LOOK: Rhian Ramos gets second Whang-ud tattoo

 

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A post shared by Rhian Ramos (@whianwamos) on May 15, 2017 at 1:26am PDT

MANILA -- Three years after getting her first traditional tattoo, Rhian Ramos returned to Kalinga to get another one from the province's oldest mambabatok or tattoo practitioner, Whang-ud.

This time, she got a bigger more intricate design.

 

Finding my footing with @merrell_ph 📷 - @rachlibrado

A post shared by Rhian Ramos (@whianwamos) on May 12, 2017 at 8:52pm PDT

Just last week, the 26-year-old actress once again braved the 17-hour road trip to Kalinga and two-hour trek to the mountain-top village to get a personalized tattoo on her upper leg.

"I'm just so grateful they agreed to this request. A little old, a little new," Ramos wrote as caption.

 

Round 2: the beginnings of my new (and hopefully, last) tattoo.. designed by me, drawn by Grace and tapped in by Apo Whang Od, right above my last two tatts from them, the scorpion and hawk. 🙏 their energies are so open and giving 😊 im just so grateful they agreed to this request. A little old, a little new.

A post shared by Rhian Ramos (@whianwamos) on May 12, 2017 at 1:10am PDT

According to the actress, she personally created the design and had it illustrated by Whang-ud's grandniece Gracia Palicas.

Despite the long queue of tourists waiting to meet her, Whang-ud personally tattooed Ramos.

In 2004, Ramos traveled to the village of Buscalan in Tinglayan, Kalinga to get a traditional hawk design permanently inscribed by Whang-ud.

• LOOK: Rhian Ramos gets traditional tattoos

She also acquired a scorpion design from Palicas.

 

The scorpion and the hawk. My new tattoos, minutes after completion.. Apo Whang Od started with the hawk and her granddaughter Grace finished with the scorpion. Thank you to my awesome travel buddy @salvalancer for recording every moment of this trip ♡

A post shared by Rhian Ramos (@whianwamos) on Dec 3, 2014 at 7:56pm PST

Meanwhile, in an Instagram post, Ramos encouraged returning tourists to bring prints of their photos when they come back to the village.

"When visiting Buscalan, take a bunch [of photos], have them printed, and mail them back to your tour guide. Or bring the prints when you come back," she wrote.

 

While the rest of us have selfies and galleries full of our faces, apps that remind us of photos from a year ago, the tribe relies on the visitors for prints of past moments =) photos are the best pasalubong. When visiting Buscalan, take a bunch, have them printed, and mail them back to your tourguide. Or bring the prints when you come back =) Here's Whang Od, Francis my guide/translator looking through photos of my last visit =) natawa siya nung nakita niya yung photo na binubuhat mo siya @salvalancer 😂

A post shared by Rhian Ramos (@whianwamos) on May 14, 2017 at 3:03am PDT

Whang-ud, who is now believed to be a hundred years old, is the last practicing traditional tattoo artist of Kalinga. Her worldwide popularity began in 2009 when tattoo anthropologist Lars Krutak went to Buscalan and did a documentary for Discover Channel.