Beautiful Bugnay

3 days in the most amazing place I've ever been. Can't really capture the setting of a place or the roots of the culture using just images and words. You really have to be there in person! But here are a few pictures and thoughts I had throughout the trip.
We drove with Georgia, her husband Achao (originally from Bugnay), and their son Emmaus

"Whoops...six hour trip just became 7 hours due to a massive land slide...

"Houses built over cliffs. I wonder if the three year old has ever come close to falling off the edge...


"Mar-o, town just outside of Bugnay (our destination). Great reception but I wonder what the guys with the guns are for...


"Awesome! Everyone wants to help carry our stuff to wherever Bugnay is. Had to hike down one cliff...can it get any more gorgeous than this???


"Yes...it can. Still hiking....


"Still hiking. Awesome rice terraces....I wonder how many generations have been carving them out of the mountains.


"Whoa! There's even a hanging bridge way out here...


"Whew! done hiking...beautiful Bugnay


Achao's dad and mom-- But-but people traditionally don't smile for pictures


Achao's grandpa snapping beans similar to soy beans. Such a sweet man, but he was convinced we spoke fluent But-but and would chatter away to us for hours about the importance of marrying a strong But-but man.


Wow..four generations


Learned more about the rice...


The sprouts are grown together in one huge clump until they are strong. They are then uprooted and carried in baskets on people's heads to the rest of the fields.


The women do all the planting while the men stay in the village to watch the kids and cook. Later, the men harvest all the rice while the women stay home to watch the kids and cook.


Learned about the intricate tattooing on the people. The tattooing is done by tapping thorns into the skin. The more beautiful a woman is considered to be, the more tattooing she is allowed to have. Although killing is not as common in this tribe anymore, the men still get a tattoo for each person they have killed. The But-but tribe don't have a word in their language for "handsome", only words like "brave" and "strong".

This woman's name is Takay, but she loves to pretend her name is Sandraya and falls over laughing when she calls herself that. She got married when she was 14 and is now over 80 years old. She tells incredible stories about their history and culture.


Yum! Dinner! They killed a "prize native chicken" for us...such sweet people. Anatomy 101: try to find the head, lungs, underdeveloped eggs, bladder, feet, etc. Nothing is wasted.


Around the village...


Everyone has pigs that live under the stilt houses. They feed the pigs leftover


Made some friends: Marsha and Julex. Called them the "as they say girls" because they constantly used "American phrases" such as: "As they say....home is where the heart is." "As they say...where you're happy, there you are." "As they say....I love music...but it doesn't love me!"

They were our official tour guides...

Sometimes I wish I could be a little naked kid playing in the river again


Hiked about two miles down the river, bumped into Achao and all his friends, fished for little tadpoles, fishes, and crabs with them using spears and goggles, then ate all that we had caught. Delish!

>
They even brought rice in a banana leaf

No matter how remote you get in the Philippines, there will always be a basketball court

Prenatals and baby checks

This grave was just outside the house we stayed in. The older sister of the woman who owned the house. Her sister was 23 years old and died due to pregnancy related complications....would the outcome have been different if there were midwives in the area?

Going home. Achao's dad escorted us. He has to wear a hoodie and carry a gun because he has been part of a clan conflict for over 20 years. There are always people watching and waiting to kill him if he leaves his village. Tribal wars, family feuds, and clan conflicts are still an issue in this area.

Sweet! We get to ride on top of a jeepney all the way back!

Bother flat tires in the heat of the day

Stopped at an outhouse halfway there....this HUGE (six inches) tarantula was sitting at eye level less than a foot from my face. HEART ATTACK!!

Ah Bugnay....As they say "a picture is worth a thousand words," but it would take a thousand pictures to even begin to describe this place.