As a child, we were taught not to even talk to strangers. But before I knew it, Bell and I were on a plane with nothing…

As a child, we were taught not to even talk to strangers. But before I knew it, Bell and I were on a plane with nothing but our backpacks and passports, squeezed into a van full of people we had never met, and driving north from Manila for 12 hours to a small town. There, more strangers let us into their home, gave us a place to wash up, and fed us. It was an amazing adventure with truly wonderful people! Huge thanks to the local folks who welcomed us so warmly 🙌

Bell and I will be posting more soon about riding the Buscalan tramline. It's a makeshift cable crossing built to span the deep gorge between the mountain trail and the village, and it leads to the remote Buscalan village, home of the legendary traditional tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od. We climbed the mountain at 4 a.m., showered with buckets and a taboy (wooden dipper) at a cold spring, explored a cave, and got a traditional tattoo from 109-year-old Apo Whang-Od, done the old way with thorns and a stick. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

#Philippines #ApoWhangOd #ApoWhangOdTattoo