Lazada shrugged. "Perhaps there are, but they are not regular airports. Planes do not fly in that country. Both the mountains and the weather are dangerous."
"Might it not be possible for them to land on the roadway at Bontoc and then go over the mountains to Banaue by truck?" Dr. Okola asked.
"Perhaps." Lazada didn't seem too optimistic. "Exactly where do you expect to find this golden skull?" He added, "I can tell you more about the transportation you will need when I know that."
"We only know that it should be somewhere among the rice terraces," Tony Briotti said. "I realize that they cover entire mountainsides. That is why we came prepared to stay for some time if need be. There is so much territory to cover with our equipment!"
"Many square miles," Lazada agreed. "What is the expression? A needle in a haystack? Surely you must have some kind of clue."
"Just one," Dr. Okola said. "A dragon. Isn't that so, Dr. Briotti?"
Tony nodded. "That's what the translation of the Kwangara Island artifacts said. The dragon is supposed to be guarding a cache of religious objects, including the golden skull and other gold objects."
"You mean a gilt skull, of course," Lazada said.
"No, the description was quite clear. A skull of metallic gold."
"A miniature, probably."