pagnapagna: A walk around Bontoc and to nearby Kadchog Rice Terraces

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"Since we arrived late in the afternoon in Bontoc, we can only explore downtown and the nearby rice terraces"

-pagnapagna

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This was my second time around
at Bontoc, Mountain Province.
The first one was way back June
of the year 2012

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-my pagnapagna-

(March 5 , 2016 a Saturday)

As early as 4 o'clock in the morning, we were at the Bus terminal in San Fernando City, La Union waiting for a ride going to Baguio City.

Because it was weekend, passengers were crowding up. We only got our ride at around past 6 o'clock in the morning and eventually arrived at Baguio City two hours later.

We walked our way to the Dangwa station at the back of the Baguio Center Mall and went to see the bus bound for Bontoc. Unfortunately we were thirty minutes late and the bus had left. The next bus trip is scheduled at 10 o'clock. We opted to take the passenger van bound for Lepanto and just go down at Abatan90 at the municipality of Buguias. We left Baguio City at 9:30 am and arrived at Abatan90 at 12:30 pm.

At Abatan90, we rode another passenger van and arrived at Bontoc town proper at around 3:30 in the afternoon.

Now, our priority was to look for a place to stay. There were many inns and hotels to choose from and we got ours along the main road. We checked-in, left my heavy backpack, got our important belongings and went out to stroll around town using a smaller backpack.

We went to see the bridge along the river (Samoki bridge), the All Saint's Cathedral, their Public Market where caged live ducks/geese and lots of chicken were being sold, Plaza/Basketball court area and the Sta. Rita de Casia Cathedral. Meat shops were everywhere, most of them sells pork and if I was not mistaken those were "inasin" (salted meat) left hanging in arrays.

Salted Pork meat ("inasin" a variety of etag) hangs at the sidewalks at meat shops

At that time, their old Provincial Capitol Building was being renovated and part of it was already demolished.

We went west of the town where a Rice Terraces is located. This is also the road leading to Baguio City.

After asking people around, we finally found the steps going down to the cable footbridge that led us to the other side of the Chico river where the rice terraces was.

All dried-up, not much of a green and some hay on the ground were left to dry under the sun. We strolled along the trails at terraces that led us down to the banks of the river where there were some vegetable gardens.

a dry rice terraces

The "kalunay" plant caught my attention as it looked so healthy and for the first time I saw it being cultivated. From where I came from, "kalunay" only grow wild along with weeds and some other plants.

The "kalunay" plant cultivated for their seeds to be planted.
The young ones grown from the seeds are the one harvested.

"Apay adda kayo ditoy anya ti piktyur en yo" (Why are you here? What are you going to take a picture of?) the woman watering the plants asked.

"Umay kami kuma picturen ni carrot man" (We were going to take a picture of "Carrot man"), I answered.

She laughed and smiled.

"Carrot man" hails from their province which is Mountain Province whose photographs had gone viral in the internet particularly on Facebook.

"Mabalin tulungan da ka mother ta agharvest kami mut?" (Can we help you mother and we will also harvest?) I jokingly asked. Well, she just laughed and smiled again.

We had some conversations and it was her whom I have known that the rice terraces name is Kadchog.

The very dry Kadchog Rice Terraces

We thank her and went back to downtown.

After eating our dinner, we went back to our "abode for the night" to be ready for our early morning pagnapagna (walk/hike) from downtown Bontoc to Barangay Bayyo to see the Bayyo Rice terraces

(To be continued)

-end of pagnapagna-