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| Best Group Ever |
Visiting the
Banaue Rice Terraces, one of Asia’s finest, has been one of my dream travel
destinations. That’s why when one of my courses in UP Diliman offered this trip,
I didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity. Who could ever refuse this? I am no judger,
but I’m definitely judging those people who decided not to go. Anyway, the trip
was set for approximately 2 ½ days. We departed Friday night and left the place
Sunday night.
We
rented a bus for the whole class and it’s a very long ride from Manila. The
only bus terminal I know that will take you to Ifugao is the Ohayami Bus
Terminal which is located at the back of Florida Bus Terminal along Sampaloc
and Lacson Avenue. The fair costs P450 for a single journey, not that bad for an
8-hr bus ride. All buses depart Manila at 10pm, so I suggest you to take a
heavy dinner and be at the terminal around 8-9pm. There’s really nothing to do
during the trip but sleep. I recommend you to have a good set of song playlist
that’ll entertain you during the journey. The good thing about the trip is that
it has wifi! Woohoo! Though draining your gadgets’ battery life is not a good
idea. In the place that we lived in Ifugao, there are limited charging stations
and you may find yourself queuing with other people for 10 mins of charging. Since
the trip will be at night and they’ll turn the lights off, sight-seeing and
book reading is impossible.
After
that break, we rented two jeepneys going to Batad. The fair is usually P80-P100
per person but if you’re not too tight in budget, I suggest you to rent the
whole jeepney for you and your company. For the first time, I was able to ride
on top of a jeepney. It’s one hell of an experience. It is the best place to
see the sceneries. The ride took for an hour and made my butt hurt, but it was
worth it! We went trekking to Batad proper for almost an hour. It took me only
around 30 mins. It was tiring and my tip is, do it fast. We stayed at Ramon’s
Native Homestay and Restaurant. Don’t expect something like 5-star hotel stay
in Batad. Even though the place is not developed, the preservation of the place
and culture of the people will give you the best feeling, the Banaue
feeling.
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| Best ride ever! More exciting the six flags! |
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| How amazing it is to wake up in the morning with this kind of view? |
There’s
a nearby falls that you can go to, it’s called the Tappiya Falls. It’s an hour
of trekking and it’s really tiring so I suggest you to wear your trekking
clothes and have a good stretch for your body engine. The trek was so tiring
and the funny thing is I even asked myself why am I doing this and why am I
here. But just right after we arrived, all the frustrations went away. The view
was grand. These events in life are the kind of moments when you realize how
beautiful the world is. Going back to the inn was still a pain, though. But
that’s life! No pain, no gain.
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| Paradise |
We
tried the process of taking the grains (of Ifugao rice) out of it shells. In Filipino,
we call it pagbabayo where you pound the grains to release it from its cover.
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| Me playing with the grains! |
Maybe
the most memorable that we’ve done is when we planted on the Banaue Rice Terraces
itself. It’s so fulfilling, it felt like you’ve accomplished something in your
life. I really want to do it again. Every time you take a pause and look back
at the view, it’ll give you a surreal feeling. I even feel like lying on the
feet-deep mud I’m stepping on. It was perfect.
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| Magtanim ay di biro, Maghapong naka yuko |
Personally,
leaving the place is quite hard for me. I still want to stay for a week or
more! It was definitely one of the best travels of my life!
Photo Credits:
Anniqalou Cruz Tanaquin
Ram Murro
Two Awesome Classmates
