Arriving in Manila I got on a taxi, this time ready for any potential hustling and true be told the guy didn't start the meter and when I asked him to do so he said that he had forgotten and that I could just pay him 500 pesos and it would be fine... Boy did he pick on the wrong tourist that day..
Getting of the taxi and paying my metered fare of 250 pesos, of course only from the point when he managed to turn it on, I transfered to an overnight 12 hour bus to Banaue and settled in on the back seat of the rolling freezer that is air conditioned public transportation in the Philipines..
Next morning I arrived in the small town of Banaue at 5 am, pitch black darkness and all I knew was that I needed to find some kind of transportation to my final destination Sagada. Then as the sun began to rise my surroundings were illuminated and revealed green mountains all around me and I got my first taste of the rice terraces I had travelled so far to see..
By the end of this blog post you will be sick of rice terrace pictures, so now you are warned!
As the first jeepney didn't leave till 8.30 I had plenty of time to wander around the town and get some breakfast. I found myself a dodgy hangbridge that I couldnt resist crossing, of course only after being a perfect gentleman and letting an old lady cross first..
In the jeepney I met a nice French guy Damien that worked and lived in Myanmar, for a sub division of a french company selling small solar energy systems to villages and privates. When changing jeepney in Bontoc we ran into a danish romanian couple Nicky and Laura and the four of us jumped on the roof of the jeepney to better enjoy the panoramic view of the landscape we were traveling through.
As it was easter there were people and celebrations everywhere, but also fully booked guesthouses, so I ended up crashing with Damien before we all four headed out to one of Sagadas main attractions, the Lumiang Burial cave and its underground connection to the Sumaging cave. Thats right traditionally people where not buried in the ground up here, they just put grandpar in a box and stored him on a shelf on a mountain side...
Putting the dead person in a featal position means that these coffins are actually quite small. You also see more traditional coffins because people up here are allowed to have a christian traditional funeral, which combines the two rituals.
Venturing deeper into the cave we traversed narrow vertical chutes, climped up small waterfalls and marveled at the huge cave rooms suddenly opening up. Before crawling up to the surface we went for a swim in the chilly underground pond. At the surface all hell had broken out as thunder and lightning rolled through the mountains. Fortunately we caught a ride with the local law enforcement back to town. Rest of the evening was spent napping as the weather didn't allow for anymore outside adventures and I had some sleep to cath up on!
Next morning it was up early again to get on a jeepney back to Banaue, as I had a compressed schedule up here in the north leaving no time to waste. And also the public transportation system runs on a "We go when we have enough passengers approach" so to make sure you get anywhere on time you better be there early. I left Damien, Nicky and Laura behind in Sagada but it wasnt long before I found some new friends to play with...
Again I had to change jeepney in Bontoc and here I met a diverse and entertaining group of four Philipinos traveling more or less the same route as me during their easter holiday. Before I knew it conversation was struck up as per tradition when meeting Philipinos and it turned out we had the same end destination for the day, the renowned amphitheater rice terraces of Batad.
The four friends were Yuri, up and coming marine biologist, Jimae a chemist in the medical industry, Kareen the nurse and Gerald photographer and artist!
This little troupe originates from the southern province of Mindanao, a place unfortunately associated with kidnapping and unrest, but these four guys had me convinced there was much more to this place, that didn't stop me from calling them gangsters from time to time thou!
Batad is currently only accessible by foot so all supplies has to be carried in and all the production of rice out. Coming in is not so tough as its mostly down hill but out..
We took the "shortcut", but the look on people faces coming the other way was not pleasant.
From there it was straight on to the Tappia waterfall that took us on a route through the terraces. Having learned from the best waterfall chasers in the business this one was soon in the bag and we headed back over the terraces for a well deserved evening meal after a long day of walking, climbing and swimming.
Next morning we were up at 4.30 to walk to the top of the terraces and view the sunrise as it came up over the mountains and illuminated the entire area. So it was pitch black as we made our way on the small walkways of the terraces and through the village, practically going through peoples homes.
Returning from the sunrise me and my new friends split as they were heading back to Manila, ready to go to work monday morning, while I hired a guide to go on a hike through the mountains that would take me back to Banaue, but on foot..
I would start the trip with a short 1.5 hour walk from Batad to the small village of Cambulo. There I stayed overnight, ready for departure at 6 am for the beautiful and demanding hike to the little cluster huts called Pula and beyond to the main road leading back to Banaue.
It was an amazing walk along the terraces, but exhausting every time a ridge had to be crossed!
Back in Banaue I settled in and waited for the night bus back to Manila to rendevouz with my new found friends!
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