The Buscalan village is not what I imagined at all. My imagination took the route of small houses made out of bamboo and clay of some sorts, but I could not have been more wrong. 

They are solid concrete built, maybe not as large, but solid for the unpredictable weather that they get here. Some houses had wooden floors, I walked past one with beautiful marble floors, flat screen tvs and nearly all residents had a smart phone in their hand. 

But there was also a combination of sleeping on mats on the floor instead of mattresses and beds, no running water in the toilets and no phone signal. 

Their contrasting mix of new and old was absolutely captivating. 

But the reason behind it, is even more of a wow factor.

This new upgraded way of life is all due to the legendary Apo Whang-od. The 107 year old bad ass woman who had an idea some time ago, to share the local culture and do tattoos on tourists, and not just the village’s warriors and women ( who got the tattoos to appeal more beautiful). This had such an influence that nearly the whole village got involved in the tourism business. Farming wasn’t the only option for a job anymore. 

The tattoo experience: 

Apo is a legend and as soon as we came in the area where she makes the tattoo, it was pure excitement as if I’m about to meet a celebrity. The way her small body was sitting on her little stool, the iconic red bandana. Tattoos all over her body. Red lipstick on and red painted nails. Let me remind you that she is 107 years old. Some of the photographs of her she looks like a western hipster. She couldn’t be more unintentional badass even if she tried. 

The tattoo takes a very short amount of time, but there’s a queue of tourists and even some backlog from the previous day as she wasn’t working. 

Once you start getting closer, you will be given your ‘needle’ (that you pay separately for) which is actually a thorn. And she will use that to ink you. The ink itself if a mixture made by herself, just charcoal and water. If you’re wondering about sanitation and how safe it is. Well there is the baby wipes that they use, and that’s about it. She uses a bit of dry grass or maybe it was bamboo, to get some of the ink onto the skin. 

Once the tattoo process is over, she will pose for a photo of you, and then you pay her 300 pesos. She will count her money, which made her look like the head of a cartel. Even though she has this look, the vibe that you get off her is like no other. You can sens the kindness and the love she has for her community. 

After this, our group was taken to our home stay, it was a beautiful wooden little house, it was 3 small rooms, with mattress covering nearly the whole floor, and everyone was sleeping next to each other. I was just praying that no one snores at night. 

As we chilled, 3 apprentices of Apo Whang-od have came to do some other designs if we desired to. How could you even say no to that? I didn’t do this long journey just for 3 little dots! I thought “ink me up!”. Everyone got excited like bunch of kids, and we started to swipe through their catalog of designs. Everyone was discussing what they like and questioning where to have it done. 

I chose a compass, as I thought it would be a beautiful memory of this life changing trip. 

I am a whimp when it comes to my skin, way too delicate, so I held onto my dear life as they were tapping away onto my arm. As I tried to laugh through the pain, and seeing everyone calm as a daisy, it was over after 30 minutes or so. 

There isn’t anything else to do in the village, I took a nap as I was exhausted after what felt like never ending drive. And it’s not like you can sleep through it, the road is as bendy as if a toddler tried to draw a labyrinth. A never ending letter S. In the evening we had dinner that was cooked by our tour guide, a delicious traditional Filipino food. And then we all just chatted, had a drink, and went to sleep, as the journey back had to start early in the morning. 

How to organise: 

I was lucky enough to meet a girl in my hostel who was already booked for this trip. She asked them if there’s enough spaces, and the next day we were off. 

We were picked up in Manila and had a 15 hour van rode to the Buscalan village, I will be forever grateful that we had plenty of stops to stretch our legs, use the ‘toilet’ and get something to eat (I do recommend bringing plenty of snacks). 

I have heard that the journey to the Buscalan village can be made alone using local transport. And just before the village, you have to get a tour guide to be able to enter the village. But I wanted everything to be already organised since I’ve only just entered the Philippines and I want getting use to the new surroundings and culture.

It’s also best that you bring plenty of cash with you, because you can only pay with cash at the stops and in the village. There is also a eco-tourism fee (around 200 pesos if I remember correctly). The breakfast we had in the village, we had to pay for separately. And you definitely need to buy some sort of a souvenir or their coffee. Remember that you’re supporting their community. Don’t be too cheap. 

If you’re a tattoo enthusiast, or want to have a tattoo that’s part of a Filipino history, you won’t regret it. 

Aggie xx