Maybe I shall consider myself lucky. Some of us already experienced jeepneys, cabs, buses, ferries, and flying motors, but not everyone got a chance to ride on a long trip using the Kulig-lig or farmers tractor. Here I will share with you how it feels.
eunoia101
13/07/2022
I am not sure why they called it Kulig-lig, but in Pilipino, the term Kuliglig is defined as a noisy insect. The fact that the motor of the Kulig-lig is noisy maybe that's the reason why. This is one of the underrated transportation in the Philippines. But do you know that you can ride a Kulig-lig in the middle of the national road without a driver's license or papers that say you are allowed to? The government except this for not to hassle the farmers anymore.
The adventures await.
Imagine you were with your friends, and then you are on the side of the rice paddy field where you could smell the fresh air and the aroma of rice beginning to ripe. Then the Kulig-lig that is not too fast and steady gives you the comfort as the fresh air dumped on your face. It's divine, especially the video of gangs laughing and making fun of each other.
This photo was taken when I was still in college year 2017; we were all in the mood to have some adventure. The problem is transportation. We all lived as college students inside the university, and the school was far away from the national road. One of my gang suggested why not use their Kulig-lig, as we don't need a driver's license and we are all interring in an agricultural school; one reason we could exploit is that; we are in the field research.
Funny, we agreed to bring our school IDs on an unplanned trip, just in case some law enforcement stopped us. But never happened.
I was not born with that everyday transportation like this; I am also alien to the place as I lived miles from home to study at college. So I am a bit ignorant about riding this as transportation in the middle of the road those times.
But with my observation, many tobacco farmers use this as transportation machinery in their working field and going to the city. On a typical day, I could see a parking spot designated with Kulig-lig.
Curious about the Kulig-lig?
Curious about the Kulig-lig?
The photo shows the tractor's motor we lived in rice producers' land fields. The engine is used to plow the muddy lands; it's detachable. They use crude as gas to run the motor. The disadvantage of this one is that it exhales dark smoke, which is quietly irritating, mainly if you are not used to it.
This is the best choice when planning an adventure to hilly or muddy places; it's heavy, and manipulating the braces is hard. I don't know how to drive this kind of transportation.
Showing the model, it's versatile and used to transport heavy things such as harvested rice or any agricultural product to marketplaces. Even used it for collecting hays to feed animals and also the ideal way as transportation of human. It could move to have more than ten people in a single compartment.
Why is this an underrated vehicle?
People still live in judgmental eyes, where when people used this as their road trip vehicle, they are poor, they drove with low-class transportation; yet never feels how divine to have especially when you were on the road and feels the magic of freshness of nature.
I suddenly missed those old days when my friends planned to relax, and the mood of transportation was Kulig-lig. I could still ride one and go in the field of rice, but the friends I have been with are part of what I missed. We were all busy with life, work, and families. Those are the memories with little chance of coming back.
#BiyahengPinoy
My entry for as I showcase a farmer's vehicle in our area. They used it for plow farming and transportation of goods and rides. How about your place? Have you been riding in Hand-tractor or Kulig-lig before?
Summary of Photos:
The cover photo displayed was edited with Picsart application (2509x2509px).
First three photo taken year 2017 (960x720px).
Kulig-lig parts was shot with mobile phone 50MP (4080x2296px) No Flash.
About the author/writer
He is still a Newbie and lot more to learn, unending gratitude for those who help from day 1 until now.
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