Words and photos by Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap

It was 4:00 AM when we reached the township of Nyaung U, gateway to the Bagan Temples. As with the most part of our 11-hour bus ride from the capital of Yangon (Rangoon), it was pitch black here. The inn we visited would be charging us for a night’s stay if we checked in before sunrise, so we decided to watch the day break from a vantage point first, as one of the horse cart drivers we met at the bus terminal suggested. We trotted away from Nyaung U to the open fields. I could barely make out the surroundings. The silhouettes of trees and what I thought were small temples melted into an amorphous backdrop.

An hour later, the shapeless shadows defined themselves as sunlight dappled the sky from light blue to tangerine. Atop a large stone platform above some ruins, Bagan gracefully unraveled its glory – a 360-degree expanse of over 4,400 temples peppered across a dusty plain flanked by the mighty Ayeyarwaddy River. The expansive heritage site could easily rival more popular ancient monuments such as Angkor Wat, Borobodur or even the Great Wall, if it wasn’t for the political isolation of the country, ruled by a military junta.

Later, a teenage Burmese girl named Htay Htay joined us to admire the sunrise. Her family looks after some of the nearby temples. Together with her younger brother Ko Ko, she invited us to visit her home where her relatives showed us how to don a longyi (a plaid tube skirt similar to the Philippine malong) and wear thanaka (a natural cosmetic made from tree bark worn by both men and women). Meeting Htay Htay’s family was one of the best experiences from our week-long Myanmar trip.

Covering an area of over 40 sq. km, a majority of the temples were built between the 11th and 13th centuries, when Bagan was the capital of the first empire in Burma. Visiting every temple will take forever, so most visitors hire a horse cart to visit the most popular edifices. Most of us in the group opted to rent a bike, while the rest got a horse cart. The most impressive structures were Thatbyinnyu Temple (the tallest), Dhammayangyi Temple (the largest, and because of its pyramidical shape, looks like a Mayan temple), Sulamani Temple, Ananda Temple, Mahabodhi Temple (modeled after the original in India), and Bupaya Pagoda.

While horse cart tours are a convenient way to see the major temples, biking provides the opportunity to explore the temples at your own pace. On the second day, we rode a bike from Nyaung U to New Bagan, stopping by small temples along the way that afforded us secluded views from atop their spires. It was exciting to hunt for a way to climb the temples, looking for small passageways and stairwells that led to a vantage point overlooking the vast fields punctuated by countless stupas.

Aside from touring the grounds on bicycle or horse cart, riding a boat down the Ayeyarwaddy offers a different perspective of the temples. From the riverside Bupaya Pagoda, we boarded a motorized longboat which took us on an hour-long tour upriver. Aside from the ancient temples peeking above the treeline, we admired the the riverside villages and teak monasteries. Our boat floated past villagers washing their laundry and taking a swim in the river. Whether it be by horse cart, bicycle or boat, Bagan will surely not disappoint even the most obsessive of temple-holics.

For information on how to get there, check out my seven-day itinerary in Myanmar [URL:http://www.eazytraveler.com/2011/07/burma-basics-big-four-in-seven-days.html].

Words by Caloy Libosada Jr.

Nope, I’m not talking about travelling to far-off places or the most expensive resorts or escaping from your in-laws for a few days’ peace of mind. It’s about visiting the 19th Travel Tour Expo in SMX on February 17-19.
The veterans (yup, their kind really do exist) have been making this an event an annual pilgrimage activity, it’s a sort of a secret they keep to themselves to get the best travel deals in the Philippines and international destinations. How about a trip to another country for only a third of the usual cost?

But secrets are always bound to be discovered and more and more people are  filling the hallways and booths of the travel expo.

So for the uninitiated, expect to be frustrated big time and wonder what the heck is going on as you try to keep at the dizzy pace of people and events in the venue.

Here are some tips to get the best travel deals you have been dreaming of.

1. Bring lots of money or that trusty credit card. You’ll never know how much travel you’ll want to enjoy in your lifetime.
2. Plan the places you want to visit, plus the possible dates of your travel (say, plan A, plan B, etc)
3. Increase the members of your group and immediately scatter yourselves to different booths. Queues can unbelivably extend to a hundred people seeking that same travel discount
4. Kids……. It will be a hard lesson if you bring very young and cranky kids in this event.

So after reading these tips, I hope that you will now be able to get the most of this travel tour expo and catch the best travel deals and tour packages offered in this three-day event. Explore the country and beyond on discounted rates!

Event Venue:
SMX Convention Center Halls 1, 2, 3 & 4,
Seashell Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City

Opening Hours:
17 February – Friday
10:00 AM – 9:00 PM

18 February – Saturday
10:00 AM – 9:00 PM

19 February – Sunday
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

For more information, visit http://tte.ptaa.org.ph/index.php

Words and photos by Edgar Alan Zeta Yap

Ormoc City is abundant with sweet pineapples

After spending a few days exploring the beaches, lakes and caves of Camotes Islands in Cebu, I took a spontaneous detour to Ormoc City in Leyte before going back home to Cebu City due to its proximity to the islands. From Santiago Beach, I hired a habal-habal(motorbike) to take me to Puertobello pier in Tudela, where I caught a lantsa (ferryboat) to Ormoc via Ponson Island.

Remnants of the past–the Dominador Tan House ruins from WWII

The downtown area of Ormoc is pretty much like every other Philippine city with its buzzing tricycles and grimy streets. There are only a few things to see. There’s the Dominador Tan House ruins from World War II near the floodway. And, at night, the seaside BBQ Park is a relaxing place to enjoy quintessential Visayan grill of meat or seafood.

Since the massive flashflood in 1991 that killed over 6,000 people, Ormoc has been pretty much low-key for the past two decades. But, on a positive note, I’ve long known that this port city has some of the sweetest “Queen” pineapples in the country, which I grew up eating in Cebu. You can see rows of stalls selling the spiky produce near the bus terminal, and vendors hawking skewered slices downtown. The best bargains, however, are found at the warehouse of Ormoc Farmers, Inc. (OFI) at 806 C. Avails St, where fruits can be sold, depending on the grade, to as cheap as P8 per fruit! Upon my mother’s request, I ended up lugging around 12 pineapples back home after the trip.

Paddling around foggy Lake Danao

The most pleasant surprise of the spontaneous stopover, however, was visiting Lake Danao National Park just located 30 minutes away from the city center. A northbound jeepney dropped me in a turn-off where a habal-habal took me through an uphill dirt road to the lake. Along the way, there were interesting views of geothermal power plants releasing steam in between the faraway forests. Lake Lanao is a “guitar-shaped” body of freshwater three kilometers long at an elevation of 2,100 feet (640 m) above sea level. The motorbike driver took me to a viewpoint overlooking the lake, then offered to become my boat guide as well for a quick paddle around the foggy lake.

Freshwater mussels

Lakeside vendors sold pako (edible fern) and large freshwater mussels called tab with soft yellow flesh stuck out like tongues. Because of their tab-ang or bland taste, these mussels are best enjoyed adobo-style flavored with soy sauce, vinegar and spices. After the boat ride, I ended my lake visit with a hefty serving of adobong tab with rice before heading back to the port to catch a fastcraft home.

HOW TO GET THERE: There are direct flights to Ormoc from Manila. By sea, there are fast crafts between Ormoc and Cebu City: http://www.supercat.com.ph/destinations.asp

Words and photos by Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap

The fire mummies of Kabayan

Ever since my first visits to the Baguio Museum as a child, I’ve been fascinated by the fire mummies of the Ibaloi people in Kabayan, Benguet. More than two decades after, a spontaneous weekend hiking trip with fellow blogger Christine Fernandez of Adventures of a Jovial Wanderer and a college friend finally brought me face to face with these ancient wonders in their hometown of Kabayan, Benguet.

Ten hours worth of bus rides from Manila via Baguio City will take you to the remote town of Kabayan–the epicenter of the Ibaloi, one of the indigenous highland peoples who live in the Cordillera mountain range. Before seeing the mummies at Timbac, there are a couple of sights worth checking out in Kabayan poblacion, namely the Opdas Mass Burial Site and Kabayan National Museum. Discovered by Ibaloi hunter Banan Berong in 1971, the Opdas Mass Burial Site is the final resting place of over 200 ancient Ibaloi individuals who lived some seven centuries ago. Piles of skulls are displayed on stone shelves inside a rock shelter renovated in 1991. Meanwhile, a small mummy from Pongasan Cave is displayed at the modest National Museum branch at Kabayan town, together with other artifacts of Luzon’s highland tribes.

Some of the best mummies, however, that may be viewed by visitors are a five to seven hour hike from Kabayan town to Mt. Timbac – the fog-capped third highest peak of Luzon – lording over the hamlet. Besides the mummies, the grueling climb from Kabayan town to Timbac caves rewards hikers with majestic views of the Agno river valley and a stopover at the Tinongchol Burial Rock, a three-storey high boulder where ancient Ibaloi carved out holes to inter their dead in wooden coffins.

Over 200 ancient Ibaloi tribesmen rests on the Opdas Mass Buriel site

Believed to be 500 to 1,000 years old, the Kabayan Fire Mummies are entombed in oval and rectangular-shaped hardwood coffins hidden away within “caves” – actually cramp rock shelters – along steep mountain slopes. They are a National Cultural Treasure. Some of the coffins have anthropomorphic and geometric designs etched on the outer surface. And traditional tattoos have been preserved on some individuals. The Ibaloi people mummified their dead by smoking them dry, hence, the nickname “fire mummies”. The World Monuments Fund [URL: http://www.wmf.org/project/kabayan-mummy-caves] explains the mummification process:

Dying members of the tribe drank salty mixtures to begin the process. After death, their bodies were cleansed, rubbed with herbs, and heated while their mouths were filled with smoke. These steps were performed continually over a period of weeks before the deceased were placed fetal position into oval-shaped wooden coffins with decorative carvings. These practices endured until the arrival of Spanish colonialists in 1500 and the caves themselves remained untouched until the 19th century.

Sadly, many of the mummy caves have been trespassed, vandalized and pilfered for the black market for decades. To protect them, the locations of other mummy caves are known only to Ibaloi elders. According to recent reports, the mummies are also being attacked by natural agents such as water seepage, rodent mites, insects and mold. Tribal beliefs hinder the transfer of these mummies to another location to prevent their further deterioration. Some Timbac mummies were on display at Kabayan National Museum, but “asked” to be returned to their original site, our hiking guide explained. While mummification is no longer practiced, present-day Ibaloi consider the mummy caves as sacred and still perform rituals in the area.

View of Agno River from Mt. Timbac

HOW TO GET THERE: From Manila, take a Victory Liner bus to Baguio City (AC, 5 hours, Php 455). A Liner buses (formerly Norton Bus) bound for Kabayan (non-AC, 5 hours, PHP 135) depart at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM daily at the Slaughterhouse bus terminal along Magsaysay. Upon arriving in Kabayan, make you sure you register at the tourism desk of the police station, near the municipal hall. In town, there’s the Opdas Mass Burial Site (entrance fee: PHP 50) and Kabayan National Museum (PHP 20).

The Timbac Mummy Caves (entrance fee: PHP 40) are a grueling five to seven hour uphill hike along paved roads and dirt trails up Mt. Timbac – the third highest peak in Luzon. During the dry season, tour groups can hire a jeepney or 4X4 from Kabayan town to Timbac Caves for PHP 2,500 to 3,000. You can arrange this with the tourism assistance desk at the police station. The shortcut – only a two-hour 6 km hike – to Timbac mummy caves can be done by entering from the junction at KM 55 along Halsema Highway. There’s a welcome sign directing visitors to the caves at the junction.

WHERE TO STAY: At Kabayan poblacion, the only place to stay is the Kabayan Coop Lodge, which has cozy dorm-style rooms (with shared T/B) at only PHP 200 per head.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The culturally sensitive way to visit the Timbac mummies is to hire an Ibaloi guide from Kabayan town. And to register and pay the entrance fee at the official caretaker’s house near the caves. Mummy caves are sacred sites for the Ibaloi people. Respect the dead: avoid making loud noises and horsing around at the burial sites. Prevent further deterioration of the mummies by keeping your visit brief and refraining from touching the corpses.