Going home to our town after our Bontoc and Barlig tour visits, we passed by mountainous landscapes. At that time, the bridge that used to connect the road along the national highway was washed away during one of the strong storms that hit the country. That is travelers to Mountain Province had to detour to Bauko which made the travel time longer.
On our way to Bontoc, it was already dark when we have arrived in Bauko. There was nothing to see then. Coming home, we decided to start early, before the sun was up. We planned on going to Sagada for sunrise before heading home but we failed once again. The day before, we tried but all the tourist sites were closed. Also, it was a foggy morning. It's impossible to see a sunrise then. The next day, it was the same.
So we then decided to head home.
Mt. Polis and rice terraces in Bauko, Mt. Province
From Bontoc to Bauko is about 1-2 hours drive. We arrived at this scene.
The sun was up and the sunlight slowly hit this mountain range. According to one of my brothers, that is Mt. Polis and they have hiked it twice. With an elevation of 1847 MASL, it has earned its name as "A View Deck in the Sky."
There's another mountain of the same name in Ifugao.
Rice terraces can be seen along the road. It was planting season then that's why the fields are green.
According to legends, Bauko got its name from trees that once grew abundantly in this area discovered by the first settlers. These trees are called "baukok" and it was where the place got its name as a reminder of those trees. It was then later shortened to Bauko. Source
The tree is said to belong to garnicia species. I Googled it but it is suggesting garnicia. Garnicias are evergreen tree and shrubs. It could be what the page was referring to. I hope when we get to visit the place more, I can have more information about the name.
Reportedly, the political history of Bauko can be traced as far as 1663 during the Spanish regime. Today, Bauko is a fourth class municipality which consists of 22 barangays. Source
Mt. Mogao in Tadian, Mountain Province
One other interesting mountain that can be seen along road is this mountain that can be found in Tadian. The name of the mountain is Mt. Mogao and it is also more popularly known as Mt. Clitoris. I can't find anything as to why they named it so or who named it. That peak in the middle of the photo is Mt. Mogao/Mt. Clitoris.
This rock of a mountain is steep and slippery especially when wet making it dangerous to climb for one slip may find you at the base of the mountain before you can say Mt. Clitoris. It was then decided by the municipality to build steps - 1,600 steps - from base to summit for the safety of the hikers.
Tadian is another fourth class municipality in Mountain Province.
I couldn't find more information that I wanted to write about the place.
Amgaleyguey View Deck in Buguias
It was harvest season from the gardens of Buguias, Benguet. Here in this view deck you can see mountains upon mountains of terraces. Instead of rice, different crops were planted instead.
The peak in the background is shrouded both in fog and smoke. Passing along the roads of Buguias, you can see gardens were harvested and they are being prepared to be planted again. Smoke can be seen all around for they were burning what must have been the remains of the previous crops.
The smoke thick in some areas and you can see that even when are far away.
This is the view from the view deck. One of Farmgirl's weekend drive brought them here. There are garden terraces as far as the eye can see. Roads and pathways can be seen snaking through mountains which services as access to the gardens.
That ends our tour for now.
For related articles, you can check out:
Trip to Bontoc (Check out our grandparents' place)
Trip to Barlig (Check out a waterfall and hot spring in one place)
This was part of our family trip two years ago.
For this plagiarism checker that I use, go to plagiarismdetector.net. I only use the free version for checking. I just copy my article and paste it there then check it for plagiarism. Depending on your internet speed, this will take a minute or two.
Thank you once again for your time and supports. As always, your comments will be read by me but it's going to be late. It may take me days and weeks before I can read your comments but I will read them all.
Cheers!
Beautiful, breathtaking sceneries!