🇵🇭 KABAYAN • Sitio Babalak: Picturesque High Village in Benguet

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Edmar del Castillo Guquib at Thursday, July 30, 2015 1

Photos, videos and stories of town explorations.

"The beautiful landscape just let me think of positive things... I was blinded by the beauty of the village—blinded to see the not-so-good side."

[KABAYAN, BENGUET, PHILIPPINES] ▬ The people wear thick clothes. You know, it's cold in here. Children have pinkish cheeks maybe because of the low temperature. I am not sure. But they have lighter complexion and their eyes are relatively narrower. This is a high village engaged in farming and tourism as their primary industries inhabited by a tribe called Kalanguya.

[KABAYAN] ▬ SITIO BABALAK: A HIGHLAND FARMING VILLAGE

▬ A Short Introduction for an Upcoming Series ▬

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO say on this post really. I can't conceptualize how will I write this. I'm just writing here whatever thoughts running inside my head now. I'm thinking of writing several articles for this destination from my habal-habal experience up to that time I left the village with separation anxiety; so many stories to share actually. This post serves as introduction. If you're an avid follower of this blog, you probably know my style. I write a lot that I have to divide my stories into series of posts to accommodate all the thoughts in my head.

As of this post, I haven't finished the current blog series I am writing (the trip organized by where I was invited) and I do not know when will I finish my Sitio Babalak series too. But at least, I've started now. I visited the village on 22nd and 23rd of May this year with my kababatas (friends I grew up with).

[KABAYAN] ▬ RAINY AFTERNOON: FOG COVERED THE VILLAGE

[KABAYAN] ▬ HARVESTING CARROTS

▬ Change of Plans, Misadventures Happen ▬

OUR ORIGINAL PLAN IS TO climb Mt Pulag, Luzon's highest mountain. But due to some circumstances we weren't able to anticipate, we ditched the climb and just enjoyed the village while reminiscing our childhood.

It rained prior to the planned climb. We prioritized our safety. Mt Pulag can wait. Accidents can't—they come instantly and unexpected.

[KABAYAN] ▬ PICTURESQUE FARMING FIELDS OF SITIO BABALAK

▬ A Farming Village ▬

WHAT ELSE? THE VILLAGE IS a village of farmers. Most of them depend on farming for a living. Some benefit from the tourism industry though by becoming guides for visitors wanting to climb Mt Pulag.

They have terraced fields—not really rice terraces at all. Most of them plant root crops like potatoes and carrots. Some grow vegetables. So it's more like vegetable terraces. They practice kaingin—that process where they cut and burn the trees in the mountains to clear the area so that they can utilize the soil for farming.

The terraced fields are changing the landscape. It's remarkable, undeniably beautiful. Some lands are communal but they still use the land for farming. The trees are gone but keeping the trees can't give them money for now unless they can think of ways on how to turn the forests into moola. I'm not sure if they are aware of the possible consequences of kaingin like landslides. Maybe they've known the drill. I really don't know. I never asked. The beautiful landscape just let me think of positive things and it is only now that I realize that cutting the trees can be a threat. I was blinded by the beauty of the village—blinded to see the not-so-good side.

▬ Mornings and Sunsets ▬

[KABAYAN] ▬ MY FRIEND MITCH ON AN EARLY MORNING JOGGING

[KABAYAN] ▬ WITH THE KALANGUYA KIDS OF BABALAK

[KABAYAN] ▬ GREAT SUNSET IN SITIO BABALAK, BASHOY, KABAYAN, BENGUET

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE TEMPERATURE HERE. Mornings are very cold. Temperature below 10°C is common. What we did was to climb a mountain near the village. It was not as high as Mt Pulag but just enough to keep our adventure spirit high. It was a great activity to fight the numbing cold.

Actually, it is cold 24 hours a day. But mornings and dawns register as trough in the temperature graph.

Sunset here is spectacular. It has quality. Pine trees on top of the mountains create a beautiful silhouette. As the sun leaves the day, the biting cold arrives.

The village is inspiring. The people can survive without the convenience we have in the city. They have a beautiful village how I wish I can visit often. They live simply. The mountains are their asset. Their way of life is very different from how I am living my life. I can learn something from them. The resiliency is there. This is the true wealth: fresh air, fresh food, beautiful abode, less expenses, less risks for lifestyle diseases, healthy community, happy children.

This is a short introductory post for an upcoming Sitio Babalak blog series. I do not know when will I finish all as I've mentioned above. But it's now on queue. More stories are to be told. For now, it's end of the story. No 'to be continued...' ending words yet. ▬ end

[END] ▬ HELLO AND GOOD MORNING FROM SITIO BABALAK, KABAYAN, BENGUET!

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This is a personal leisure trip with my childhood friends on May 22-23, 2015. The descriptions written herein are based on my observations and experiences on the day of my visit.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

Map Showing the Location of #Kabayan

CLICK TO DISPLAY LATEST ENTRIES COVERING BENGUET.
Map © Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY LATEST ENTRIES COVERING BENGUET.

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EDMAR GUQUIB, Travel Blogger
EDMARATION #TownExplorer

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🇵🇭 LA TRINIDAD • Jewel Igorot Restaurant: Non-Igorots Should Eat Here!

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Edmar del Castillo Guquib at Sunday, July 26, 2015 0

Photos, videos and stories of town explorations.

"Say anything you want to say and this cool restaurant along the main road in La Trinidad will still find its way to become superior."

[LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET, PHILIPPINES] ▬ Its name proudly represents an identity. This restaurant is just badass that it is setting an extra cool standard in its circle so intimidating to beat. The Igorot culture and heritage are here. Non-Igorots should also experience this not just to satisfy the hungry tummy but also to feed the hungry brain on the brink of knowledge prostration. This place is a restaurant, museum and a piece of inspiration in one! How cool is that?

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ STARTING THIS POST WITH A CUP OF LEMON GRASS TEA

▬ A Dense Introduction ▬

THE LA TRINIDAD VALLEY WHERE the downtown and the famous are located is relatively denser in population and in concrete structures. The weather is slightly hotter too compared with the lower temperature of the villages outside the poblacion. But in these densities, there's this thing that stands out; probably by destiny and not by density.

One of the concrete structures I've seen here contains a world of arts, food, culture and inspiration. The concept of density is also here, mind you. Inside this structure generally called as the Jewel Igorot Building is densely equipped with fantastic things to enjoy and learn!

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ FAÇADE OF JEWEL BUILDING

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ FAÇADE OF THE STRUCTURE I'M REFERRING HERE

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ DOWNTOWN LA TRINIDAD: SHOWING THE MAIN ROAD

The exterior itself is already noticeable. It is a big building compared to others around. It is designed with stones plastered to appear stylish. The other unique feature of this building is the hut accentuated with light-greenish ferns which makes the façade look like a fusion of the past and the contemporary.

A portion of this building is a restaurant called Jewel Igorot Restaurant and here is where I've been.

▬ The Entrance Brought Me Somewhere Else ▬

SO I ENTERED THIS BUILDING, left side. Then how come the interior has bamboos? Hah. No it's not really funny. It's affirmatively great actually. It looks like the owner is someone who wants to try new things, adorable things.

Then you have the stones, not really pebbles, so shiny and smooth plastered altogether on the walls inside. The benches made of wood made the place to appear like a park inside a building.

The bamboos' presence with the stone walls made me think I am somewhere else like in a riverbank or those hills I used to see as a child now owned by a powerful politician. Darn wealthy politicians owning everything they can afford to buy—even the hills/land of my heritage!

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THIS IS THE ENTRANCE LOBBY.

▬ The Interior ▬

THE INTERIOR IS NEVER INFERIOR. Say anything you want to say and this cool restaurant along the main road in La Trinidad will still find its way to become superior. My eyes turned to the left side but the stylish interior never left me; never left my interest at least. I was right in my first impressions. I walked straight ahead after.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THE WOODEN STAIRWAY IS DECORATED WITH TRUE GREEN PLANTS.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ HERE COMES THE RED PLANTS OF THE SPIRAL STAIR.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THESE DWARF BAMBOOS TURNED THE DULL STAIR REFRESHING.

So the restaurant where I'm going to dine is located at the third floor—just perfectly fine to let visitors step onto the spiral wooden stairs done so carefully creative.

The stairway is a showcase. Beside every other step are sculptures made from wood and clay. From here, the museum character of this restaurant is starting to appear. Well, as I've said, this restaurant is also a museum. I will write about the museum side of this restaurant on the next post.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ IF YOU NEED FRESH AIR....

The restaurant is not really fully enclosed to allow the cool breeze from the mountains to enter. However, should you wish to go al fresco, you got the choice.

▬ The Food ▬

The first food they served was a platter of brown rice. This brown rice is grown in the . Igorots eat this kind of rice and it is believed that it's much healthier compared with the white rice. Unlike its white counterpart, this brown rice is more organic.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THE BROWN RICE OF THE IGOROTS ARE HERE TO STAY.

So these fellow bloggers started to bring out their gadgets and the brown rice became the star of the day. It was surrounded instantly by bloggers-turned-paparazzi capturing a photo for their instagram updates.

Anyway, damnit! How come this champorado-like rice is not a mainstream in the lowlands where lifestyle-related diseases are common? Dumb-ass commercialism. The oily meats and pesticide-grown white rice is making the pockets of the managers of the money economy healthy and bulging, not the consumers. I know a farmer who uses pesticide to grow rice in commercial farming. But they never eat what they sell. They instead plant another pesticide-free rice for their consumption; not of good quality but healthier. It's not for sale anyway. It's for their personal consumption. Also blame some consumers. They think that the whiter, the better. Hence, the demand for whiter pesticide-preserved unhealthier rice.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ FRUITS ARE PLENTY.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ WATERMELONS, LOVELY.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ CHOP SUEY NEVER GONE WRONG.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ I ALMOST ATE ALL THE GRAPES HERE!

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THIS PINAKBET + BAGNET IS PROFOUNDLY GOOD!

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ BARANIW (LEMON GRASS) TEA

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ ENDING THIS WITH A HOT CUP OF BARANIW TEA.

They served mostly fruits but their chop suey, pinakbet and sinigang were all stellar. I can't say any single stupid word against the food. I know where to go the next time I'll visit La Trinidad.

I have described this restaurant the way I saw it. But the most interesting part is yet to be told. The owner of this building is a former domestic helper in Hong Kong. How come she now owned a 4-story building? No, she never married a wealthy guy. Her inspiring story is not the get-rich-quick scheme done in MLMs. This is a rugs-to-millionaire story. ▬ to be continued...

INDEX: INSIDE THIS BLOG SERIES

[UP NEXT] ▬ A DOMESTIC HELPER BECAME A MILLIONAIRE. INSPIRING STORY.

► BLOG SERIES: AZALEA SUMMER GETAWAY

Up Next: I said, this restaurant is also a world of inspiration and fascinating stories of ordinary people who became extraordinary. She is a proud Igorota and her key to becoming a millionaire is by becoming a domestic helper first.

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] Some important details about the Jewel Restaurant:

ADDRESS: KM 4, Balili, La Trinidad, Benguet

CONTACT INFO: (O74) 422-3258/(O74)422-9101

MENU: They serve breakfast meals, rice toppings, pork, goat, chicken and fish dishes. Solo orders start at 70 pesos up t0 110 pesos. Group dishes start from 210 up to 700 depending on the size of serving and type of dish.

[2] This experience was made possible through Azalea Residences Hotel in Baguio City. I was invited to experience the Azalea hospitality. My big gratitude to Azalea management.

[3] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

Map Showing the Location of #LaTrinidad

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🇵🇭 KABAYAN • Sitio Babalak: Picturesque High Village in Benguet

[KABAYAN] ▬ SITIO BABALAK: A HIGHLAND FARMING VILLAGE

#KABAYAN

[BAGUIO] ▬ VIP Treatment Vacation the Azalea Way

[KABAYAN] ▬ RAINY AFTERNOON: FOG COVERED THE VILLAGE

[KABAYAN] ▬ HARVESTING CARROTS

[KABAYAN] ▬ PICTURESQUE FARMING FIELDS OF SITIO BABALAK

[KABAYAN] ▬ MY FRIEND MITCH ON AN EARLY MORNING JOGGING

[KABAYAN] ▬ WITH THE KALANGUYA KIDS OF BABALAK

[KABAYAN] ▬ GREAT SUNSET IN SITIO BABALAK, BASHOY, KABAYAN, BENGUET

[END] ▬ HELLO AND GOOD MORNING FROM SITIO BABALAK, KABAYAN, BENGUET!

More Stories from #Kabayan

Map Showing the Location of #Kabayan

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[BAGUIO] ► VIP Treatment Vacation the Azalea Way

[DAGUPAN] ► 8-Ride Diary of How I Went Home After Eating Street Food

[TINGLAYAN] ► There was No Sunrise in Buscalan, Kalinga

[TINGLAYAN] ► The Day I Hiked Solo to Buscalan, Kalinga - Part 2/2

[TINGLAYAN] ► The Day I Hiked Solo to Buscalan, Kalinga - Part 1/2

[CORDILLERA] ► Bontoc-Tabuk Road: Mt. Province-Kalinga Border Crossing

[LICUAN-BAAY] ► Challengingly Sweet Journey to Licuan-Baay, Abra

[LICUAN-BAAY] ► An Introduction to the Town of Gold

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🇵🇭 LA TRINIDAD • Jewel Igorot Restaurant: Non-Igorots Should Eat Here!

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ STARTING THIS POST WITH A CUP OF LEMON GRASS TEA

#LATRINIDAD

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ 5 Interdependent Worlds in Strawberry Farm

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ FAÇADE OF THE STRUCTURE I'M REFERRING HERE

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ DOWNTOWN LA TRINIDAD: SHOWING THE MAIN ROAD

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THIS IS THE ENTRANCE LOBBY.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THE WOODEN STAIRWAY IS DECORATED WITH TRUE GREEN PLANTS.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ HERE COMES THE RED PLANTS OF THE SPIRAL STAIR.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THESE DWARF BAMBOOS TURNED THE DULL STAIR REFRESHING.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ IF YOU NEED FRESH AIR....

CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THE BROWN RICE OF THE IGOROTS ARE HERE TO STAY.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ FRUITS ARE PLENTY.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ WATERMELONS, LOVELY.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ CHOP SUEY NEVER GONE WRONG.

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ I ALMOST ATE ALL THE GRAPES HERE!

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ THIS PINAKBET + BAGNET IS PROFOUNDLY GOOD!

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ BARANIW (LEMON GRASS) TEA

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ ENDING THIS WITH A HOT CUP OF BARANIW TEA.

INDEX: INSIDE THIS BLOG SERIES

[UP NEXT] ▬ A DOMESTIC HELPER BECAME A MILLIONAIRE. INSPIRING STORY.

[BAGUIO] ▬ VIP Treatment Vacation the Azalea Way

[BAGUIO] ▬ Ilocano Food Reigns at Kalapaw Restaurant

[BAGUIO] ▬ Night Market at Harrison Road: What to See and Expect?

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ 5 Interdependent Worlds in Strawberry Farm

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ Bahong Flower Farm: Rose Capital of the Philippines

[LA TRINIDAD] ▬ Jewel Igorot Museum and the Maid-to-Millionaire Story

[BAGUIO] ▬ Discovering More of Baguio the Amazing Race Way

[BAGUIO] ▬ 2600 Gastropub: When Zip Code Turns Into Night Life

[TUBA] ▬ BenCab Museum: History, Arts and Culture

[BAGUIO] ▬ Tam-awan Village: Old-School Igorot Living of Today

[BAGUIO] ▬ Tree Top Adventure: What to Expect? + Things You Must Know

[BAGUIO] ► Azalea Residences Hotel Review: My Experiences in Details

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