Ant eggs
Alifufutu is what fried ant eggs are called in Tinglayan.
Big nests are hacked from trees and quickly stuffed into a big sack before the worker ants can carry away all the eggs. A big nest can yield 2 kilos of eggs.
A volunteer climbs up the tree and hacks the nest and [...]
Churya-a Hotel in Bontoc Philippines
Bontoc is a hub for travellers visiting the mountain provinces in the Philippines. Most pass on through to Banaue or Sagada but if you are going to spend the night the best place to stay is the Churya-a Hotel on the main drag near the Emanuel bus drop off.
The [...]
Philippine rainforest
There are some exotic plants found up in the rainforest in the Cordillera mountains in the Philippines.
Way at the top beyond the rice terraces there is still some rainforest that is relatively pristine. Unusual plants that are not seen in the lowlands are an interest to me.
High in the mountains
Up in the rainforest at [...]
Rainforest
Gil is a jungle hunter in the high mountain regions of the Cordillera Mountain Province in the Philippines. He hunts when he is not tending his terraced rice fields and taking care of his family.
To see some unspoiled tropical rainforest, Gil is the man to see. He flows through the jungle like it’s his backyard [...]
Betel nut. Philippines
There is a big push in Bontoc to put an end to “spitting momma”.
Kalinga tourist guide
Bontoc - Philippines
Francis Pa In is the freelance guide extraordinair of Tinglayan. He finds tourists in Bontoc and Tinglayan and guides them through the backcountry of the Cordileras Mountains.
Francis is based out of the Churya-a Hotel and the Pines Hotel in Bontoc. He rides on the jeepneys and buses with the tourists to [...]
Mountain Flowers
There was an amazing variety of wildflowers growing alongside the road coming down the mountain from Tulgao.
In the early morning it is really a beautiful walk but you want to get going before the sun gets too high in the sky and makes walking uncomfortable.
My gal has a thing [...]
Hotels in Bontoc
The Pines Kitchenette and Inn isn’t a bad place to stay with a double costing around 350 pesos a night with shared bath.
There is a hopeless internet cafe in the back that you can find after winding through a maze of hallways. It is cheap enough but I was never able [...]
Tinglayan to Tabuk
The road from Tinglayan to Tabuk must be one of the dustiest roads in the Philippines. It goes through some nice canyons but your camera will get covered with dust if you take it out of the case. It is also hard to get a steady shot because of all the bouncing [...]
Polangha Falls
Waterfalls
Polangha Falls is a short walk from Tulgao. A pool of water alongside if fed by a hot spring. If you need some refreshment after a long hike this is the place to kick back, fire up a splif, and settle into that hot water.
I needed a cold dip instead and [...]