Around Banaue

Banaue rice terraces Banaueis surrounded by rice terraces that were notched into the rugged mountains thousands of years ago. They require constant maintenance to keep them in shape producing mountain rice. There is a view point a few kilometers out of town heading to Sagada but I decided not to take any pictures over there. There are quite a few buildings going up that change the whole feel of the place. These fields are between the Batad junction and Banaue. The locals don't have a problem with you walking on the paths between the terraces if you feel adventurous. There is a lot of planting in May so the lush green that you see in some photographs will be hard to capture but seeing how the planting is done is also very interesting. Banaue has become very built up over the years and getting around has become very expensive. You can take a first class bus with onboard cr all the way to Manila for 460 peso but a trike to the Batad Junction is 650 peso. It is hard for a tourist to get local prices there and while beautiful Banaue doesn't appeal to me as much as it used to. You can hop the jeepney to Baangan and get off at the junction but you will have a tough time catching a ride back to town. Banaue definitely deserves a look however especially if you are just passing through on limited time. For sure take a day to make the trip over to Batad while you are there. Banaue has the tourist infrastructure to adsorb the crowd it gets and it really is a neat little town. Several of the guest houses are perched over the ravine where a river runs through town and it is just brilliant eating lunch on the balcony. Philippines 2007   www.dutchpickle.com

 

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