The whole of today morning was spent in a jeepney – first from Banaue to Bontoc, and then again from Bontoc to Sagada. After checking-in to George’s Guesthouse, I went downstairs for lunch.
The George's Guesthouse restaurant had Filipino curry and it was the first time I saw curry in a menu here. I had to try it! It was quite spicy, mostly because of the pepper. Not bad.
I sat at the table and had a slow lunch (even though I couldn’t honestly afford to). My plan was to try and see if I could finish seeing Sagada’s famous caves and hanging coffins by end of day. Both attractions were among the “must see” sights for me on this Philippines trip.
Today was a Tuesday and I had to be in Angeles City at the most by Thursday, because on Friday, I needed to be in San Fernando town for the Good Friday activities. Trouble is, I was really worried about the Holy Week national holidays and all the talk of everything shutting down as Good Friday neared. So I wondered if I could finish seeing everything by today evening and then leave for Angeles City tomorrow itself, just to be safe.
At 2:30pm, I decided not to waste anymore time and decided to begin my tourThe perks of living in a hilly villageI went to the guides' office because I read that you are not allowed inside the caves without a guide!
Inside the office, I speak to the guides and I tell them what all I want to see first. They told me the caves are doable but I may not be able to see the hanging coffins by sunset — nor the church (which wasn’t high up on my list of things-to-see anyway). I told them I needed to be in Angeles City by Thursday and the guides informed me I first would have to go to Baguio city and catch another bus from there to Angeles City. It was going to take an entire day, and if I had to see the church or the hanging coffins, I would have to do it before the last bus to Baguio leaves in the afternoon.
I thought to myself about the journey to Angeles City and realized I would be cutting it a little too thin if I left Sagada in the afternoon (and I may have to spend the night in Baguio if I miss the last bus from there to Angeles City!)
So I decided not to waste any more time ‘thinking,’ hired a guide and told them I’ll try to see everything I wanted to see today itself. The other guides were pessimistic, but I was quite adamant.
The guide and I walked down the road towards the cavesJason, my guide, pointed to these limestone rocks and asked me if I could spot the hanging coffinsThere they were. (By the way, these are not the main hanging coffins site)
I was impressed by how clean and neat Sagada village wasAfter 10 minutes of walking, Jason asked me to wait here while he went inside the store to get his lamp
Jason led me up the path to Lumiang burial caveIt was a short walk
We slowly climbed downLumiang burial cave...and this is what it's famous forHundreds of coffins which have been placed here for more than 300 years, the last one being in 1986The coffins are made of pine wood and have stood the test of time quite well(Panorama comprised of 8 shots)
For more on the Lumiang burial cave, check out this video.
We climbed back upWalked back out to the main roadJason pointed out to me coffins buried below here as well (bottom right)
I sat a few minutes for a breather. As it turned out, my body hadn’t fully recovered from its abused state from yesterday.
But I couldn't afford to sit around for too long, as I was the one who told the guide I wanted to see as much as possible by sunsetIt only looked like the views were going to get better on this tourWalking these neatly paved roads, all I could think of was: "Wow, a village here has such nice roads where as many Indian cities don't even have them!"
Looked beautiful even through these treesWowEven their rice terraces are prim and properPanorama comprised of 8 shots
Another 10 minute walk later, we reached the entrance to Sumaguing cave.
Down we went againThis was the big one (Panorama comprised of 3 shots)First step: Take a lot of steps down
Second step: Wait for guide to light the lanternWaitingOkay, I guess we're readyFinal step: Descend into the darknessI used the lantern as the point for the camera's auto-focus to lock on toJason told me from here on, it's best that I walk barefoot -- and be prepared to get all dirtyVisitors are advised to walk barefoot because the grip is betterAs for the getting dirty bit, the rocks at first are all covered in bat droppings (a.k.a bat shit)The bat shit-covered rocks eventually give way to the smooth limestone rocksWe kept descending furtherThe rock surface is super-smooth... and wet, with water dripping from aboveJason would stop at places to show me unique formations inside the cave. Guess what this looks like?And it's highly unlikely that a T-Rex dinosaur took a stroll through these cavesWe still had more darkness to cover
One of the few photographs taken using flash. Most of the photographs I took using the tripod and on long exposures -- and some even hand-held. (Most were shot at f4-4.5 and exposure ranging from 1/10 to 1 second)Jason helped carry my tripod so my hands were free to climb down (the camera was on the neck strap)Be prepared to get wet tooIt was quite chilly inside and you could see vapour every time you breath out or speak. Even the rocks were cold and walking on them felt really soothing.I got this blur-free shot after six attemptsEven the chilly waters felt therapeutic, don't know if it was the minerals or notThis is for those asking why there isn't one single photo of me in these postsHere's an example showing you how the caves look with flash and without. See how the characteristics of the cave differs?A formation that resembles molar teeth (Panorama comprised of 4 shots)
Yes, there was more going down to do
There were few other tourists/visitors inside the caves as well, mostly FilipinosThe guides all knew each otherAnother shot which took up to five attempts to get right
You reach all the way down when you get to this pool of water, in which you can swim if you wish. Given how cold the water was (and given the lighting conditions), I chose not to.It was time to head back (Panorama comprised of 2 shots)
One of the most photographed rocks from inside Sumaguing caveThe moisture in the air when you breath out inside this chilly environment. Amazing thing is, despite the chill factor, you don't shiver one bit!Jason, my guide, isn't much of a 'smile' person
There was water inside this, making it a jacuzzi of sorts (minus the bubbles)The obligatory "Hey foreign guy with DSLR, take photo of us" shotTried a shot without flash on long exposure before this, but all I got were the people in the backThat's the only way to go back up
It must be a challenge to visit this cave with family
Jason suggested we wait for other groups to go firstIt was our turn nowI can't remember what this rock shape resembled but Jason did say it looked like something (a hippo?)The stars alignOh look, Jason is smilingBack up to bat shit territoryI know using flash would be wrong (and Jason reminded me not to do so) so I tried my best to try and capture the bat clusters using long exposure. I wasn't in a position where I could set up the tripod well.
Another attempt to capture the bats (ignore the large shadow, that's me). The bats weren't flying about inside. Maybe they were camera shy.And then there was light...We had spent nearly 2 hours doing the Sumaguing cave part of the tourBut the reason why it takes that much time is because you have to tread very carefully! This is why they insist you hire a guide, because they know the caves and the trail to follow.I had never been inside a cave like this before so this was quite an amazing experience!This is an Inn just outside the caves (thus the clever name)Shot this at 5pmSagada is a truly beautiful place to visitThese trees are everywhere here in Sagada (Are they a type of pine trees?)I can highly recommend Sagada as a pleasant trekking destinationHad to stop and get one final look of the rice terraces as we walked past it againReally beautiful
Pff, so outdatedAs we walked back to town, I asked Jason if there was anyway we could go to Echo valley and see the hanging coffins today itself as I didn't feel like staying back another day just to see them -- and I REALLY wanted to see them!Jason, took a pause and said: "Sure". I told him I wouldn't mind walking a bit faster, and then he told me there was a shortcut we could take.So I followed my guide, through small alleyways and past village houses
This is the famous church. You normally come here through another path from the village center.We were nearSigh, I officially hate climbing nowThis is Sagada's main cemetery, where they bury people nowadays
After 15 minutes of 'speed walking,' we were in Echo Valley
Echo valley earned its name for obvious reasons. You could see visitors shouting to hear their echoes in return. Though, I’m not sure the dead who were laid to rest here really wanted to hear “I love Justin Bieber” and the equally famous “Justin Bieber sucks”. I’m not kidding, Filipino kids were having a blast shouting it out.
See, even the dead aren’t spared from the Bieber.
Jason pointed to the coffins... and if you can't spot them...
(takes out the 70-200mm zoom lens…)
There!The lens was at 200mmThere were a few older coffins a bit further away
Even after witnessing the hanging coffins from up here, I still felt ‘incomplete’. I knew I would feel like this unless I went all the way to the coffins and took photos from up close, because that’s how I saw them online. And I wanted that.
I asked Jason if we could get a lot closer. He sighed and asked me if I was willing to climb down (he knew I was a bit tired). I told him that I had come this far already, no point in coming back tomorrow just to go up close to the coffins.
And down we went, to get a closer look at the coffins. Took just 5 minutes.
Eerie as it may sound, I felt much better coming down hereEven though this is originally a centuries-old Chinese tradition, it isn't practiced anymore. Despite that, the brown coffin was the most recent addition as the person insisted on being laid to rest here, along with her ancestors.The rest are decades old, some even centuries oldBecause it was getting dark, I set the camera on the tripod and shot these at f4, 1/2 second exposure to absorb as much light as possibleAnd this is what happened when the camera nearly fell to the ground after I clickedIf you are tall enough, you could touch the lowest hanging coffin (but that would just be disrespectful)It was nearing 6:30pm, so we had to head back before it got too darkTook this using flash so that you get an idea of just how dark it really was
The climb back up was tough for me, simply because there were no proper steps. I found myself panting for breath, but in some ways, I now felt ‘complete’. I had accomplished everything I wanted to see in Sagada.
We walked back, a bit slower this time…
... and this is how dark it got by the time we were out of the woods
When we got back to the main road, Jason said he would be heading straight home from there. So I paid him the ₱700 ($16/€11) guide fee, plus a ₱100 tip, and thanked him — for putting up with me and my demandsrequest to see everything I wanted by the end of daylight.
Took this photo from where we got down to the main roadThis is George's Guesthouse... at 7pm
Back in the room, I rested my feet briefly, took a hot shower to cleanse myself of all the bat shit, and then stepped out again for dinner, because Sagada (like Banaue) has a 9pm curfew.
I had read a lot of good recommendations for a place called the Yoghurt House, so I went there for dinner just as it was winding down for the night.
I had the apple ham sandwich...... and the banana yoghurt with granola topping. It was alright. Cost a total of ₱180 ($4/€3).
On the way back, stepped into a souvenir store, bought a neat-looking ‘I Survived Sagada’ t-shirt (₱180) and some biscuits to have tomorrow morning as I was going to be waking up really early to catch the first bus to Baguio city.
Back at George’s Guesthouse, even though the doors were shut, men were drinking and having a jolly time proving that despite the 9pm curfew, the night doesn’t end early for the locals. I copied over today’s photos from the camera to my laptop and made the most of the wi-fi to make bookings for the coming days.
Today was yet another stupendous and memorable day for me. Like yesterday, despite how tired I was trying to see as much as possible, I felt glad at end having accomplished everything I came to experience. Sure, Sagada has some famous waterfalls too, but the trek to the waterfalls was surely not possible today and I had no regrets about missing it either. The main attractions on my Sagada checklist were Sumaguing cave and the Hanging Coffins of Echo valley. And I couldn’t be more pleased with the photographs I took of both the places.
Sagada makes for a perfect weekend getaway for Manila’s residents but even as a foreign tourist, I would still recommend one make the effort to come all the way here.
I was tired, sure, but with nothing else to do in Sagada’s chilly nights, I cuddled up and went to sleep satisfied. Only dreaming this trip would keep getting better.
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
Another 10 minute walk later, we reached the entrance to Sumaguing cave.
