I have now started Series 2: Banaue sojourn at my photoblog Binary Silver. This series shows the photos I took in different areas in Banaue: town proper, at the Ifugao - Mt. Province boundary in Mt. Polis, trail at Bangaan on my way to Batad, and of course, the beautiful village of Batad.
The part of the Batad rice terraces where I crossed and broke a taboo.
If I’ve stuck to my original schedule of going on a Friday, I would not have come into problems. Saturday and I was doing the liesurely trek to Batad via the small village of Naggor and at the same time taking in the wonderful scenerey before me, the trail that’ve been written by Lonely Planet as marvelous, which I wholeheartedly agree. After more than two hours of walking, I came across an old lady and she was saying something. Unfortunately, I couldn’t understand a thing. She was gesticulating but not a single action nor a single word that came from her mouth was readable. All I was able to do was just to shyly smile, tell her that I don’t understand and proceeded my way. As I advanced through the trail, I came into a portion of rice terraces carved out from the mountainside. While it looked liked I have lost my way, the confusing trail just seem to lead to nowhere and a short cemented path bridging two portions of terraces just don’t connect until I found that the series of jutting stones neatly descending were the steps I was looking for. I continued my trek, crossing to the other side of the mountain until a man’s voice called from above. Looking up, he was frantically waving at me to come. Just as I was to arrive at the spot he was standing on that the tall frame of a foreigner with a backpack, from the distance, tried to cross the terraces.
“You crossed the terraces!” The man, in a raised voice, admonished me. I was flabbergasted. He continued to rant that they had a ritual, a canao the day before. That it was there holiday for the entire Batad rice terraces and no one was allowed to cross or step on the terraces. That the elders would not be pleased and I might be penalized. PENALIZED. I was more than dumbfounded and shocked. And he continued to lecture me that I might be made to pay for the expenses they paid for the canao to the tune of ten thousand pesos! What? There and then, while still digesting and trying to understand the words that he was saying, I realized that I might be in deeper shit than I expected. By this time, the foreigner with blond hair, quite tall, wearing eyeglasses arrived. When told about the infraction, he too was shocked. We followed the man to the group of houses and then I realzed that I was already in Batad. The wonderful sight of the terraces down below made me forget for a moment the trouble we were in.
At the Hillside Inn, the lady barangay captain explained to us the problem. Unfortunately for us, the elders of the village decided two days ago that that Saturday, from 0500H - 1800H, no one was to set foot on the terraces as they just performed a ritual the day before. This involved a group of men who went to the forest to find a particular plant and use its toxic properties as a natural pesticide. To make it effective for 4 - 5 years, they have to perform this rite, slaughtering and offering 10 chickens, rice wine and rice to the gods. Our transgression just rendered the effectivity of the plant’s pesticidal effects useless and has to be performed again, else, they will have a bad crop season. And in order to do it again, we will be the one to provide the resources. It was made clear to us that no one is spared this penalty and is imposed even on Batad residents who fail to observe it or, as I was told, including an Israeli tourist a few years back. We also need to wait for nightfall to talk to the elders as they were in the village below, and were unable to come as they can’t also cross. We reasoned that nobody told us about the taboo. Not at the Banaue tourist information center where I went first to check on the area. Not in the Family Inn nor at the waiting shed at the start of the trail in Bangaan. Not even in Naggor where I passed by a few people and nothing was said about the prohibition. But it was just hopeless. Because of this, together with the Frenchman, Pierre-Henri, the lanky 22 year old volunteer at the BFAD in Dagupan, we decided to stay for the night there.
To kill time, we ate at the restaurant, trying their Yemeni fried, flat bred malawach, went about the area sans crossing the terraces, taking photos at a promontory, talking with some locals regarding the place, our predicament.
Batad elders deciding our fate.
Night time came and we just waited. By about 2000H, two elders from the village below came accompanied by the barangay officials. While they don’t speak Filipino or English, the barangay officials interceded for us. We explained, we reasoned out but the elders just gave no option but to repeat the ritual. With no choice, I asked how much will it cost us, a quick accounting was done:
Ritual shopping list
I was quite relieved when I saw that the cost was just P3,700.00 instead of the earlier quoted P10,000.00. If the elders sacrificed a pig, it would have jacked up the expenses. Whew! And I’ll still divide it with Henri. Damage to me:P1,850.00. While I didn’t have enough cash at hand, we agreed that I’ll go to Solano, accompanied by one of the villagers. With everything settled, we called it a night.
Paandeesoel! Paandeesoel! Paandeesoel!
Still dark outside and already the pandesal boys of Banaue were calling out for their hot pandesal (pan de sal, literally, salted bread), the typical Pinoy morning bread that graces tables across the country. I just can’t help but remeber that while in Batanes you also awoke from your slumber on shouts of “hooooottttt paaaannndddeeessssaalllll” early in the morning, their voices reverberating across the streets.
Different places, same experience.
Baliwag bus terminal, Cubao
The sweet smell of sampaguitas greeted me as I entered the Baliwag bus in Cubao bound for Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, on my way to Banaue, Ifugao, Thursday, as I was struggling with colds and my tonsil swollen, inflamed, a sure sign of an impending cough. I would have taken the Autobus in UST for a direct trip but I just decided to break my sojourn into 2 legs: Manila - Solano by bus (P293) and Solano - Banaue via jeepney as I was not sure if I will still be able to get a seat. Six hours after the bus departed, 2245H and I arrived, took some breakfast at a local burger joint and rode a jeepney bound for Lagawe (P48), the capital of Ifugao, as there was no direct to Banaue that time (Lagawe - Banaue, P25).
Banaue jeepneys, Lagawe
Main town center, Banaue
Banaue. Its my second time to come to this not so memorable place with its decrepit structures, several unfinished ones, with steel cables jutting out, jeepneys and tricycles lording it out in the streets, souvenir shops in every corner selling the same merchandise, lodging houses with cheap rooms but some not well maintained (like Wonder Lodge, P300 for room with own shower but NO hot water, what a wonder…) while others are clean. The famed rice terraces are not yet that stunning. Some portions are crumbling, dirty, while a greater portion is already cleaned, ready for planting while in some portions, rice seedlings are already growing, clumped and green. Give it a few days, weeks and months and this UNESCO listed world heritage site will be transformed to one of the wonders of the world. But unfortunately, the site here is not that good with tin roofs, and other structures marring the view. Bangaan, and, especially, Batad, would be a much better option to enjoy and admire.
Relay stations, Mt. Polis
If not for the imposed on-call duty at my place of work, I would have gone directly to Batad to trek and take in its much touted vista. Instead, I went up to the Mt. Province - Ifugao boundary, up Mt. Polis to collect some beetles, if any. Indeed, there were several Pachyrrhynchini and coprophagous beetles collected but not like the last time I went here where the specimens were much more varied and interesting. But the view, oh what a sight! Of majestic mountains rising up into the heavens carpeted with vegetation and forests; mist, cloud and fog covered peaks stretching out to the horizon; cliffs and ravines plunging down; of a lone dirt road, winding down the sides of the mountains while dirt swirled and rose as buses, jeeps and other vehicles hurriedly passed.
Traditional house, Batad, Banaue
Saturday saw me trekking the more scenic and liesurely route to the fabled place of Batad (3 hours via the town of Naggor after Bangaan junction, not the one via the Saddle which was more strenuous, 2 hours). And again, what a beautiful sight! I was walking down the sides of the mountains and the feeling and experience just brought back memories of trekking Mt. Iraya in Batanes last year but instead of seeing a calm sea with waves crashing on the rocky shore below, your rewarded with views of serene villages, small rice terraces carved out of the mountainside and razor backed mountain ridges that both inspire and instill awe and fear. And then the marvelous rice terraces of Batad slowly comes into view.
The breathtaking view of rice terraces at Batad, Banaue
A few more hundred steps and your standing at the far edge, gazing down on the amphitheater like setting with the main village right smack at the base. Lonely Planet said it best in its guidebook to the Philippines (8th edition, p. 187) when it wrote “Adjectives fall short of accurately describing the amphitheatre-shaped rice terraces of Batad. The village itself sits in the middle, rather incongruously, since it’s strange to think that people actually live and work in such a tremendously beautiful place.” That’s just it.
Tappia Falls, Batad, Banaue
I stayed for the night at Batad to settle some things and the following day went to see Tappia Falls. Well, nothing much about this view, just the same with other falls but what is memorable is the trail going there where its quite steep and the view of the mountain is just great. Walked out of Batad via the Saddle and rode atop the jeepney (a recent development) down to Bangaan Junction and then to Banaue.
I arrived almost 0100H Monday. Tired but fulfilled.
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