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 his home in Tinglayan.
He doesn’t have a cell phone and is just now getting introduced to the internet but try sending an email to darwin_churyaa@ yahoo.com for info on the hotel and getting a hold of Francis.
Even if you don’t contact him he will be wandering around town and will probably find you.
I have known Francis for a 10 years and he has always been a pleasure to visit the Kalinga villages with. He will be a life long friend.
It is possible to trek without a guide but it is more smooth traveling with a guy that knows the area and speaks the local languages.
The Kalinga people tend to be leery of strangers passing through on their own and it is difficult to interact with the locals if you are not with someone that speaks their lingo. Tagalog is rarely used.
