She's a 107 Year Old Tattoo Artist

somewhere in the Philippines there is a 107 year old woman named Wang OD who is the last remaining tribal tattoo artist of her kind she gets her needles from trees her ink from charcoal and her beading stick from bamboo I am on a mission to meet the legend herself and discover a part of the Philippines that you may not know existed it is 6 a.m we are getting ready to go on an adventure of a life to meet Wong wood Deanna and I are joined by our driver G and our camera guy Mike none of us have ever been all the way up north in the Philippines before and the 15-hour journey into the mountains to get there is gonna be insane we've made it to the highest point in the entire country of the feelings on any Highway 7 400 feet high right here check this out [Music] you can see on the bathroom here they charge five pesos if you PP and 10 pesos if you poop be honest I only peed I don't need no poopy MVP [Music] don't fall I'm not you're not gonna fall you can just see the views behind me are stunning it's this massive Green Valley of Rolling Hills and mountains it seemingly goes on forever the Philippines continues to impress every time I come here anywhere I go in this country as you can see the Philippines is not only beaches coconut trees and hot Sunshine the mountain region here is tribal and feels something like Sapa Valley in Vietnam or Northern Laos there is one special destination along the way that I've been wanting to see for years it's a UNESCO world heritage site and it's known as The Eighth Wonder of the world the banawe rise Terraces this place is actually on the 20 peso bill it's so famous Legend has it that centuries ago the ifogao people were carving these depths and it's just so charming and peaceful up here breathtakingly beautiful The Rice Terraces are truly a miracle of engineering seeing nature tamed and organized so delicately and precise by humans is quite the experience the Euro ifugao tribe yes how old are you 89 89 this is the Rice Terrace but the ifugao people make this yes the people make the food she says she doesn't know Tagalog the the national language of the Philippines only English and he forgot language yeah yeah beautiful feathers in her hair and we're overlooking the absolutely incredible but now a Rice Terraces do you know who Wang mode is she does the tattoo not only is wangwood famous around these parts but the entirety of the Philippines and the whole world as the oldest person ever to be on the cover of Vogue magazine she started Tattooing in her youth after learning the skills of her father a master in the region wangod is truly a feminist icon having shattered the tradition of men being the only ones allowed to practice the art of tribal tattooing her technique is called batok the traditional hand tap tattooing Which is far more painful than modern methods but the most surreal part about all of this is that Wong Road has no children which means after she's gone this type of tribal tattooing will become totally extinct [Music] we headed deeper into the mountains and after hours of driving we ended up in a Charming Filipino town I'm just arriving here in sagada really really cool looking place there's a huge flea market here on the street and the people are just very nice and humble and they have this distinct look certainly doesn't feel like anywhere I've been in the Philippines behind me you can see all this fresh produce and all these vegetables and fruits are grown locally this is the biggest city here it's kind of like the Hub in this province so all the nearby villagers kind of come here there are numbers in there and then when you pick one you're gonna win something or not take Bingo no it's a hydraulic 91. oh what's that okay guys you all tries this is hilarious you pick a number and yeah win a prize two here thank you it's almost like those scratch-off cars that they have in the U.S yeah a sticker and a necklace thicker for stopping to buy a jacket because it's going to be cold tomorrow morning when we hike the mountain and we don't have uh jackets though gotta do it here you look cute yeah it's cute it's like sporty travel tip you don't have to bring everything with you umbrellas jackets just buy it as you go and it's cheap it's like 10 bucks for a jacket and you're supporting the local economy see if it fits yeah it's a little too small I don't like the style let's take a biker jacket well actually this might be good yeah oh that's good best okay new fashion best okay new fashion number 21 style Vogue design wear best all right we're ready for one mode after a great day of exploring the beautiful nature and relaxing towns up north we are heading to our little guest house to get some rest before the big day we have a new reservation yeah on Agoda for two nights two rooms this is a pretty sweet spot I mean it's nice in here it's clean it's rustic traditional not a bad place to spend the night I really it's been an amazing day exploring the northern region of the Philippines that had a blast I'm exhausted from driving like 14 hours today got the charging station going over here getting all the gear ready to go for tomorrow we got a 4 a.m wake-up call to go meet the famous Wong ode see you guys in the morning yo what's up bro ready let's do it look at her she wakes up like perfectly beautiful at 4 45. who does that behind me is a sea of clouds welcoming the sunrise in the morning absolutely amazing God is that you babe your country is beautiful I know it's amazing what a spectacular Sunrise I mean you can hear the roosters talking the tuck Tuck's moving the birds chirping look at the close Bears morning after another hour and a half of driving across the windy roads we made it to the footsteps of Longo's Village we are looking for our local friend Remy it's a bit complicated because there's no phone signal here it's zero and uh I don't know where we need to hike to that must be her hi are you ready Hi how are you I'm good I'm sorry you arrived first before so which Village are we hiking to up there we go down that one yeah oh cool little did we know that there's a hefty hike up the mountain to reach wangwood's Village and we've just been told that she might not even be able to meet us today which means that I can't get a tattoo and this whole story would be scrapped it's risky in general to come here because it all depends on her mood that explains why tourists often have to spend two or three nights here before getting to meet her our hike to Wong Road has just begun going down and up and down this beautiful countryside how was one odd where are the tattoos they're gone pull my hand you got it how's your balance okay one step at a time along the journey to Wango there's a beautiful waterfall that we cross it's just so surreal out here [Music] so you do this walk every day most likely yeah does one go do the walk sometimes if she needs to right go to the hospital yeah you okay yeah tired almost there what's a gun for huh I had a big gun I don't know why every step you take [Laughter] it's like it's a little more difficult than expected oh we're out of shape almost there I can see the top we're just about here babe can you believe we made it finally is this the really yeah after that long drive hike we've made it whoa cute little village there are about 800 people living in this Village called buscalon and they are so isolated that nobody else can understand their native language it is very much tribal up here with unique faces and colorful clothing and everyone especially women are proudly showing their tribal marks this is the snake skin yeah you're a snake ladder and hourglass obviously the the views here the mountains are just absurd you can feel the presence of one good while walking around this Village and it's so Charming her face is literally everywhere and there's even multiple souvenir shops with merchandise to take home I just picked up these three awesome magnets of Wong old from the souvenir shop that I'm gonna send them to three winners all you have to do is click that link down below and subscribe to my email newsletter where I send out travel updates in real time exclusive hacks and tips that aren't told anywhere else and also by standing up you're getting a free ebook of my top 100 travel photos from visiting every country in the world and while you're at it I encourage you guys to subscribe to my channel I'm going all around the world telling the best stories it's a pleasure to have you guys here with me with that being said let's go back to the story while waiting for wongo to wake up we went to the one and only restaurant in town cheesy hot dog 2000 memories Filipino style breakfast this is corned beef hash this is just egg and this is red hot dogs tender juicy I wouldn't know you're in the Philippines they don't have knives they just cut everything with the edge of the spoon oh my God okay that's called a lot of rice purple rice this is the way that you cut the hot dog you just take the edge of the spoon Filipino style [Music] tender juicy hot dog I'm not sure how they get it to be so red yeah it's food color corned beef hash the garlicky it's almost like a meatball that's smashed together I was just told by Remy Arturo guy that long road is still sleeping it's now 8 12 and she's usually awake at seven so we hope that she's feeling okay there's always a risk of coming here that she just doesn't want to wake up and doesn't want to see anyone so fingers crossed because came a long way to get here and I really don't want to have to cancel this trip in this video meanwhile I'm gonna go in a little village tour and check this place out take you guys around this really special place in the mountains I think there's a secret to living really long life here in this Village because I've seen a lot of old people old faces [Music] believe it or not it was a disaster to get permission to fly my drone which never is an issue in the Philippines the locals told me that the police would actually shoot it down from the sky like they've done with others in the past the reason is because of Tribal wars and land disputes remember that guy I just saw who was carrying that gun over his shoulders I had no idea about any of this until now so the Drone needs to come down quickly before I get into trouble yeah there's a conflict between because of the land dispute so it's been going on for years so what happens if you go there they will kill you River yeah so people are dying yeah they're shooting each other in the mountain really yeah doesn't that make you scared everyone gets scared of course but only men can do the shooting to protect the village and protect the women so it's normal to hear about people shooting people yeah you would think it's safe because it's the Philippines and everybody's friendly and happy yeah but it's not safe for us because we live in buscal and we are safe but there are but the people in bhugnay of course they feel they're scared we've just been told that Longwood is awake she's taking a shower and we will be meeting her very soon I've just decided now to get a tattoo I don't know what over where but be my third one I can't wait to meet her and such a blessing to be here this is the waiting area where people usually sit and wait how long have we been talking about this yeah many years yeah don't be nervous seven years three dots that's the famous one all right we are just seconds away from going into wango's house and meeting her it's gonna be absolutely amazing she's in such high demand there's so many tourists that come here for Hawaii yeah you came here just for one hour just for one word what do you think about one girl she's a legend this is her house right here two-story building she's the kitchen here bedroom over there it's very healthy so you can see there's a lot of healthy dishes everywhere [Music] so much anticipation so you can't rush her having a lot of anxiety just standing here waiting because the journey was so long to get here she's getting ready and there's like a lot of anticipation to actually meet her feeling quite nervous actually how are you feeling nervous and then there she was [Music] good morning all right how are you she's so cute she's taking us to a different place to get tattooed we are going up this windy little staircases so we are roaming to the other side of the village to to get our tattoos not speaking so we're just kind of following I don't know where we're going but we're walking through the whole village [Music] take off the shoes [Music] all right how are you oh I'm good she speaks a little English a little bit English my name is Drew Diana Diana my wife what did she say no baby yet no baby it's a it's a really big pleasure to meet you do you know what year you were born no she doesn't know because there was no calendar before so they are aware that she was born on March it was like not much because it's the planting time rice planting time happy birthday I've read articles on Wikipedia that say that you're 105. other people say you're 80. do you have any estimation of your actual age [Music] before died at 109 years old so he's five five years older than her that's where they base the age so what age does she think she is 106. where did your interest come from with tattoos she likes it because her father yeah her father did it the answer stores told them to get a tattoo because that tattoo is almost here over when you die you can take it with you how old were you when you started doing the tattoos around 11 years around 11. how does it feel to be famous you're all over the Internet including the video that I'm making right now everyone knows about you like that didn't exist before 2007 so tell me about this life now he's very very and humble yeah all right babe do you want to get a tattoo yeah where do you want to get it back there yeah I think I'm gonna do it on the top of my leg we're gonna get her signature tattoos the three dots she's taking out all the ingredients to do the tattoo bamboo stick and the ink so she uses water yeah yeah where's the ink from charcoal uh from the bottom of the pipe really just charcoal yeah charcoal plain charcoal and water it is pretty wild how the only ingredients are charcoal and water and then she just takes a stick a bamboo stick and she just hits it really fast a lot of times it's really really special to witness this it's something that's been on my bucket list for so many years I've read so many articles about her and seeing her now right in front of me is an honor such an honor Wong ode prefers to remove her jacket while giving tattoos so she can show off her amazing art I mean seriously she takes Beauty to the next level and I am so in love with her vibe and her personality alright so the time has come I am now getting a tattoo from the legendary long load I'm a little bit nervous oh my God that stick is big [Music] [Laughter] just do my meditation ow [Laughter] a thousand times and she still laughs [Laughter] the pain of that needle being hit into my thigh thousands of times in the exact same spot was unexplainable and wangod was having the best time of her life [Music] oh my God you're killing me home can I get some water please before I die well despite the pain it's nice to look out at the view of the Hills piercing into my skin this is my third tattoo and by far the most painful one [Music] um I'm done with all three oh that was quick thank you sorry that I'm such a baby it hurts it's very much an honor to have this tattoo and and to meet you oh I get to keep this is this the one that you did on me yeah oh cool wow after every tattoo wongo gives you the bamboo stick as a souvenir to take home thank you all right who victim can you do my wife okay it hurts my love does it hurt a lot so this is your third tattoo like me we both got our third tattoos Deanna on the other hand takes a tattoo like a champ what does the three dots mean her grandchildren that's so sweet how many tattoos have you given in your life millions millions of tattoos so cool Deanna done yeah it's really cool thank you thank you did that hurt huh did it hurt yeah thank you she's asking if we're gonna have kids tell her in two years what's can you ask what's her advice for marriage life yeah you should love each other forever don't cheat don't cheat no cheating that's the best secrets of happy marriage I want to give this to you bracelet that I got from the state I want to give it to you well you love that bracelet yay thank you she's always laughing look at the blood that comes off on it so what just happened was Bongo did her signature grab all the tourists that come here she she kind of does that as a as a thank you for coming ETO maganda maganda so now we're just kind of chilling the interview's done the tattoos are done we're just kind of living a day in the life of the famous [ __ ] she's demanding us to have a baby [Laughter] wow she's uh she's not shy at all have you ever been married no never really she doesn't like really do you ever think you're gonna stop giving tattoos or you're going to keep it going until the end when she and she will have the problem or when she doesn't see clear she will stop in my country when you're 106 it's almost impossible up a long road if you could say one message to everybody in the world what would you tell them let's be happy no stress she wants to tell the people the people everyone should be happy that everyone has a good health I love that yeah we should stay alive that's a nice uh it's really a nice message words cannot describe how special it has been to meet wangod and visit her amazing Village in the Filipino mountains her story her artwork and her lifestyle is so inspiring and who knows I could be one of the last ever to get a tattoo from her hands there is a lot of controversy about her actual age and as an investigative journalist myself I think it's important to address it so we can get our facts right she claims to be 106 years old and every resource that I found online shows the same but after spending a few hours with her I have a really hard time believing she is older than 95. we will never know for sure because she doesn't have a birth certificate but I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments Below in any regard I just want to say that this fashionista represents Filipino pride and she is carrying on an epic tradition of ageless art that is incredibly impressive thanks for watching this video and I'll see you next week for more stories around the Philippines [Music] thank you foreign [Music]

Channel: Drew Binsky

Views: 3,270,696

Keywords: drew binsky, drew binsky vlog, drew binsky travel, travel, whand od, whang od tattoo, whand od documentary, tattoo, tribal tattoo, drew binsky philippines, drew binsky tattoo, philippines drew binsky, buscalan, kalinga, most inspiring people, tattoo artist, tattoo artists, tattoo vlog, philippines vlog, northern philippines, luzon, luzon island, filipina, filipino pride, best of philippines, philippines best places, superhumans, asian people, asian, asia, asian vlog, artist, amazing

Id: 1Fb3G9x6MZM

Length: 24min 57sec (1497 seconds)

Published: Fri May 19 2023