Guest Write Up by Bea Gomez (Part 2)

*This write-up was submitted by Bea Gomez and is about her recent trip to Adams and Pannzian Beach with her family last December.

IV.    Malakas at Maganda, and the Road less travelled

In Filipino folklore, they say that the first man, Malakas, and the first woman, Maganda (Adam and Eve in Christian belief), were born from a Banana tree in the middle of paradise. In Adam’s, I began to believe it could be true.

“Doon sa may puno ng saging, (There about the Banana tree,)” our tour guide Cesar explained, “doon tayo papunta (that’s where we are going).”

 There it was a few kilometers away. A lone banana tree stood high amongst other trees. “Malapit na tayo (we’re near)”, he encouraged us as we were trekking for a full hour by now.

“Saan tayo dadaan? (Which way do we pass?)”, we asked him. He smiled, “Sa shortcut tayo (We’re taking a shortcut)”. This was great, we thought… we thought.

Apparently, taking the shortcut meant trekking on less than a half-foot wide rough road, with inclines of at least 30 degrees… for another 30 minutes. We wondered if this was all worth the while – and this was only going to our destination, we definitely had to go back through this same way. 

 We could no longer feel the cool breeze through our body heat and perspiration. Our shoes were muddy and our hands were filthy. But as we walked through the soil’s balance beams, we noticed something peculiar. The trees roots seemed to have made stairways for us. There were pits of soil one on top of each other in between roots protruding through the soil so much so that our feet landed so easily on them like they were steps up and down the path. There were branches that were sprung up the soil, like posts that we could handle through our seemingly treacherous climb. There was one boulder that hung from a cliff of some sort that served as our only pathway across. At some point, we felt as if even the butterflies and dragon flies here and there were guiding us through the right path. The road less travelled was a road guided by Mother nature. And my sister kept on whispering behind me, “Trust the forest”.

 So we made it through the forest – and lo and behold, we were welcomed by a parade of fresh water. The stream greeted us with a symphony of trumpets and drums and hurried us to the grandest throne – Kabigan falls.

 Ice cold water was raging down 20 feet of boulders and greens. It looked like the clouds fell from the skies, creating a curtain of white gold liquid. The waters gushed through so briskly, creating a drum bass concerto. The scene was marvelous.  At that point, Kabigan falls was Malakas at Maganda – the epitome of the strength and beauty of nature.

V.    Mangan

The sight of Kabigan falls left us at awe, but the entire road trip left our stomachs craving for filling food. I learned that there was one word similar between Ilocanos and Kapampangans (I am a Kapampangan) – “Mangan”, which meant “To eat” or “Let’s eat”. So, when I heard our home-maker cum host welcome us with “Mangan ta”, we were in definite understanding.

She served us with “Adam’s Menu”, which included organic, home-grown mixed vegetables, pork steak, Tinolang baboy, “espesyal” pancit canton, and the best organic brown rice. Being the foodie that I am, I had to taste it all – and none of it disappointed me.

The rice.. oh, the rice. Where do I even begin? At first glance, it would’ve been any other brown organic rice you could buy in the supermarket. But as I said, these people do not rely on supermarkets for their produce, most especially their rice.

The rice was grown at the backyard of our host, Sabel. The rice fields’ irrigation system is  hand-made by Adam’s villagers. The water came down from the mountains from Kabigan falls, down to its veins of rivers and streams of almost 3 mountain ranges. It grew from the fertile soil of Adam’s without the use of any form of pesticide or chemical fertilizers. This rice was as au naturale as you can get – and the taste was as authentic as it could get. Naturally, we bought some home for our own consumption.

VI.    Preservation of innocence

This trip to Adam’s was not only a fun trip to experience nature at its finest, but also served as a reflection point especially at these times of modernization.

As cliché as it may sound, this trip made me realize the essence of preserving the innocence of nature – “nature” not only in the sense of preserving the environment and its natural resources, but more importantly “nature” as a way of life. The principle that people were not made to be caught up, or hindered by the technologies of our times. Rather that we are at our best when we rely on ourselves as human beings, and rely on our communities as the organic source of “progress”.

We sometimes gauge the “modernity” of our communities – whether it be our households, schools, cities, and country, by the amount and datedness of its gadgets and machines rather than its resourcefulness, efficiency and sustainability. We guage the “progress” of our lives by the amount of money we earn and the goods that we can purchase with it rather than by the quality of life we live. We measure our “status” by popularity rather than by the strength of the relationships we sustain.

This 2011, let’s take a paradigm shift – from thinking and living the “modern” way we know and start taking steps to live in our own “Adam’s”. A place where the fruits of nature are technologies in itself; and where life is not just a vehicle towards a point of success but an achievement of human fullness.

Guest Write Up by Bea Gomez (Part 1)

*This write-up was submitted by Bea Gomez and is about her recent trip to Adams and Pannzian Beach with her family last December.

I. The story of Adam

“What is the name of this place?” said the foreign man to the little boy, who was half-naked and playfully sitting amongst the vines of wild cherries. The little boy did not understand a word this man spoke, but knew that he was being asked a question.

“What is the name of this place?”, the foreign man repeated, assuming the little boy merely did not hear his question. The little boy, figuring this man was introducing himself, answered “Ad-an,”

“Adam?” clarified the quiet visitor.

“Ad-an”, the little boy replied with a smile.

“It is beautiful here”.

There on after this little community within the mountains of Ilocos Norte was called “Adam’s”. This quiet sanctuary served as a home for the indigenous tribes of the region, mostly farmers.

Whether this was the true story of how Adam’s was discovered, the little boy Adan, served as a symbol of the innocence that is all-so present in this community. Indigenous people in this quaint baranggay rely not on computers or supermarkets rather on the produce of their “own backyard” – which included three mountain ranges, waterfalls, rivers and streams. They raised their own cattle and poultry, harvested their own rice and vegetables, and fermented their own vinegar and wine. The children grew up climbing age-old trees, and swimming crystal clear streams.

Being able to visit Adam’s was like being able to turn back time – back to where life was much simpler and more harmonious. As one of the indigenous said to us, “dito sa amin, kahit wala kang pera, mabubuhay ka ng masagana” (You can live prosperously here, even without money).

II.              20-km motorbike ride

We stayed at Pannzian Beach and Mountain resort in Pagudpod, Ilocos Norte. In order to get to Adam’s, we had to take a 20km motorbike ride through rough roads. It would’ve been a horrible trip – the soil was of clay with carabao dung here and there. There were patches of rocks, eroded by the mountains, and there were several bugs that nipped our legs for merienda. But we barely noticed any of these as we were hypnotized by the beauty of our surroundings. There were wild trees and ferns that clothed the mountains, and the music of flowing water harmonized with the melody of the singing birds. We were in a whole new world – a whole new universe, even. This was the Earth that it was meant to be.

III.            Great walls of Adam’s

As we drew farther from the resort (at this point, we didn’t know where our road ended), we had to take an hour long trek through the mountain ranges. This time, we witnessed the wonders of this kingdom face-to-face.

The mountains were clothed with trees beginning from its peak to the bottom. There were generations of trees – some seemed older than any of us alive while some were young yet robust. As we panned through the horizon, there was no longer any sign of the edge of the earth – we were surrounded by great walls of green and gold. The sun shined through just enough, and the shadows of the clouds were like cloaks of silver.

The trees ended where the rocks began. Boulders were bigger than the SUVs we know, and even sturdier than the sky scrapers we were used to. They sat at the bottom of the mountains, facing the rivers and streams as if they were merrily skinny dipping.

In every nook, there was free flowing water . The rivers (yes, there were a lot) and streams were flowing like silk through the breeze. Once in a while, we’d see children making castles out of rocks and soil. I cannot seem to find words to express how calming the water was as were trekking the fertile soil.

You could smell the freshness of the water and the richness of the mountains through the rather cold breeze. We didn’t even notice the hour that has passed and there was a lot more to see.

 

40 Awesome Posters by Team Manila to promote Philippine Tourism

Really awesome posters from Team Manila!

Loving the “We are here” posters and the “Backpack Around the Country Pilipinas” poster.

Click here to check out the rest of the posters!

Go Philippines!

Reservations

If you would like to inquire and book at Pannzian Beach, you could reach us at our Manila office through these numbers and email address:

Landline: (632) 6469020 

Telefax: (632) 6827844

Booking and Reservations Email: pannzian@yahoo.com

Kindly look for our booking officer, Ms. Olive Domingo. She would gladly assist you in any of your queries.

Living an Uncluttered Life

Pannzian Beach is a breathtaking piece of paradise, tucked away in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. It is the ultimate testament to bliss and simplicity.

Here, there are no televisions sets, hardly any cellphone signal, no swimming pool or other high-tech amenities. What we have is our natural surroundings. The roaring waves, the towering mountains, the singing wind. Good books keep us company and bonfires hug us warmly when we need it. Sumptuous homegrown and organic food keep our bodies healthy and our hearts full. Local wine makes us talk and good music makes us dance.

Beyond the boundaries of the mountains behind us, there is more to discover. Our hearts pump faster whenever we go off on a Pannzian adventure: hiking up the mountains, crossing a hanging bridge, jumping off cliffs and revering powerful waterfalls. To keep us even more alive, the beach is the perfect place for a round of football, volleyball or a game of intense Ultimate Frisbee.

To wind down, we watch our world pass by under a shaded hammock by the beach. Sometimes, comfortable rooms are our choice sleeping spots. Other times, we opt for pitched tents on the shore, the stars the only witnesses to our good night’s rest.

There are no strangers here in Pannzian Beach. Only travelers from different backgrounds: perhaps a backpacker on his way to an unknown destination, a corporate executive on retreat, a couple on honeymoon, or an artist looking for inspiration. Each one on a different path, but each one shares the common love of traversing the world. Pannzian Beach becomes their shared experience.

Surprisingly, for many of our visitors, they’ve found that escaping to Pannzian Beach brings them right back home.