We were going around the tiangge of the Tungoh Ad Hungduan Festival one of the participants of the Hungduan Climbathon 2011 were talking to some of the merchants. Surprisingly, they were not speaking in Ifugao dialect but in Bisaya dialect. I frequent Mindanao and I could identify if one is trying hard Bisaya or not, and I am sure they were not trying hard.
(Lower Left) Kuya JR; (Upper Center) Kuya Janjan
Kuya JR arranging some of his merchandise
I approached and asked them where they were from. Surprisingly (again!), they told me that they were from Tondo, Manila. It turned out they were travelling merchants. By selling different products, they travelled from Cotabato, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Samar, Iloilo, Bicol Region and many more provinces before they arrived in Ifugao. They were selling cloth, undergarments, knives, boots, hats, childrens clothes and many more when I saw them.
Another participant talked to them in Ilonggo. They also knew how to speak comfortably in the Ilonggo dialect! They also spoke in Ifugao dialect when one a customer came by and asked for prices. These shows that they spent a large amount of time in provinces to be able to learn and speak comfortably different Filipino dialects. They have done one of my bucket list
Currently, they have settled down in Ifugao since Kuya Janjan found his soulmate there. But who knows, may be his soulmate is his solemate.
Their Merchandise
P.S. I asked them what’s their most recommended place to go in the Philippines, Kuya Jan-Jan answered South Cotabato because of its natural beauty.
One of the rewards of being a traveler is meeting people who interest us. It’s the conversation, the exchange of talks with them, that makes traveling all the more interesting. Yes, I agree with Kuya Jan-Jan, South Cotabato is indeed a a great place to visit especially for nature lovers.
Just saying hi from another travel enthusiast 🙂
Hi there fellow lakwatsero! 🙂
I noticed that the more I travel, the more my list of places to go to grow. We learn everytime we travel and the knowledge we gain are better than reading books.
I agree, there are things we learn while traveling which we cannot learn from reading books. What makes traveling more interesting is the actual and not the vicarious experience 😉