When traveling through the Philippines you often get served a curveball, which is what I was given when we saw the fiesta in Bontoc.
Now what exactly is a fiesta and what is Bontoc? Lets delve into it!
What is a Philippines Fiesta?
A town fiesta is held in pretty much every town in the Philippines to celebrate the patron saint of that town. This involves marching and marching bands from all over the town, as well as government agencies, charity groups, women’s groups and private companies coming out on display.
They then march through the city with everyone who is not in the parade coming out to clap and watch. If the Bontoc parade was anything to go by the watching group are smaller than the participating group.
When this happens the traffic is also stopped as armed police hold court and direct traffic. Now I have seen many a fiesta in the Philippines and while they have a bit more sex appeal in places like Cebu, or Bohol, the Bontoc one was pretty good by rural standards.
What the Bontoc?
This small little town is situated between Sagada, where the hanging coffins are and Banaue where the start of the famous rice terraces are.
The town apparently has 24.000 people and is actually the capital of Mountain Province of the Philippines. Aside from being the two other aforementioned places this also makes it a stop if you are going to get a tattoo from Whang Od.
Although this was not something we were to do on the Extreme Philippines Tour.
And as for the town itself there were restaurants and hotels here, as well as views of the rice terraces, although one got the feeling that it was not exactly a tourist Mecca, despite the Bontoc Fiesta.
Yet it was as I discussed with my colleague the type of town you could definitely hang out in for a while, so long as you had internet.
Street Food Bontoc Mountain Province
Alas coming at 8 am meant I did not get to see any street food, but I did see places that would be good for Filipino BBQ, as well as a place with salted meat being cured outside.
And while it did not get to try it this time, I may well come back for some Bontoc street food while enjoying the Mountain Dew Art.