The Simple life with them of people of Brgy. Batad | Banaue, Ifugao

Ifugao is one my bucket list to visit, finally this is it and I’ll do it on a Solo travel for a couple of days, just to experience the life of people of being far away in a crowded and polluted city. The life is different in rural areas compared to urbanize city in the Philippines. I did not stay in Banaue town instead I stayed in Barangay Batad just an hour from the town. I like the way of living of people there, it’s simpler if you want to escaped in the stressful, polluted and traffic Cities like me, then let us visits the place just to embrace the fresh air with a breathtaking view.

The bus leaves manila around 10pm and the estimated of our arrival is 7 in the morning. When we are about to leave I have no plan at all of where should I go because I have concerns regarding of the infrequent trip going to Batad from Banuae town. When I arrived in Banaue terminal someone approached me and talk to me if I want to go in Batad and I said “Yes” he offer me a P300 for a ride going to the main jump off point to batad, I think it's overpriced but I don’t have other option, but to push through. Before heading to batad I went to the restaurant to take my breakfast, I ordered plain scrambled egg and 1 cup of plain rice cost me P70.

8am when we leave the town and ready myself to start my adventure on the way to Barangay Batad. I imagined already the life of people there when I saw a beautiful view. I said to myself that you will love the place so much and will not be disappointed.

We arrived that they called Saddle where all the jeep/Tricycle stopped and the traveler need to walk about 3 kilometers downhill. Since I arranged my transportation the driver agreed with me to drop me off at the main jump off point of Batad, lucky me, I don’t need to walk, hehe.

Saddle Point

15 minutes later when we reached our destination, but wait, there’s more I need to walk  a kilometer down to my accommodation, when I saw a two way and I don’t know where exactly the right path, I stopped to take a photo of it, when lady captured with my lens and her look me up and ask me where I’m going, I told her I’m going to the village and stayed at Hillside Inn, she taught me to follow her to see a good view of the rice terraces and I followed her without any word came in my mouth.

When we are in the middle of our walking something came to my mind about the other people say regarding to their culture, they need to ask permission before taking a photo of them because, taking of picture of them means taking their soul, I stopped walking and planning to go back and take the other way, because my Ego told me “Baka patayin ka nila at gawing alay para sa Culto” hahaha!  But my instinct told me also that to continue walking with the lady and I followed my instinct I continue walking until I saw a glimpse of the terraces, I take a deep breath and say in my mind that I arrived safe and sound.

Actually the both paths are the right way going to the village. I stayed in the viewing deck in a couple of minutes to take photo ops before going down to my Inn. Before leaving the place I saw the 2 kids and they entertain me well in another way, I gave the two them 20.00 as my early Christmas gift. I saw a happiness  in their eyes and my heart is melted and I feel emotional, that they even have 20 pesos in their hand to buy some food they want, unlike other kids in the city if you give them that amount still they are not enough. One thing I like about their kids there, the parent teaches their kids a good manner they don’t teach them to ask money to the tourist but instead wait if they given by.

Me and my Tour Guide

The lady that I was following a while ago ask me to get her as my tour guide, I told her that I don’t need a guide I can manage touring around, but she insists that I need one, haha. I asked her how much will cost to me she say 350.00. I am thinking that 350.00 will hurt my pocket so much, hahaha. I decided to take her as my guide not because I need one, but because I want to help her to save her day to buy some food  for her family because only guiding is one of their primary source of income.

We start our tour around 9:30am by foot, there is no other choice of touring around, but to walk, after 30 minutes we finally arrived in the middle of the mountain to take photos and rest as well. We continue walking until we reached the top viewing deck of Batad Rice terraces and said to myself, WOW AWESOME VIEW; I’m so tired not because of walking, but because of hiking, I need more warm up before taking the hike. 15 minutes later when we decided to go down to the village because of the heat from the sun hurt me so much.

                                                       

When we reached the Village I try their way of processing of their rice manually because they don’t have miller, I try also the native suite of “katutubo” local people of Ifugao and dance with them even if I don’t know how, hahaha! (Trying hard) Make me feel crazy. I saw the life of people in the village is very simple they make conversation “Chismis” to each other every day.

After 4 hours of our hiking we finally reached our Inn, I told the lady, truly sorry I forgot to ask her name, to wait me because I will get money in my room to pay the guiding fee. When I open my backpack to get my money in my other wallet, I saw nothing, gosh! My other wallet left in my home what a horrible day, I have 2000.00 in my pouch, I panic because I don’t know if I can make it to the next day going to Sagada. I pay the lady amounted of 400.00 the 50.00 is my tip to her. I asked the owner of the inn if there is an ATM machine in the town, he she say there is no ATM in town only in Bontoc Mt. Province.

I sleep for a while because I’m super tired of hiking in the Rice Terraces. I woke up around 5:30pm and I went down to the terrace and I meet the traveler from Belgium Clementine and her twin, Stephanie, we talk to each other regarding our experiences In hiking in Banaue and decided to take our dinner together. I ordered one plate of Vegetable Pizza for P120 pesos. 9pm when I felt sleepy, I told Clementine and Stephanie to call it a night.

Clémentine and Stephanie

I went to my room just to lay down because I can’t sleep by thinking of my wallet, on that night, I'm thinking to go back in manila but my instinct helps me to take a risk going to Bontoc just to withdraw a fund, I fall asleep and woke up the next day around 6am packing my things and preparing for departure.


I'm just curious to experience the TOPLOADING so I decided to do it here. I feel so awesome we are a lot in the top of the jeep, most of them are kids  and they are going to the town just to play a computer games and buy some stuff.

My experience to IFUGAO especially in Brgy. Batad  is super memorable one.I arrived in town after 1 hour and headed to Bontoc to withdraw some fund and continue my journey in Sagada.