Batad Rice Terraces, Ifugao
The bus left a few minutes later than it was scheduled to, but I was too sleepy to care. Still, I was only able to doze off half the time we spent en route to Banaue, Ifugao for Route +63′s inaugural group trip to the two thousand year-old Batad Rice Terraces, part of the region’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. I had a good feeling about the trip, but at the back of my mind I knew that real dangers existed beyond the safety of the bus door. Perhaps it was just me and the travel insurance policy I got for the entire group earlier that afternoon? A short while after daylight, we were out of the bus, in and out of a jeepney, and already settling in at Uyami’s Greenview Lodge in Banaue for breakfast and briefings. It has been a ten-hour ride.
I didn’t listen to the guy briefing the group about the trip. I shrugged off the lecture and thought I’d take in the “urban” scenery outside the lodge instead, which was a strip of a collection of a few more lodges, a local DENR office, a couple of souvenir shops, and a drugstore. Nothing much to see. After breakfast, we boarded our jeepneys – some of us, including me, toploading them just like I’ve seen in photos before – to the Batad Saddle. (I think toploading oughta be mainstream wherever it’s not as polluted as Metro Manila.)
It was about an hour of trekking from the saddle to the Hillside Inn where we checked in for an overnight stay. It served as our base of operations for our entire Batad experience, and serve well it did. It is owned by the family of Mr. Pedro Addug (in his mother’s name, I guess), a retired school principal who proved himself a great resource person throughout our stay there. His family apparently also owns the part of the Batad Rice Terraces we traveled all the way from Manila to help repair, and he was sincerely thankful for the contributions our group made.
The said contributions were primarily our participation in a local effort called bachang, which I think roughly translates to the Filipino word bayanihan (cooperation between neighbors for a common purpose). Natural occurrences at the Batad Rice Terraces led to erosion in some parts of it, and the bachang invites outside intervention to help restore these sections. Route +63′s role was limited to transferring soil and rocks from a lower terrace to one level up, and it took much energy from us to do the simple tasks required to complete the job. Still, it was a proud moment for the participants to have helped out in the restoration process, not to mention completing an hour-long walk from Hillside Inn to the work area and back.
I heard the other participants met with the barangay captain before returning to the inn for formal thanks, but I only had two things on my mind after shoveling dirt and digging through soil: to cut through whatever was on the plan next and to get myself under a flowing shower. So off to the bathroom I headed, to a line of three people waiting for their turn to take a shower (to my dismay). The only consolation is that I was still the first one to wash off all the dirt from our group, leading me to hum “So Fresh, So Clean” by Outkast on my way out of the showers. Yep, I’m dope like that.
After dinner, Mr. Addug gave us a much appreciated lecture on rice wine and moma (betel nut). It was then that I understood the weight of the traditions and ceremonies that come with these goods, that these are not just simple acts of respect, but intricate practices that need our attention and preservation. I have much to learn on my next trip to Batad, I thought to myself, but further lessons would come sooner than I anticipated.
“Maphod,” I whispered to myself. Mr. Addug taught us the word the previous night, in the context of the rice wine being “good for everyone,” which the word meant. Maphod, the story we’ll share back home.
The rest of the group ventured to a nearby falls and traditional village the following day, but I opted to stay behind at the inn. There, Mr. Addug told me more about Batad: that outsiders must stay for about two days and two nights to grasp all the best sights Batad has to offer, that the amphitheater the Batad Rice Terraces resemble is best viewed from a mountaintop to the right side from where the inn’s view was, that the said mountaintop can be reached by trekking for two hours (to my disappointment), and that there’s actually an old story about how the said rice terraces came about.
We left after lunch and after thanking our hosts for the stories and everything else. It was another hour’s worth of walking back to the saddle, and this time we anticipated a downpour due to the looming dark clouds. Hell of a day to travel, I thought, but there was no other way but to go at the designated time, so I had a porter carry my huge backpack up the mountainside. For a cheap sum, I’d gladly save my legs for the work week to come.
We reached the saddle, all safe and sound, relieved of the burden of trekking ever again for the rest of the day. We looked forward to a few more sights (at the famous Banaue Rice Terraces) and a hearty early dinner back at the Greenview Lodge.
“Maphod,” I whispered to myself. Mr. Addug taught us the word the previous night, in the context of the rice wine being “good for everyone,” which the word meant. Maphod, the story we’ll share back home.
Batad Rice Terraces
Batad District, Banaue, Ifugao
Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines
Route +63
route63.org
jen says:
June 12th, 2012 at 8:29 pm
sama na ako next time!!!! how cold was it in batad?
Judd says:
June 13th, 2012 at 12:00 am
@Jen: Sige sama ka na sa susunod, binigyan ako ni Mang Pedro ng tips para sa pagbalik eh! Hindi malamig. Malamig lang kapag umuulan at nag-iisa. Wahaha!
jen says:
June 24th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
@judd – nyeeeeeeeh! arte! :p
KUMAGCOW says:
August 9th, 2012 at 1:36 am
Ang galing ng placement ng ad dun sa bubong on the last photo hehe
how’s the costing pala Judd? Dirt cheap ba almost lahat?
AL says:
September 26th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Nice.. Been to Sagada before, pero must see din siguro talaga ang Batad.
kyh says:
October 29th, 2012 at 1:40 am
gorgeous views! love the rainbow shot and the last one. rice terraces are a monumental human achievement!