Holy Week 2009-Dinner with the URCC Champion Friday, Apr 24 2009

The most anticipated dinner that almost didn’t happen.   We woke up early to make it to the 9a.m. bus to Baguio.    But due to our unfamiliarity of the place and of the bus schedules in Sagada, we were disappointed when we found out that  the 9a.m. bus will be coming from Besao, Mountain Province. As expected, this bus is full to the brim when it arrived in Sagada.   Which left us no choice but to wait for the next bus which is scheduled to leave at 11:30a.m. … that is if it will leave on time.   So while waiting for the 11:30 bus, Beck and I kept on computing if we will be able to make it in Baguio in time for the 7p.m. dinner with Kuya Eric and with his guest, Eduard Folayang, the current URCC Welterweight champion.

Flashback to the night before we left for Sagada from Baguio.  My family  treated our friend, Pastor Eric Ortega, who is the Senior Pastor of Aurora Hill Baptist Church, and his Mom in Mario’s Restaurant at Session Road.  In our conversation, Beck and I mentioned Eduard Folayang and his team Lakay Wushu and wondered where these guys train.  Then Kuya Eric said that Eduard is a close friend of his and he can invite him for dinner with us when we come back to Baguio.   We were all laughing with the thought of how small this world really is.  And it was proved even smaller when I mentioned that I know Eduard’s manager, Jay San Pedro who owns the boxing stable in Mandaluyong and where I used to train.   Then Kuya Eric said that Jay is a close family friend and in fact, he would stay in Kuya Eric’s parsonage whenever he’s in Baguio.      And being always a gracious person, Kuya Eric said that he’ll invite Eduard for dinner so we can meet him in person.  Of course, who would turn down an offer to meet your MMA idol?

Beck and I first watched Eduard Foyalang in 2007 when he went up against Allan Marcus Co, the defending and undefeated URCC Welterweight champ in URCC X.  In that bout,  the Igorot fighter was like a huge mountain of muscles that descended on Allan Co and wrested the Welterweight championship.     Then we saw him again in action against URCC’s Hall of Famer, Caloy Baduria in a superfight.  The Welterweight champion vs. the Middleweight champion.   Caloy Baduria, bigger and more experienced, was on a 5-win streak and looked unstoppable.    But Eduard Folayang defeated the Middleweight champ in less than 4 minutes via ground and pound.  With the manner of his victories, the fighter from Baguio was nicknamed, “The Landslide”.

The bus from Sagada did left on schedule and we arrived in Baguio with ample time to prepare for the dinner at Kuya Eric’s residence.    When we were introduced to Eduard, we were surprised at his quiet and unassuming demeanor.    He never uttered a single word that would give anybody an  impression that the success he is currently reaping has got into his head.   Perhaps as a fighter, one word will describe him well, “UNSTOPPABLE”.   But as a person, this word would be most fitting, “HUMBLE”.

We talked about his plans and his dreams of being able to compete in the Holy Grail of every MMA fighters in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).   Eduard made his first step in the international MMA scene last March 28.    In the MMA event held in Saipan titled “Gorilla Wars”, the Filipino Landslide demolished his Saipanese opponent and won via technical knockout, in a mere 52 seconds of the first round.    Video footages aired in both GMA and ABS-CBN news showed that the match is a one sided affair.

It’s an honor to meet Eduard Folayang and I wish him goodluck in all of his fights.  And I promised him that I WILL be among the live arena audience during his UFC debut.  Carry the Filipino Flag, Lakay Eduard!!!

A simple feast of dinuguan, fried bangus and stir fried beans cooked by Kuya/Pastor Eric’s Mom and was enjoyed by my family and Edward Folayang, the URCC Welterweight Champion.  Aside from martial arts, I discovered that I share two things in common with the “The Landslide”.   We both love dinuguan and chilies.  But Eduard goes  much further,  in the words of Kuya Eric, “Eduard would munch chilies like a chicken would peck on cornfeeds”.

Pastor/Kuya Eric Ortega with Eduard Folayang

Beck and Eduard

The next MMA main event, Pierre Cantillero vs. Eduard Folayang…in my dreams. He he he.  I would be lucky to survive 1 minute in the ring with this guy .

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Beck in Metro Magazine April Issue Saturday, Apr 18 2009

Allow me to interrupt my series of articles about our Luzon Road Trip last Holy Week.

Beck was interviewed last February by Metro Magazine for an article about muay thai which will be included in the April 2009 issue.    And since the photographer and writer of the article asked me not to make any post or picture of the said interview that would preempt the said article, I never mentioned anything about it in my blog.

We were on our way to Vigan coming from Baguio and Sagada and we had a stop over in La Union (to visit a friend and also for lunch).    Along the highway, there’s Max’s San Fernando-La Union and that’s where we decided to have our lunch.  Fortunately, this branch of Max’s also sells magazines and among them is Metro Mag.

Needless to say I purchased a copy and got a big kick out of showing it to the restaurant personnel who served us.

Now, I’m really envious of Beck.   Never been interviewed by a glossy lifestyle magazine before.  Paging Men’s Health and Action and Fitness Magazine.  He he he.

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Holy Week 2009-Bomod-Ok Falls and the Sagada Rice Terraces Thursday, Apr 16 2009

“Enormous construction projects done during ancient times are either done by slave labor or done under religious inspiration and very often under despotic rulers.   The Sagada Rice Terraces…. were built by free men to be able to provide food supply to their family and to their community. “

There are two falls in Sagada, the first is Bokong Falls which is dubbed as the Small waterfall and the imposing Bomod-Ok Falls, which is called the Big Waterfall.   We chose the letter because on the way to Bomod-Ok Falls, we will be able to see some of the best and picturesque rice terraces built by the Sagadans.

Beck wants to prove that she can ride on the top of a jeep, and she wants to have a picture taken as evidence.

The start of the one hour trek to Bomod-Ok Falls.    We must first cross a vast, maze-like trail of borders of the rice terraces.   This part of the journey is one big balancing act.    One must have a good sense of balance or one wrong move you’ll plant your leg knee deep in the muddy rice field or worse, you’ll fall 6 to 8 feet down to a lower level rice terrace.   Since it is a vast rice field (or rice terraces if you may),  there’s no shade to shield you from the stinging rays of the sun.  So better protect yourself with a good amount of sun block.

The majestic beauty of the Sagada Rice Terraces.   These were built by hands by the ancestors of the present-day Sagadans.   The walls of the rice terraces are constructed from mud and huge boulders of stone.    I think much has been written about the beauty of the Sagada Rice Terraces, but only a few took notice of the Sagadans who built them.   In several documentaries aired by National Geographic and Discovery Channel about the great engineering feats done by ancient people, archeologists and historians claimed that enormous construction projects done during ancient times are either done by slave labor or done under religious inspiration.   The Sagada Rice Terraces (or you may also include the more famous and majestic Banaue Rice Terraces) was done by free men to be able to provide food supply to their family and to their community.

It’s a long way down.   This is the second part of the hike to the Big Falls, going down this steep mountain slope.  One false move and you’ll find yourself rolling down (and you’ll break your crown).  On the same day that we did this trek,  a female hiker who used another (and much easier) route had a mis-step and fell several down for several feet.  She unfortunately broke her shin and has to be brought to a hospital in Manila.  We overheard from another group that she will be flown to Malaysia for treatment.

We were later told by our guide that this route is the more dangerous path because it is steeper though it is shorter and is more shaded.

Imagine that the ancestors of the present day Sagadans carried huge pieces of rocks from this river bed up the steep mountain slope to build the rice terraces.

I have to commend my city-bred daughter for enduring this long and dangerous trek.

Beck coerced me to post this picture.  She claims she looks like Lara Croft in this photo.

The stunning beauty of Bomod-ok Falls.

It’s RP’s first time to swim in a river.

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Holy Week 2009-Sumaging Cave, Sagada Wednesday, Apr 15 2009

Perhaps the most visited site in Sagada is the Sumaging Cave, which is about 30 minutes walk from the municipal hall.   The best selling travel guide, Lonely Planet has even listed Sumaging Cave as one of The Best Adventure Travel Destination In the World for 2009.

The cave boasts of magnificent rock formations with very imaginative names such as, “pig pen”, “elephant’s trunk”, “king’s curtain”, “crocodile”,”queen’s bath tub”, and “chocolate cake”.    There are cave rocks that have more creative albeit naughty names such as “The King”, “The Queen”, “The Prince” and “The Princess”.  One has to see the actual rock formations why they were given these nicknames.  I didn’t post the pictures of those rocks because I intend to keep my blog rated General Patronage.

We only went up to the second level of the cave as RP is with us and she’s not big enough to wade through chest deep waters to the other side of the cave.  Perhaps, when she’s older, we will go back to this cave and have a more exciting spelunking adventure.

On the way to Sumaging Cave, one will pass by this idyllic landscape.

The JRR Tolkien fan in me lead me to imagine that this is the entrance to the Mines of Moria.

The limestone formation dubbed as “The Chocolate Cake”.

The “King’s Curtain”

The Queen’s Bath Tub

Mini Rice Terraces

I thought RP will not be able to do this rope climbing part of the cave.

On the way out of the cave.   Watch out for bat guano dropping on your head.

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Holy Week 2009- The Hanging Coffins of Sagada Tuesday, Apr 14 2009

Sagada, Mountain Province is a 6-hour back-breaking, butt-numbing and nausea inducing trip from Baguio City.     Been meaning to travel to this town for more than ten years (my best bud Christian has been inviting me to travel with him to this place even before I got married).   What can I do, I have a young daughter who I fear might not be able to endure the roughness of the trip.    At least now, I think she’s old enough to do the trip that’s why we proceeded with this journey.

All throughout the long drive, I often asked myself why would a group of people would establish a community (that grew to a town) in the middle of a mountain?   And why would city dwellers would endure such a trip to this remote town?  In our four day stay in Sagada, I understand the answers and I came to appreciate and became prouder of the resilient Igorots more (and Filipinos, for that matter. I’ll be writing about this in future articles).

First stop, the Tourist Center in Sagada Municipal Hall (beside the post office).   All tourist are required to register in the Tourist Center before they embark on a tour of Sagada.

First stop, the coffins of Lumiang Cave.   The coffins are shorter than the normal lowland coffins because the dead were placed inside the coffins in a fetal position (they were tied up first in a sangadel (or the death chair) where relatives and friends would pay their last respects).  The Kankaneys of Sagada believes that when people were born, they descended from the realms of Kabunyan, and when they die, they go back to Kabunyan.  That’s why the dead are placed in a fetal position just like when they were born into this world .

Near the Lumiang Caves, we discovered by accident a small cave under a bridge.  The cave is very adjacent to the roadside and from there, one can see the coffins that are placed inside. Our guide told us that those are the coffins of the mothers who died during childbirth.  They believe that these mothers are unclean because they were not able to fully give birth, and thus are not worthy to be buried in Lumiang Cave.

I asked my guide if the people living in Sagada are still buried in this manner.    He replied that since the residents of Sagada embraced Christianity, this practiced has almost ceased.  People in Sagada are now buried in a cemetery and not in caves or in hanging coffins.   The last person “buried” here was in 1986.

This is a good topic for a debate, the coming of Christianity has introduced innumerable things to the people of Sagada that has changed their way of living.  Now these things have also threatened the heritage and culture of the people of Sagada (I am tempted to use the term Kankaneys but I am not sure if all “Sagadans” are from this tribe), among them is the manner of being buried in caves and hanging coffins.    There is a movement across the globe on preserving the culture of indigenous tribes.   Now, can Christianity be considered as one of the culprits in diminishing the way of life of indigenous people?

Insensitivity to local customs.   The coffin below was unfortunately vandalized by a tourist.   The culprit bore a whole and and tried to remove the skull from the coffin.

The hanging coffins near Echo Valley.   Not everybody in Sagada are considered worthy to be “buried” in this manner.  Among other things, somebody must be married and must have grand children to earn the right of this manner of burial.  Our guide explained that their relatives are buried in this way to prevent wild animals from destroying the coffins and ravaging the corpse.   Also in this way, the coffins endure the harshness of the years and weather as they are exposed to the wind and sunlight which protects the wood from the effects of moisture.   The last “burial” was done way back in 1992.

The Echo Valley.  The huge limestone at the right side of the picture is where the hanging coffins can be found.  One has to go way down this side of the hill to be able to see the hanging coffins.  Beck and RP with our guide Manong Greg.

On our way down to the hanging coffins, we came upon this huge wall of rock.  Our guide says that rock climbing enthusiasts would scale this rocks.

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Holy Week 2009-Reason for the Trip Monday, Apr 13 2009

The global economic recession is taking its toll on almost everybody in this planet.  I deem that it will be very imprudent if me and my family will spend our Holy Week vacation in another country in this very trying time.   We originally planned to go to Vietnam (to tour the city of Hanoi and Ha Long Bay) and Cambodia (for what else, the Angkor Wat) but for austerity measures, we decided to do the North Luzon road trip that my family have planned last December instead.   I think our country has its beauties that are at par with those foreign tourist spots.

So off to North Luzon we go with Sagada and Vigan as our primary itinerary.   As always I wanted to make it an educational cum bonding trip with my daughter. Besides, she deserves a reward for doing good in school and is one again the first honor in her grade level.

Like father like daughter.   In February, I wrote an article about Moon River being the most romantic song for me and that it is the only song that I can play on the piano.   I was pleasantly surprised when this song will be performed by the students of RP’s school during their graduation.    RP playing Moon River on keyboards together with her fellow students.

First honor for 4 years in a row.

Time to celebrate.  We were in this exactly in this same spot, in this same restaurant in March of 2008 when we celebrated RP’s being hailed as first honor for the Grade 3 level.

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May 2009 Muay Thai Tournament Wednesday, Apr 1 2009

To those readers who inquired about the next MAP sanctioned muay thai tournament, here’s the fulfillment of the promise I gave you.   The next muay thai tournament will be on May 16, 2009 at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City, Rizal. This event will be dubbed, The Gov. Jun Jun Ynares Cup.

This tournament will be organized by MAP Antipolo Chapter under the able leadership of Kru Lucio Macalalad and the support of Rizal Gov. Jun Jun Ynares.

To all interested members of MAP NCR Chapters, kindly check with your kru for the particulars of this tournament.

To the senior fighters of MAP Ultra, back to tournament training mode after the Holy Week.

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