Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KILLING ME SOFTLY
One Mountain Province delicacy, served in many restaurants, is
pinikpikan
, a chicken dish that
translates as “killing me softly”. The preparation involves beating the bird's wings and neck with a
stick before it is killed in the belief that the beating brings blood to the surface, making the meat
more tender and tasty. Once dead, the chicken is put on an open fire to burn off the feathers and
is then mixed with cured pork; the burning of feathers and the blending of two types of meat
adds to the flavour of the dish. When performing rituals, mountain tribes traditionally eat the
head and the innards for good fortune and good health, the day after the chicken is butchered.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
BONTOC
Archog's Hotel
Samoki
T
0918 328 6908,
W
archogs
hotel.com.
Each named after Bontoc's numerous neigh-
bourhoods, the simple rooms here come with cable TV
while the public spaces are brightened up with framed,
handwoven textiles. The restaurant offers chicken (P100),
beef (
P140), seafood (P130) and noodles (P95). Free wi-fi.
P600
Cable Café
Halfway up the main drag
T
0918 521
6790.
Bontoc's only nightlife venue, where folk and
country bands take centre stage daily at 6pm. Enjoy the
mellow tunes with a beer (P50) or a Filipino meal (P100).
Daily 8am-10pm.
Ridgebrooke Hotel
Samoki
T
0930 795 7117,
E
ridgebrooke_hotel@yahoo.com.ph.
Beyond the
uninspiring concrete facade, this hotel has a pleasant spot
of greenery at the back with a few nipa huts where guests
can enjoy their dinner - the restaurant itself, decorated
with woven fabrics, wickerwork, carabao skulls and a few
potted plants, serves probably the best food in town. The
tiled rooms are
spacio
us but simple, with a desk, TV and
small wardrobe.
P500
MAINIT
Geston Minerals Spring Resort
T
0907 163 3042,
W
gestonhotsprings.com.
Run by a friendly woman, this
green building has brightly painted rooms off a maze of
narrow corridors. There are also two thatched cottages,
built from stone and dried grass, giving onto four hot pools
of varying temperatures - perfect for a soak after a long
day's hike. An extra P250 (to cover the
costs o
f gas) gives
you access to a rustic kitchen with stove.
P700
3
BARLIG
Halfway Inn
No phone.
The seven tiny rooms at this
simple place have wooden floorboards and spindly little
desks; there's no hot water in the communal bathrooms
but staff will happily boil a pot or two for you. There are
pretty views from the terrace, and a restaurant serving
very basic grub including
hambu
rgers (P35), pancit (P30)
and ice cream sticks (P10).
P400
KADACLAN
Kadaclan Homestay
T
0948 710 9097.
The owner
boasts that his town is the “Shangri-La of the edge”, and is
hugely proud that the country's former President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo visited this very homestay. Rooms are
located i
in sim
ple cottages, and guests have access to the
kitchen.
P400
MALIGCONG
Maligcong Homestay
T
0915 546 3557.
Small
homestay run by a friendly couple with two comfy
little rooms with a couple of beds in each. Breakfast
(P35) consists of lovely home-made oatmeal bars,
and the owner can also rustle up meals (P100) upon
request - just let her know a few hours in advance. There
are pr
etty v
iews of the rice terraces from the breakfast
table.
P600
NATONIN
Cullalading Lodge
Natonin centre.
No-frills lodge
offering simple rooms, some with bunks. There's no hot
water, but staff can provide
a heat
er to warm up just
enough water for a quick wash.
P400
Sagada
The small town of
SAGADA
, 160km north of Baguio, has long attracted curious
visitors. Part of the appeal derives from its famous
hanging co
ns
and a labyrinth of
caves
used by the ancients as burial sites. But Sagada also has a reputation as a remote
and idyllic hideaway where people live a simple life well away from civilization. The
landscape here is almost alpine and the inhabitants are mountain people, their faces
shaped not by the sun and sea of the lowlands, but by the thin air and sharp glare of
altitude. Sagada only began to open up as a destination when it got electricity in the
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT
EAST COAST, BATAN
P.185
; IFUGAO WOMEN; SUMAGING CAVE
P.171
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