Banau, Ifugao

Despite an uncomfortable 10 hours bus ride to get from Manila to Banaue, the trip is worth the while!

We got to Banaue at seven in the morning. Our first stop was the Sanafe Hotel to get our needed coffee fix for the day. From there we took a tricycle to get to the Batad rice terraces... or so we thought. After a bumpy 45 minute drive, the driver dropped us at the Batad-Junction. From there it is a one hour walk to "the saddle" from where it is another one hour hike to Batad from where it is yet another one hour walk, traversing the stone-walled rice terraces, to the Tappia Waterfall.

The hike was most scenic, the weather perfect, and the interaction with the local Ifugao just amazing! Old women showed us there traditional handicraft skills or explained the (hi)story of the Rice God to us. The local hospitality was overwhelming.

While the elder people were very willing to be photographed, a young mother stopped me politely just when I was about to snap a picture of her 18 months old daughter. In perfect English she explained to me, that "in our culture we believe that you not only take a picture, but also the soul of my daughter."

I apologized and said, that I should have asked her permission first. She thanked me for my understanding. I was amazed, knowing that I was the one intruding not just her privacy but also her culture and believes.