"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 ▬
#KABAYAN
As of this post, I haven't finished the current blog series I am writing (the trip organized by AZALEA RESIDENCES
TEASER ► Inside the room, I felt like I'm a VIP again. This is probably one of the best rooms in Azalea. I felt privileged. This staycation kicks ass.
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).
[BAGUIO] ▬ VIP Treatment Vacation the Azalea Way
TEASER ► Inside the room, I felt like I'm a VIP again. This is probably one of the best rooms in Azalea. I felt privileged. This staycation kicks ass.
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.
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
[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2
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