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)
Went to Greenview Lodge's restaurant for breakfastSkipped 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.
This lane pretty much houses all the lodges
The Tourist Information Center is right in the middle
Moma (beetelnut) spitting is a big issue up here and so, the municipality has warned locals from doing so on roads and buildingsSo they made designated spitting areas for the moma-chewers... which in this town, is practically everybody!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.
I hoped to see the Banaue rice terraces in today's sunny weatherI tried my best to shoot through the opening behind my seatThe jeepney would stop to pick up passengers along the wayThe rice terraces looked greener today
Aftermath of landslidesThe 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 blockedI assumed we were travelling today because they had cleared the debris by nowWork was on-going
It was mostly tourists inside, and a few locals outside (seriously)See, I told youIt was, for the most part, smooth roads all the wayWe stopped at this market for a few minutes as farmers got down with their produce
Occasionally we would stop to remove the blockades from the roadPassed by some beautiful villagesOn this stretch too, the jeepneys do not ply on the roads beyond sunset
This was a beautiful valley
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.
Beautiful
To say this ride was an eyefull of beautiful scenery is a bit of an understatement
We neared BontocThe 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.
The fares from Bontoc to Sagada for those who want to knowThere 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.
This stretch seemed a lot drier
The roads to Sagada were mostly roughAn 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.
At ₱400 ($9.4/€6.5) a night, this was a higher price compared to the others at ₱200 to ₱300, but were full because of the Holy Week holidays.But I didn't want to waste time hunting for cheaper places to stay, even if it was for just one night. Anyway, they had hot shower, cleanliness and free wi-fi: all essentials in my book.
I freshened up and headed downstairs for lunch.
(This concludes the first half of this day; the sights I saw in Sagada will be in my next post)
The bus departed from Autobus station at around 10pm and not soon after the bus had started, we encountered a problem — the air conditioning wasn’t working. Which made sitting inside a small bus (ticket costs ₱450/$10/€7) all the more uncomfortable.
When I was doing my research, Autobus and GV Florida were the two bus companies that were popular for overnight trips to Banaue. Both had customers complaining about how cold the ride was because the A/C inside the buses were often so cold. How ironic that I experienced the complete opposite!
The passengers were getting quite restless as there were a few children in our group as well. Eventually the bus stopped just off EDSA and the bus personnel tried to repair the A/C. A good 15 minutes later, repair it they did… slightly. There was air being recirculated, which was essential, but not cool enough to call it ‘conditioning’.
We stopped halfway through the journey for a breakFull moon night
I tried my best to sleep, but given that I can hardly ever get sleep in bus journeys, this too was one of those journeys. We arrived in Banaue town just past 6am the next day. We were dropped just outside the main town and I had to take a trike to the area where all the hotels were.
As soon as I got down, the trike driver asked me whether I wanted to do a tour, to which I obviously said “yes,” but I told him I wanted to have breakfast first. I took a room at New Wonder Lodge (cost ₱250/$5.8/€4.1) which wasn’t a rice terrace facing lodge but given I was going to be out all day, I didn’t care much for the view. All I wondered was how long this lodge has been ‘new’ (hint: it wasn’t).
But I did hop over to the plateau facing Greenview Restaurant for breakfast.
The view from their balcony (Taken on Nokia E72)My Filipino breakfast - rice, eggs, pork sausage, a pineapple slice and coffee
Post breakfast, I began shooting.
Panorama comprised of 13 shots
Panorama comprised of 6 shotsThe Banaue Rice Terraces are one of Philippines' most popular natural treasures
The trike driver who offered to take me around for a tour of the rice terraces was waiting outside and I asked around to find out how much the tours generally cost. They all said ₱900 ($21/€14) if going by trike (which is the most common). I hadn’t even slept properly so I asked the trike driver if we could go a bit later, say around noon. He said that’s not possible because if I want to trek all the way to Batad village and see the other rice terraces, we would have to leave now.
So, I got in his trike and we set offIt was a bumpy rideThat's because the road aren't always smoothMy guide told me this region is prone to frequent landslidesIf there is one thing I learnt Filipinos love, it's basketball (and obviously the NBA)I just had to ask my driver to stop whenever I passed by such beautyMy moma (beetel nut) chewing guide, Arnel
We moved onQuite a dusty ride as well
Had to ask Arnel to stop again. Beautiful, isn't it?Arnel wasn't kidding about those landslidesI guess there's a pretty good reason why they're not allowed to drive post sunsetIf it isn't trikes, the not-so-frequent jeepneys are the only other mode of transportation the locals have to get to townCouldn't help but imagine how tough life must be out herePretty now, dangerous during heavy rainfall
Barangay means village and Ifugao is the province Banaue is situated inThis was a common sightThis sight, wasn't True to its nameStopped here for a bit as well (Panorama comprised of 9 shots)
After nearly 40 minutes since we left the main town, we finally arrived at our first stop on this tour.
No, this isn't Batad. This is the point from where, you have to go by foot to get to BatadI set offYou do have a stretch of concreted roads......though the concrete stetches would often give way to rough groundLandslides here tooWait, they have a jeepney service here?! -_-Yes kids, I'm walking it upAfter 15 minutes of trekking, I began to huff & puff. I stopped for a break.Panorama comprised of 5 shotsI had to stop, smile and ask myself: "Where on this earth am I?" I moved on in the hopes Batad's rice terraces were just around the corner
I wonder what caused these patterns?
I could see a glimmer of hope I was getting closer to civilization again
Finally!
It took me nearly half-an-hour to get to this point and I was only halfway through my journey to Batad’s rice terraces. Arnel had told me the walk would take me an hour. So I figured it would be another half-an-hour more.
It looked like there was only one way to get to Batad villageAt first glance, I wondered if the trek to the village was surely going to take *just* 30 minutes moreDown was the only way to goLong way down (That shed is a toilet by the way :))
I decided to try and a get a better look before descending downAwww...Yikes!Were those the Batad rice terraces?But I had already come this farAnd I didn't come all this way to watch chicken feed on rubbishSo I took a deep breath, and took my first step downLocals were carrying tourist's suitcases and heading to the villageSo I had to make way for locals carrying way more heavier loads than I was carrying -- and walking a lot faster than I wasI was carrying around 5kgs in camera equipment -- these guys were surely carrying WAY moreApparently Batad village only got electricity until recently
It took a good 5 minutes for the steps to get overMore landslides up aheadFrom here on, it was just rough terrainI had to tread very carefully
Just around the corner, I passed by an elderly American who nodded to me as if to say “Boy, this is tough!”. I asked him if he made it to Batad village but he said his legs couldn’t even make it halfway through the journey. On hearing that, I though to myself – “Maybe it’s because he’s old”.
Over in the distance, there was a group of villagers carrying a wild boar on wooden logs. Thing is, the boar was still alive, and squealing so loudly you could hear its anguish echo through the valleyNearly half an hour into the journey, I thought to myself just much further I had to goMentally, I kept telling myself "Slowly, slowly" as I crossed such pathsAnd just after I took this photo and stepped on the stones up ahead, I trip!
I tumble once but fortunately I didn’t roll any down any further. My immediate reaction was: “Oh shit, my camera!” Fortunately the 7D is built to take a bit of a beating so nothing happened to it. The only damage was a few scratches on my arm and on my knee. I got up, washed the very same parts of my body but realized I wasn’t carrying any band-aid with me!
So I had no other choice but to continue walking towards the village. I didn’t walk back because I wasn’t sure how far along I was — whether the Batad village was closer or was I much closer to the viewpoint junction back uphill.
They have a few small stores on the way to the village but this guy didn't stock any band-aidI moved on, limping a little
I caught up with the wild boar group at the 'comfort room' stop on the wayI kept hoping the village was right around the cornerI must be near, right?Did I walk all this long for a rice terrace this big?Few minutes later, my first glimmer of hopeThis should be it right?Finally!
It took nearly an hour to get to Batad village — and that was just from the junction, not including the trek uphill from where Arnel had dropped me.
So, were the Batad rice terraces worth the trek?
I guess so
But the rice terraces could wait. I approached a store and asked if they had band-aid, fortunately which they did. I asked where I could wash my wounds and the store lady pointed down to the basement.
I washed up, plastered up and sat down for a while. I needed to rest my legs!
Had something to eat and drink before resuming my photography.
As I check out the surroundings, I feel something touch my legs.
It was this small girlLooks like they wanted to play a little hide 'n' seek with meFelt sorry for them. Guess they don't get to see many new faces, let alone some Indian.There's aren't that many places to stay in Batad -- but then again, I'm sure there's enough accommodation for the number of tourists who make it hereOne of the bigger innsPension inns are the name used to refer to cheap, simple accommodation all across the PhilippinesDecided to walk to the school
Batad Elementary School
There were village kids following me asking for money (don’t want to use the word ‘beg’), and I gave them ₱10 each, out of sympathy.
Walked back up
Panorama comprised of 5 shotsI really wanted to go all the way down to the village but I knew my legs couldn't take it anymore
That thin line are steps... I could only imagine myself walking down those from hereIf at all I dare do this again, I would spend a night here and only leave the next morningImagine waking up to a view like this at the break of dawn
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay in Batad any longer. It was already 12:30pm and with an already tired body, I knew I was going to take another one hour just to get back.
They were requesting visitors to make a donation to the village for its ‘upkeep’. Whether it was for Batad’s development or just for the locals to make good use of the money for their daily lives, I still donated ₱100.
I also asked if any local was willing to carry my bags as I just couldn’t walk uphill with the load I was carrying, now with an injured leg. One of the villagers agreed to carry my bag uphill for ₱100.
I took one final panorama (comprised of 7 shots) and bid Batad's rice terraces goodbye
The local who offered to carry my bags (forgot his name unfortunately)He was always ahead of me and would often stop until I caught up
Just to give you an idea of the terrainI tried to match his pace but I couldn't
Eventually he too had to stop for a break and we rested for a few minutes at one of the makeshift stores along the way. I bought him something to drink and I asked him how long he has been walking these hills. As a native of Batad village, he told me they’ve been doing this since they were little. Young boys are made to carry goods up and down the hill, so their bodies get used to it as they age.
I even saw a small boy carrying a load of potatoes on a log uphill and the expression on his face was nothing short of hardship. It really was revelation of sorts for me. Here I was on this trip, to take my mind off from being laid off from work and yet, here are people who have been living like this for decades… all because of their lineage. Few make it out of Banaue, let alone their own village, and move to bigger cities.
I asked the local what their primary source of income was. He told me it was mostly farming, but a lot of the rice that’s grown in their rice terraces are for their own consumption as very little is sold in the markets. Of course, tourism is now helping them a bit as well.
As we moved on and neared the junction, I caught up with the American I crossed paths with earlier on my way down. He still hadn’t reached the top. I told him about my ordeal as we walked up together.
The American (again, forgot his name as well) told me about a different path up but I decided to just stick to the steps and follow the local who carried my bags. I told him I’ll catch up with him later.
The American took that road, which is an alternative to the stepsI took one final shot before climbing the hundred steps up
Once I reached the junction, I paid the local ₱150 instead of the agreed ₱100. He was grateful, and I had no reservations about my actions. I thanked him for carrying my bags and he headed back to his village.
Sigh.
The American reached the junction at about the same time I did, and we both sat at a store because sitting was exactly what we needed! A few minutes later, we were joined by a Brit who was with his trekking guide. With all three of us sweating profusely as evidenced by our shirts, needless to say, our conversations immediately began with how each of our experiences were. The Brit was concluding his nearly 4-day trek across Batad and was panting as he spoke. He spoke of how his guide (surely a local) just wouldn’t break a sweat and how he couldn’t do without his trekking pole.
Anyway, myself and the American couldn’t sit there forever and though we thought of taking a jeepney back, none of the jeepneys looked like they would be moving until they had enough passengers. So as one final effort, we both decided walk back down to where our trikes were waiting for us.
The trek back down was easier this time simply because, one, it was downhill, and two, there were concreted patches of road. Also, speaking to each other about topics ranging from the world economy to where else both of us had traveled took our minds off of how much distance we had to cover.
Thirty minutes later, we were back to the starting point. The American and I parted ways but he suggested that we catch up for a beer later at night once I’m back in town.
Once I was back in Arnel’s trike, more than beer, I just wanted to get back to my room to wash my wounds properly and then rest.
But instead, Arnel took me to the next stop on this tour:
Another rice terrace village, but I forgot its name (Panorama comprised of 8 shots)Arnel told me I could walk down there but it would take some time. I told him my legs couldn't take anymore climbing and asked him to just take me back to Banaue town for the main rice terraces.
Despite being a bumpy ride back, because of how tired I was, I still dozed off in between.
Only to wake up on occasions when a heavy duty machine had to clear up debris on the road due to a landslide
Once back in Banaue town after nearly an hour, Arnel drove me up to the first of three viewpoints for Banaue’s rice terraces.
This was the first view point
Panorama comprised of 8 shots
Walked past this house to get to another viewpointPanorama comprised of 9 shots
The sign was describing the stage during which rice seeds are planted
We moved on higher up to the second viewpoint.
Panorama comprised of 16 shots
I asked Arnel to take me to the final viewpoint.
You need to walk down to the platform
My worst enemy: steps
But this being the last stop on my tour, I decided to push my legs one last time and walked down the steps towards the house.
The plan was to stand in front of the house and take photographsBut as I got down the steps, the dog in charge of the house came barking at me... so I stayed right where I was and didn't venture any furtherOh well, good dog doing its jobTook the 70-200mm lens out for these shotsThis gives you a scale of just how big these rice terraces really areImagine how many man hours it must have taken hundreds of years ago to carve these landsIt's no wonder these rice terraces are considered by Filipinos to be the '8th Wonder' of the world
With that, I decided I had taken enough from the main viewpoint.
Now came the tough part
My legs were really quivering with each step I took. I had to use my tripod as support to raise myself to take each step. I was that tired!
It was a really misty day todayThanks, but I was done!Walked back to Arnel and asked him to take me back to my lodgeDon't ask me why the chicken crossed the road
As we drove back, Arnel told me if it wasn’t so foggy today, I would have gotten a better view of the entire Banaue rice terraces. I said it’s fine, because at this point all I wanted was to take a hot shower and give my feet the rest they needed.
Arnel dropped me back and I paid him ₱900 plus a ₱100 as a tip, simply because I felt like it. I first went to a store to buy some biscuits and cake in case I woke up too late. Because here in Banaue, there is a 9pm curfew and just about every shop closes by then. It’s wise to stock up on essentials before the sun sets.
Back in the room, I first took a hot shower and felt so much better. After that, I just crashed on the bed. Given the fact I barely slept at all the previous night due to the bus journey, and after all the tiring activities from today, it only took me a matter of minutes to doze off.
I hadn’t forgotten to meet up with the American from earlier, but when I did wake up…
... this was the scene outsideIt was past midnight
Yes, I overslept. But I didn’t care, I needed the sleep.
My legs felt a little better and I sat on the bed, switched on my computer and ate something. As I transferred today’s photos on to my hard drive and reviewed them, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of achievement. Despite how my body felt, today really changed me in some ways. First, I couldn’t imagine where on earth away from India I was. Secondly, the trek really changed my perspective on life (in some ways). I shouldn’t be complaining about losing my job when I go back to my office. At least I had an office in a city to go back to. To the people in Banaue, life wouldn’t be that much different when they wake up tomorrow. Tomorrow, all I was going to do was see even more amazing places!
This is undoubtedly is the most epic post I’ve ever written (so far). 170 photos just to show you, my reader, what all I saw today. Over 3400 words to tell you what I experienced on my secondday of sightseeing across Philippines.
I have been trekking since my college days and I enjoy walking, a lot. Trekking to Batad was undoubtedly the toughest trek I have ever undertaken. I cannot believe I walked 9kms up and down. A total of 18kms in Batad. And you know what? I didn’t even know it was 9kms to Batad village until I began working on these photos!
Go read the sign about ‘Batad rice terraces’ up above just after Arnel dropped me to the point I had to then go on foot. I didn’t notice the description and 9kms mentioned on the sign until I worked on that photo!
In a way, it’s a good thing I didn’t. I would have had second thoughts of trekking 18kms had I known the distance and the terrain I encountered along the way. Also, had it not been for the pleasant, not-sunny-at-all weather, there’s no way I would have gone all the way.
But would I do this again?
No.
Edit (16/09/2011): I found the map I had with me that day
Technically yesterday was day one in Philippines, but today was when I would officially begin my sightseeing. After a good hearty sleep, I woke up in time for breakfast at Kabayan (they start serving really early).
The receptionWhere they serve breakfast and lunch
The breakfast and lunch isn’t your usual buffet offering. You queue up and get served your choice of dishes. No seconds.
Still, they give you a mouthful
It was enough to kick-start my day.
Although, I went back to my room and ended up watching TV for some time. This Filipino Steve Irwin was showcasing the natural wonders of Palawan, a place I was going to. So I considered it ‘research’ (even though he spoke mostly Tagalog).
As per my trip itinerary, I was going to be leaving Manila tonight for Banaue, but thanks to Aimee who already bought the bus ticket for me, it freed me up today to go see the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial — which wasn’t far from where I was staying.
I had to check out by noon — and I duly did so by noon. I kept my luggage at the reception and told them I would collect it in the evening. Since it was already 12pm, I had lunch from Kabayan before leaving.
My first taste of Filipino cuisine. First impression: dry. Not a whole lot of varied flavour. Unlike Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, I guess curry isn’t common here. I only had chicken stock to flavour the hard sticky rice.
Done with lunch, I made my way to a very busy Pasay MRT station. Bought myself a one way ticket to Ayala station (as that’s where Aimee told me I needed to go first).
Ticket cost ₱10It was a short 5 minute ride to AyalaThis stop is is a popular shopping hub because of SM and the Glorietta malls here
I also saw a Convergys office here, not that I was surprised to know big Indian BPOs have offices here in the Philippines.
I took a taxi because the cemetery was to be a short drive from here
But the taxi driver in his broken English started hinting as though he had no idea about the cemetery, its existence or how to get there — which I knew was just an act. The cemetery is quite famous and located in the posh Fort Bonifacio area in Taguig. Plus, its freaking huge!
I was getting a little irritated by the taxi driver as we were slowly driving around business parks with the cemetery nowhere in sight
Fortunately, there was a traffic policeman up ahead and I forced him to stop so that I could ask the officer as to how to get to the cemetery. The officer gave the taxi driver instructions and I could see a smile on the driver’s face as if he was thinking “yeah, yeah, I know where it is. Fine, I’ll take him there!”
A few minutes later, I arrived at the cemetery. The fare: ₱135 ($3/€2.2). Way too much!
Anyway… phone camera in, time for the DSLR to begin its usage
There isn’t an entry fee for the memorial. The security guard only asked me to sign my name in and advised me not to step on the grass or walk through the first two lanes (don’t know why).
Didn’t look like there were many people inside
Stuck to the left sideWith over 17,000 graves, this is the largest war cemetery outside the United States
I shot a lot of panoramas because there was no other way I could capture the scale of the cemetery
The Memorial Plaza
I didn’t seem many workers hereI could see the cemetery from the sky just as I was about land yesterdayYou find the occasional Jew among the crossesThis cemetery is a symmetrical haven(Panorama comprised of 12 shots)I like how they decided not to cut some trees
Panorama comprised of 11 shots
Panorama comprised of 13 shots
Back of the Memorial Plaza chapel
I took a break from the circle and decided to check out the Memorial plaza
The chapel
I wrote a note in the visitor’s book they have inside the chapel and left.
The battles these soldiers fought are all showcased hereMostly World War II and the other Pacific battles America fought inThe names of the 17,000 plus soldiers buried here are engraved on these wallsI couldn’t help but notice there were a lot of Filipino names on the walls tooAh, that explains it. I was under the impression only American soldiers were buried here.
The have the respective state seal corresponding to the walls with the soldiers from the same state
Lone worker
I left the Memorial Plaza
Took the 70-200mm lens out for this shot
Even though it was scorching hot, I chose to come at this time for the lighting: I wanted shadowsPanorama comprised of 10 shotsYou can bring your vehicle inside if all you want is drive through
You can’t really see it but the water was evaporating as soon as it hot the hot tarmac
Larger the panoramas, the smaller the crops when making it fit on my websiteThis and the above photo was one composition that had to be cut into two. It was fun to pan through the original full size panorama though.
Had to try black & whiteAdded a bit of grain to this one
It was time to leaveA recipient of the Medal of HonorAll the new construction around Fort Bonifacio (Panorama comprised of 10 shots)
Took this on the Canon 450D, which I was also carryingPanorama comprised of 14 shotsCool huh?I walked back to the Memorial Plaza for one final look
From a little higher up
After 3 hours of sweating it out in the hot sun, I finally walked towards the gatesI felt satisfied with the photographs I took today. A good start to this trip.
The memorial is maintained by a US government agency
I went inside the visitor’s lounge and stayed for a few minutes. Not that they had anything to see inside, but the room had air-conditioning and a water cooler. The retired American army colonel who manages the place smiled at me as he walked into his office and said: “Enjoy it”.
Enjoy it I did
Feeling a bit cooler, I left the memorial. The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is one among the few attractions in Manila worth seeing. You may not want to spend 3 hours here, that too in this heat, but I found it peaceful and a calm place for a bit of photography. Of course, do keep in mind this is still a cemetery honouring soldiers and not your usual family picnic park. So do show some respect for the dead once inside.
I took a taxi back to Ayala station
The taxi ride was through McKinley Road, and I quickly realized how posh this area was. The taxi driver told me very rich people live on McKinley Hill.
Passed a few highly fortified houses, which usually implies bureaucrats, individuals with questionable incomes sources and other high profile people live hereUnlike my rip-off taxi ride to the cemetery, the journey back was through the right path and it only cost ₱56Figuring I still had some time (and craving for some more air-conditioning), I checked out Glorietta MallThis was the only photo I took from inside before the security man came over and told me photography is prohibited. Oh well.I checked out a few floors and left soon after
I took the MRT back to Pasay, went back to Kabayan, freshened up, collected my bags and called Aimee. She asked me to come to Central station, where she would meet me there.
Once at Central, we took a taxi and went to Sampaloc, cost ₱70.
We got down here
From there, it was a short walk to the Autobus office. I collected my ticket, paid Aimee back (₱450 for a one-way ticket to Banaue) and we sat a convenient store to chat for some time.
This is Aimee, and the Autobus office is in the background
I saw Aimee off and boarded my bus, a small one. I’ll talk about how the ride was in my next post but all in all, today was a good start. I had high hopes for the next few days.
As it neared 8am, the jeepney managed to fill itself with enough passengers and we left Banaue town.
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.
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.
