Lang Dulay, Lake Sebu, Philippines Sept 14, 2026 Fu Dalu, the spirit of the Abaca plant visits chosen women of the T’boli in their dreams. The spirit gives them intricate patterns and the women then weave them from abaca fibers. They use no sketches or diagrams but weave the patterns entirely from memory. These women … More Weaving a Dream
Lake Sebu, Philippines Sept 13, 2026 The T’boli museum or the Gong House as it is called sometimes, is not far. The outward leaning walls of the house on stilts make me smile to myself; I wonder what other links I may find. Built like one long room, it has split bamboo flooring and a … More Traditions of the T’boli
Lake Sebu, Philippines Sept 11,2026 Tucked into the mountains of South Cotabato is a large freshwater lake called Lake Sebu. At 1000m, it has tropical climate but is a tad cooler than the plains. Fingers of land reach out forming islets and peninsulas making no two views the same. It looks idyllic and may well … More On a Lake Ringed by Mountains
Koronadal, Philippines Sept 9,2026 The Austronesians, having reached Mindanao settled on the coast and in the wide fertile valleys. There is archeological evidence, especially from Butuan in the northeast to suggest settlements with established maritime trade networks. Subsequent incursions from the west brought with it new threats, new religions considered particularly dire ones. Preferring to … More Where Once Stood Forests
General Satos City, Mindanao, Philippines Sept 7, 2026 Pushing south to the end pf Luzon, the Austronesians trickled through to the Visayas, island-hopping their way to the large island of Mindanao. They also spread west into present day Indonesian islands of Sulawesi and Kalimantan. Ah! The similarities in customs with the Kankanaey that I noticed in … More To Land’s End
Baguio, Philippines Sept 4, 2026 The plan is to go to Kabayan next, home to the Kalanguya tribe but it is not on any direct bus route and logistics are not that simple. Hoping to get transport from Baguio I head there. The fitful sunshine I had in Banaue is history and it pours as … More Storms, Floods and a Delightful Surprise
Banaue, Philippines Sept 1, 2026 The rice fields and terraces are all very pretty but what are the origins of the Ifugao traditions? The questions nagged at me and small Banaue museum seemed an obvious place to begin. It is not so much a museum as a storehouse of items collected by Henry Otley Beyer … More In Search of Ifugao Traditions
Banaue, Philippines Aug 30, 2026 There are rice terraces carved out from the mountain slopes everywhere in these provinces, seen in snatches as the jeepney jolts along the winding roads. But as I approach Banaue, the vista opens up. Broad stretches stagger up the hillsides like stepping stones, the contours following that of the hill. … More Rice Terraces of the Ifugao
Mountain Province, Philippines Aug 28, 2026 Long haul bus rides usually begin late in the evening and drive through the night. The stack of goods they carry vary from car tires to giant packs of soft drinks, to mysterious sacks to motorbikes. And passengers and their bags and bundles. The main highways are decent tarmacked … More On Mountain Roads
Sagada, Philippines Aug 26, 2026 Some Austronesian migrants settled in the Batanes islands and their descendants still call it home, but others had itchy feet which led them to sail onto northern Luzon in the Penablanca area of the Philippines. Over the eons they moved into the Cordillera and are collectively called the Igorots. The … More Hanging Coffins of the Kankanaey
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 