Not everyone in the tribe could afford a regular bicycle or motorbike, so they came up with one of their own – handmade out of wood. These bicycles are beautifully carved in wood and has long been the preferred means of transportation.

Since the design and execution both rest in the hands of the tribe, the scooters can be very imaginative with most of them carrying a distinctive theme to them – head of a horse, dragon, lion, etc. The tribe doesn’t just use the handcrafted scooters for getting around but also hold their own road races.

The scooters can hit speeds of up to 40 km/h as the tribe races them downhill. There are no helmets or protective gear, but the tribe’s distinguishing attire of highlander g-string called bahag and a dyed red robe.

There are no brakes as such but there is a mechanism to slow the scooter down. The tribesmen step on a wooden pedal which puts pressure on a piece of a thick recycled tyre. 

There’s actually a riding community flourishing around these hand-built scooters. The craftsmen share their build with the rest of the village and at times, dress up in traditional costumes to ride together. The Igolot believe that their Gods reside in all natural objects and by carving such designs on their scooters, they show respect to them. However, the tribe is currently struggling to remain on their indigenous land and are fighting to be recognised as a self-governed people.

Come here, you can try asking people to rent a car or sit behind a good driver to visit around (It is better to ask local people to drive because they are used to driving and slow down when cornering).

According to financialexpress.com, odditycentral.com