Banaue
Ive just returned from one of the most beautiful places on the planet. But seriously, people call it the 8th wonder of the world and now I know why. Banaue is a small town, surrounded by rice terraces that were just in full bloom while I was there. I really cannot describe how amazing the place is, and I doubt even the many photos I took will come close to doing the place justice. When I got there it was early morning so I walked straight off the bus and out of town for a few miles until I saw a path leading off into the jungle, which obviously I had to take. Finding a campsite wasnt easy, because the mountains are all very steep, and most of the flat areas are turned into rice terraces, but I managed to find a perfect little spot next to a irrigation stream perched up on a ledge so that I had a breathtaking view. Every day for the 4 days that I was there I would hike the 3 or 4 miles into town and grab some mangoes and a pina(pineapple) and some breads and maybe an egg and then walk back to my little haven in the woods and eat mangoes and bread and dip my feet in the irrigation stream. Basically heaven is going to have a tough time beating my little spot on that mountain. I also took a couple of hikes around the area and found some small falls to play in, which were also amazing.
Because it was an irrigation stream a couple times of day some of the locals would wander by, and I got a chance to talk to those who spoke a little english, which was pretty cool. I wish I had taken a picture of them smiling because most of them had dark orange teeth from chewing on a small fruit-type thingy that I think is something like chewing tobacco to them. I cant remember the name of it but one of them referred to it as Filipino bubble gum. Anyways all of them were really nice, and even better even when I wasnt at my tent they didnt steal anything, which was fantastic after being in Manila.
Another amazing thing to witness there were the storms, which would come every afternoon and eveing, usually short and fierce. The first night it was pretty terrifying because I knew some of the locals knew I was up there, and my tent was being pushed around like a kite in a breeze, and Im pretty sure I was lying on the remains of a previous landslide, so heavy rain worried me also a bit. Also combine that with the fact that my 30 dollar tent couldnt quite keep the squall rain out and george was a scared little kid. The rain would die off later at night, and then came the creepy part. Every couple of minutes the entire tent would light up with a flash. Like lighting, but there was no thunder. After a bit of praying I poked my head outside and saw that the whole sky was flashing; needless to say it was quite a sight.
Anyways I'll seriously miss Benaue, but its time to go in search of white sand and warm seas whilest I still have the chance.
Hope everyone is well,
George
Because it was an irrigation stream a couple times of day some of the locals would wander by, and I got a chance to talk to those who spoke a little english, which was pretty cool. I wish I had taken a picture of them smiling because most of them had dark orange teeth from chewing on a small fruit-type thingy that I think is something like chewing tobacco to them. I cant remember the name of it but one of them referred to it as Filipino bubble gum. Anyways all of them were really nice, and even better even when I wasnt at my tent they didnt steal anything, which was fantastic after being in Manila.
Another amazing thing to witness there were the storms, which would come every afternoon and eveing, usually short and fierce. The first night it was pretty terrifying because I knew some of the locals knew I was up there, and my tent was being pushed around like a kite in a breeze, and Im pretty sure I was lying on the remains of a previous landslide, so heavy rain worried me also a bit. Also combine that with the fact that my 30 dollar tent couldnt quite keep the squall rain out and george was a scared little kid. The rain would die off later at night, and then came the creepy part. Every couple of minutes the entire tent would light up with a flash. Like lighting, but there was no thunder. After a bit of praying I poked my head outside and saw that the whole sky was flashing; needless to say it was quite a sight.
Anyways I'll seriously miss Benaue, but its time to go in search of white sand and warm seas whilest I still have the chance.
Hope everyone is well,
George
posted by George at 7:12 PM
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