TRAILS UP NORTH

Launching Kabayan eco-tourism and canao
GLORIA A. TUAZON

KABAYAN, Benguet – Tjhis town, in a bid to promote eco-tourism in the area once again concocted a brew with ingredients that lured "nature-children" -- a brew that made the mountain enthusiasts salivate, notwithstanding the fact that the rains came early and almost ruined the whole experience.

To the curious and inexperienced, the thrill was even greater. Along with the killer trek to Mt. Pulag offered in three packages denoting the three different routes was a fourth one. Although the difficulty level is not much compared to the three other packages, the thrill was nevertheless equally exhilarating.

It proved as amusing and enthralling as going inside the mossy forest, and along the way up is the mountain they call "Pulpulag", to mean a little bit like Pulag. The same flora thrives here as the real Mt. Pulag, only in a smaller scale. The berry "ayusip" is everywhere to sate your cravings for something sour, as does other edible plants.

This fourth package took us from viewing the age-old mummies to romping in the sacred inland lakes that Kabayan is so proud of, having gotten yearly awards for Lake Bulalakao alone. The other three lakes,Tabeyo, Detepngepos (or Latepngapo in kalanguya), and lnkulos have magnets of their own, they draw and enchant people.

Mt. Pulag is spectacular even from the distance. Rising above the other mountains, exposing its bald head to meet the coming of each new day and wash itself in the misty embrace of mother nature. The wind takes your soul as you walk along the sea of grass, and lying down staring at the skies is something you cannot do in the urban setting these days.

Pulag could mean "bald" because there are no trees up there near or on the summit. It is a vast expanse of billowing grass and dwarf bamboos. Rarely do you see a plant to exceed your waistline. They say this is a playground of the spirits, and maybe it is. The serenity is broken only by the occasional laughter of trekkers enjoying up there.
***
And then there was the canao. The last day was a big blast. It gathered the whole town to celebrate the closing of the just concluded eco-tourism tours and to seal the experimental tri-municipality sisterhood of Kabayan-Sagada-Banaue. This idea came about with Mayor Faustino Aquisan (of Kabayan) visiting the other mayors to do the proposal. These 3 municipalities are adjacent and near each other.

The plan was to promote each other's place when tourists arrive, get a taste of their own place and then send them to the other two destinations, that way they are helping each other rotate the surge of incoming visitors. This last day was a mix of cultural presentations, Sagada and Banaue delegation headed by no other than their mayors doing a rendition of their own traditional dances.

Kabayan... lakes here, mummies there, mossy forests up yonder and grand mountains everywhere. A day is not enough to conquer the whole place, and ironically it would be the place conquering you, not the other way around. For the nature children who have come and gone to the place, they always have this longing to keep going back all for the thrill of meeting the sunrise at daybreak.

So I went, and I conquered . The come on line to this four day activity was "A chance to explore nature and an opportunity to experience the diverse culture of Kabayan - home of the centuries old mummies...", and indeed it lived up to that. -- email: twilight_glo@yahoo.com