Landmarks along the earlier span of Halsema Highway

To make a travel along the Halsema Highway,
 options:
1. Find a minibus at the Dangwa Bust Station, back of Baguio Centermall, in Baguio City.  A minibus that is destined to reach Mt. Province(i.e. Sagada, Bontoc) will pass by the Halsema highway.  The bus for Kalinga will not pass through the Halsema highway, instead, such bus will pass through Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela then exit to Kalinga.

2. Get into a minibus at the Slaughter House Compound in Magsaysay Avenue, Baguio City. Get a bus/minibus bound to Mt. Province(i.e. Sagada, Besao, Bontoc)

3. If your travel will. not reach the farthest end (i.e. Mt. Province), go to Km 5, La Trinidad, Benguet and look for the vans that are to reach Abatan, Buguias or Mankayan.

Landmarks:
Kilometer 5, La Trinidad, Public Market
Kilometer 5, La Trinidad, Benguet Vegetable Trading Post
Kilometer 5,  La Trinidad, Benguet General Hospital
Kilometer 5, La Trinidad, Main Gate of Benguet State University
Kilometer 6, Strawberry Farm Entrance
Kilometer 6, Last Gate of Benguet State University
Kilometer 6, Commission on Audit Office
Kilometer 6, access road towards the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office
Kilometer 6, Department of Science and Technology Office
Kilometer 6, Benguet Provincial Capital Building (The point is referred to as Town by the locals)
Kilometer 7, Entrance towards Alapang La Trinidad
Kilometer 7, Entrance towards Bahong, La Trinidad
Kilometer 7, Camp Bado Dangwa (Military Camp) Entrance
Kilometer 9-10 area, Entrance towards Tawang, La Trinidad
Kilometer 12, Shilan, La Trinidad, Entrance/Alternate Route towrads Pacdal
Kilometer 14, Entrance road towards Kapangan/Kibungan, Benguet
Kilometer 14, Acop Tublay, Toll Gate
Kilometer 18, Tublay, Santo Nino Mine's View/Entrance (The mines stopped operation years ago)
Kilometer 21, Entrance to diversion road towards Bokod and Nueva Vizcaya
Kilometer 21, Caliking Elementary School(The school may have been renamed!)
Kilometer 26-28, Saddle, Restaurants serving heavy meals for travellers/vegetable delivery crews
Kilometer 30, Entrance of road towards Central Atok and Pasdong, Atok
Kilometer 30, Elementary School and Highschool site
Kilometer 41, Zigzag Road, Balangabang
Kilometer 46, Half-Tunnel
Kilometer 50, Sayangan, Atok Benguet, Atok Municipal Hall
Kilometer 50, Northern Blossoms Farm, Leaves and Spikes Garden

Kilometer 50, Saint Paul's Academy Inc.
Kilometer 51, Entrance road to Paoay, Atok and Bosleng Atok, Haight's Place

Kilometer 53, Used to be the highest point along the Philippine National Highway (Now, replaced by a point in Ifugao), Viewing the distant Mt. Pulag is best at this point.

Kilometer 54, Entrance to Tulodan, Atok, Benguet (Coldest part of Atok)
Kilometer 55, Entrance of road towards Timbac Cave of Kabayan, Benguet

Kilometer 60 area, Natubleng Bugiuas, Benguet
Kilometer 63 area, entrance to Madaymen, Kibungan
Kilometer 70 area, entrance to Bakun, Benguet
Kilometer 80 area, Abatan, entrance to Lo-o Buguias, Benguet
Kilometer 80 area, Abatan, entrance to Mankayan , Benguet
Kilometer 80 area, Abatan, entrance towards Loo Buguias, Central Buguias, and Tinoc Ifugao
Kilometer 100 area, Mt. Data Lodge.
go further to reach Bauko,  Mt Province
Sabangan, Mt. province
Entrance to Sagada
Main Road leads to Bontoc Mt Province
Further travel will bring you to Banaue, Ifugao...





 

haight's place, northern blossoms, leaves and spikes, Timbac cave, bosleng rocky mountain high

Haight's place is a newly created agri-tourism site that is located in Paoay, Atok, Benguet. In due time, cherry blossoms will be experienced in the area as the planted trees are still in their infancy stage. In the mean time, the site is made pleasing by beds of flowers, terraces of vegetables together with the endemic natural grasses. The natural landscape defined by a slanting green garden as its background view completes an adorable scenery. To reach the place from Baguio City, a 51 kilometer ride along the famous Halsema highway, the same access road to The Sagada caves of Mountain province, should be traversed. Somewhere in kilometer 51,  an upward driveway that takes you away from the main highway for about 5 minutes will make you find the place. Prior to the upward driveway, at km 50, you are in Sayangan, the central business district area of Atok, Benguet. a flower farm opened for site seeing, called the Northern Blossom, is in Sayangan. In addition, a small green garden full of cacti may be visited in Sayangan. Spike and Leaves seems the name of cactus garden that is very near the Atok Municipal Hall. There are other worth visiting cardio-conditioning places to visit within the area. The locals will be more than willing to direct you to a magnificient place of rocks in Bosleng and the elevated Timbac cave. Still a common stop over point before Sayangan is the noticeable half tunnel road along the Halsema highway at km. 46. I understand, the top area of the half tunnel is being developed as a local tourism site.  Well, I should say, These areas are parts of our playgrounds when we were young...

strawberry festival of the philippines

The strawberry festival is celebrated by the municipality of La Trinidad. It happens every month of March after the annual Panagbenga festival of the adjacent city of Baguio.

adivay festival

Adivay is a reference name of a festive celebration in the province of Benguet in the Philippines. it is celebrated annually in the month of November in La Trinidad, the capital town.   The main celebration is highlighted by the simultaneous butchering of pigs to be prepared for lunch by the different municipalities every 23rd of November at a public space in Wangal, La Trinidad. As long as the prepared foods are available, guests and expectators are supposedly welcome to partake. Unfortunately, during recent celebrations, food were not enough. In fact, my housemates, who are locals, who had been attempting to join the feast for 3 years would always come home starving. It may be best for organizers to do a rethinking so that the feast becomes meaningful. Why not identify a specific target less fortunate community to feed. Afterall, it is impossible to cater to everyone.

Mangan tako

"Mangan tako" transliterates to "Let us eat". It should be understood, however, as an invitation. Hence, it should mean "Come on, let us eat".

Entako

"Entako" is a short for "Amey/Emey tako" which means "Let us go."

Aw adi

"Aw adi" is a Kankanaey sentence (used in some parts of Benguet) to mean "Yes, it is okay" or simply "yes".  Kankanaeys from some parts of Benguet find the sentence absurd because "aw" alone means "yes" and "adi" alone means "no" such that "aw adi" transliterates to "yes no".

Umali kayo

"Umali kayo" is a Kankanaey sentence that transliterates to "You come." Figuratively, the sentence means "Welcome".

Farmers of Benguet are feeling unfortunate nowadays

Why should Benguet farmers feel sad nowadays?
1. The prices of vegetables are making them unable to recover their capitals for their crop. I feel sorry and pity the farmers because first class cabbages are bought by vegetable dealers at about 10 pesos per kilo. The famous Sayote (Chayote) is paid by vegetable at about 3 pesos per kilo. Almost all Benguet vegetables are paid at a price that is not commensurate to what is fair for the farmers. The irony is, when you get to buy vegetables at the market or department stores, the prices are about 5 times what the farmers are being paid. 
2. The routes that farmers follow to deliver their goods to the trading centers are with issues. Slides along the roads happen. In fact, one bridge is currently in a potential state of being closed for maintenance(Km 6 Balili bridge is wearing out. Heavy trucks are not allowed to pass thru the bridge.)

"Be careful with what you wish for because. you might just get it"

Song lyrics and other media has this to say: "Be careful with what you wish for because you might just get it".
Wether coincidentally or not, it is true that some of what you wanted would happen for you.  The unfortunate thing is that it would happen with an unfavourable twist.  Regret is the recourse but life must go on.  Yes, BE CAREFUL!

Is Getting Married A Requirement?

For people like me who remained single after living for 5 decades, you surely know the feeling of being asked the question "when will you have your day with a partner?". As early as 25  we tended to avoid family gatherings because we are always irritated to hear that question time and again from a relative or a guest. In fact, at times when you are obliged to be in a gathering, you encounter folks who border on reprimanding you for being single. Commonly cited reason for the demand for one to be married is for children, who will eventually take care of you, to exist.

At 50, I found myself so ill that I have to be in hospital care time and again. Having no children to give me the much needed assistance, must I told myself that I should have married and had children? The answer is NO. Luckily, I maintained a harmonious relationship with my siblings as well as people around me. There is no time when I needed assistance and no one was there. One, two, three or more have always been by my side. A sibling, a nephew, a niece, a cousin, a former classmate, someone has always been there. 

I am, then, thinking, may be having your own children is a plus. It is no requirement though as long as you live life while you give love and care to people who live with you. Just be in good terms to everyone, as in, everyone.