Philin' Good about e Philippines 2

It got too comfortable.

Us in Manila, lounging around in the house, eating family dinners, entertaining lil Sachi, watching the strangest reality tv shows.

Too cute!! No wonder we can't leave xD

And that's when you know it's time to go. So we went.

We took the night bus up to Tuguegarao, and crashed Uncle Freddy's place (and life). We went spelunking up at Callao Caves, then drove up to the northern coastal town of Aparri to catch the sunset along the sea. There we bunked in at Uncle Freddy's friend's home (who in the great fashion of filipino hospitality vacated his entire house for us to stay), bought fish from the local market and cooked it for a nice beer-and-dinner.

Midway we dropped by Aunt Naknak et al's farms, and had tons of fun in the 'shoes', i.e. barefeet of a wet rice farmer. We bathed naked in a passing river, planted a disarray of rice seedlings knee-deep in mud, harvested coconuts from a bat colony, ploughed through maize plantations, and, of course, i got thrown off a carabao. So what else is new?

This is a carabao...in case you were wondering.

The lowlands didn't satisfy our appetite for adventure. We bus-ed up and up long winding roads, across undulating hills and into the deep mountains. Banaue, a little village tucked neatly on a mountain where rows of rice terraces grew, with native bridges running across the river valley, tin-crusted houses hanging for dear life onto cliffsides, and a slow peaceful atmosphere to soothe our hearts.

It reminded me of Sapa, perhaps just without the ubiquitous ethnic tribal costumes. But you still fall in love with the town easily, and I regret not having the luxury to explore every nook and cranny of this rustic hamlet.

Ever had an entire town black out for the whole night, with a candle to keep us company? All it takes is to rain, and Banaue cuts off all electricity, blanketing the village in complete darkness while the moon hides behind mountain peaks.

Yet that was the most refreshing sleep I had for awhile, possibly due to the fresh air and quiet night.

When morning came, it was accompanied by the cacophony of a gazillion dogs, pigs and cockerels, ringing loud through the valley. We washed up and rode over to a nearby mountain, where we'd embark hours on foot, up into the clouds and then down towards the greatest of the UNESCO rice terraces, Batad.

No mean feat, btw. I'd advise good shoes, light baggage and a healthy heart. But it was well worth the hike.

A hidden emerald in the valley

Walking along the rice terraces, feeling the beads of richly yellow wheat, you can't help but feel that you don't love rice as much as it really deserves. Eons of carving steps and building mud foundations, just to grow little strips of rice and corn - food truly is the essence of life. Some of these villagers really have been living the same way their ancestors lived, with nary a modern comfort but the sole immersion in a life within a mountain valley...

We climbed across the terraces, for we searched for another famous hotspot - the Tappia Waterfall. Honestly, I never thought much of waterfalls. Seen a couple here and there in my travels, meh. But, no. This one really stunned me. It was so beautifully carved, right snuck above a field of rocks, and it begged to be swam to. Which is really dangerous due to the undercurrents, of course. Still, when we saw it roaring above our heads, we promptly stripped down and dived into the racing river, till we stood right in front of it, a torrential stream of water. A stream of beauty, actually.

Will post pics up from Karl. But we lounged lazily on the rocky riverbed before the time creeped on us - we had to get back to our initial hiking point in 2-3 hours to catch the tricycle back! And I acutely realized my lack of fitness as we did a more exhausting climb back to Batad, and then across the mountains again. Whew! 6-7 full hours of rough hiking got us really, really bushed by the end of the day. We retreated into a coach for a long overnight haul back down towards Manila.

I thought I'd really miss the serenity, the halcyon calm of these hidden hamlets. And I still do, badly, but two weeks had flown by, and we drew close to the end of our trip.

Though much of Luzon still remained unexplored, I think I'd satisfied my wanderlust for now! It has been a thoroughly refreshing trip of brand new experiences, and makes me count the Philippines as one of my fav in Southeast Asia now, alongside Vietnam. I'd love to come back again and enjoy the blend of nature and civilization, the rich culture, the great hospitability of the people...

What do you know? It's more fun in the Philippines! :)