My Meet and Greet with a Mambabatok
travel·@beany-inhinyero·
0.000 HBDMy Meet and Greet with a Mambabatok
 Grabbed from Google images Good day steemians! You may wonder what a "mambabatok" is and what do they do. In this article I will share to you my first-hand experience with the renowned traditional artist not only here in the Philippines but in other countries as well, Whang-Od. Will also share some notes about their culture, where you can find then and a brief history what it's all about. A "mambabatok" is one who practices "batok" or hand-tapped tattooing. I first got an interest about this unique style of tattooing way back in 2015 when I watched a documentary about it on youtube and since then I already got curious about it. Even back in college I was already fascinated with tattoos. I see it as an expression of art and a deeper meaning of life mantras.  The actual "Pagbabatok" It was August last year during the long holiday weekend when me and my friends traveled to Buscalan Village to meet the famous Whang-Od. Whang-Od is the oldest living mambabatok of Kalinga, a living legend indeed. It is said that she was already doing the traditional "batok" since she was on her 20s. A mambabatok uses a thorn from "suha" or pomelo tree inserted to a wood branch and uses charcoal as ink. Originally, the mambabatoks from Kalinga were referred to as "headhunters" which is also the meaning of "Kalinga". Their tattoos represent strength and vigor for the gentlemen while beauty and elegance for the ladies. It was a very long drive and it took us like 16hrs to get to the top of the mountain where the village is located but it was all worth it because I was travelling with friends and we were able to do sight seeing. During our travel, we were able to do stop-overs and tried to grab some pictures as well. The weather going to Buscalan was really cold since travelling to the North part of Luzon was travelling thru luscious mountains which is really of high altitude.  The road sign says it all! This was actually taken on our way home since I couldnt stand the coldness. This was literally the highest point of Luzon!  Trying to get a glimpse of the sunrise. And finally we arrived at the jump off where we would start to trek for like 30-60mins to reach the village. Their community is situated on top of the mountain and it was a bit challenging especially for newbies but nonetheless some parts of the trail were already cemented. There was also a stream where you can refresh and 1 water source on the trail. But what's so good about the trek was the unlimited supply of fresh air!  At the jump-off site where you will need to start trekking  A very candid shot under the scorching sun! haha  Rice terraces The view along the trail was so marvelous, it was breathtaking. Indeed the most precious things in life are free! God is really amazing for He created this beautiful places in nature it was almost perfect. I am completely in awe. Well, I consider myself a nature lover thus this view calms my soul and just pure serenity.  We finally reached the village!  Me and my friends  The souvenir shop  A sideview of the village After settling down at our homestay, we started checking the village out. We also visited a waterfalls just nearby the village. Finally, we were able to visit the house of Whang-Od but since it was a long weekend the volume of tourists are doubled. So we instead we just took pictures with her and with the help of our local homestay he was able to find us another mambabatok.  Getting ready for a cold dip  Exploring the waterfalls  A quick photoshoot with Apo Whang-Od Here's a fact, only the bloodline of Apo Whang-Od does the traditional art of tattooing and so I met this 12yr old girl. Her name was Shine too and she was one of the youngest mambabatok the village has! It was really quite an honor also with due respect to the culture of the Kalingas. Maybe I was not inked by the oldest mambabatok but by the youngest so how cool is that, right?! So now, its time to choose the design. You have to be very careful in choosing what design of course it is permanent and you wouldnt want just anything to be inked on your skin, and I chose a Sun Mandalla. A mandalla represents wholeness. This is actually my second tattoo. If you would ask if the process was painful, of course it was! But it was tolerable and knowing that it was traditional and part of a culture just makes you proud and honored.  The paraphernalias  The process of "Batok"  The finish product And finally, my mambabatok, Shine.  I am actually holding the thorn she used but its too small I guess haha My overall experience was a blast! Met new friends along the way, tried living like a local and most especially being part of a Filipino culture that has been around for quite some time. Of course I support local tourism but I am not implying that you should also get inked. Its really a personal thing just make sure that you are 100% sure of what you want and that your heart and mind is also 100% ready. All pictures are originally taken by my camera. I have also published the same story in my wordpress account but with a different approach. Before I end my post I'd like to give special thanks to @iwrite who guided me on steemit and to @sitiaishah who was my first friend here in this community. And also to our mentor @surpassinggoogle who has been very supportive to other groups especially in our group (STEEMITDIVERSIFY). Please do support him as a witness by voting him at https://steemit.com/~witnesses and type in "steemgigs" at the first search box. If you want to give him witness voting decisions on your behalf, visit https://steemit.com/~witnesses again and type in "surpassinggoogle" in the second box as a proxy. 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