Ifugao : An Unforgettable Journey | Part 3

Cambulo - Batad Traverse

We woke up early the next day to get ready for the loooooong trek ahead. I didn't have proper trekking shoes so I hiked in my havaianas. And yes… it survived. :D

The hike towards the Batad viewpoint was very tiring. I think I finished 1 liter of water already and we were nowhere near the viewpoint then.

Do you see the covered court with the green roof? That's where we started hiking.

photo by Gello Esguerra

Cambulo's Rice Terraces

We passed by some mini waterfalls along the way.

It took us three hours to get to the viewpoint. Oh the joy when we got to the waiting shed! Rest, finally!!!

I sat there for about ten minutes to cool off.. Then Kuya Lawrence called to us. Onting steps na lang daw, we'll be able to see the Batad rice terraces. So up we went and for a moment there, I stood still. I was in deep awe! Right before my eyes emerged one of the most magnificent views I have ever seen... really really really AMAZING! The rice terraces were formed like an amphitheater!

Happy Camper!

Batad Rice Terraces - click the photo :)

That's Cels right there. :P

up close

Kuya Gello

Me! - photo from Ate Carms :)

can't get enough of the view

After admiring the Batad rice terraces, we headed down towards Tappiyah Falls. I thought this trek would be easier since it's all downhill from where we were but like many things, some are not what they seem. Parang yung mga lalaking rambo sa umaga tapos bongga pala sa gabi. Hehe. Ano kayang connection nun? But seriously, there are some parts where you would need to cross very slippery narrow pathways to get to the other end. So be careful! ;)

After 30 minutes, I started hearing gushes of water... 

At long last we're finally here! :D

'relaxation'

Mighty Tappiyah Falls.. bongga siya sa laki!

We had lunch at the restaurant, after which we trekked up towards Batad Village. 

Then it started to rain… We were all soaking wet coz we already used the plastics to cover our gears. It was a good thing my bag had a free rain cover so my things remained dry. Todo promote na ata ako sa The North Face! hahaha! But after a few minutes the most awesome thing happened. The rain stopped and ---

Bigla na lang may sumigaw.. "Tingnan niyo! May rainbow!" Si Kuya Gello ata yun. hahaha! 

Waah! I panicked coz my camera was super tucked away. I kept thinking.. Noooo I cannot miss the double rainbow…. 

Eventually I got my camera and was able to capture this spectaaaaaaaacular view! 

cool that the end of the rainbow pointed to where Tappiyah Falls is -- must be Batad's pot of gold :)

click the photo and feast your eyes on AWESOMENESS

I managed to save a couple of photos from the bunch that got corrupted. :( I never retrieved the ones with the double rainbows. Sayang. But you still get the picture right? Ang ganda talaga ng Pilipinas.

My Ifugao experience certainly is one for the books. Iba yung feeling e. I have never been more attached to a place this way. I know my friends who traveled with me would agree. This place is so special. Sana maalagaan natin (not just the place but if we can help the people [especially the kids] there in any way possible, gawin natin) and I hope everyone would take time to visit it. They say we travel initally to lose ourselves, and we travel next to find ourselves. It's true. A certain place really can change you.

Ifugao : An Unforgettable Journey | Part 2

The group finally got some rest after the long and bumpy ride. While we were getting settled, the kids started to come. Some were friendly and some were a bit shy. One kid kept on crying and was incessantly clinging to the shirt of his older brother while another kept doing Manny Pacquiao poses in front of our cameras. 

We noticed a couple of kids pounding rice from a house nearby. Kuya Lawrence shared with us that it's part of the children's chores. If they do not do it, they would have nothing to eat later. =P

You'll find it hard not to fall in love with these kids. They're so cute! These children love getting their photos taken and they surely know how to pose. We played with them and gave them jelly snacks while waiting for lunch. 

a kid taking care of his baby brother

olive :)

  

After lunch, we headed out to explore the village. The kids tagged along with us. :) Lawrence showed us the kids' school and we passed by several houses where locals were doing their afternoon chores.

We trekked down towards the river and did some photo ops. Surrounding this river are some of Cambulo's rice terraces. As Kuya Gello and Ron set up their gear, I can't help but notice one mischievous kid (His name is Jun-Jun). He was the naughtiest out of the bunch. When this one kid caught a snake, he insisted that they smash a rock on its head. Poor snake.

rice terraces

lawrence: "to swim or not to swim.."

I will never forget our extraordinary night in Cambulo. While we were having dinner, Lawrence sang country songs for us and he'd change some of the lyrics, much to our amusement.

Country roads, take me home

To the place I belong

To Cambulo, mountain momma

Take me home, country roads~ 

rockstar Kuya Lawrence \m/

After dinner, the kids surprised us with a number of performances. There were lots of singing and dancing. The show ended with a tribal dance where they asked us to join them. It was a memorable night indeed. :)

Part 3 of our journey is the Cambulo-Batad traverse. Stay tuned. As Barney Stinson would put it, -- It's going to be LEGEN - wait for it - DARY! ;)

Ifugao : An Unforgettable Journey | Part 1

I've been to so many places but nothing has captured my heart the way Ifugao did. Everything about this place moved me. That's why it's so so so special to me. :)

For days, I've been pondering over how I'll be able to narrate this adventure in the best way possible. Just thinking about it overwhelms me. Ifugao is one of the reasons why I started blogging again. I want to inspire people to come to places like this, not just our pristine beaches… but to actually learn from the people, to embrace our rich culture, to explore the unfamiliar and just marvel over how truly magnificent our country is. 

We left for Ifugao past nine in the evening via Florida bus. The bus station is just along Lacson St. near UST.

I really prepared for this trip coz I know there's going to be lots of walking. This was also the first time I used the trekking bag I got from The North Face. Every peso was worth it. Though I was carrying a lot of stuff, the weight wasn't that heavy coz it shifts some of the pressure from your shoulders to your hips. Amazing, isn't it? :)

And so we spent the night on the bus. I thought I've gotten used to sleeping while sitting up but I still haven't. I'm 5'8" and I have very long legs so sometimes it's difficult to get a good enough position. Also my head keeps on swaying left and right from time to time. Piece of advice: Bring a small pillow or one of those neck pillows you usually see on peeps when they're snoozing around in the office. ;)

We were greeted by our guide, Kuya Lawrence when we arrived in Ifugao. He's popular to photographers and tourists who frequent this place. After a mini chikahan, our group headed to a restaurant to have breakfast. And then we went to the market afterwards to buy food to cook in Cambulo.

Cambulo-Batad Traverse

fresh tomatoes

bolo knives for sale

sungka - a traditional filipino game

We had to take this very special jeep to get to Cambulo Village as ordinary jeepneys cannot travel the very rocky and steep road. 

As we were traveling, a Japanese on the side of the road waved at us, hitching for a ride. He looked really exhausted and was catching his breath as he walked towards our jeep. We learned later on that he was a traveler & photographer and he had been walking for seven hours by that time. Kudos to this old man! Now that's what I call intimate passion for travel.

We stopped for about 5 minutes to rest (our butts from the excessive pounding and throbbing hahaha.. sobrang mabato talaga dinaanan namin) and take photos of the wonderful views.. We'd then see Cambulo Village from afar. 

click the photo to view in high resolution :)

cambulo village up close

cels, ron and kuya gello

ate carms

As we approached the village, we were greeted by a bunch of smiling and cheering kids. They're so adorable! We got off the jeep and started to hike down towards the village proper. As I took photos of the children, one kid went up to me and softly uttered "Black Pencil Project…". My heart melted. I wish I could have brought school supplies or clothes. That's when I made a promise to myself that I'll come back. By the way, Black Pencil Project is a volunteer organization & a group of photographers who help provide school supplies to children in remote places all over the Philippines. If you want to help this advocacy, you could visit their site: http://www.blackpencilproject.org/ for more information. 

more about the cambulo kids on my next post. :)

the one man show: our guide, kuya lawrence :))