Buscalan is a home for the Butbut ethnic group of Kalinga. They are known as the headhunters of the Cordillera Region and this reputation is related to their culture and tradition of tattoos. Although tribal war and headhunting were already long gone, the art of Batok still continues. Batok (Whatok in Butbut dialect) is a way of tattooing in which the mambabatok (tattoo artist) would use lemon thorn as the needle and charcoal soot mixed with water on coconut shell as an ink. When the artist draws the pattern, she would hand poke or hand tap the lemon thorn against the skin to create the permanent ink. This process is painful and quite bloody. This type of tattoos might be scary but people from around the world still flock the small mountain village of Butbut tribe not just to get a tattoo but to personally meet the last and oldest mambabatok, Apo Whang-Od.
Apo Whang-Od was first featured in a 2009 documentary by anthropologist Lars Krutak aired in Discovery Channel. Since then she gets famous while receiving global recognition. Travelers including A-list celebrities would take that long journey to meet her and get tattoos from her. In 2016 her image is exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada. She received the prestigious Dangal ng Haraya Award in 2018 and she is on the process of being the National Living Treasures Awardee. Recently, in April 2023 she graced the cover of fashion magazine Vogue Philippines. With all these achievements, Apo Wang-Od remains humble and selfless to her community. Even before she garnered her celebrity status, the cheerful grandma is known to share what she receives from her patrons to her village. In one of Business Insider’s documentary she mentioned that she is grateful that her practice of batok is able to transform the life of the people from her village. She also hopes that even if she will be gone tourists would still continue to come to Buscalan and support them by getting tattoos from her tribe’s new generation. Apo Whang-od is truly not just passionate about her craft but she also makes sure that batok tattoos will not die and continue to thrive. With all that, what are the costs of getting a tattoo from her?
The Cost of Time
The only way to meet her is to travel all the way to Buscalan unless there is an event she is invited which is rare considering her advanced age. The journey starts by taking a bus to Tabuk, Kalinga or Bontoc, Mountain Province. These two routes can take around 10 to 12 hours bus rides. If you choose the Victory Liner Kamias Terminal in Cubao to Tabuk, Kalinga journey, it will guarantee at least 10 hours on a freezing bus. In Tabuk, walk to Saint Williams Cathedral to take the direct vans to Buscalan because they are fastest and you will only need 2 hours travel time. However, sometimes they are not available so the next option would be the bus going to Bontoc. The old fashion bus runs slow and road constructions are along the way. The ride can take 3 hours and 30 minutes to reach barangay Bugnay in Buscalan. From there, ride 20 minutes motorbike (habal-habal) to reach the jump off point where the hike begins. Depending on your speed, the hike on the narrow pathway to Butbut tribe village may take from 30 to 40 minutes. After registration to secure your number for the tattooing and meeting Apo Whang-od you will be asked to wait in your homestay or patiently stand in line while watching her doing tattoos. Mind you, the number given is per group. You could be number 5 but the numbers before you can consist of 10 to 15 people. The waiting time can be 2 hours up to the next day depending on the day of your visit. On the weekends expect that you will wait for the whole day but if you happen to be there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays you can have a chance to get a tattoo immediately and hang out with Apo Wang Od especially if there are no other visitors. To conclude the number of time you need from bus rides to hiking plus waiting time, you may need 24 hours to be right in front of her. Again, this depends on the circumstances, it can be less or more.
The Cost of Pain
Watching Apo Whang-Od do tattoos on the visitors, you can see mixed reactions. Some are obviously in pain while the others calmly take every poke as if they were nothing. Long before this journey, I talked to people who already got their ink from Apo and most of them said it really hurts. They were amazed despite her age her poke is still strong enough to hurt so bad. One of them even stated that she felt her pokes reached her bone on the wrist.
While waiting for my turn, I got a “traveler” design tattoo about 2 inches in diameter from a local villager. The first five minutes of the session was painful about level 4 out of 10. Surprisingly, as time passes my body went numb to the point that I agreed when the artist asked me if I want a second coat of my tattoo. She then commented that I have a high pain tolerance. For reference I already have two inks prior. During the tattoo session with Apo, I got her 3 dots signature on my left wrist. I still feel numb at that time so the level of pain is 2 out of 10. However after that, my whole wrist immediately became swollen. It continued to swell for the whole week with no aftercare as advised by the locals. They just told me to avoid saltwater until it fully recovers. On the other hand another visitor who also got a wrist tattoo from Apo mentioned the level of pain he had was 5 out of 10. Fortunately for him after 3 days he is ready to hit the beach because it seems his wrist recovers faster than mine. Therefore, just like any other tattoos the pain in getting a batok depends on the person’s tolerance, skin and parts of the body where it is located.
The Cost of Money
The rate of Apo’s 3 dots tattoo is not certain especially when you speak to people who got them. Some say they paid ₱150 others ₱500. On my recent travel, Apo charges ₱300 which to be honest is very cheap considering her status. However if you include the travel cost obviously it will be more. To give you an idea here’s the breakdown on how much you will be spending. If you are on a travel agency you can pay a fix rate of all inclusion package. They range from ₱3,500 to ₱7,500 depending on the number of days and side trips to Sagada or Banaue.
If you are on DIY travel, expect to spend more on transportation. Starting with the bus from Manila to Kalinga or Mountain Province this costs from ₱950-₱1,350 so the return bus ride would be ₱2,000- ₱2,700. Transportation to Buscalan ranges from ₱230 if you take the bus or ₱250 if you take the van return ride will be ₱460-₱500. Motorbike ride to the jump off point is ₱150 per person and you will take this same transport going down to catch the bus or jeepney to Tabuk or Bontoc so total of ₱300. Registration fee is ₱100 per individual with a Tour Guide fee from ₱1,000-₱1500 with maximum of 4 people per guide. Their standard rate for every homestays is ₱400 per person a night. Some of them provide free rice and unlimited Buscalan coffee. When it comes to food, it all depends on the guest. Some guests bring their own food since cooking is allowed in homestays. Eateries are also available with decent meals priced at ₱75-₱150. There is no signal in Buscalan so you will be totally disconnected from the outside world. If you want to avail of the wifi, some accommodations provide them for ₱40 an hour or ₱300 a day.
In getting a tattoo, it all depends on the design and the size. They range from ₱500- ₱3,500. You also need to buy your own gisi or thorn needle which cost ₱100. Doing the math an overnight stay in Buscalan to get inked by Apo Whang-od may cost from ₱6,000- ₱8,500. This may vary with the number of people in the group since you can split the cost of the Tour Guide. Food cost is based on one’s consumption the same with tattoo’s rate.
Overall, the cost to meet the living legend Apo Whang-Od is all worth it. One must have the patience for the long journey, tolerance for that pain and some money to cover the expenses. When a visitor has the appreciation of culture and openness to understand other’s tradition that is passed on through generations, you will not only value the body art that you get but also the meaning behind it.
Just Go Abby 