Tabuk - a city in Kalinga province, northern Philippines, a few hours north of Manila
Bugnay - a remote tribal village in the mountains a few hours away from Tabuk
Sagada - a city in Mountain province that attracts international tourists
Achao & Georgia Macad - husband and wife who started a maternity clinic in Tabuk (Achao is from Bugnay)
Crystal Meeks - a midwife who started a maternity clinic in Bugnay, a remote village in the mountains
Sara & Fonda - friends from the clinic in Davao
Bugnay
July
8, 2012
On
Sunday morning we got up about 5:45am. We made coffee and sat outside
looking at our pictures from the jeepney ride. The temp outside was
71°F before we received direct sunlight,
because of the high mountains. With the sun it quickly climbed above
80°F.
After
breakfast, we left for church in Bugnay. That meant hiking down to
the river, crossing the bridge and climbing the rice terraces on the
other side. Going down was somewhat strenuous. It was concrete slabs
and concrete steps. I imagine rain makes it a lot trickier. The
bridge was two steel suspension cables with thick, metal mesh
walkway. Christina was worried about it, but with Sara's help, she
made it across! Then we had to walk up to the village through some
rice terraces. It was a narrow path with a several-foot drop off to
one side, but there was ample footing. The steps were made of stones,
and some were crumbling, but most were good and solid.
We
worked our way through the village to the church. Most homes were
wood with a tin roof and dirt floor. Only a few were cement. The
church building was wood with tin roof and rather warm. But it still
felt nicer than in Davao. The service was simple and rather short. We
walked in near the end of the singing. Then scripture reading, then
the message from the pastor. We then sang a song with the people
(Hallelu/Praise Ye the Lord). There were a few testimonies, communion
(with mango/orange juice and Skyflakes/saltines) and offering. They
sang an upbeat song and people went forward to give either pesos or
rice. After announcements and prayer the service was over.
Then
we visited with the family of Achao. Sara took us on a walk to see
the rice fields more closely. We saw the bundles of rice and how they
dry them for 30 days. It was really neat to see the rice plant up
close. We headed back to Crystal with Achao's family. Soon we saw
the villagers start harvesting a nearby rice field. We got a good
look at how they actually do it and how they all work together. I saw
one guy collect the rice stalks in his left. His right hand held a
knife (blade down towards his arm) while he grabbed just a few stalks
with his right, using the knife to cut them. All in one motion! Then
three people pass their collected stalks to a fourth guy who ties
them together.
We
headed back to the clinic for lunch. We hung out in the afternoon,
just chatting. We did a little laundry, and I sat on the
terrace/balcony enjoying the view. Listening to the river and seeing
the valley remind me of Pine Creek. After the sun slipped behind the
mountains, the breeze slowed down, but the temperature started
dropping. Around 6:30pm it was already 79°F
with a slight drizzle falling. It's an incredible feeling to look
around and see mountains above me for all 360°.
Even up and down the river you cannot see too far because the
mountains fold around and obscure the view.
We
soon ate our last supper in Moro. Then we packed up all of our
things, showered and went to sleep.
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