20 March 2007:
We left Sagada very early in the morning (first bus out of Sagada to Baguio at 5am) to catch the last bus leaving Baguio to Kabayan (famous for Philippine mummies) to make-up for lost time. I’m responsible for the lost time because of my hang-over. It was raining lightly by the time we woke up, we passed areas with rain and areas without rain. There was no rain around the area of the town of Catubo, from there it is possible to hike to Kabayan for 4-7 hours (depending on your speed and the weight of your backpack). That did not sound like a good option for me, with 2 huge backpacks. We arrived in Baguio just in time. We were able to catch the last bus to Kabayan in ‘Foto-Finish’ style. The bus line is Norton Trans, YES, it is that bus line that is famous for that bus that fell off a ravine. Unfortunately, it’s the only one going to Kabayan. They renamed it A-Liner, but it’s still the same to me. It seemed as if everything was falling into plan perfectly, we will be able to make up time by traveling straight to Kabayan. We left Baguio at 12nn, and we encountered some rain along the way but it was not the alarming downpour. Then DISASTER STRUCK! Midway from Baguio to Kabayan, the road was blocked by a landslide. I got down, at first it was cool to take fotos and videos of the 2 Volvo heavy machines clawing through the pile of soil and rock. Then it dawned on me, the landslide did not just cover the segment of the road, it took down the whole segment of that road with it. The road wasn’t there, and the 2 Volvo’s were rushing to make a new one. Impossible! It’s 3 pm, there is no way that they could make a road in 3 hours before it gets dark! And I don’t have any assurance that the road (more accurately just a path) that they were hurriedly making would be stable to support a fully-loaded bus. Then my heart started racing. Then a mini landslide hit one of the Volvo’s! The operator had to be carried by his mates. Then another mini-landslide! That was it! I decided to get off the bus with my backpacks and walk back to the nearest town. Terai agreed without hesitation. And so we walked along 2 mountainsides, under the rain, on the mud, and through the fog. We saw one vehicle going the same way as us and we hitched. We hitched a ride with the ‘blasting services’ truck. It was such a comfort to hear the squishing sound to petrol in a metal barrel right in the middle of everybody and to see sacks of explosives under my feet, under my ass, and beside me. Whew! The truck dropped us off at the nearest town of Ambuklao. We were set to stay the night, even if it meant sleeping on the floor of the town hall. But then, 2 buses passed later going back to Baguio. We took that ride. So I guess they were able to fix the road.
The following morning, after staying a night in ugly Baguio, we were hit by a sudden bout of insanity, and we both decided to go back to Kabayan, and face our landslide fears and the mummy’s curse. This time everything went smoothly. We arrived there, saw the museum and the following day saw hundreds of skulls in a small cave that was just behind one of the houses, not even 10mins from Co-op lodge where we were staying. We took more creepy pictures. We were creeped-out several times in the cave when birds would fly in and out, and you should have seen both of us on how we ducked for cover. We also met the town’s ex-mayor, Florentino Merino, and we bought his book. He built the cooperative, and was one of the discoverers of the mummies, and his grandmother was the last person to be mummified. From all those accounts, I would have to say that he almost built the town of Kabayan single-handedly, and I would have to say that he would be the best source of information in that town.
And that’s the full story. That’s how I was able to get back to Manila in one piece. :-)
