BADEKBEK SULFUR SPRING | BOKOD, Benguet

It isn’t only Mount Pulag, where the Ibalois believe their ancestors wait to be called from this world at the foot of the stairway to heaven, that this town is known for.

At the foot of the sacred mountain, in Daclan, Bokod, a dense, white cloud of steam rising above the pine trees marks Badekbek hot spring, the smell of sulfur thickening as one nears.

Badekbek is an Ibaloi word that means "bubbling" or "boiling", which is exactly what the mud in the hot spring does.

But Badekbek is more than hot, bubbling mud. The women in the area use the mud and water from the spring to make Badekbek sulfur soap, considered an effective remedy for skin afflictions.

The hot waters of Badekbek have long been noted for their therapeutic effects, with people visiting constantly from nearby communities as they seek relief from skin diseases such as scabies. And even animals are cured at Badekbek.