tying summer's end

A Seven-Year-Old's Haiku

Tied in bunny ears

Your shoelace winding in mine 

Two (summer's) loose ends

for you, Love. Because with you, I am born. Again.

RV Escatron | 30 May 2009

My First Poem For You

Kim Addonizio

My First Poem For You

I like to touch your tattoos in complete

Darkness, when I can’t see them. I’m sure of
Where they are, know by heart the neat
Lines of lightning pulsing just above
Your nipple, can find, as if by instinct, the blue
Swirls of water on your shoulder where a serpent
Twists, facing a dragon. When I pull you
To me, taking you until we’re spent
And quiet on the sheets, I love to kiss
The pictures on your skin. They’ll last until
You’re seared to ashes; whatever persists
or turns to pain between us, they will still
be there. Such permanence is terrifying.
So I touch them in the dark, but touch them, trying.

Sagada

In many of my travels, I have always placed 'getting into the local verve' at the top of my tick list. The company one keeps comes close at second spot. But this trip to Sagada opened up something new. Or maybe it was just there all along, at the back of my mind, and during this trip, it was swelling, ripe enough, perfect for picking. Wookie. Wookie. Before this entry triggers the warning bulb and bursts into an explosion of saccharine proportion, let's get down to the business of budget traveling.



tip no.1: take the roof for the 360 degree view of the Cordillera landscape. And don't forget to hold tight. Real tight. (Sagada-Bontoc Php40.00 one-way)



on foot: passing by St. Mary's Church on the way to the 'hanging coffins'



Echo Valley and Hanging Coffins are a few heartbeats away from here



the log cabin (tucked on a hill, in the fringes of a pine forest, offers a panoramic view of Sagada town) with the two main ingredients for romance ...



fireplace and..



and a warm bed.



i lurrrrve Sagada! AND WILL DEFINITELY KEEP COMING BACK with YOU baby! And if you won't, I'll drag you till you give in. By all means!

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The Philippine version of Shangri-la, Sagada may not be Utopian but it is definitely remote and exotic says Robert Gardner of aenet.org. And I couldn't agree more. This lovely little town of about eleven thousand people is tucked in a valley in Central Cordillera. Aside from spelunking and nature hikes that will lead you to the hanging coffins (hanging coffins was a traditional way of burying people that is not utilized anymore. Not anyone was qualified to be buried this way; one had to, among other things, be married and have grandchildren--wikipedia.com) this town 275 km. North of Manila also offers homey inns and guesthouses with charming owners.

Food destinations include Yoghurt House, Masferre Cafe and Lemon Pie House while places of interest are Sumaguing and Lumiang Caves, Bomod-ok and Bokong Falls, Rice terraces, Echo Valley, Kiltepan Tower, Underground River and Lake Danum

Batad Village, Banaue

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Batad Village, Banaue, The Philippines

The photos and what-not of the Rice Terraces in remote Batad, as many a travel blogs have posted, claimed and raved about, don't really do justice to this little piece of heaven on Earth. The landscape in Batad is in contrast to the levels and levels of tin roof all over the fringes of the one in Banaue.

Meanwhile, I've never been to Tibet but If it squats on a green landscape, this must be how it's tranquility will rub on your senses.

Here now is my futile attempt to capture it's spell in photos.


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GETTING THERE: Banaue, the jump-off point to Batad Village, is an 8-hour bus ride (Florida Bus; Php450.00 one-way) from Manila. From Banaue, you can hire a tricycle (Php150.00 one-way) until Batad Junction. From there, Saddle Point is an hour uphill hike. But if you have enough cash to burn, you can hire the ultimate uphill machine with the stamina of a hummer--the ubiquitous jeepney. The ride will take you until Saddle Point (Php2,500.00; we haggle and got it for Php1,800.00, one-way)

From Saddle Point, Batad Village is an hour downhill hike on a rugged terrain and slippery trail on a rainy day. Unless you have the venturesome spirit, you can find the village yourself. Otherwise, guides are available for Php500.00.

ACCOMMODATION: You have 3 options, or if you want to dip into the local flavor, there are homestay programs available. Just inquire at the Tourist Info and Registration Booth.

The best spot to hole up is Batad Hillside Inn (Maya: 0905.769.9796 for reservations; Php150.00/person). It's a spartan 3-storey affair with windows and terraces that empty into the whole Batad Rice Terraces. If you're coming during a long weekend or the holidays, make sure you book ahead because it's 300 pax capacity may leave you with nothing but the cold mountain air and chilly nights.

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I stopped wishing you were here ...



Batad. One down. Hundreds of UNESCO World Heritage Sites to explore with you...



ahem. X marks this spot.



wicked!