Sleep all...sleep all day!!!

Very few jeepneys make a trip to Lagawe, and most leave the town on schedule. We made sure we wouldn’t miss the one scheduled to leave at around 10:30am. The trip was a one and a half hour-ride. We reached Lagawe few minutes past lunchtime, and from there, we took another 30 minute-jeepney ride going to Banawe.

Contrary to what I predicted, the ride was quite smooth. The roads, past the rice fields and local villages, are surprisingly paved. In few occasions do I appreciate American country music, and that instant happened to be one of those. Another thing that puzzled me, also, was their fondness of the genre, and Arlo told us that they were influenced by the western missionaries who have come and gone since the 1950s.

We reached Banawe past 1PM. A few walks took us around the business complex to choose local hand-woven items, find a restaurant to have lunch at, buy more food for the longer trip up the mountains, and take photos of the imposing panorama. I was relieved that the Banawe Rice Terraces on our backdrop (with all the big stores and inns that have sprung at a number of points) were not exactly the one we’d see on postcards. Arlo told me these really were the veiled Ifugao village and terraces in Batad.

At around 2:30, we hired a tricycle to take us to the junction. We agreed to pay the driver 150 bucks to take us there (it should have only been 50 pesos had we known the local commutation fare), but halfway through the rainy and bumpy trip, some landslide had blocked the way and we had no other option but get our butts off the trike and start walking. up:gucci handbags

Because of the high altitude, frequent rains are natural. It was sunny but not excruciatingly hot. And strange, it was also raining on our way to the peak. Being novice backpackers, we went there unprepared without raincoats and flash lights. We covered our backpacks with medium-sized garbage bags to keep our stuff from getting soaked.

After few meters through the rough terrain, an almost fully-loaded jeepney passed by. We were fortunate that the driver let us hop in and that some locals willingly gave up their seats for us. I simply couldn’t get enough of their cordiality.

Inside the jeepney, people were speaking a language that I heard of for the first time. With most of my family hailing from the Ilocandia, I can comparatively discern whether a person speaks the dialect. I double-confirmed with Arlo, who knows the Ilocano dialect far better than I do, if they spoke Ilocano, but he reaffirmed they were speaking a completely different one. I inconspicuously observed the people around us and found one very prominent habit – chewing up betel nut chunks (“nga-nga” as these are more popularly known).

According to some townsfolk, this is their organic stimulant and they chew wads of these to carry out their daily tasks. I cannot relate to this routine, save for my father’s telling me that they would more or less get the same pleasure from “nga-nga” as people who find bliss in chewing gummy mints. Sorry to say that due to time constraints, I didn’t get the chance to interview the locals. Those red marks on the ground, however, prove that this is one famed Ifugao trait.

After about ten minutes and a quick glimpse at smaller brooks and waterfalls, we finally reached the junction. This is exactly where backpackers and villagers headed for the grand terraces get off. A signboard welcomed us to the trailhead. It informed us that there about 9 kilometers (approximately an hour and half trail) leading us to this UNESCO World Heritage Site. And so was our challenge!

On our way up 4,000 feet above sea level, the trail got narrower and coarser. This, amongst all the adventures I’ve taken, challenged my endurance and spirit the most. I never imagined the trek to be that intense. To revive our drained bodies every so often, we’d find ourselves resting and marveling at those glorious natural wonders – feathery clouds hanging over peaks of mountains fully clad by lush greens; clear water rushing down those steep and rocky ridges; and birds gleefully chirping much to our nodding heart’s content. Still, I got this feeling that the trail was unimaginably never-ending. As the three of us ran out of remarkable people to crack jokes about, I soon found myself very much consumed by the silence. A few more strides and we reached the summit. Great, we just covered half of the trek!

From the apex, the sight of an incredibly steep and slippery trail raised my adrenaline to unthinkable levels. I totally forgot all of my recurring personal and professional issues, and all I focused on was my survival. One wrong step and I’d slip off to my doom.

We were grateful that after about two hours of extreme physical torture, willpower had let us reach the Hillside Inn before twilight. The cool mist started to cloud the horizon. I could run out of fine adjectives to describe the first time I caught glimpse of the Batad village and terraces. It was just spectacular!!!

After a half an hour rest, we took a quick bath to rid our bodies of sweat and grime. The water felt ice-cold!!! Understandably, I could not just request the owner to boil bath water for us. I guess that would be too much asking for a discounted hundred peso a night accommodation. Konting tiis na lang. After changing to my ever so comfy shorts and sweater and having a quick bite on those Big Bang bars (Remember those chocolate bars from our childhood?), I told Tian and Arlo that the three of us take a short snooze, and then just reassemble around 7 for dinner. I went into my room and turned my lights on so I wouldn’t fall into a deep slumber.

***
Our plans for dinner got kaput. With lights turned on and strange noises coming from my window, I awoke. I checked the time and was so shocked to know that it was past 11 already! Knowing that the villagers sleep early, finding a place to eat at that time was certainly impossible.

I kept on hearing those weird noises. For some reason, my imagination went wild! Images from that “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” episode starring Manilyn Reynes and Ana Roces suddenly turned vivid. Imagine being invited to grace a fiesta in a barrio of “aswangs.” That’s like the worst thing to happen on an out-of-town trip. Alright, natakot talaga ako. What if those blood-drenched “aswangs” were just waiting outside? I didn’t even attempt to look out my window. Pacing through the dark hallway and using my digicam as an improvised flashlight, I went into Arlo’s room like a petrified kid. Ginising ko talaga sila. Trying to look composed, I asked them if they had dinner. They were as shocked as I was for having realized we all missed it. Glad to know that we packed some food for a midnight snack. As we were munching those cookies, I confessed to them that I heard eerie sounds from my window so I hurriedly went into their room. At natawa lang sila. But I was serious; I mean I don’t easily get scared by such “aswang” stories, but that experience was just different. When we were all full from that stomach-filling snack, I had no choice but go back to my room, turn off the lights, shut my eyes, and pretend as if eerie thoughts didn’t ever come up.

I couldn’t sleep, so I thought that I should get over whatever I was troubled with. I took very cautious moves as I reached for the curtain that partly covered the window. My heart pounding fast, I slowly raised the curtain and found one astonishing sight.

Bugs of different shapes and sizes were making their way into a tiny opening on a slab of broken glass. I looked over both sides of the veranda, but I saw nothing else. What the…!!! So apparently, I was petrified by the sounds these tiny insects were making! And only later on did I realize that the lights coming out my window attracted these little guests. Natawa na lang ako. Having figured that out, I turned off my lights and retreated to my bed.

Before shutting my eyes, I saw fireflies flying around my room. Wonderful! These were one of the sights from my childhood that I had definitely missed. Initially there were just few, but in a couple of minutes, I found myself gazing at one even more breath-taking view. In my room, I saw nearly thirty lights flickering against the shadows of the night. While kids got glow-in-the dark pieces stuck on their bedroom ceilings, I was lucky to have real ones hover on mine. The experience was divinely mystifying! After bowling over this amazing display, I dozed off to dream land.

To be continued…