*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.
