For those of you who already conquered this mountain, have you ever wondered why it was named ‘Tabayok’? Have you ever asked the locals why it was name such?
And for those who are yet to climb this mountain maybe these tales will enlighten you a bit. There are a couple of versions of the tale why this mountain named ‘Tabayok’. Most elders in the community passed on a story that this was because of the form of the mountain. In the Kalanguya dialect, we called it ‘nayokyok ni kiyew’, which means, bended tree. When you will take a look at the mountain’s form from afar, it really looked like a tree which is bending.
Also, another version of the story was, it was heard that on top of the mountain, which is on the far side, lies a small body of water. In our dialect we say, ‘natabayok’, which means ‘accumulated water’. They say this is where animals drink water. This is also where hunters camp when they are at the mountain. So derived from the term ‘natabayok’, the people then of this place called it ‘Tabayok’.
Though these two tales are different, they atleast give us an idea of how the mountain was named as such.
Climbing this mountain is not easy. For seasoned climbers, it may take them up to 2 hours to reach the peak. But for amateurs like me, it may take up to 3 hours, this includes the times you stop for picture taking and for resting. As per our guide, it is more than 2,700 feet. The climb won’t be easy, but worth it when reach the top. Too bad though that the wooden view deck was wrecked. If you wanted to take your picture, it will at your own risk.
My second ascend was better than the first since the weather was very clear. No fogs to hinder the view. And thanks to our guide, Jezer Balagan, the son of Mr. Santiago Balagan, my source of the tales i wrote in my previous blogs about the lake. If you plan on going up to the mountains to get away from the pressing life in the city, you can contact him at 09081593581.
I already talked about tourist spots located in our place. There are more places which are yet to be discovered and i will be writing about those places in my up coming blogs. For the time being, I will change the tone in my next blog and will about one of our cultural dances, the Monkey dance.
Bevz' Tidbits 