ADAMS, Ilocos Norte, Oct. 13 (PIA) – It was 5:00 a.m. when we (me and my fellow media friends) got up and started our adventure in the native land of Adams, the second smallest town in terms of population next to Carasi in Ilocos Norte.
It was my first time to set foot in this town, which admittedly, is one of my dream destinations since I have been hearing a mouthful of good words about the place, their culture and the people.
And since, it was my first, I did not waste my time capturing the early morning sunrise and to my surprise, indeed, Adams speaks of untouched nature and scenery. The golden rise of the sun is covered with fog and oceanic clouds.
We earnestly braved the strong downpour the previous night just to climb the municipality of Adams, one of the most in-demand destinations for tourists-backpackers in the province where mountain trekking or hiking is the main attraction for tourism.
Luckily, we were able to drive through the wet roads going uphill and downhill like a roller-coaster ride. Because Adams is an isolated village, roads here were not as smooth as the roads in the lowland. But the Department of Tourism and the Department of Public Works and Highways have converged for the completion of concrete roads here which is set to be finished in 2016.
We were set to hike a 4.5 kilometer walk to the three mountains of Adams namely: Agal, Balanga and Inyawan that day and we were able to finish it for a record of almost three hours with our trained guides from the municipality.
According to Paul Acupan, a native of Adams and head of the tour guides, the municipality of Adams is the only place in Ilocos Norte which offers trekking or hiking as an adventure for tourism. This is the reason why Adams celebrates an annual festival dubbed as “Intado Ka Ginginubat” which means “Let’s Go To the Forest”.
This is a yearly celebration which seeks to promote tourism in Adams through hiking. A group of tourists, including our team, from the different provinces and municipalities have joined the event.
We enjoyed blissful sights of nature sceneries and some wild plants and fungi that grow in the wilderness of the forests. Aside from it, the mountain views are very captivating. We actually passed by a couple of water falls along the trek.
On top of the mountain, we got to enjoy an unlimited picking and eating at the Rambutan Farm found at the peak of the mountain owned by Mayor Eric T. Bawingan.
After the tiring but worthy hike, a spread of boodle fight (military style eating) with native foods from Adams was served to the visitors and hikers. Tourists can avail of this package for only P300 from the municipality.
Adams is composed of one village and five sitios namely: Maligligay, Malaggao, Sinidangan, Cadisan and Bucarot which are covered by lush vegetation, cloud-capped mountains, crystal clear rivers, waterfalls and functional hanging bridges.
Home to the famous Bugnay (wild berry) wine and other tropical wines being sold in local and international markets, Adams is also a small town of culturally diverse indigenous people comprising the tribes of Kankana-eys, Yapayaos, Isnegs, Bagos and Ilocanos (CHERRY JOY GARMA, PIA-1, Ilocos Norte)
