ariellalisan.org – Homeward Bound

WE WOKE up to a beautiful morning in Sofan. Beautiful because it was the kind of morning we wished to have that day. The sun was clothed with gray clouds so that it would not scorch our skin as we follow the trek to Kiangkos.

We had one worry, though the horses set to fetch the goods have not arrived yet. How were we supposed to bring those 11 sacks of Christmas packages knowing that the trek would be difficult and that there were only nine of us?

A decision was made. We started walking at 8:25 am hoping we would meet along the way those who were contacted to haul the goods. Anyway, the horses walk faster than we do; it would not take long before they catch up on us.

There were two routes we chose from: the one passing by Canaan and the one through Amlitus. The former is about an hour and a half longer, the latter is steeper. With all the reasons considered, we chose the second one.

We were so filled with excitement as we began walking. There was a question that we only laughed at, Could our two older companions or the only woman in the pack make it to the end of the trek?

Sir Robert Mendoza, who teaches at the school in Sofan was asked to come with us and without hesitations, he became part of the pack.

In that journey, we were nobody but simply Sir Boy, Sir Dading, Sir de Paz, Sir Simon, Sir Rimar, Sir Nilo, Sir Robert, Ma’am Judith, and Sir Ariel, who would do our best to survive the trek.

Soon after crossing the river, we arrived at Sitio Calonlama, which is already part of the Municipality of Malapatan. The river divides the Malapatan and Alabel, so for the whole length of the journey, we were walking on the soils of two municipalities.

Every village we passed by had a name, which I found difficult to remember both because they are difficult to say and to spell.

The rock formations and shape of hills were spellbinding but the fact that cogon grows where trees should be was saddening. Those hills I believe were once forests but they were now turned into grasslands due maybe to kaingin. On the sides of the mountains were patches of land used for cultivating corn, the major product of the place. We could not imagine how the locals toiled to plant their crops on very steep mountainsides.

Several springs occurred at some points along the way. Some were simply moisture dripping from rocks on the, others were breathtaking waterfalls. If we had the luxury of time, we could have soaked ourselves in the cool water. So, we just made do with looking at the refreshing sights.

As we moved further, the trek became more difficult, our heartbeats quickened, and our gasping for air became more rapid.

It was like that for hours.

We met some people on the road some on foot, others on horses. Sir Dading, who speaks B’laan automatically, became our spokesperson and we learned that those people we met were the ones to haul the things we left at Sofan. “Carang alas tres,” said the young man on a steed. That meant, the cargoes are expected to arrive at Kiangkos by three o’clock.

A few minutes past eleven, we reached a bend. There was a signpost that said, “This Way to Pinagturan and Kiangkos.” That temporarily eased my exhaustion. Not because it was relief that Kiangkos was only an hour away but because the sign was simply funny. First, it was written in English and second, it was placed at a point when there was only one path. Maybe, its only purpose was to give the trekkers a feeling of relief and not to give direction, whatsoever. A feeling of relief was very important at that point because from thereon, the road just kept on becoming more and more aslant.

Sir Simon arranged a horse for our lady companion to ride on. The trek would surely be very difficult for her. Sir Simon himself rode on another horse.

Sir Rimar, Sir Nilo, and Sir Robert, who had taken this route several times, were way ahead. That, in a way, was a pressure. We had to keep up. It was a struggle for us, first timers. But we went on at a pace convenient to us, stopping by to take in oxygen every five minutes or so.

We reached Pinagturan and downed several gulps of the cool and fresh water there. But we did not stay long. We continued on the last leg of the trek to Kiangkos. One more mountain to climb and we would be there.

The sun was already at the zenith and the clouds have been slightly cleared by the wind. Sir Boy told me that he could not manage to walk further. So I went ahead and called for a horse to fetch him.

The final stretch of the trek was difficult. My legs were almost sore. My stomach was craving for food. The only comfort I felt was the fact that we were almost there. The forest, which served as our guide was already clear.

At the top of the last hill, I looked back to where we came from and it was a marvelous sight. I felt some sense of accomplishment. All through the journey we agreed that the work of the teachers assigned here is really very difficult. We believed that they should be given hardship pay. I could not imagine myself following this trek on a bi-monthly basis for years.

We reached Kiangkos about half past twelve. Kiangkos is a small community of about 85 households. It is located at the foot of the only forested mountain in the area.

We had our lunch at the house where the two teachers assigned at Kiangkos Primary School, Mr. Leo Lecita and Mr. Jeferson Camasura, are staying. Sir Nilo prepared a soup of mushrooms and fern fronds he gathered during the walk. We also opened the canned goods we brought and shared a brotherhood lunch.

We spent the afternoon in conversations among ourselves and with some locals. The purok chairman was also there. We talked about their place and one of us suggested that they should protect the gift of nature to them. The purok chairman said that he will organize the community to plant trees.

Later that afternoon, we learned that they have prepared a pig for the occasion. After taking our rest, we started preparing for the event on the following day the distribution of the gifts.

The night came. The air became colder. But one problem was bothering us. The horses did not arrive as expected. We understood that because we our time orientation is different from them. We were worried because the darkness would make the path more dangerous. Another thing, it rained that afternoon; the trek would have been muddy by now.

A little later, while we were having dinner, the horses came one by one. We checked the goods and we were glad that only a few of them got wet. The sad thing is, one of the horses had to be rescued because it fell on a ravine. But the man guiding it, fortunately, was safe and was able to deliver the packages later that night. One of them had to stay at Pinagturan because of the risk. It was unlucky for Ma?am Judith because her bag was with that person.

There was a fellowship with the parents that night. They broughttuba or coconut wine, which we shared. Through that, I understood what was meant by community extension. It’s not just giving something to the people in the community but being one of them.