WOMAN TRAVELLED ACROSS THE GLOBE TO GET TATTOOED BY THE WORLD’S OLDEST TATTOO ARTIST
WITH VID AND PIX
By Hannah Hodgetts
A woman trekked across the remote mountains of the Philippines to be tattooed by the world’s oldest tattoo artist.
Sara Howell, 26, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA, traveled across the globe to meet Apo Whang-od, 108, in the mountain village of Buscalan, Tinglayan.
She endured a 30-hour flight from Washington, D.C., to Manila for the chance to have an iconic piece of history permanently inked by the last mambabatok (traditional tattoo artist) of Kalinga.
Sara said: “This was the craziest journey of my life.
“We were greeted by our tour guide, Celine. She was like, ‘Okay, we just have to cross the bridge and then hike’. I thought I was gonna die.”
After a ten-hour bus ride into the mountains and a two-hour hike through a small town where few locals spoke English, Sara’s adventure had only just begun.
She experienced life as a local, hopping on a jeepney - the Philippines’ most popular mode of public transport - before continuing on a motorbike ride up the mountain to Buscalan, where she met her guide, Celine.
However, when Sara finally reached the village, she learned that Apo Whang-od had left earlier that morning to attend a wedding in the nearby town of Tabuk.
Determined not to give up, Sara stayed overnight in the village and met Grace, Apo Whang-od’s granddaughter, who is also trained in the art of batok.
Not wanting to leave her trip without a traditional tattoo, Sara got tattooed by the person closest to Apo Whang-od.
Grace created a design using natural ink and used a thorn to tap it into Sara’s skin - a centuries-old hand-tapping technique known as batok.
The next morning, Sara and her guide embarked on a three-hour trek to Tabuk in search of Apo Whang-od.
At last, she found her surrounded by a small crowd of tourists, quietly tattooing in a little corner.
Sara finally received Whang-od’s signature design, three dots, symbolising herself and her maternal bloodline.
She said: “Finally, we made it to the village, where she showed us where Apo Whang-od would be and she wasn't there.
“I did not come all this way for nothing. I've taken a plane, a bus, a jeepney, a motorbike, and hiked on foot to get here.
“I also ended up meeting Apo Whang-od’s granddaughter, who's also trained in the art of tattooing.
“I figured let me test this tattoo thing out. So they drafted out the design in natural ink, and then they took a thorn, and then they tapped that into the skin. It wasn't so bad. It was like 6 out of 10 pain.
“Our guide, Celine, she decided to make the entire three-hour trek to Tabuk with us.
“Celine did her thing and literally tracked down Apo Whang-od. I don't know how she did it.
“We approached this house, which I noticed had like a couple of other tourists there, and then literally I turned around and nestled into a tiny little corner - there she was.
“We hit it off.
“I just knew she was gonna be cool.
“We got right to the tattoo. She gave me her signature three dots, which represents her and her maternal bloodline. The journey of a lifetime.”
ENDS
