Benguet PH is destination for my longest and most challenging journey to date. I fell in love with her beauty the moment i laid eyes on her last year when i hiked some of her most prominent peaks, but I've never actually walk her streets, and meet her people. We were only there for a couple of days at a time, and the closest thing i know to what life is like in this province came from a few stories from our local guides. Yes i've been there several times, but I really don't know Benguet.
Eighteen months of designating most of my weekends to hiking and finding prestine beaches, might be considered a long time for some people but it's not enough preparation for what i'm trying to accomplish. First, you don't need a lot of training and knowledge for the way i used to travel. You just search where you want to go, find the contact informations, like transportation and guides, and it's practically a done deal. You go there, and everything's spoon fed to you.
And the idea of "searching" for our next destination was not even an accurate term. We ussually see other people post photos online, find it in google or in facebook, and all the blogs and informations about that area is there for our taking. Facebook events are rampant and all you have to do is pay a downpayment, and you won't have to worry about anything, not even bus ticket reservations. Just be there on time and you're good. It's very convenient. But for my part, I guess I grew exhausted of how easy it is. I am on a rot. I was craving for genuine adventure.
Then i read the blog of Lagataw, and his 90-day journey to the thirteen municipalities of Benguet, on foot. And i was mesmerized. I tried to search online of the places he mentioned, and only a few unhelpful information appeared and some even displayed "we couldn't find anything for ________". That's exactly what i was looking for. I guess i'm not original, but who is? And i'm pretty sure no two journey would be the same. So in just one week, i'll be atempting my best Lagataw impression, and i'm terrified, and excited, and i'm probably stupid for doing this.
The Blueprint
So here's the plan, I'll be leaving after christmas to go to Baguio, meet some friends, and maybe gather some additional informations. After that, i'll be traveling to the first town on my list. I'm still deciding where, but I've narrowed it down to two. And then, after i get there, I'll find the Municipal Hall, give a coutesy call, and i'll be on my way, on foot, to the next Brgy, to the next Municipality, for as long as i can continue. From here on, the next time i'll be riding a vehicle is when i decide i wanna go home.
What I bring with me:
Hammock/ Tarp/ Sleeping Bag/ Jacket/ MedKit/Toiletries/Gloves/Bonnet/Malong/Scarf/Mess kit/Hiking Sandals/Sleepers/Utility Knife/ Extra Batteries/Water Bottle/Three Set of Clothes/ Cellphone/ Wallet with money and Identification Cards (All of this stuffed in my High Sierra Backpack)
I've decided not to bring cooksets and stove because its heavy and impractical, and when i run out of Butane, it would be useless and a dead weight.
Living with Locals
Im also not planning on bringing a tent. When i told my sister what i was planning, her first inquiry was where i would be staying. My hammock and tarp are for emergency puposes only, or when i want to go on a hike, but most of the time, i would be at the mercy of the local community and it's people. I'm just banking on their hospitality and hope they accept me in their homes for a couple of nights. Thats probably the biggest hurdle i have to overcome. Arriving at a Brgy. or Sitio, explaining to them what i am doing, travelling solo and hiking, and hoping that someone will see the good in me, see that im telling the truth, and share their homes with me, a complete stranger. And i have to do these everytime I'm at a new place. Just imagine it if you were the locals, when an unknown drifter would be arriving in your brgy, can you really open up your houses to that? I know it's not going to be easy. Thats why aside from research of geography, maps and culture of Benguet, im also practicing my speech on how i would introduce myself.
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| The Longest boat ride in my adult life, from Real Quezon to Jomalig Island. 5 and a half Hours of uninterupted fear of drowning where the only silver lining was stories from energetic group of locals. |
But I think i figured it out. Whenever I arrive at a new place and im introducing myself, i would have to mention where i stayed the night before, the name of the family that became my host, the name of the Brgy captain I talked to, or even show pictures of those people. Because odds are someone knows who I'm talking about or even be related to them by blood, and this would help me gain their trust. Which means the success of my journey would rely heavily on my first few days, when I first encounter locals trying to find a place to stay. I guess I just have to be my best self, and just hope that they see me as just a weary traveler rather than a suspicous drifter with an evil agenda.
I don't have one. An itinetary would only defeat the purpose of what I'm trying to do. I want to fully understand the essence of living in the moment. I might be staying at a place for a solitary night, I could choose not to stay at all and just pass through certain areas, or I could be staying in one place for days or an entire week, if I feel like it. Maybe that's how it'll go down to, gut feel. I read somewhere about begginers luck, and since this is the first time I'm doing this, luck might play a bigger role than all the preperations and research I've done.
And frankly, even if I wanted to plan an itinerary, it would be futile. I can't find anything online regarding the places I want to go. I'll have to decide my entire route as I go, depending on the local's information and directions. And that's the beauty of it, if spontaneous is what you're searching for. I don't have to worry myself how long will it take for me to arrive at a certain place because I don't know what or where it is I'm looking for. I'll be able to appreciate where I am and the people I'm with, rather than think if I'm behind on my schedule or not. And how much special it would be to stumble upon breathtaking places if I never planned or have any idea it exists. No spoilers, just a genuine find, like going to a Movie Theater after being in a coma for two years just to find out that there already is an Episode VII of Star Wars!
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| The Majestic Hulugan Falls. An inexpicably accessible waterfalls in Laguna. It remained Unknown until a few months ago before someone posted it in Social Media. A registration fee and a mandatory Guide w/ fee is being implemented, because God forbid, something bad happens to you, the guide will save you. |
How this could be my Farewell
Someone wrote about how solo travelers and solo climbers, are all prepared to die. We'll I'm not prepared to die, but I'm very well aware that a lot of things can and will go wrong. I could get sick, I could get injured, or I could get lost in the middle of nowhere. I could be treated badly on certain places, not because they're not good people, but they could have had traumatic experiences with suspicious new commers. I can be suspected as an insurgent trying to recruit new members, or a military officer trying to find one.
The risk are real, and to why I'm going on this trip is something I'm still trying to justify. My reasons are a variation of what I am and what I want to be. From superficial reasons of collecting thousands of amazing photos, to knowing what a simple life can be. Plowing fields, having limited options to pass time, no cable or internet or even a cellular reception. I want to meet people, know their stories, and share a laugh and their native fermented drinks. I want to know what they know, eat what they eat, and sleep under the same roof. I want to truly know a place, and tell stories about it I can call my own. Or I may just be broken inside, desperate to forget someone, and this is my way of coping up and try to move on. But whatever reasons I may have, this is something I definitely want to do.
Yes the risk is real, and a single misfortune might cost me more than just an vacation ending shortly. But if something bad really happens to me, don't fret about me, don't relay this story as a backpacking gone wrong. Because if I don't make it out in one piece, remember that I was having the time of my life doing the things that I love. And if this is the end of me, then ending it in Benguet, sorrounded by the most beautiful mountains in Luzon, would be a happy conlusion on my life, and a movie might finally be written about me. Please cast Janus Del Prado, I love that guy. -_-
(Note: If you know me personally, please dont forward my blog to my parents, they might not let me leave.
Therabaz' purpose for publishing this article is to inspire other travellers to travel solo, and to go beyond what DOT's sugestion of where tourist destinations are. Go out there, find new places and let's create a culture where solo travelers are not unusual anymore. And if you find these paradise, please do not share the information, let others find it on their own. We have no obligation of publishing it to the world. Let's not make every beautiful place a prototype of Sagada where locals are suffering from water shortages so that tourists can shout their frustations in Kiltepan.)
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