Visit the rice fields of Batad and Banaue in the Philippines

And what are we going there to see? Rice terraces! Here we don’t even talk about agriculture but about sculpture, such is the striking spectacle. It is said that the Gods used them to come down to earth, more than 2,000 years ago.

 

When you have to get there by local transport rather than an organised tour, the adventure gets a bit more difficult but it is worth it.

We find ourselves swept away in Jeepneys equipped with wooden seats, which constantly stop a little bit everywhere. And when the jeepney is full, well, there is room on the roof!

 

 

The landscapes crossed to get to Batad are spectacular: valleys, mountains, steep roads and at every bend fluorescent rice fields chiselled like jewels. We go from one side to the other, shaken like salads and the film unfolds through the foggy window of the Jeepney.

One after the other, the valleys drowned in mist, the fine rain, the sky soaked in ink and finally the sun that breaks through the dark clouds with a sword of light.

You have to have a good heart, the ravines stretch out their arms to you and the roads are narrow and chaotic. But it is the most beautiful trip in the world.

 

 

Discovering this region means diving into the Ifugao culture and taking a leap back in time to 2000 years ago. When you find yourself where your eyes embrace this dizzying panorama, you can only be touched by the know-how and the stubbornness of these peoples in building these wonders. What delicacy, what precision!

For it is not only a question of producing rice to feed the men and women of this region. It is also about shaping something beautiful, pure, in harmony with the wild world.

This is the impression conveyed to us by these celestial stairs, men are just invited to use the mountain slopes and they do so with humility and respect. Change only the minimum, destroy nothing, make the best use of and preserve this divine beauty.

 

 

The trek requires a lot of energy and effort, but who would dare to moan or ask for a break? We cross the inhabitants on the way up carrying heavy bags of rice, scrap iron, cement bags… even the children are carrying something: a chicken in a basket, a bag of vegetables. So there’s no question of complaining. The children do this twice a day on their way to school.

The difficult access to the village puts the village apart from the world, the inhabitants are very isolated. Here, the children build their own toys, a spinning top, a small car and play in nature.

The food is very traditional, we eat Adobo chicken with rice straight from the henhouse, sometimes a pig, raised by the village, in the courtyard of a house but meat is not always on the menu, rice here is the basis of the food.

 

 

From Banaue to Batad, the walk to the rice fields is worth all the effort. Watch out for your quadriceps, you have to go up and down endless stairs made of uneven stone blocks. More than 3km to get to Batad, in the heart of the rice fields and it’s just the beginning! 

The reward awaits tired hikers at the Tappiya falls for a refreshing bath in an exceptional setting.

Once the picnic has been swallowed, you have to go back up the stairs and find a place to sleep, often in a local house, a simple bed in the heart of the village.

 

 

Alas, these architectural wonders are in peril. Farmers are maintaining the rice fields less and less and are leaving to work in the city. The children try their luck in Manila or abroad to provide for their many families.

Perhaps, for once, tourism will save these admirable rice fields, jewels of the Philippines?