Do You Believe in Filipino Charms?
ON MY DESK, there is a picture in which I am standing on the back of a truck and you can find all the people there wearing T-shirts inside out with big smiles at the foot of Mt. Apo.
As you know, Mt. Apo is the highest mountain in the Philippines — its height is about 3,000 meters. The trails are extremely rough and steep. There’s even a place where you have to continue scrambling over huge rocks for 2 hours right before its peak.
I have climbed the mountain twice. However, I reached its peak only once because on the second time I climbed, we got lost! We, 11 climbers, first scheduled our climbing for 2 nights and 3 days. And none of us except the expedition leader realized that we had missed the right trail until the morning of the third day. She did not want to let us know that she actually forgot the way. She was then a 20-year-old girl and was supposed to be a member of a famous mountain climbing team in Davao City. According to her, she had climbed Mt. Apo several times. We also had another member from the climbing team as our sweeper. But unfortunately, we were all lost.
We almost ran out of water in the early evening of the second day and yet nobody had cared about it because we were supposed to pass the trail where we can refill our water bags. The leader suggested to us to extend our climbing one more day when we were having dinner in the second evening. She said we still had 4 hours to reach the peak and it is dangerous to climb in the dark after here. So we decided to leave early on the following morning. The next morning, I poured the last drop of water into my mouth before departure.
Around 8 a.m. of the third day, after four hours walking up and down without water, there was already an idea in our minds — we are lost, aren’t we? We hadn’t even reached that rocky stretch I mentioned. But nobody brought it up. Maybe we were trying to push the reality away. I also had been denying the idea until we saw the peak in the distance. The leader suddenly shouted to us “Hey! That’s the peak.” We all joyfully turned our faces to the direction the leader pointed and we were speechless. The peak was almost too small to recognize and we were in the middle of the jungle. We were lost. And the leader said “I think we are lost.” “Hey, stop it. Not I think. We are all lost!” somebody bellowed.
In my backpack was a bottle of vodka that had been prepared to warm our bodies. The liquid was swashing inside the bottle, sounding as if it could quench my thirst, and it was driving me nuts. We were munching on some GORP (group of raisins and peanuts) while we were walking. It had been 6 hours since we ran out of water when we finally found a spring.
And now, when we were all gulping water, the leader begged us for a very strange thing. “Please wear your shirts inside out.” I didn’t understand what she meant. Neither other four Japanese members did. But all the Filipino members started turning their clothes inside out and wore them again. I looked for all the possible reasons that could make it purposeful. The most reasonable idea I thought was that that action could be important in connection to water and perspiration because we were all soaked. But finally we asked them and they said “The spirits of the mountain are trying to cheat us. So, we have to do it in order to get the right trail back. It’s a kind of charm.” I followed the instruction although I knew it was not because of the spirits but definitely because of her. Other Japanese members also followed one after another against their will. Because we did have nothing to do useful except that and were really at a straw.
After a few hours, maybe around three o’clock in the afternoon, we at last got the right trail, which was for us actually a new route. We believed that that was the right path because we found a vegetable field and also got the cellphone signal back. We contacted the mountain team right away and they promised to send a rescue team. And we continued waking until the next day without sleeping.
In the noon of the fourth day, we were rescued by a local rescue team from Bukidnon. Actually, we were not literally saved by the team. When the team found us, we had already arrived at the village at the foot of mountain. However, we all still had to be accommodated in the rescue truck because we had called them. Even a local newspaper ran an article about our distress: “Great Success by the Local Rescue Team — 4 Japanese people were saved!” No way! They didn’t do anything for us. And by that time, we all had come to somewhat believe in the charm.
And that is the reason why I have the strange picture on my desk.
< ![CDATA[Hi Ichi, great article. Many people believe in such things. Try to read my article tomorrow. Finally "congrats" to you. I always planed to make the Mt. Apo Tour. I only made it till Kidapawan...]]>
< ![CDATA[Hi Ichi,
I've also climbed apo twice and I did once see a tired group that ran out of water. Luckily, i've never experienced that or gotten lost. I'm glad things ended well for you.
I dont really believe in charms and the like but I do respect the fact that others do. i just keep it to myself especially if there is no harm in their beliefs.
There is a white cave in Epol, (North of Davao city, in the mountains past Calinan) that before we entered, our guide would throw coins into the cave entrance. Turns out the guide was aking "permission" from the cave spirits to enter the cave. We went through 4 caves that day and that was the only cave that we did the coin offerings.
Charms (anting-antings) and superstition is a common thing in the Filipino culture. Being the old-fashioned pessimist, I don't own any charms. Unless, my trusty old Larry Bird bobblehead on my desk counts as one :)]]>
< ![CDATA[Ichi
A good story this and some valuable lesson, for me, i do want to climb mt Apo myslelf and have talked to my brother in law and he will accompany me with a guide (i wasn't just thinking i could strike out on my own) but your tale here tells just how tough the walk is, so, a valuable lesson for me here.
i am coming to Davao in Jan 08 and will have my opportunity then
You have done it once and failed here due to your poor leadership and so you must have really wanted to do it and got a lot of satisfaction from the experience, and i am keen to do it too. I remeber from previous comment and above from Macky he has done it twice, lucky for you both to have the opportunity of such a beautiful walk, anyway once at least will be fine for me. I hope we don't need to turn around our shirts
I am british and sinoliar to what Macky says some people have old fashioned beliefs, me, not really, i do believe in good luck and bad luck but not the ability to produce it by reversing shirts, or similar, but i have nothing against those that do and like you to please someone i would have definately reversed shirts to comply with someones wishes.
thanks for the article]]>
< ![CDATA[Konichi wa, Ichi-san, I haven't been reading this blog for some time and I was very happy to see that Bob has added you to the masthead.
I'm an American married to a Filino lady and living full-time in Bulacan, Luzon. I had the good fortune to spend 3 years in Japan (Mizuho machi, over on the far west side of Tokyo-to) back at the end of the last century ... and it is one of the few countries I miss ... I'd go back there in a heartbeat.
It will be very interesting to hear about your life here in the Philippines from a different point of view ... welcome aboard.]]>
< ![CDATA[Hi
Well i like to tell you i have climbed it..BUT i can only say im glad to watch you guys do it. I will stay at base camp with your vodka.]]>
< ![CDATA[As children, growing up in Davao, we turned our clothes inside out whenever we got lost and needed to find our way back home. I guess it confused the spirits who were trying to draw us into their lair.
Here's another practice that would boggle your mind --turning your dinner plate around and putting it on your head to get a fish bone in your throat unstuck. it never worked with me.]]>
< ![CDATA[what's the plate supposed to do with the bone, bebot? hahaha...
from what i know, to get that stuck fish bone from your throat, you'd have to have, or get a cat to scratch your throat. my sister did it once, but i don't know if it worked... another way is to eat a banana.
(sigh) filipinos are so into superstitions... black cats, witches... i won't be surprised if someday Pres. Arroyo's gets impeached for using the national budget to get herself onto the throne (again) by having her all opponents get voodooed. :shock:]]>
< ![CDATA[Hello to all, I just replied to Klaus article about anting2x or charm. Like Macky, I don't really believe in it but loves to play along with it. Specially when it's about money hahahaha :lol: Like example they said that if your palm is itchy, a plant flowers out of ordinaire or dreaming of a poop you will soon recieve bonus/gift money. And it is fun to go along with aswang, dili ingon-ato and so on story tellin' before and during all souls day :wink: .]]>
< ![CDATA[You_Know_me:errr... perhaps to entice it back to the plate?But cats scratching throat?thats gonna be sore.I think I'll opt for my mom's rolled boiled rice.No need for puss -on -the boots doing surgery eh? :wink: si lola talaga!
Okay, here's one--->its been said that one must knock three times before entering an empty place so to avoid the wrath of the house spirit . (probably so they'll know when to hide :lol: )Lest they'll play tricks on you.I'd seen kitchen utensils,plates,and glasses flying about next door...Could it be an annoyed poltergeist doing summersault in two piece?hmm I wonder.Should have told the couple about knocking three times...
On a serious note, IChi,that shirt thingy,happened to me when I was young.About four adventurous kids wanted to go to the beach but we dont know where it is.Big brother told us once that the beach is towards north.Pointing to a hilly area with coconut trees and viney shrubs.With that info we marched to an oblivion.You know how kids are ...no sense of danger sometimes.I dont know how long or what time it was.All i remember was it was getting dark and we were threading a path in circles.We could see from afar a lighted house but couldnt find the way.Being kids,upset and hungry we started crying.Then the older girl told all the lil smurfs (us--lil ones) to turn our blouses inside out.And then say,"let us go home".We did.Few minutes later and a few more walks,we realized we are just near our back field fence.And our folks had been looking for us with sticks in their hand (thats for the lesson bit).And noone knew where that lighted house we've seen.Spooky.or wild imagination.Maybe there's a truth in all that belief or maybe its the power of the mind.whatever it is,Im sure glad i got home.I was famish like you wouldn't believe.Could've finish one suckling pig in a go.. :eek:]]>
< ![CDATA[OOpppsss..I mean puss in the boots! where was I?]]>
< ![CDATA[a lot of my friends and even my elders, told me stories about this. papa used to be a mountaineer when he was younger.. he actually belongs to a group from bukidnon. and he has shared some stories about getting lost and them turning their shirts to find the way.
:razz: well i never believed in the "turning of shirts" thing. because getting lost never happened to me (thank god.)
but now i have heard this story from u, it makes me wonder. really does coz i know u hate superstition haha. and i know u dont make stories like this.
nyway sensei, glad to know u found ur way.]]>