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Getting Inked by Whang Od
My husband and I wake up at six in the morning, still a little groggy from last night’s wedding eve party. We are up in the small village of Buscalan in the Cordillera mountains. Weddings here are celebrated for two consecutive days and last night, it seemed that the whole village joined the revelry at the village ‘plaza’ which was, as luck would have it, only two steps away from Whang Od’s house. Hubby and I were so exhausted from the day’s 16-hour journey. But much as we wanted to sleep, Psy’s Gangnam Style blaring from the sound system every 30 minutes had us tossing and turning up until…
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Buscalan: A Warm Welcome
The village of Buscalan in Tinglayan sits prettily on top of a mountain, some 2,000 feet or so above sea level. The village of Buscalan in Tinglayan sits prettily on top of a mountain, some 2,000 feet or so above sea level. It is home to the Botbot Tribe, one of the 31 Subtribes in the province of Kalinga. When we finally get there, we find the community busy preparing for the wedding feast. A wedding! How serendipitous! Under the colorful tent, some women are making what appear to be decors made from palm leaves. While the women are occupied with the preparations, life for…
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The Long Walk to Buscalan
My husband and I are in the middle of a long trek going up to the remote village of Buscalan in Kalinga, Philippines. We are on our way to see the famous tattoo artist Whang Od, said to be the last Kalinga tattoo artist of her generation. My heart is pounding. And no matter how hard I inhale, I can’t seem to fill my lungs with air. I want to give up and just lie down on the slippery ground. I am such a weakling. A couple of local boys happily skipping down the steep mountainside with impressive agility only added insult to my injured self-esteem. My…
a Filipina's take on travelling the world
