Travelling by Palkee

Description

RARE original colour lithograph view from his book ‘A Visit to the Philippine Islands’.

In late 1858, Sir John Bowring — then Governor of Hong Kong — undertook an official expedition across the Spanish-controlled Philippine archipelago. Traveling southeast from Manila into the mountainous interior of Luzon toward Majayjay and Lucban, his party reached terrain far too rugged, muddy, and steep for wheeled carriages.
To navigate the mountain passes, the party was transferred to palkees (palanquins or litters), which are bamboo frames slung with hammocks or seats, borne on the shoulders of local native carriers (cargadores). This plate, which faced page 38 directly, illustrates this stage of their journey, capturing the bearers navigating a narrow, muddy trail through the tropical forest.