We left the Shire after an early breakfast and well before elevenses to continue northwards. We would pass fabulous rice terraces once more and end up in Tuguegarao for the night. However, the highlight of the day would be a visit to the village of Buscalan in the province of Kalinga.

We met our local guide as unbeknown to us we would have to take a hike down into the valley and up a steep climb to reach the hilltop village.

The route was steep & slippery and unsurprisingly I was to be unintentionally and abruptly seated on a couple of occasions. At one point our way forward was over a short but narrow footbridge with no guide rail. I was not happy but managed it with pigeon steps!

The views from the other side were pretty awesome and I was extremely happy to have made it.

It’s not the views that draw visitors from far and wide to Buscalan however. Whang-od Oggay was born in 1917 it is thought and has been tattooing locals, Filipinos & travellers for almost a century.

Nowadays the diminutive lady only inks very basic tattoos, though this does not stop thousands of people paying for the privilege every year. The day we visited was a public holiday and quite a crowd waited patiently in line.

Happily the tradition will not die out when Whang-od passes. We saw close up her considerably younger relative inking a young lady high up in the village. The artwork is performed using a thorn and a hammer. You can hear the tap tap as the owner of the skin canvass grimaces slightly.

The journey back to the car saw more pigeon steps but no slippage, before we headed north once more for the four hour drive to Tuguegarao and our spartan room for the night.

Coming next the (very wet) coastal resort of Pagupud.