ENERGIZING EXPERIENCE AT ADAMS, ILOCOS NORTE

From the house of Sir Herdy Yumul in Laoag, we rode a van headed for Pagudpud. No, we're not heading off to the beach as most Pagudpud visitors are inclined to do but further inland and upland to the town of Adams for our Field Exposure in two days.

The sun was up, the weather a bit warm but breezy when we arrived. Welcome to Adams, population: 1,522 as of the last census. The name seems out of place alongside the names of the other municipalities of Ilocos, the familiar ones as local-sounding as Bangui or Paoay. But the place lives up to its namesake, the first man created by God, as it looks and feels like an Eden locked up in the northwestern fringes of the Gran Cordillera range. Even towards noon, the place is quiet save for the singing of the cicadas and the occasional barking of dogs.

Not wanting to waste our first morning away, we set off for Anuplig Falls before breakfast. It's nearly an hour and a half hike through the forest and here's where one will fully understand that the local definitions of "easy" and "near" are as far away from our definitions as I am from Pinili. Our guide, had no difficulty navigating through the forest and looks ready to go back for another guiding trip. It cannot hide the fact that it is beautiful as they say it is.

When night fell, we had dinner with my classmates, Ma'am Anj, and Sir Yumul as well as a wine-tasting session. Wine-making is as much as an industry as a passion here as there are 63 wine-makers in a population of just over 1500, taking advantage of the profusion of wild fruits and berries that grow here and in the mountains.  The wines, especially the Bugnay wine, were very good, a perfect way to cap a long day and a free-flowing conversation that covered a raft of topics from the tourism initiative started in 2008 and the future of eco-tourism in Adams.  It's refreshing to come across a person who fully recognizes that the place is suitable for low-volume tourism and that what they offer as unique are the natural surroundings, the peace and quiet of this place where people from different tribes -- Yapayao, Isneg, Ilocano Igorot, Kakana-ey and Ibaloi  -- live in harmony.

One of the things we enjoyed in our visit to the upland town of Adams was their exotic food. It was a rare chance to try and savor these unique dishes. 

We rode on the 4x4 Track when we got home.