of Cordilleras we visited in this trip, we encountered pork kilawin which is pork cooked in vinaigrette, similar to a ceviche. When we camped in Nagan River the locals served us the fruits of the river wild: frog, fresh water eels, and these fresh river prawns known as udang (I think, haha). The porters picked betel nut straight from the tree and they chewed away while trekking. We had wild boar in this small community at the mouth of the sanctuary which the locals caught the day before. The food, in my opinion, is quite wild and gamey, a sign that the hunters' blood still run strong among the Apayao people.


10. Trekked the Agora Wildlife Sanctuary. Wow. This place is unbelievable. It is a lowland forest, very thick with a very impressive ecosystem. Sightings of the Philippine Eagle have been confirmed; in fact, the Philippine Eagle Foundation went up the rocky mountains of Agora the same afternoon we made our way to camp in the rocky riverbank of Nagan River. The hike is dry but muddied until you get into the forested area. The trails were wet and mossy, there were several "river" crossings, and we managed to stop by a few portions of the Nagan River which is incredible. There is actually a part where a huge boulder sits in the middle of the river and a huge tree has sprout out of it. Believe me, it's like a fairytale.

My shoes and I have been through a lot. Taken during its last
full mountain trek. Cinco Picos, Zambales, 2010.

11. Lost my two beloved trekking footwear :-( I was wearing my Merrel hiking shoes until we got to the small community/camp at the mouth of the sanctuary. I then noticed that the sole was broken due to the heavy mud (oh, and of course my shoes were already five years old). I had to leave the shoes in the camp and then change into my Sandugo outdoor sandals. Twenty minutes into the continuation of the hike the strap got broken thanks to the mud. The porters were kind enough to lend my their slippers and they had to walk barefoot the entire time. I had been thinking of getting new ones but I never thought that I'd leave both of them in wilderness of Apayao. The locals were so kind.


12. Experienced one of the most amazing night skies ever during camp in Nagan River. The camp itself was a challenge; to get there we had to cross the river, waist-high. The moment we settled it suddenly rained. One of the guys feared that the water would rise that he had to make markers. The water did rise almost to the critical level (as he marked it) but eventually it receded. The rain ended, the locals cooked a very tasty dish of freshly caught river prawns, and we watched the stars as a bonfire roared on. And I saw this amazing shooting star that only two of us at camp saw: it looked like a meteor and it's pretty near the earth, and then suddenly it split into three. It looked like a mini one-directional explosion, if there is such a thing. It was a few seconds of wonder.


13. Rode a bamboo raft on our way down the Nagan River. Actually, in addition to the rowers and the supplies we brought, I was the only one who rode it because of its size. My guide/escort and the local porters commanded me to ride because I was so slow, thanks to the oversized slippers I had to use and the very slippery non-existent trail we took which forced the troop to walk on muddier trails and slippery boulders with moments of crawling on the side of river cliffs and swimming across the other bank. I felt quite guilty, to be honest, but it was an incredible ride. I looked up the canopy of trees and saw tons of birds and different-colored dragonflies. It was a different kind of wild white water rafting. I had to suggest to the Apayao tourism officer to make an activity out of it as part of their tourism promotion.


14. Drank too much mountain spring water which I love. I am probably magical right now.


15. Had one of the most scenic drives: the drive back to Manila consisted of the beautiful northern Luzon coastline which gave us a view of Claveria, Cagayan Valley and then Pagudpud as we took the Apayao-Cagayan-Ilocos route. It was a very long drive but there were perks that our eyes feasted on. When you think about it, the trip in itself is like one of those ultimate roadtrips. After all those days in the mountains, I couldn't help but shriek at the sight of the sea.


Well. I just wrote from memory. I cannot believe I am back in the city. But I really stand by what I said in a previous entry: I am not "back to reality". This whole thing has been my reality, from that moments I landed on my ass in Agora when I slipped downhill to this very moment sitting in my apartment in Mandaluyong, with the high pile of laundry and the Hip-Hop Abs DVD waiting for me just so I can keep the blood pumping.


No wonder I am seriously considering joining the UP Mountaineers this year. I need some excitement. Besides, I think I was sold on this ad they posted on Facebook:

"Sis, am I going to find my true love in U.P. Mountaineers?"
Answer: Go to the orientation. There are many broken hearts who get into sports instead.

HAHAHA!


Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the orientation; however, in times like these, I always remind myself of this line from James Joyce's The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man:


"But you cannot have a green rose. But perhaps somewhere in the world you could."


An'labo.