There was music from Karlo Marko Altomonte's Open Space Productions with his sons Aeneas and Leon on the guitars. There was scent of pinewood being burned in the middle of a dap-ayan, scent of burned pig flesh and more and more sights and sounds to fill the senses.
Earlier, as we entered The Manor at CJH, Kai got her hand tangled in my purse as she tried to fish out a digital camera. Yes, she was bent on documenting the event that will last many weekends while the dry season is still ongoing.
Ili Ay Cordillera features an Ifugao hut, the Smokehouse for upland cuisine like etag, pinikpikan and pinuneg (blood sausage), a farmers' market for the freshest stuff without pesticides, a carvers' shed, a weavers' hut, an artisans' corner.
There was a beautiful documentary by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, "Mountain Spirits: Textiles and Folk Art of the Cordilleras and Ilocos," which was shown on a big screen. One hoped that it would have repeated showings while the village is still up. It was the kind of docu that instilled pride in one's people and one's place in the world.
Enough writing and talking. Let Kai tell her story in pictures.
