From Sagada to Baguio was a fun trip for me as the Jeepney driver that took us there allowed me to sit on the rooftop of the vehicle; not only did I witness some of the most stunning highland views from the snaking road I did not at all feel the inevitable motion sickness I get when getting thrown from side to side on these mountain roads.
Why does this ailment still affect me after all these years I have been traveling?
The views coming into Baguio sitting on top of this elongated jeep were breathtaking, this being the reason why people come here - mountainsides being carved out into fluorescent green terraces by mankind for the propagation of rice for over 4,000 years for what I would describe as stepping platforms for giants into the clouds, a truly surreal place to behold, a remarkable achievement by the people of this region and their ancestors who built it.
The rice terraces surrounding the tourist drop off location beside the quaint town of Baguio offered views like no other, not to mention the hotel Marlieke and I checked into, this place is certainly a must see, it's no surprise that it made as one of the wonders of the world.
The most popular hike here was the one that descended into the town of Batad, a not so difficult hike into the town that was very manageable with more incredible views of rice terraces, these being the ones most talked about but having said that they were not any more spectacular than the ones surrounding Baguio, even the Filipino 20 peso note displays the rice terraces in closer proximity to Baguio. Regardless though, we got to hike through the terraces of Batad and descend further down into the valley where there was an impressive waterfall, which the waters were sublime to swim. Unfortunately Marlieke stopped hiking at the town due to the steep and long drop offs that would have scared her shitless, no matter, she enjoyed her time relaxing with a view.
Marlieke and I made friends with some of the others on the hike where after we returned to Baguio, exhausted, sweaty and smelly accompanied us for drinks and food but not only this also a cultural show displaying their native dances for ceremony's and rituals and providing an insight into their culture including dress codes for which status in society you are in and their proposal method which involved asking women one after the next if they wanted courtship with the man.
The performance was interesting and entertaining and at points we even had to get involved with some native dancing which certainly was a lot of effort as ask for having hiked for the day.
Baguio, a must see in the Philippines and whatever activity you do here take a look around yourself because you are surrounded by incredible landscapes that have been developed and built into the surrounding mountains by mankind over four centuries.
On top of a Jeepney, all thumbs up
The stunning views around Banaue
People of Banaue
This man offered to show my his great grandfathers bones for a fee
All very green and beautiful
What a view, eh?!
The waterfall I checked out… Marlieke cannot deal with heights very well and as there was a steep drop off into the valley she stayed behind
A traditional dancing ritual of the local tribe
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