Minutes before leaving Batad, we were introduced to a Persian couple who happens to be a colleague of one of my acquaintances during the trip. As we pass through the couple, I overheard the girl describing the place like heaven. Feeling the same way, I took another glance and noticed that the clouds were just inches above the terraces as if they were kissing. The panorama was indeed like a sneak peek to the ultimate paradise.
Three days prior to this, I was rushing to finish my emails. My Manager and I were set to leave the office and meet our colleagues at nine pm as the Ifugao-bound bus of Ohayami Liner is leaving around 10 pm from its Manila City terminal in Lacson Avenue. The said liner is the only one that plies Manila-Ifugao route. We were told it would take 8 hours for us to reach Banaue, Ifugao. Arriving in the terminal, I was dazzled to see numerous foreigners that were also bound to see the terraces. There were Indians, Europeans and Americans. Unfortunateley, Ohayami uses second-hand metro buses that were purcahsed from Korea. Thus, the interior is not meant for long travels as such. Nonetheless, the air-conditioning was fair enough for us to get a good sleep during the trip. We left Manila past ten pm. We had two stop-overs; one in Bulacan and another in Nueva Vizcaya. It was funny though that some of the foreign passengers opted to lie on the floor as they were uncomfortable sleeping on their seats.
We arrived past seven in the morning. Downtown Banaue will give you a sense like you are in Baguio City, but lesser crowd. Several rice terraces can bee seen immediately from the bus terminal. There are 5 major clusters of rice terraces in Banaue namely: Banaue Rice Terraces, Batad, Mayoyao, Hapao and Kiangan Rice Terraces. Our group was set to visit Batad as it is the favorite amongst the clusters. Batad is also the hardest to reach. Before going to Batad, we went to Greenview Lodge to have our breakfast. It was important for us to get energize before the trekking. After a sumptous breakfast, we were brought by a jeepney to the the junction where the walking begins.
View from the terminal
Greenview Lodge's Resto
After a few hours of walking that covered 9 kilometers of steep road, we were greeted by the magnificent terraces of Batad.
We stayed at Simon’s Inn when we were in Batad. The place offers the best view of the panoramic village aside from the fact that its staff are friendly and accommodative. Recommending the place is simply an understatement. We opted to rest during our first of stay. Aside from the goal to unwind, the trip also served as journey for a cause as we brought different school supplies and toys for the local kids. Hence, on the following day, we were on a roll. We started the day by going to the village on the terraces itself. We were greeted by a lot of kids during the walk. Their smiles were genuine and warm. We reciprocated by handing them toys, candies, pencils and other goodies. The terraces up-close were much inviting. I was told by my teacher back then that these terraces were hand-made by our Ifugao ancestors. Thus, you could not imagine my amazement during the trip. Later that day, we went to Tappia Falls which is approximately three to four kilometers from the village of Batad. The said falls measures 20 meter high and a must see when visting Batad.
Surviving Ifugao (October 26-29, 2011)
Ticket and Luggage 