Biking the Cordilleras 2015

Nothing compares to the Cordilleras if you are a recreational mountain biker in the Philippines. And in affirmation to that statement, seven Sorsogon cyclists embarked (once again) on a ride to the mountain roads/trails of Ifugao, Mt. Province and Kalinga. This is our fifth Cordillera ride, this year’s installment for the annual summer “Lakbay Bisekleta” ride we have been doing since 2009. The riders are Noel (me), Kareen, Cyrk and Natalie of Irosin, Tyrone and Jay of Bulan, and Ed of Matnog.

Traditional tattoo artists of Kalinga: Grace (seated) and Apo Whang-od (standing)

Day 1, Lagawe to Tinoc, Ifugao, March 30

Taking leave from our day jobs, we traveled by bus from Sorsogon to Manila then to Ifugao for two consecutive nights. We disembarked in Lagawe (our starting point), re-assembled our bikes, had breakfast and prepared for the hardest leg of the ride. The original itinerary for the day was an ambitious Lagawe to Hungduan ride with a distance of 74 km. Easily done on flat roads but alas, even a 10 km segment of unpaved Cordillera road is a challenge in itself.

From Lagawe (7:30 AM), the road is concreted all the way to Julongan, Kiangan. Many road sections are under construction and very muddy. After Nagacadan, Cyrk’s sprocket freewheeled due to damaged pins in the rear hub and he backtracked to Lagawe for a hub replacement.

The ride started in a concrete road with gentle ascent...

As the road snaked its way up the mountain, we passed a WWII memorial shrine (where Gen. Yamashita surrendered) in Kiangan, the UNESCO-inscribed Nagacadan rice terraces, a really big rock at the roadside, landslides, rockslides, construction sites, a carinderia in Julongan (about 18 km from Lagawe with good food), vegetable gardens and many precarious roadside cliffs.

The ROCK!

Nagacadan rice terrace.

The ascent is relentless with very very few recovery. Lagawe (near river) is 430 meters in elevation and the road near Tinoc peaked at 1,625 meters. Some road sections are too steep that we have to dismount and walk. The road condition deteriorated as we got higher – cemented to under construction to one-lane gravel road. But the good thing is that there is a serious effort to improve the roads in the Cordilleras and this was evident throughout our ride.

Single lane earth road

Uphill road with recent landslide

It was 3:00 PM when we reached Tukucan (?), Tinoc where the junction (going north, down) to Hungduan is. To Hungduan (37 km) or to Tinoc (10 km)? Rather than risking a night ride in remote unfamiliar mountain roads, we chose Tinoc – the highest town in Ifugao. The last 10 km was exhausting as the gravel road winded up and down following a high mountain slope. Everybody we asked said Tinoc is “30 minutes” away... The view of rice terraces and communities below was worth all the effort. Due south is the outline of Mt. Pulag.

Near Tinoc poblacion

We arrived in Tinoc at 4:30 PM, and sought lodging at the Tinoc Lodge. The wooden lodge is operated by the LGU, near the LGU, and is very neat and clean at P250 per head per day. No need for fans or aircons. After dinner, we promptly slept to compensate for two days of almost sleepless bus rides. Pedal distance is 49 km, time at saddle 6:37 and with average speed of whooping 7.3 kph.

Day 2, Tinoc to Hungduan

Tinoc Lodge

Poblacion Tinoc

Having a bath was an ice bucket challenge. Breakfast was brewed coffee and tapsilogs and hotsilogs. Reluctant to backtrack what we pedaled the day before, we have arranged for a truck to haul us to the Hungduan junction 10 km away for P200 each. By 9:00 AM, we were at the junction and started to tackle the ups and downs of Tinoc-Hungduan road. The first downhill was a drop of about 450 meters in 4 km of gravelly slippery road to a river. Disk brakes recommended, knobby tires as well, good balance and do not gain momentum please…

Going down...

... over a river between Tukucan and Wangwang, Tinoc...

... going up.

After the river, a recent landslide obliterated the really uphill road. Small rocks are still falling as we walked up and up the loose rocks up the mountain slope. From there, the gravel road followed the river (which is to the right) in the northerly direction. Up and down the gravelly earth road goes, very sparsely populated. . Natnat’s rear derailer (RD) snagged the spokes and was bent. The RD was only slightly damaged but the hanger needed some bending with stone and scrap metal. After repairs, Natalie's was able to continue but with 3 non-operational rear gears. Also, Tyron’s chain came loose but was repaired in a moment with a chain cutter.

Road under construction, Wangwang, Tinoc

By noon we reached the junction to Buguias, Benguet and with no restaurant on sight. From here, the road improved to mostly two-lane concrete pavement... salamat naman. By 2:00 PM with stomach grumbling, we decided to stop at a sari-sari store to buy some cooked rice and canned foods. Some friendly Igorot road construction crew offered us their excess rice from their lunch for free which we graciously accepted.

When in Hungduan, stay at Happy Homes Lodge! Laundry and bike repairs...

Looking back, the road to Tinoc-Buguias.

It was 4:30 PM when we reached Poblacion Hungduan and stayed at Happy Homes Lodge atop a hill amidst the mountains. Happy Homes Lodge offers simple accommodation, good food and warm hosts – very highly recommended at P200 per head. A few minutes later, Cyk joined up with the group having pedaled from Lagawe to Banaue to Hungduan. Laundry, bike cleaning, hearty dinner and beer were the next order of business. We traveled 37 km for the day, sitting on the saddle for 4:09 hours and with an improved 8.8 kph average speed.

Day 3, Hungduan to Batad, Banaue

We departed Hungduan at 7:15 AM after visiting the municipal hall where a cluster of native Ifugao houses were on display. The concreted road was slightly downhill and it was a blissful cold easy morning ride with the UNESCO-inscribed Hungduan rice terrace unfolding alongside the road. After Barangay Hapao came the 8 km long ascent to Banaue viewpoint and then an easy descent to Banaue poblacion. We arrived in Banaue by 10:30 AM, had lunch, and biked the relatively flat road to Batad-Mayoyao junction.

Hungduan rice terraces... handlebar bags by Lagalag.

Climbing Batad saddle.

After the junction is the ascent to the Batad saddle – very steep and reminiscent of Besang Pass. Slowly and patiently (at sometimes 3 kph in the searing summer heat), we climbed and was at the saddle at 2:00 PM. We decided to park our bikes at the store at the saddle (for P50 “parking fee” per bike) and hiked all the way to Batad. A road is being forged into the heart of Batad and is now only about one kilometer away from the rim of the Batad “amphitheater”. We met many sweaty local and foreign tourists hiking out of Batad.

Majestic Batad rice terraces.

The view of the Batad rice terraces is stupendous, stunning, breathtaking, astonishing, and all. Words and pictures and videos are hopelessly inadequate to describe the Batad experience. The best view is in Simon’s Viewpoint Inn and Pizza Restaurant at P250 per head – highly recommended. Simon prepared stir-fried vegetable, chicken adobo and native rice for dinner. Plus beer and massage equals a good night sleep. The distance from Hungduan to Batad saddle is 40 km which we pedaled in 3:49 hours at a regal pace of 10.4 kph.

Day 4, Around Batad, Banaue then to Poblacion Banaue 

After an early breakfast, we hiked to Tappiyya Falls with a local guide (P600). The trek to the falls offers an opportunity to visit the small village at the heart of the rice terraces, walk amidst the terraces and of course see the water falls. The water in the falls was very cold and the rocks were very slippery.

Batad village up close

Tappiyya Falls.

We went back to Simon’s around 10:30 PM, sampled the pizza, had lunch and packed out at noon. We hiked to the saddle where we met a group of folding bikers on the way down to Batad, left Batad saddle at 2:00 PM, dropped by Banaue poblacion for snacks and supplies (including tapuy) and climbed up to the viewpoint.

The pit stop is Viewpoint Valley Inn and Restaurant at the viewpoint overlooking the Banaue rice terraces, about 4 km from poblacion up the road to Bontoc, at P300 per head. Nice place with lots of souvenir shops nearby. The log for the day is an easy 15 km.

Day 5, Banaue to Bontoc, Mt. Province to Barangay Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga

It is Holy Friday and the challenge for the day is the Mt. Polis ascent and the Bontoc-Tinglayan road. After a breakfast of fish, eggs and rice, we left at 7:15 AM in the cool morning and gently pedaled our way up to Mt. Province. Upon reaching the first ridge atop the viewpoint is the panorama of Banaue-Bontoc mountain road carved in the slopes of Mt. Polis. Mt. Polis is about 1,900 meters ASL and marks the boundary between Banaue and Mt. Province which we reached at 9:30 AM. 

Mt. Polis ascent from Banaue

Bay-yo community

What followed is long downhill ride to Bontoc. At the Bontoc side, Mt. Polis is covered with mossy forest at the upper slopes and the down slopes are almost entirely covered in pine trees. We passed the Bay-yo rice terraces and the site of a recent fatal bus accident which claimed many lives. A grim fate awaits any vehicle without brakes in this road. There is a short ascent after the junction to Barlig and downhill again to Bontoc where we arrived at 11:30 PM and had lunch. At Bontoc, Kareen’s bag carrier cracked near the seat post clamp. The solution was to ditch the carrier and tie the sack-bag to the handle bar.

Off to Kalinga by 1:15 PM in the midday heat with the road following the meandering Chico River. I expected this road to be unpaved as it was a few years back but was surprised to ride in concrete tarmac all the way to Tinglayan. This is the most rugged roadscape I have ever seen with the road cut out of the nearly vertical cliffs of the rocky mountainside. The Chico River softly murmurs a hundred meters below beside the roadside (without railings). 

Bontoc-Tinglayan road

We arrived at Bugnay, Tinglayan (the boundary between Mt. Province and Kalinga) by 4:30 PM and turned left to an uphill earth road to Buscalan. About 3.5 km from Bugnay, we left our bikes to the care of our guide’s wife’s uncle, transitioned into hiking mode then proceeded by foot to Buscalan. The 1.5 km hike to Buscalan involves following an irrigation ditch with a sheer cliff (hidden by grass) on the side of the trail, past foot bridges without railings, down slope to a stream and up the Buscalan rice terraces to the community perched on a small flat area in the slope of a mountain. 

It was nearly dark when we reached Charlie’s house. After waiting for a few minutes while having delicious Kalinga coffee, the good natured and very humorous Charlie met us and led us to his cousin’s house (everybody is related in this place) where we are to homestay for the night. 

Buscalan trail

Charlie is the man when visiting Buscalan. I got this guide’s number from a friend Paeng whom I met in Bicol during the Manila-Tacloban Climate Walk last year. I saw Paeng’s unique arm tattoos, asked where he got it and that led me to Buscalan – that on this day entailed additional 82 km of biking for 6:33 hours with an average speed of 12.6 kph.

Day 6, Buscalan, Tinglayan

Buscalan is a small mountain farming community and the most famous inhabitant is Apo Whang-od, the last true traditional “mambabatok” of Kalinga. Early in the morning, I queued up for the privilege of getting inked by the 97 year old legend. Kareen also got her first tattoo from Apo’s 17 year old niece Grace.

Getting inked

It was 9:30 PM when Whang-od finished my first tattoo. After a late breakfast, we hiked down, retrieved our bikes, pedaled to Bugnay and waited for the 12:00 noon Tinglayan-Bontoc bus.

Homeward bound

From then on it was motorized transport all the way to Bicol. From Tinglayan to Bontoc is heart wrenching bus ride at the top load, then in a rented van from Bontoc to Banaue where it started to rain. Our bus is bound to leave the next day so we relaxed and rested at Stairway Lodge and Restaurant in Banaue.

The Ohayami bus left at 7:00 PM, April 5, and arrived in Manila at 4:00 AM the next day. In the afternoon, we took another bus to Bicol and arrived April 7, morning and by 8:10 AM I punched in (biometrics) for work.

Great mind-blowing memorable ride! 

By Noel Mercado II