Baguio was my stopping point to wear off the jet lag. Once a small mountain resort, it is now a large metropolis with about 250,000 inhabitants which include college students and wealthy Manila residents escaping from the muggy lowlands. The main thoroughfare is Session road that runs about five blocks ending at Baguio market. I discovered the three square kilometer market has a life of its own that begins at dawn as I wandered through the maze of stalls, looking for a bakery to buy pan de sal, (a plain roll with a crispy crust). Bread must be bought daily here, just like the vegetables and meat.

The route to the Mountain province is Halsema highway and as of this writing, remains under construction, so expect a bumpy ride through a winding and narrow thoroughfare, that sometimes takes the vehicle to the edge. The road is scheduled for completion June 2005 but politicians have made promises such as these before that remain unfulfilled.

When you see clouds enfold the mountains below the highway you realize that this journey was not in vain. A stop at a roadside cafe offers not only a view but five tasty dishes, fresh stir fry vegetables, pork adobo (stew cooked with soy and vinegar), grilled pork, ginger chicken stew, and beef soup. After lunch, stand at the edge and marvel at the agricultural niches of potatoes, cabbage, and other vegetables framed by yet more pine trees, wild trumpet vines and bougainvilleas.

Bontoc

Bontoc, capital of the Mountain provinces, is a central point to Banaue and other destinations. Surrounded by rice terraces and situated in a lush valley along the Chico river, the view from the Bishop's house, a Catholic sanctuary, did not reveal the city's hectic bustle of activity. Run by Sister Dolores, the Catholic sanctum sits on a hilltop above Bontoc, where people come from around the globe to hold seminars, otherwise, travelers hear about it through word of mouth. She advised, “the best time for a lengthy stay is between July and September.” Also the hotter rainy months and harvest season. Despite the sweltering weather, it's worth a visit to participate in the festivals as well as to photograph the terraces that have metamorphosed from a brilliant green to yellowish gold.

Malickong Terraces

About two hours from Bontoc are the generations old Malickong terraces, where I hiked deep into its center following a pathway that led to the village. The local dialect is Illacano, in which I managed to make simple greetings, enough to soften suspicious glances. My meager use of phrases was enough to reward me with a smile, though rarely a pose. One elder woman remarked that she didn't want to show her “ugly” face, not realizing how beautiful she looked in her makeshift headress and bright clothing.

One of the few elders who spoke English remarked, his face worn from years of tending to the rice, “the young people do not want to stay in the village. They go to work in the city or go to school. When we are gone there will be no one to care for these terraces.”

Another woman sadly told me, “the price of education is the loss of our culture.”

Sagada

Sagada was home of Edward Masferre, reknown photographer of the Igorots. He photographed the Igorots from the 1930s until his death in 1995. Through the Smithsonian Institute, his photographs toured the U.S and Europe in the early 1990s. His wife, Nena, displays his photographs in her home at the edge of town as you enter Sagada, marked by a small sign at the doorway, "Masferre Photographs".

Sagada weather dips several degrees, especially at night. Quieter then Bontoc, it's also more pristine. Saturday is market day, a time to buy fresh vegetables, meat, and fish, along with other necessities. If you need a diversion from the quiet ambience, take an adventurous detour to explore the Samaguing limestone caves (a guide is necessary and can be hired at the municipal hall). Some athletic ability is required for the more strenous spelunking sections of the cave. Expect to wade through waist deep water and climb fifteen feet boulders with knotted ropes to find yourself in a three feet tunnel whose floor is pooled in uneven water depths. After briefly crawling through this tunnel, stop to admire immense unusual rock formations while carefully balancing over slippery limestone. Wear rubber slippers or go with bare feet, for shoes do not adhere well to these rocks.

The strange hanging coffins are displayed just outside of another set of caves near the limestone caverns. This was a burial ritual of the past to preserve the spirit or keep the spirit “near.” Our guide explained, “a ritual ceremony had to be performed prior to allowing visitors to view the coffins so not to anger the spirits.” When visiting, remember the area is considered sacred and public viewing is a priviledge.

Banaue

Banaue rice terraces are agricultural marvels that have been described as the “eighth wonder of the world.” The narrow rice fields are embedded in the steep mountainsides, unlike the spread out Malickong. Because the mountains were carved into terraces, the pitch of each terrace wall increases accordingly, sometimes reaching as high as twenty feet. The traditional agricultural farming of rice as being practiced in Banaue is year round, yielding only one harvest season per year. Care of the rice is exhausting work that is constant throughout the year, from planting through post harvest, when the fields, still in water, must be manually spaded and the soil heaped on mounds. Let alone working a field on a steep mountain edge.

Sadly, the presence of Igorot life in and around Banaue, as Masferre had captured in his photographs, has disappeared except for the precious few elders. The Banaue Rice Terraces Task Force was eliminated in 2002 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the current president. Scientists dedicated to preserve the terraces are left with only the support that comes from UNESCO's designation of the terraces on the World Heritage Danger list, in hopes to gain attention. Without government or foreign intervention, it is speculated that the culture will disappear within ten years. Even the betterment of Halsema highway has not been given enough priority, as it is a primary access road.

I remember the innocent smiles and faces of the people with whom I interacted and it was a priviledge to witness what was described at the 1995 World Heritage meeting as “an illustration of a remarkable harmony between humankind and natural environment.”

Practical Information

Transportation: You can catch a flight on Asian Spirit (P1800) or bus (P285) from Manila. From Baguio, there are buses to Bontoc (P186) then from Bontoc, you can catch a jeepney or bus to Banaue (P80) or Sagada (P25). While in Baguio, taxis can be waved down practically anywhere but the jeepneys (P4.25) are mostly situated around Baguio Market or across the stree at Burnham Park. To reach Malickong, two hours from Bontoc, catch a jeepney for P25.

Accommodations

Baguio has decent hotels in and around Session road. Burnham Hotel (442-2331) is two blocks from Session Road for P1100 per night. Munsayac Inn is in a quieter section on Leonard Rd. (442-2451) for P950.

Bontoc

Bishop's House (003-583-541) is P450 per person, which includes three home cooked meals and two snacks. Call a month in advance. Best time for availability is mid-week or during the months of July through September.

Sagada

St. Joseph's Resthouse (004-036-975) has cottages in a garden setting overlooking Sagada at P1500 per room.

Banaue

Banaue Hostel and Hotel (002-386-4087) has a fantastic view of the terraces. Hostels are P200 a night and rooms are P1200.

When To Go:

The seasons are either rainy or dry; the former begins in May through September and also the hottest months. Most Filipinos living abroad return during the festive Christmas season resulting in higher plane rates unlike the months of January through March when the fares drop.

Add a webcam into the mix and you are all set to create the illusion of close proximity, which will never fail to amaze both of you to no end. Of course this technology can screw up at times, like when you are listening to what your friend is trying to say and there is an accent involved, which can make it difficult to decipher to begin with, and suddenly, one of the microphones decides to cut out, and you end up listening either to an electronic growl, or to static, whichever comes first. That's when you have to stop the other person in mid-sentence and ask them to repeat something they said two minutes ago. Then that person wonders what kind of drug you are on, and you realize that it is much easier to simply laugh at odd moments and pray that laughter is called for.

When you hear nothing but silence at the other end of the net, combined with a polite chuckle, then you know that your guess is incorrect and you need to re-think your philosophy a bit. Then you have to admit that you missed something along the way and once you get that cleared up you can both get on with life. Plus, if the person in the Philippines has a window open in their home you get the distinct pleasure of listening to 5,000,000 motorcycle engines racing past throughout the entire conversation. The motorcycle is the automobile of choice in the Philippines, so you will hear a lot of them to the point where you will begin to believe the Hell's Angels are sitting on your head.

I have one friend who consistently greets me with a “good evening” when it is actually morning where I am, and a “good morning” when it is evening. Then I have to correct her, with a reminder that we are thirteen hours apart. Then she tells me she is confused by this because I have just greeted her with the salutation representing her own time of day, which leads her to believe that it is the same time of day where I am, which it is not. In my attempts to greet her according to her own time of day, I manage to successfully confuse her every time. This lady is and forever shall be, one of my all time favorite people. You just have to love someone like that.

She gets even however. This lady is trying to teach me the Philippine dialect, Cebuano. It is an easy language to read if you have never heard it pronounced. But listen to a native speaker pronounce it sometime and you will soon be put securely in your place. I struggled to pronounce some Cebuano phrases one evening/morning and had my Filipina friend laughing her head off. She was laughing so hard I could not even hear myself mutilating her language. When I got it through my thick skull that Filipino languages have the same general vowel sounds as the Spanish language, it became a bit easier. I flunked Spanish in High School.

This same lady will meet me in one particular website and will send me a wave. “Hi, I'm waving from the Philippines.” Some crazy part of me will crack at that moment, and I will tell her, “I see you waving. Can you see me waving back?” Five minutes later I get a reply back, which is how long it takes her to get her composure again. I need to establish the point that I am only as crazy as the friends I keep. Another friend of mine from the Philippines always calls me “ate”, (ah-tay) which means, “older sister”. This is not an insult, unless you happen to live in the United States and lie about your age for forty years. In the Philippines this is a mark of deep respect. Call yourself that same name spontaneously sometime in front of a different Filipina and prepare to be laughed into submission.

I love the Filipinos, they are a wonderful, polite, and gentle people. They are also incredibly friendly and they adore Americans to no end. This, in itself, is a refreshing change, but combine that with the fact that most of them speak better English than Americans do, and you have the recipe for a mutual friendship that can go nowhere but up. It also helps to know that the Philippines is an almost entirely Christian country. They will still laugh at you when you attempt to speak their languages, but they will love you to pieces regardless. They have a great admiration for the occidental look, so don't be surprised if you meet up with a Filipino someday and he stares at you shamelessly for the longest time. It is not an insult, as he is merely admiring your non-oriental face. The skin-tone, the shape of the eyes, and yes, the nose. I have been told that my long nose is beautiful. Wow. What a um, unique compliment.

On the other hand, how many times does one get complimented for the shape of their nose anyway? Yep, the Asian people are wonderfully unique, and I for one, just love them to pieces … short noses and all. God bless all of my special friends from the Philippines. I adore you characters.