To the Depths of the Terraces

CEBU, Philippines – It’s an open secret. Banaue and Sagada’s Rice Terraces are as good as sceneries get, and you just can’t get enough of them. Thousands of locals and foreigners alike flock to this distant summer haven not only for the beauty of seeing this 8th wonder of the modern world, but also for the serenity it brings to a traveler longing for a break in an otherwise monotonous life.

But what REALLY lures tourists through the unforgiving roads and into the small town of Sagada ? (Hint: It ain’t just the steep flight of rice fields)

Well, our family wanted to find out for ourselves. And we finally did last Holy Week, thanks in no small part to my adventurous dad turning deaf on my sister’s pleas to opt for a more convenient vacation. (Thanks also in small part to the fact that a couple of years back, she trekked with us all the way to Pinatubo’s crown; while it was an exciting challenge for all seven of us, she swore she would never subject her knees to such an “adventure” again.)

Our first stop was in Banaue, a town in Mountain Province en route to Sagada. Here is where you can actually see the exact view of the Terraces found in the 1000 peso bill. We decided to stop over here by nighttime after nine hours of traveling, as Sagada was still a three-hour road trip away. Though we finally saw these terraces for real (we even got to talk to an old lady planting rice), we were in for better surprises the next day! And no, I’m not just talking about passing through the Philippines’ Highest Highway, where the temperature reached a remarkable 14 degrees Celsius. But for a little while, I thought I was spending my summer in Switzerland !

One common myth about the Banaue Rice Terraces is that they can only be found in Banaue - wrong! Banaue’s Rice Terraces just became famous as they were first marketed by the foreigners who went there in the early 1900s. The townsfolk took advantage of this, entertaining tourists and allowing them to take lots of pictures. Other Ifugao tribes in the neighboring terraces weren’t as opportunistic. They shunned travelers and kept to themselves.

It was only in the rather recent decades that people discovered more wonderful terraces in other areas of the province, such as the Batad Rice Terraces where staircases reach all the way to the top of the mountain. Most, however, are only carved up to the middle part or on lower levels.

In Sagada, not only could local travel guides show you the terraces, you actually get to walk through and around the prettiest of them, following a 1-hour trek that leads to a hidden grand waterfall where locals and foreigners alike delight in bathing underneath.  The Batad Rice Terraces, locally considered the best terraces of them all, is a 3-hour trek away from Sagada, and is a popular journey for the sturdier legs of free-spirited youths. (Not for me, though; the two-hour trek back and forth under the summer sun in the mountains was exercise enough!)

But what really captivated our family in Sagada was not just the trip through the Terraces, but underneath it. Yup, that’s right! Ever heard of the word spelunking? (Go google it if you haven’t.)

Okay okay, to save you the hassle, let me just share that spelunking under caves can just be the trickiest adventure of them all. Why? Because as my dad, my three sisters and I went through steep rocks and muddy stones down the Sumaging Cave, not to mention the incessant bat droppings plurking on our shoulders, we never realized how far down the cave really was. Our guide’s lamp can only light up to three meters down, and the rest was utter darkness. And so we climbed down, slowly but carefully, not knowing how deathly a slip through the rocks would have been!

That was the best part – not realizing how dangerous spelunking really was until we came back out on top. Inside, we stumbled upon the coolest of rock formations one can see! There were huge pound-cake-shaped ones, and even bigger rocks that looked like a woman giving birth. We rappelled down the steepest areas, squeezed through the tightest openings, and waded in chest-deep ice-cold cave creeks. My sister even almost hit her head on a rock when swinging through and down the cave’s underground spring! Thankfully, we saw the light of day again after three hours, only realizing how deep down inside the mountain we’ve been through afterwards! By then, we were all like, “Let’s do it again!!!”

Sagada also offers more than just caves and terraces, it offers cemeteries, too! Okay, it’s not exactly the kind you’d want your body to be in though. Our guide brought us to the hanging coffins, and that’s when I thought, “Hey, NOW I appreciate cemeteries!” I mean, would you want your corpse to be stuffed in a four-foot wooden log and hung on cave rocks? Maybe not, but it makes for an interesting tourist spot in Sagada!

And you know what’s the most surprising fact about this small town? (Hint: again, it’s not the staircase to rice heaven)

FOOD! Many a foreigner has settled in this mountaintop town, and their palates have given birth to sumptuous dishes made out of only the freshest greens. Cebu ’s best Italian chefs can’t beat Yogurt Haus’ eggplant pasta, and their home-made yogurt is simply to die for! The Log Cabin’s humongous servings of brandy porkchops and spiced chicken can only be savored in Sagada, as is St. Catherine’s delectable fresh fruit crepes! And did I mention the world’s largest, juiciest oranges grown in Sagada? Well, I swear I’ve never tasted such sweet oranges in my life!

Our final destination that April – Baguio City – was also quite enjoyable, but each one of us will cherish our unique memories in Sagada more. I have no doubt that every Sagada visitor would leave satisfied, and call for a better development of its narrow roads and tight guesthouses. If only investors would inject money into the town, it surely will be one of the most frequented tourist spots in Southeast Asia.

But then again, people go to Sagada not only for its beauty and its adventures, but also for its serenity and simplicity. That’s why I’d still highly encourage locals to put this on top of their destination lists. Don’t expect anything fancy, just something… captivating. After all, you’re going to and through the heights and depths of these amazing terraces, and both ends shall leave you breathless.