Apo Whang Od Was Not in Tattoo Village Buscalan: Our Adventurous Journey in Finding the World’s Oldest Tattoo Artist

• Apo Whang Od tattoo guide: 12 essential things to know before travelling

Ever since M told me about Apo Whang Od, the oldest Batok tattoo artist in the world, I had an instant and urgent desire to tick off this bucket list- to visit and get tattooed by Apo Whang Od, as she is already 107 years old in 2024, who knows how long more I have left to meet her. Fortunately, after an uncertain, rough adventure, when we thought we couldn’t make it this time, everything fell into place at the perfect time in the end, and we managed to visit her and got the Apo Whang Od signature tattoos- 3 dots. However, we didn’t meet her in Whang Od Tattoo Village Buscalan, we found her somewhere else. This article will share our adventurous journey, how and where we found Apo Whang Od outside of Buscalan, what she is like in person, the Batok tattoo and village homestay experience, and more.

The start of the adventurous journey in finding the world’s oldest tattoo artist, Apo Whang Od didn’t go as planned or as we had hoped

“Because of the typhoon, the road to Whang Od Buscalan Tattoo Village is closed, and Apo will not return to Buscalan today”, the tour organiser told us while having breakfast on the day we supposed to set off to meet Apo Whang Od from Vigan city.

As for why we were in Vigan City, it was because, on the day we originally planned to visit Apo Whang Od, we were informed that Apo had gone on holiday to another city to visit her relatives and wouldn’t return to Buscalan, the Tattoo Village, for two more days (and we only had 5 days left in the Philippines).

Since she wasn’t there and we didn’t want to stay in Manila, we opted for a tailored private tour (Vigan city + Buscalan) instead of waiting for a Buscalan group tour to happen. (For tour information I gathered for you to compare, you can find it in this article).

Severe typhoon and a night at a historic homestay

After landing in Manila from Bohol Island on 2 September, 2024, we headed straight to the northern Philippines to visit Vigan City, on a day when a massive typhoon, Tropical Cyclone Yagi (Enteng) hit.

Following a long 7-hour car journey through a typhoon, we finally arrived in Vigan City late at night. As arranged and informed by the tour organiser, we stayed in a very old, historic house that had been renovated from the Spanish colonial era.

At first, we thought it was a pretty cool experience to stay in an old Spanish house like this. But later on, we started to feel that the energy and vibe were actually quite creepy as we toured around, we noticed that the house and its surroundings were filled with antiques and statues of various styles. There were also at least five dogs in cages, and a medium-sized doll in a glass case in our room (didn’t dare to take a photo of it).

We couldn’t sleep well and kept waking up, even though we were extremely tired. The dogs were constantly barking at night; a massive typhoon with strong winds and heavy rain was hitting our window. M even had a weird and intense nightmare and said it was caused by spirits, “there were some strong energy here”, he said.

In the morning, when they knocked on our door to wake us up for breakfast, we discovered there was a power outage and no running water due to the huge storm. As a result, we couldn’t shower, brush our teeth, or use the toilet in a normal way, and I was still on my period. We quickly accepted the uncomfortable situation, wiped ourselves with wet napkins, and brushed our teeth with bottled water.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, I discovered that my legs and back were full of bedbug bites from the bed in this house. Neither of us was in a great mood, and it felt like everything was going wrong both at night and in the morning.

When we went downstairs, the host lady was preparing the traditional Filipino breakfast (I was surprised to learn that Filipinos eat rice for breakfast) while the little girl was playing the ukulele and singing. As there was still no power, the man of the house brought candles to the dining table as replacements for the lights. As we ate and talked, the wind and rain kept hitting the house.

The breakfast with the hosts was nice, and the whole host family was lovely. It seemed like a genuine local cultural experience. Yet, for some reason, I had a strange thought that felt like we were in a similar vibe to the movie Get Out (2017).

The bad news- Apo Whang Od couldn’t return to Tattoo Village Buscalan

As mentioned in the beginning of the story, during breakfast, we also received the bad news from the tour organiser that due to the severe typhoon, Apo will not return to Tattoo Village Buscalan, she will stay where she visited her relatives.

When we asked if we could visit Apo Whang Od at her location, they told us there was a possibility that they could arrange it. However, the road to both Buscalan and to reach Apo from Vigan City was closed due to dangerous conditions caused by the typhoon. We were informed to wait and see how the weather would develop and if we could set off in the late afternoon.

As you can see, our journey to find Apo Whang Od began unpleasantly, filled with frustration, uncertainty, and accompanied by a huge typhoon.

Exploring Vigan City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Since we were already in Vigan City, we didn’t want to waste any time or miss the opportunity to explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Historic City of Vigan). While waiting for a response about whether we would get to meet Apo Whang Od outside of Buscalan, we decided to discover the city despite the strong winds and pouring rain.

We bought hooded raincoats and were ready to tour around on our own.

However, due to the severe typhoon, it was officially a day off for the people in the city. As a result, pretty much all shops and attractions were closed. We didn’t have many places to visit except for wandering around the old streets. Thankfully, the old streets were quite aesthetic, and charming. We also discovered a nice cafe where we had our new favourite coffee- dirty matcha latte (matcha with milk and espresso) while having a great conversation with a Chinese solo traveller.

The breaking point

In the late afternoon, we were informed that we wouldn’t be able to reach Apo Whang Od that day because the road was still closed. However, we were assured that the following morning, the driver and tour organiser could take us to meet Apo. This meant we had to spend one more night in Vigan, in the old Spanish house that we found quite creepy.

After carrying frustration, weird energy, uncertainty, and tiredness throughout the day and the entire journey, along with the thought of having to sleep in an uncomfortable place again, I couldn’t help but burst into tears nonstop.

Glad the energy at Hidden Garden where we had dinner was great, I got to take a few deep breaths and exchange energy with the plants.

After discussion, we decided to move to a pleasant hotel in the old town center. It is also a renovated historical hotel, but it features modern, bright interior designs, along with a rooftop bar, swimming pool, dining area and views of the old streets.

We had to cover the full cost of the hotel ourselves as the tour organiser didn’t give us a refund for the second night’s homestay we didn’t stay, despite us explaining why we couldn’t stay there. However, it was worth it and much needed, as the hotel made us feel safer, more relaxed, and significantly more comfortable, leaving us much happier.

We finally had a great sleep, enjoyed good food, a refreshing shower, and even took a nighttime walk in the heavy rain, all in a much better mood.

The turning point- setting off to meet Apo Whang Od in this city

The next morning, our driver and tour organiser picked us up and we went straight to meet Apo Whang Od.

It was roughly a 8-hour drive from Vigan to Apo’s location, so we spent another entire day on the road. Along the way, we passed through beautiful Sagada as well as saw the sign marked for Buscalan.

We encountered mudslides, narrow roads with bad conditions, stunning mountain views, waterfalls, jeepneys, and local villages. Finally, we arrived in Tabuk City, yes, this was where Apo Whang Od had her holiday.

“Oh, Apo is not in her house right now,” said the tour organiser. I thought, My God, not again! ” The organiser then added, “We will go further to find her.”

We stopped a few times in Tabuk City for the Filipina tour organiser to ask locals where Apo Whang Od was. It was quite an interesting scene; all we understood was ‘Apo’ from their conversations, and locals pointed us in the direction of her. Meanwhile, I was still wondering where I should have my Apo Whang Od signature three-dot tattoo and if I could endure the pain for one more design.

As we were approaching her, I started to feel extremely nervous, because we were finally going to meet someone we had been waiting to see for a while and had gone through all this adventurous journey in the Philippines for.

The experience of meeting Apo Whang Od

At 6:45 PM, on 4 September, 2024 we finally arrived at the location where locals said Apo Whang Od could be found. The tour organiser got out of the van first to check if Apo was there and to inquire about the possibility of us getting her three-dot signature tattoo.

When she returned with the positive answer that Apo was there and waiting to meet us, I was about to scream and became even more nervous.

We quickly got our cameras, and got out of the van. I tried to be calm but inside, my heart was beating fast.

We walked down a bumpy alley to reach a village house, where the village kids began gathering around, looking at us smiling. At the house, we saw many local elders and kids, whom they said were Apo’s relatives, but we didn’t see Apo Whang Od outside.

They told us that she’s in the little room. So we looked inside the room, MY GOD SHE IS THERE, AND SHE IS REAL, AND THAT IS Apo Whang Od, the legend!

It was a precious dream come true moment. After M talked about her six months ago and I saw the Vogue and CNN articles and YouTube videos about her, we finally met her in person.

What is Apo Whang Od like in person?

In person, Apo Whang Od looks adorable and so down to earth, so cute, so playful, so like a big kid, though the passage of time is clearly reflected in the lines of her face.

I couldn’t stop but kept hugging her when I got the chance as if she’s my favourite elderly aunt.

Before we went, we also saw information online about Apo Whang Od would grab guys’ balls when she sees them. We were wondering why and what does that mean. Our local tour organiser told us that Apo would even grab the girl’s private area, and she explained, it’s just grandma’s funny way of greeting the kids in their village.

Just as the online information & the tour organiser said, Apo DID IT, to both M and I, with laughter and playful expressions. “Naughty naughty” I said. But since it’s Apo, we just laughed it off.

While interacting with Apo, she suddenly pointed at my left wrist, which has travel bracelets on it. The tour organiser translated that “She’s interested in your bracelets, she might want one”. So I asked her “Which one do you like?” She didn’t say but just looked. I noticed she was looking at the Taiwanese 5-colour bracelet my mum gave me. Even though I really like that bracelet and was given by my mum, I got it off and gently put it on her right wrist, and wished her health and recover soon, as she’s with a wounded hand and she’s 107 years old.

The moment I put the bracelet on her, I saw she’s wearing a bracelet with Nazar (evil eyes), and a bag with pink strap written Alaska, then I laughed and thought she probably likes to collect souvenirs from world tourists visiting her, if that is so, it’s so adorable.

M also left Apo the lotions that Polish people love to use, for her to put on her injured wrist, with the hope that she can recover soon from her accident. And I was thinking how unique she is that travellers travelling far away from different corners of the world to the North of Philippines to visit her and wanting to get that special 3 dots signature tattoo.

“You are very lucky, because Apo is in a really good mood tonight.” our local tour organiser told us.

Apo Whang Od testing hand-tapping tattooing (Batok) with a wrapped wrist

After a while, the villagers brought us local coffee to try. While we were sipping the coffee, Apo was discussing the tattoo with her relatives. They prepared bamboo sticks for Apo to try hand-tapping with both hands, to see if she could do our tattoos herself.

But eventually, she’s still in pain when moving her hands. As a result, she guided one of her relatives on how to do it, and asked her to do ours.

Village homestay experience

They told us that at night time they don’t tattoo, we should rest early and do it in the early morning. So we re-packed our luggages and brought only essential needs, and they led us to our homestay in the village.

We slept in a little room, which looks like a kid’s room, with a thin mattress on the floor.

M got out the sleeping bags for us to cover our skin from touching the mattress directly.

We showered in the simple bathroom, with no light, no door, no hot water and also no shower panel. So, we had to shower in a traditional village way, using a small bucket to pour water on us, and also use our flashlight while showering.

The toilet was also interesting, it didn’t have a lid, so I couldn’t sit on it and had to squat instead.

For brushing our teeth, we only used our bottled water, as we didn’t know where the tap water comes from.

The whole experience was not that comfortable but it’s part of the journey, and it’s unique, interesting for one night.

We went to bed very early without eating, because there were not many things to do at night in the village, and no food other than a little local store selling instant noodles. We didn’t sleep well and kept waking up because it was hot. Plus, the roosters and dogs were constantly making noise, and my bedbug bites made my body very itchy. At 11 pm, I wish it’s 6am already so I could wake up to start the day. But it wasn’t, I had to force myself to sleep.

Experience of getting a Batok tattoo and if it hurts

Finally it’s 6 am in the morning, we woke up quickly to get ready to meet Apo Whang Od. “Apo is already awake, and now she’s drinking coffee and waiting for you”, her relative said.

Apo looked refreshing, still cute and very PLAYFUL. She wore the same floral pants, the region’s special necklace, and carried an Alaska bag as the previous night. However, she changed her top to a “Keep Walking” T-shirt. M also noticed that she was still wearing the bracelet I gave her.

When we arrived, she had already prepared the stick and the tattoo ink, which was made from natural materials—a mixture of charcoal and water.

Who goes first?” the villagers asked. “Definitely M!” I said, since I have a low pain threshold and wanted to see how M handled it first.

As Apo was injured, she couldn’t conduct the hand-tapped tattoo session herself. Instead, Apo inked her signature three dots on us and let her relative complete the process- tapping the ink into our skin using a natural stick, which is the so-called traditional Batok method.

Even though that’s all Apo could do, she took the task seriously and treated each piece of her artwork with respect. And during the tattoo sessions, she was sitting next to her relative, supervising the processes.It was fascinating to see how she dedicated and carefully placed 3 dots on M.

It took less than 10 minutes for M to get his first ever tattoo done. What surprised us all was not just that M didn’t feel pain during the tattoo session, but also that he wasn’t bleeding.

Then, it’s my turn, getting also my first ever tattoo, in the Batok way. Seeing M’s calm reaction during his session made me less worried about mine. But still, I was nervous.

I originally wanted the tattoo on my ankle, but Apo looked at it and told her relative to translate that getting a tattoo on the ankle would be more painful than on the wrist. She suggested I should have it on the same spot as M, for us to have the matching one.

After Apo inked her signature 3 dots on my wrist, my session started.

I can’t tell you if it’s less or more painful than the modern way of tattooing because it’s my first ever tattoo experience. But I can tell you that just the first few taps, I already felt the pain. It felt like a thick and sharp hypodermic needle poking my skin hard, and I was bleeding (it’s normal).

As a low pain threshold person, even getting piercing on ears is considered painful for me. However, it was less painful than I expected from watching many Youtuber’s videos getting their tattoo done by Apo herself.

Perhaps my facial expression showing the pain during the tattoo session was exaggerated (but that’s me), Apo Whang Od was laughing at me while supervising the processes, and teasingly showed me that if it’s done by herself, it would have been even harder, and more painful. (I believe this to be true, as evidenced by what I saw in YouTube videos).

About 30 minutes later, our three-dots signature tattoos were complete! In a special moment, Apo Whang Od even did the final few taps by herself to wrap our tattoo sessions up.

Our goal of travelling to the Philippines was finally accomplished!

Looking at our 3 dots, Apo Whang Od’s signature tattoo, we felt so relieved, satisfied, honoured and happy! Even though she didn’t do the entire tattoo herself, it was truly an honour and a precious experience to meet her in person.

I guess every time I see my three dots, memories of this adventurous yet challenging journey to find and meet Apo Whang Od with M will start playing in my head, along with all the unexpected troubles we faced and managed to overcome while travelling in the Philippines.

In the end, she told us to come back to the Philippines and to get the designed tattoo and visit her in Buscalan next time. We will see about that.

My personal takeaway from this adventurous journey

This journey deepened my belief that everything happens for a reason, and that life has a way of working out. There’s no need to fight or get too upset when things don’t go as planned or we don’t get what we want at that moment. If we accept, deal with it, and move forward, we often find that the universe has a better plan for us. As Steve Jobs said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.”

Also, I’ve always believed that individuals exploring unfamiliar places together is a great way to get to know each other, and I really love that.