I have just had a quick run around the markets and then a browse around the streets of Bontoc
Downtown Bontoc on a Sunday morning
View from the hostel (The Tree Surgeons must have a field day here)
Trees in every direction!
The lonely planet book described this place as like the wild west of towns. I thought they were full of cr*p but they are not a million miles off in this case. I have never had so many people stare at me! The women in the market were exactly the same as the women in Moore street....i.e:really chatty (Baring in mind that English is not their first language, this was pretty cool.Actually, in this place ,I don't think Tagalog is their main language so English would probably be the third language for most people in these parts.)
I bought another pair of flip flops (I am going through footwear at some pace!!) I was in luck as they only had a couple of pairs in size 11.
I took a few snaps of the food around the area and a couple of the shops/tennis courts.
Food at Bontoc Market
Sorry Lads, your time is nearly up
The Tricycle\sidecar drivers are grabbing some stuff from the market. Chaos ensues on the road!
They say the the next 'Rafael Nadal' will come from Bontoc
(I am not sure who 'they' are though)
There is always a threat of rain
Don't like the look of those clouds in the horizon
as the clouds constantly hang in the sky. I saw there was a museum on the edge of town so I decided to pay it a visit but then I found out that they close really early on a Sunday. I saw a sign for some hot springs so I might do a hot springs/museum combo tomorrow.
Anyway, here are a few more Bontocian pics...
A pic of the smallest shop in the world (that may not necessarily be true but the shop is tiny)
Cats are not allowed in here as there is no 'swinging room'
Nice title on this tricycle but they spelled 'Phelan' incorrectly
This sweet bread cost 20 pesos.Best food..ever!!
Road view of a House of the foothills of Bontoc
Riverside view of the mountains in Bontoc
I have a new appreciation for all thing toilet related when it comes to the Philippines/Malaysia. Toilet role is a REALLY USEFUL commodity when coming to South East Asia!! In Bontoc, you act as the flusher (ie: as there is no flushing mechanism , you have to just keep chucking in tonnes of water to wash away the waste. That's a lot of water when you have to do it yourself but always make sure not to drown yourself in water during the process!!!!)
I went out for a potato twirler or 2 and washed them down with a vanilla shake
The marshmallows make that shake
Twirly foods
.The cheesy twirler was ok but the salty one had more of a kick to it! The damage for the twirlers and the shake came to 45 Pesos.
I found a store that sells toilet paper today.This stuff is like white gold
As rare as hens teeth (although hens teeth could be a delicacy over here, so in that case, these are rarer)
I walked around the hills surrounding Bontoc today.Here are some of the photos of the place.
Nature at its best
See the ricefields in the background?
Lots of shades of green!
I forgot to mention that I bought a Malaysia football jersey a few weeks ago to add to my other black and yellow memorabilia! (Kilkenny scarf - check
jersey from Beitar Jerusalem - check
scarf from Almania Aaachen - check [black and amber\yellow go well together as team colours! ])
A Malaysian football jersey
I visited the museum in Bontoc where I got to see how the locals lived a hundred years ago.
Ifigao huts
Interesting Ritual enacted by Bontoc people
Here is an outlay of an old Bontoc house.
here are the plans and Below are some pics of each area.
Utility Bench (B)
cooking area (C)
Pounding (My Favourite) area (D)
Working\Eating area (E)
The next couple of pictures give an introduction to the religious system In Bontoc.
(Over exposed) view of an Ato
Main church overlooking Bontoc
View from inside the church
I walked up the hilll in Bontoc just to get a different viewpoint oif the land below
Houses in the valley
'Stay off my land stranger!'
I was a bit tired from the walking so i decided to pay a quick visit to a shop.look at the sign.
Initially , I thought 'siopao' this was the tagalog word for shop but I have since been told that Siopao is some kind of bun.Still a good photo though!
I was thinking of dropping into a camera shop as the lens on the camera is acting up a bit due to the rain/wind that it received when I was travelling from Banaue to Bontoc. (I didn't realize that the rain that was falling during that period of time was classified as a typhoon!!! [It seemed like a heavy shower with some hailstones to me!] ) but as the camera was working (just) , I decided to hold on for another time. I grabbed all my gear from the hostel in Bontoc and headed for the Jeepney that was going to Sagada (another mountain village,
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