halfway through our hike we came
across a big white sack, tied to a
piece of wood. it was laying next
to a group of kids.
i noticed it sway slightly, back and
forth, as we passed.
i asked francis what was in the bag...
deerhunter: uy brad, anong laman niyang sako?
(hey brother, what's in the sack?)
francis: aso.
(dog.)
deerhunter: ahhh.
(oh.)
francis: yung mga bata na yon magpi-piknik
marami kasi sila eh. nakakain ka na ba ng aso?
(those kids over there are gonna have a picnic,
since there's a bunch of them. have you ever
tried dog?)
deerhunter: ah parang nakakain na ata
ako, dun sa sakayan ng bus papunta dito.
(i think i might have, at a bus stop on the
way over here.)
francis: eh ikaw? <points his lips at homie>
(and you?)
homie: ah hindi pa, ni minsan. masarap ba?
(no, never. is it good?)
francis: ay masarap talaga!
(it's delicious!)
homie: mas masarap kaysa sa liempo?
(is it better than roast pork?)
francis: oo naman, di hamak na mas masarap!
subukan mo habang nandito ka. masustansya
pa, mabuti pa sa kalusugan mo.
(yes, way better! we should try it while your out
here. it's very nutritious. it keeps you healthy.)
one hour 'till we reach the village of buscalan.
adjacent to this narrow piece of pavement
my boy francis is standing on, is a straight-
drop down to the bottom of the cordillera.
an overgrowth of bush, weeds, and other
miscellaneous plant life growing alongside
the mountain completely cover the cliff's
edge.
"water from the gods" is what i like to call this
very practical and efficient piece of plumbing.
we used a similar kind at the village. it was
the only source of water on our side of the
hood. we used it to bathe, to wash the
dishes, and to drink from. it ran 24/7.
this lady is a hundred years old.
dig this.
peep the small red dot at the center of this
colorful and picturesque view of the cordillera.
do you see it?
anyway, that's the 100 year old lady workin' the fields.
from the point where i was standing to take this photo,
100 yr. old lady walked her way over there, all by herself.
she does this everyday, like clockwork.
i needed two "rests" to walk the distance she did.
i'm 26. she's 100. wtf.
welcome to buscalan village.
five ziplocks of medicine: check
four cans of corned beef: check
six packs of instant mami: check
four packs, marlboro lights: check
four bottles of tanduay: check
two rolls of toilet paper: check
francis got us settled in our room
while whang-od and her sister
cooked us a meal.
we were her guests. in exchange
for getting tats, she housed us, fed
us, and even gave us a pack of
peanuts for the journey home
on our last day.
lunch time.
the menu: red ants with queen ant eggs,
freshly ground chili on the side, and rice.
francis asked us if we wanted to throw some
corned beef on that bad boy to sweeten the
deal... we said, "fuck ya, shit ya."
p.s. ant eggs taste like fish roe.
after ant-silog and a few cigarettes
we went straight to work.
somebody gonna get a hurt real bad.
not gonna say who, but, somebody.
to be continued...