April 29, 2001
MABUHAY!
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| A Souvenir photo with Banawe Rice Terraces in the background
11:00 am, my wife and I arrived in Baguio City -the Summer Capital of the Philippines. After a couple hours of rest in our favorite lodging house just a few meters away from the city's outskirts, we decided to roam the marketplace for a place to eat. Then a bus with a signboard BANAWE caught my attention. I told my wife this would be a great travel adventure, thinking Banawe was just a few kilometers away from Baguio City. We boarded the bus around 6:00 pm with a few local people- the Ifugaos, already on board. We sat near the rear portion of the bus with a lot of stuff stock-filed among the empty seats. I noticed that the bus traveled for long hours now making only a few stops just to pick up some passengers. The road is very dark almost zero-visibility. The night was also very cold which is why I hugged my wife very tight. The bus seems to speed away with great speed an indication of a great distance ahead. I could not help but wonder why so I went near the driver to ask him if we were near our destination. Then the driver gave me a big smile and said, " A few HOURS more." Oh no, I thought Banawe was just beside Baguio City, I suddenly realized that Banawe was located in a different province.
After a few more hours, around 5:00 am, we arrived at Banawe almost at the same time the sun began to show off its radiant morning rays. I now see a silhouette of green mountain ranges and the nice feeling of a cool morning breeze greeted us with such delight. This is indeed HEAVEN!
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  Two local boys went with us to guide us through a narrow footpath that ascends and descends along the mountain. Rice paddies were a common sight since this is the main reason why our ancestors did this fantastic job of carving these mountain ranges. All for the sake of our staple food, rice. By the way, the variety of rice here is called commercially brown rice.     CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Summer Vacation in Laguna Day 1: Cavinti Waterfalls Adventure   We navigated through the thick jungle of trees and shrubs, then went on to a hanging bridge. The spectacle of lush greens, beautiful landscapes, and reaching the mountain peak with my hands nearly touching the clouds give me a feeling of euphoria, a taste of heaven on earth.    
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We passed by a small local community on top of the mountain where I saw an authentic Ifugao house. I only read them before in books when I was studying at the College of Architecture. Some of the houses replaced the nipa- a local material used for roofing, with corrugated GI sheets but maintained the motif of the ancestral design.
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| IFUGAO HOUSE |
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Posing for a souvenir photo with an Ifugao tribesman  |
We went down from the mountain around 12:00 pm, then ate some lunch and yes, they served us unlimited brown rice! After a little break, we boarded a bus going to Baguio City, around 2pm- the last trip for that day. At 3:00 pm, our bus departed for another 10 hours of travel adventure.
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