Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Banaue town; heading to Sagada via Bontoc

Date: 19th April 2011

After yesterday’s epic (and mad tiring) day, I woke up relaxed at around 5:30am. Quite early, I know, but necessary as I wanted to catch the first jeepney to Bontoc, to get to Sagada by afternoon. (All transportation to Sagada passes through Bontoc)

Greeniew lodge breakfast morning Banaue — Went to Greenview Lodge's restaurant for breakfast

Greenview lodge restaurant window view Banaue rice terraces — Skipped filipino food and opted for a fluffy pancake with maple syrup instead

After breakfast, I ‘booked’ my seat in the jeepney. In quotes because it’s really on just a ‘first come-first serve’ basis. So you just drop your bag in, tell the driver and reserve a space for yourself. (Banaue to Bontoc cost ₱150)

Once I was assured a spot, I decided to walk around town a bit, as I still had some time.

Greenview Las Vegas lodge Banaue town — This lane pretty much houses all the lodges

Banaue tourist information centre morning — The Tourist Information Center is right in the middle

Banaue no spitting moma notice — Moma (beetelnut) spitting is a big issue up here and so, the municipality has warned locals from doing so on roads and buildings

Banaue hut moma spitting area — So they made designated spitting areas for the moma-chewers... which in this town, is practically everybody!

Banaue town stores Ifugao — The town resembled a lot of the small towns in the North East of India (and so do the people to some extent)

As it neared 8am, the jeepney managed to fill itself with enough passengers and we left Banaue town.

Banaue rice terraces en route to Bontoc morning — I hoped to see the Banaue rice terraces in today's sunny weather

House gates on way to Bontoc — I tried my best to shoot through the opening behind my seat

Shanty house dog road to Bontoc Ifugao — The jeepney would stop to pick up passengers along the way

Rice terraces on way to Bontoc Ifugao — The rice terraces looked greener today

Landslide hills Bontoc highway — Aftermath of landslides

Banaue to Bontoc highway landslide hills — The American girl I was sitting next told me some of these landslides were recent and that she couldn't go to Sagada the last few days because the roads were blocked

Hill landslides on the way to Bontoc — I assumed we were travelling today because they had cleared the debris by now

Landslide clearing truck Banaue highway to Bontoc — Work was on-going

Jeepney bus to Bontoc and then Sagada passengers — It was mostly tourists inside, and a few locals outside (seriously)

Banaue to Bontoc Filipino hanging on jeepney ride — See, I told you

Hill highway to Bontoc — It was, for the most part, smooth roads all the way

Hill market on the way to Bontoc — We stopped at this market for a few minutes as farmers got down with their produce

Road to Bontoc tree fall block Philippines — Occasionally we would stop to remove the blockades from the road

Rice terraces village on way to Bontoc — Passed by some beautiful villages

Pot-holed rough roads Bontoc highway — On this stretch too, the jeepneys do not ply on the roads beyond sunset

Valley farm on the way to Bontoc — This was a beautiful valley

Banaue to Bontoc rice terrace farms bridge — Saw a few construction firms on this route. With all the landslides and the subsequent road repair work, it seems like the only thriving business in these parts.

Ifugao rice terrace hills morning ride to Bontoc — Beautiful

Ifugao Banaue to Bontoc jeepney ride — To say this ride was an eyefull of beautiful scenery is a bit of an understatement

Bontoc town rice paddy field — We neared Bontoc

Arriving at Bontoc Ifugao — The journey from Banaue to Bontoc took around 2 hours

The jeepney stopped at a junction in Bontoc town and we were told we would have to wait for more passengers before it set off again to Sagada. Those who wanted to get down at Bontoc, got down.

Bontoc to Sagada jeepney rates — The fares from Bontoc to Sagada for those who want to know

Bontoc town people — There wasn't a whole lot to see from where we were standing

After waiting for around half-an-hour in the mid-day heat, the jeepney managed to get enough passengers to leave Bontoc and head for Sagada.

Driving from Bontoc to Sagada dry rice terraces — This stretch seemed a lot drier

Bontoc to Sagada cliff above road — The roads to Sagada were mostly rough

Entering Sagada village — An hour after we left Bontoc, we arrived in Sagada

I didn’t have any hotel reservations but I had listed down a few names of recommended guesthouses and lodges. A lot of the places in and around the main bus stop (essentially where you board the buses or jeepneys to get to other towns) were full, so I walked downhill a little bit and took a room at George’s Guesthouse.