TRAVEL TO AMAZING WORLD OF IFUGAOS

August 02, 2011

TRAVEL TO AMAZING WORLD OF IFUGAOS

At last, I set foot on one of the places I desired to visit, The Banaue Rice Terraces. Considered as the 8th wonder of the world, Banaue Rice Terraces is a UNESCO certified cultural heritage. Wonderfully and skillfully built rice fields on the slopes of the Cordillera mountain range in Banaue, Ifugao, that seems like a stairway to heaven especially when the mountain tops are being embraced by the clouds. All your lethargy will be vanished the moment you have a glance on this marvelous work of our ancestors. These magnificent rice fields were built to grow our ancestors' staple food. Because of survival and skills, they were able to "flatten" the mountains in order for them to have food and survive. Walls of the terraces were "Stone-toughened" to resist erosion due to heavy rains and earthquakes.

Anywhere you go in the town, you will see the rice terraces. They were like canyons surrounding the village. Though the rice terraces can only be planted once a year, these were the major source of rice in locality. Farming here is rain dependent.

Its very hard to imagine how our ancestors built these structures considering the technology on their time. Maybe that's why this was considered as one of the wonders of the world.

Banaue is a great place to go. Aside from beautiful scenery of nature, you have the least chance to be hot-headed for it is very cool down here. Cold wind and warm sun welcomes you as you enter Banaue. It is refreshing here considering that you are far away from the concreted and glassed canyons, from polluted air and water and from unwanted noise in the city.

How to get there:

From Manila, It is a 10-11 hour travel in a bus to Banaue directly.

But if you happen to be in Nueva Viscaya this is your route to be:

From the town proper of Solano, Nueva Viscaya you can ask anyone where is the PUJs parking area bound for Lagawe, the capital of Ifugao. It will be an hour and a half travel from Solano to Lagawe. From Lagawe, there are PUJ's bound for Banaue. But take note, it will take time to wait for the jeepney to leave Lagawe, it is until there are passengers over the top. For about an hour all-up travel, you will be in Banaue.