sobrevivimos batad

 

i remember someone saying that even once in your life as a Filipino, you need to see Banaue Rice Terraces. that lead me to my first trip in Banaue, i ended up returning again and again meeting locals who later became good friends. even more like an extended family, that every time i visit Banaue i can't miss dropping by to say hi.

 

when you see something awesome you just can't help but convince and bring more people to the place. i started the year 2011 going there with my parents and ended the year with a bunch of friends including fellow travel bloggers Tina, Jarvik, Mica, Tzed, Theo, Edna and special travel blogger guest from Slovakia Alex.

 

the rice terraces are located in many areas in the entire Cordillera region and the widely visited ones are in Ifugao particularly in Banaue. it can sometimes confuse people which one can be identified as Banaue Rice Terraces as the municipality of Banaue alone has a number of this.

 

out of the long list, we visited three which includes the ones in central Banaue, Bangaan and Batad. among these, Batad requires an hour jeepney ride from the town center of Banaue and an hour trek from the saddle to Batad. despite the ongoing development of a cemented road, the landslides caused by the typhoon somehow retained the exciting topload rough ride experience.

what made this trip different was the idea of bringing 18 plucky trippers. so i didn't have to worry about crossing narrow foot bridges, walking over steep steps and under electrical wires. this makes Batad not the usual destination in the Philippines. it is more of a backpackers haven. 

 

backpacker's cards and memorabilia left on inns

i find it fun that for one to book for a stay in one of the homestays and inns in Batad, you need to send a text message from someone in Banaue town center who will on that day relay the message to the inn contacts. the major telecom companies has not yet covered this side of Banaue though at some high areas, one can actually detect a minimal level of signal.

in Batad, it is best to interact with the locals to know more about their usual day but the tourist center also recommends guides to some of the spots around Batad and the neighboring terraces of Cambulo and Bangaan.

Bangaan Rice Terraces

the experience years ago when i first hiked Batad has not changed much. time is slow there. if you're still thinking twice of going to Batad, think of the experience. the challenging uphill hikes is nothing to seeing the country's best man-made contribution to the world.

check out other blogger's own share of experience on this Batad trip:

Mica of Senyorita
Jeepney Topload from Banaue to Batad
Scenic Trek to Batad
I Survived Batad
My Unusual Morning in Batad Village 
Where to Stay in Batad
Leaving Batad Village the Hard Way 

Edna of The Absentee Negrense
Hagdan-Hagdang Palayan Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Profile:

Barangay: Batad
Altitude: 1400MASL
Municipality: Banaue
Province: Ifugao
Region: Cordillera
Island: Luzon

Location: 
Distance from Manila: 340km
GPS Location: 
16' 56'' 2 N
121' 8'' 11 E

How to get there:
By commuting:
[1] From Manila, take Ohayami Bus (Espana, Manila) to Banaue (9hours). usual time bus leaves is between 9pm -1030pm.

[2] From Banaue town center, either take a public jeepney to Saddle (Batad) but this is not regular. so best to coordinate with someone from Banaue to arrange a special jeep for you. A tricycle can also bring you up until the junction. but this will require longer trek. By jeepney from Banaue to Saddle(1hour).

[3] From saddle, trek downhill to the Batad village. if you don't have someone who has been there, find a guide in saddle who can lead you down the village (1 hour). If from junction trek can take 2 and a half hour.

eskapo recommends:

to coordinate with locals from Banaue to arrange jeepney ride from Banaue town center to Batad Saddle. you can call/text Ms. Maureen  Globe-09278311848 Smart-09491336478 or email at maureen_bugatti@yahoo.com

winter escape

by the time you'll be reading this post i will already be in Beijing and will travel for long hours by train to the Northeastern regions. on leave from blogging for my long awaited winter escape.

travelers abode

we know travelers love to run away out of their abode but it is interesting to see their own rooms. featuring first three travel bloggers with their most loved spots of their room.

Nina of Just Wandering

Marky of Nomadic Experiences

 

 

 Eileen of Possibly Pinay

more travel bloggers coming up on another regular eskapo series "travelers abode".

kawasan falls cebu

hiking along side the running waters of Kawasan is a great walk-in-the-park experience less the sun. i find the area clean and the trail to the falls easy to navigate. no wonder this is a great after-trek spot preferred by those who trekked Osmena Peak.

this walk includes crossing over wooden bridges and under concrete arc. passing by large flat areas with cottages and some souvenir shops. still with  Edwin, Doi and Ed but this time Jerome of balintataw joined us who also came from Manila the night before. 

being the most popular waterfalls in the province of Cebu, i expected a large number of tourists there as it was a Sunday but the Pacquiao-Marquez fight would have caused lesser people to be in the area.

the waterfall system of Kawasan is composed of several levels of big basins but there are two larger basins that can accommodate more people including cottages on the side. a bamboo floater brings the people under the falls without the need to swim.

 

the largest of the two basins is accessible without much uphill walk but will definitely be more occupied on peak season. we chose the one at the higher level which required a short uphill trek.

 

 

the best way to enjoy the clear waters is swimming in it but a near tragic experience almost happened when edwin almost drowned due to cramps. we were on the same spot almost under the falls when it happened. i tried to help but i too was loosing strength as we were still meters away from the closest rock. good that just in time ed came on a rescue.


Location:
Distance from Cebu: 97km
GPS Location: 
9' 52'' 5 N
123' 23'' 53 E


How to get there:
By commuting:
[1] From Cebu City, take a bus to Badian from the Cebu South Terminal (3hours due to some stopover)
[2] From Badian, take a tricycle to Sto Tomas Chapel and start the short trek to Kawasan falls.

islands insider - philippines

expand your travel profile and go beyond seeing places. there's more to explore. uncover the Philippines best kept secrets. soon in Islands Insider: Philippines

el encuentro angel y james

a trip can't be ordinary with this two travel bloggers whose passion for traveling is contagious. angel who blogs in detail and has done some of the best travel guides to some of the best spots in the country and james who mastered cheap travel. this year, angel takes on his bike to journey the country while james will do the "isang daan byahe" challenge. here to feature two filipino travelers and their brief travel profile.
                          
                                                      "el encuentro" 

angel juarez                                         blogger                                              james betia

lakwatsero                                              blog                                           journeyingjames

hong kong, china                               farthest north                                               batanes

bali, indonesia                                  farthest south                                                basilan

socorro, surigao del norte                   farthest east                                 hinatuan, surigao

bangkok, thailand                              farthest west                       kuala  lumpur, malaysia

bali to jogjakarta                             longest road trip          manila to ifugao (via santiago)

manila to palompon, leyte                longest boat trip                                 iloilo to manila

jakarta to manila via singapore        longest plane trip                    kuala lumpur to manila

manila to ligaw albay                        longest train trip                        ho chi minh to hanoi

mt pulag                                            highest point                                kabayan, benguet

anilao, batangas                                 deepest swim                                  coron, palawan 

cape engano - failed attempt              longest trek                                      batad, banaue

cape engano - failed attempt              hardest trek                                      batad, banaue

purse with cash and atm card         item/s lost in a trip      passport, camera, travel money

a charcoal painting - butuan  item/s given/bought on a trip  smile from the locals/slippers

tamilok - puerto princesa                worst food eaten         half-cooked chicken dipped in  

                                                                                                                          dirt&salt

note: 

1. farthest places reached are referenced from Manila (with Manila to Europe as West and Manila to Guam as East).

2. records here are subject to update. as we know travelers break their records from time to time. records here are updated as of this posting

previously featured:

edcel suyo and ferdz decena

chyng reyes and ga-el hilotin

allan barredo and oggie ramos

nina fuentes and upper viceo

adventure 2012

2012 is another year of adventure in the Philippines. this year i am participating R.O.X. and The North Face Seven Summits Pilipinas. i believe in the saying "work hard. play hard".