via Photo Challenge: Danger!

I had one of the most memorable trips this year. Last March, I went to Buscalan in Kalinga. It is one of the places that composed the Philippines Mountain Province. It was a 15-16 hours drive from the capital city, Manila. The purpose of our overwhelming trip was to meet one of the legends in the tattoo world, a 100-year old traditional tattooist from the Butbut Tribe. After the long drive, another 1-hour trek to the village.

The scorching heat of the sun was unbearable since we went there on the peak of summer. Aside from the heat of the sun, we needed to trek 2 mountains before reaching the village. It was a challenge. The most dangerous part of the journey was going downhill. There was no proper trail, no stairs or rail to hold on to. I was only holding on to small grass roots at first while making sure that I won’t lose my balance. Losing a footing would mean a disaster, I mean a very serious disaster since the mountain is too high ( I was not sure how high it was ) but when I looked down, all I see were trees, grasses and rice paddies below. I think the height was equivalent to a 20-storey building or higher. Eventually, our group tour guide was able to catch up with me after putting the others to safety.. I was able to hold on to Lazarus (our guide) and safely managed the trek. It was an experience worth sharing.