Banaue

IT’s a breathtaking place representative of our country,

for it can never be found anywhere else. When stretched

from end to end, this cultural landscape is estimated to

go halfway around the world, or 10 times the length of

The Great Wall of China. Perhaps, every Filipino utters its name whenever asked

for a tourist destination to visit. But then, not everyone gets the chance to go

there. It may be the distance or the lack of knowledge of the place, but certainly,

those shouldn’t keep anyone from trying out the adventure and exploring this

magnificent architectural wonder. Such is the magic of the 2,000-year-old Ifugao

Rice Terraces of Banaue.

We in 2bU! understand that the young at heart

should never ever be kept in one place. We also

understand that for teenagers, there is the need to

travel and conquer new sights and places. And

the Rice Terraces are just perfect for you. Never

mind if Ifugao is a 10-hour drive from Manila. It

does add a sense of adventure to the trip. Slowly

but surely, one sees how the chaos of city life

fades into the tranquility and beauty of the provinces. Buildings are replaced by

nipa huts, and later by rice fields. The road sandwiched between the mountains

of Cagayan Valley offers majestic scenery one often sees in landscape paintings.

To cap it, the road leading to the town of Banaue is sprawled with sights of the

fantastic terraces. And, of course, there is that luxury one can never seem to have

in Manila: Fresh air.

Gracious reception

We left for Banaue at 8 a.m. We got there at 9 p.m. We would have dropped

dead-tired, sprawled all over at the lobby of Banaue Hotel, if not for the gracious

reception of its general manager and staff. A cultural presentation was held later

on in the night, where diners were treated to a relaxing feast by the pool. The

Ifugaos showcased their dances. They were kind enough to educate us about

their rituals and customs, especially in their manner of dressing. Even the spirits

kept us awake the whole night (wine spirit, that is). Their red rice wine tasted

warm in the mouth and had a roasted flavor in it. Of course, it helped that

everyone felt the need to celebrate our arrival in one piece. Besides, we needed

the jolt to help us in our eight-hour trek to Batad next day. We later realized that

what we needed was more than a jolt. We needed new and improved fit bodies!

Batad is home to the amphitheater rice terraces. It is about 16 km away from

Banaue, 4 km of that to be walked by foot, starting at the Batad junction.

Jeepneys were everywhere and these would take you to the junction. Another

common mode of transportation was the tricycle. The mountain trail, to be

traversed by foot, is recommended only to strong hikers. Although it’s not steep,

and the road is not as harsh as, say, Sagada, the eight-hour hike could prove to

be too much for the potato couch. Also, landslides occur quite occasionally: trails

may get blocked so hikers would have to cross over boulders and pebbles. And,

of course, it was not encouraging to hear these rocks falling over the ravine which

was just next to your left. This was what the group experienced on that fateful

day during the hike. But hey, that is what eco-adventure is all about--no limit to

the thrills.

Uphill

From the junction, everything was uphill, but thanks to the very cool mountain air,

it didn’t seem to be that difficult. Everything was breathtaking--the majestic view

of nearby mountains and the exhausting trip toward the terraces. It provided a

good opportunity for people to share their backpacking trips a few years back,

and it took away the boredom of walking for several hours. A marker and a shed

for hikers to rest in for a while represent the Batad halfway, which is about

one-and-a-half-hours away from the junction. Batad is 4,200 meters above sea

level, and again as expected, it offers one of the many views of the terraces along

the way. Also, starting that point, sheds are available where friendly Ifugaos

would share with you the much-needed information about places to stay

overnight, travel must-haves and life as an Ifugao. They also have woodcarvings

and souvenir items available in their sheds that are nice conversation pieces. A

good two hours away is the Batad proper, where one could see the

amphitheater, a Unesco World Heritage Site. It boasts of beautifully contoured

rice terraces so wide and grand that the eyes (much less a camera) aren’t enough

to capture the whole image. Imagine that alongside imposing mountains and

dainty native houses that stand till today.

However, it doesn’t take eight hours just to see the world-renowned terraces. As

mentioned, they are sprawled all over Ifugao. One particular set of terraces can

be found at Viewpoint, which is a 20-minute ride from the hotel. This is a perfect

spot for picture taking as the terraces here have deeper magnitude. The other set

(the same distance) is in Dianara, whose name is derived from former Miss

Universe Dayanara Torres. She was in the exact spot six years ago, when she did

a photo shoot for the Manila pageant back in 1994. Here, I find the terraces even

more majestic, especially because you get to be on a plateau and freely take

pictures from all angles.

Hospitality

Ifugao folk have pretty much adjusted to tourists, as the people don’t make a fuss

about seeing foreigners. Instead, it is their hospitality more than their curiosity that

shines through. Children gladly posed for photographs and smiled. With a piece

of candy, they’d smile even more widely. The tour guides, particularly Charlie

Dumpit (who was cited by "Lonely Planet’s" guide to the Philippines as one of the

best guides in the area), were willing to add extra help, even becoming porters in

the process. Even traders weren’t so bad in the area of haggling, being pleasant

despite extreme price beg-off from us. Locals weren’t hard to please; just deliver

a joke or two and they’d let out a genuine laugh. They were well-educated, able

to speak English and Tagalog aside from their native language. And if they

weren’t busy, they’d gladly bring out their weaving materials and showcase their

talents right before your eyes.

Aside from colorful blankets and hand-woven bags, they also had a lot of beaded

necklaces and bracelets, as well as woodcarvings that served as souvenir items.

Their rice idol, the bulol, was probably the most common of all carvings and the

price ranged from P80 to P1,000, depending on the size. These items, as well as

other crafts and gift giveaways, could be found at Viewpoint and Trade Center

(20-minute walk from Banaue Hotel), among other stalls and market places in

nearby areas. Another sought-after item was the rice wine, which reportedly cost

P65 in the market, way much cheap compared to those that were available in the

hotels.

Those last few thrills were a surprise to me. As someone who had always been

informed that Ifugao was just all about the terraces, I now conclude that I was

misinformed. For aside from the architectural wonder, the people have left a very

good impression on me. They who are the makers of the God’s stairway to

heaven.

[ Banaue Rice Terraces Wiki ]