T'was part of the plan during my last trip to Philippines to see and visit the famous Hagdan-hagdang palayan or what everyone knows as one of the 8th wonders of the world, the Banaue Rice Terraces. I arranged the whole trip with the travel agency called shore2shore since time is precious and for us to avoid any sort of hassle.
Banaue is located in the northern part of Luzon within the province of Ifugao. Going there was never easy because your only option is to ride a bus for like 10 hours or so. The best time to travel is by night (last trip I think is at 10PM) so you'll reach there very early in the morning to enjoy the scenery and explore for more sightseeing. Honestly, I am not a fan of long trips especially if you are not in control. Both bus going to and from Banaue doesn't have proper AC controls - it was freezing cold during the whole trip! Passengers literally have their own scotch tape to cover the blowing AC on top of their heads! Also, drivers are quite reckless. For goodness sake, it's a bus loaded with passengers, going through a two-way very dark road and they drive like we're going to hell! So my advice: sleep during the whole 10 hours! It will save you a heart attack plus you'll be refreshed and energetic by the time you reach Banaue.
But you know, you will easily forget about this horrendous bus trip when you get to Banaue. We reached around 7AM in the morning and head off to a small office for tourism registration, then to a nearby coffee shop. This shop is in a great location! While sipping our freshly brewed coffee, we had a stunning view of the town proper. It was lusciously green everywhere and houses were built like they are pasted on those green mountains - it looks awesome!
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| My baby enjoying the sun, weather, and scenery |
Right after this short coffee break, we finally meet with our tour guide to start on the whole day Hapao rice terraces sightseeing tour. The tour includes going to ethnic villages, Pine Forest Resort, and short Hapao trek. The best part is mingling with the native Ifugaos (indigenous people of Banaue). They look so cool though it seems a little staged and some sort of a "business" for them seeing the tourists. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind handing over a little cash but what I don't like is that they're like forced to wear those traditional clothing to entertain and get some money from people. Anyway....
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| One of the amazing views in Hapao. Perfect for ADU photo-op! |
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| With the lovely Ifugaos |
The two famous Banaue rice terraces are called Bangaan and Batad. It is said that these terraces were built around 2,000 years ago by Ifugaos (indigenous people of the region) largely by hand. These rice terraces are set in the mountains, approximately 5,000 feet above sea level.
The second day of our Banaue trip was the exciting yet challenging whole day Batad tour. We were picked up by a jeepney from the hotel to go to the saddle (for like an hour drive) where we started to trek Batad terraces. The view from the top is absolutely serene and amazing. And oh, Tappiya Waterfalls is also on the way :), which is quite rewarding after 2 or 3-hour trek (each way, and depending on your pace)!
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| Golden green terraces during January |
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| Muddy pool of barren |
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| Breathing in as much clean air as I can |
So there you go. I'm still alive and writing this blog so yeah, we made it! I would definitely do it again and again and again. Ta-ta!
Where did my money go? A total of Php 16,400 for two which includes return Ohiyami bus trip, environmental fees, tour guide, 2-night hotel accommodation with breakfasts, and snacks during the tour
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