One of my favorite local tourist spot is the Banaue Rice Terraces. I have been to this place a couple of times and it seems that I can never grow tired of coming back again and again.

The Rice Terraces is said to be the biggest construction undertaking in the Philippines...and this occurred thousands of years ago by the pioneering Igorots. It has always been hailed as the eight wonder of the world. The rice paddies terraces are a common sight in Asia but the Banaue is said to be the oldest and the largest. In fact, the United Nations has declared it as a World Heritage Site, thus emphasizing its historical importance and the great problems it now faces in our modern days.

Me and my co driver were supposed to return to Manila after an inspection trip in Santiago City, Isabela. But since we allowed to use the 4x4 Terrano and Konky and my Visayan co-driver have never been to Banaue before, I was tempted to extend our trip. I asked him if he wanted to go Banaue and Baguio and he excitedly responded yes. I have been to Banaue but I have never driven from Banaue to Baguio via Bontoc and Sagada (through the infamous Halsema highway). My friends have told me of their own previous adventures in this place so I was really tempted to do the same.

The previous night on our ascent to Banaue it was raining and the visibility was very poor. But the next day, the weather was clear thus making us more convinced to pursue our little adventure. With a minor kink on the Terrano just as we were filling up her tanks, we thought that our plans may have to be aborted. The engine keep on revving even as I lifted off the gas pedal and so I was worried. But luckily we found out that a spring just got stuck and after a little tinkering and a mighty prayer, we were off with our little adventure. We left Banaue at 8 am.

You really need a four wheel drive vehicle for this drive since the roads are really rough. But rough driving is compensated but spectacular scenery of the mountain side and more of the rice terraces. Just a few kilometers from Banaue, we were driving into small tunnels curved into the mountains. There was hardly any traffic to speak of. Once in a while you encounter a jeep full of passengers (even on rooftops) or a truck full of goods (vegetables and other crops) A van full of tourist also started the trip from Banaue bound for Sagada and for a while we were a convoy until they faded away. A van is no match to a 4x4 in this rough roads.

The roads are narrow, twisting and very rough. Once in a while you pass by a road with a portion of the bottom visibly eroded and this made my co-driver very uneasy. I had to calm him down and assured him that these roads will not be allowed to be passable by the Public Works if it was risky. We also passed by a road curved along the mountainside with the mountain edge hanging over the passersby (a very strange but scary sight). Along the route, we also experienced fog at noontime (strange indeed) and for the first time I had to use the heater of the vehicle (instead of the aircon). I also enjoyed the fine scent of the pine trees which somehow survived the illegal loggers (but they were very few though).

We reached BONTOC, the capital town of Mountain Province, at noon just in time for lunch. A booming place, it was the first sign of civilization along the route since we saw satellite disk and traffic. A very busy place since this is the center of trade and activity in the Mountain Province. Main tourist attraction is the RIZAL MEMORIAL PLAZA which is right in the heart of the town. Here is where the townspeople gather for civic and other social gatherings. The BONTOC VILLAGE MUSEUM is a place to see if you want to learn the history of the place.

After asking for directions we were off for the second leg of our trip to Baguio. I was more concerned of trying to reach Baguio before dark as I wouldn't want to be in the mountain roads at night time. But we were assured that it was only a 5 to 6 hour drive to Baguio and so we figured we had ample time before nightfall.

For the first time, I witnessed an actual landslide barely a few kilometers out of Bontoc. All vehicles were stopped as the work crew were bulldozing the loose soil along the road. There were big rocks all around which tells of big landslides before. Suddenly there a big roaring sound and then I saw the pine trees uphill starting to fall down. Then I saw the crowd running and I also ran back to the Terrano. It was a minor landslide but the road was blocked which forced us to take a longer route to Baguio. Luckily, we spotted a bus bound for Baguio and we just followed it.

Sagada is a very famous place for its natural caves and centuries old burial sites which features hanging coffins. If only we had more time, then we could have spend more time there to explore the caves. But from what I gathered, the recommended places to see are the MATANGKIB, SUGONG and LUMIANG caves where the hanging coffins are found. These caves are a walking distance from the Sagada poblacion and it is suggested that you hire a local guide when exploring these caves. The MARCOS cave is also a great places to explore if you prefer rock formations rather than corpses. Sagada also offers products of its weaving industry such as knapsacks, bags, purses, placemats, etc.

The roads were now rougher but the scenery was still awesome. Along the way we saw waterfalls on top of the mountains. And then we also realize that the mountaintops we saw in the horizon were the mountains that we will have to climb along the route. Also the town centers along the way were small but full of activities. It seemed that a kilometer of concrete road is the town center in this region. This is where you find the bus stop, the school and the market. I also noticed the mission churches along the route. Truly a memorable sight.

At one point we reached the highest portion of the Philippine Highway System (7,400 ft above sea level). This is the very famous photo taking spot along the Halsema highway. At this point that our travel is almost three fourth complete. By this time also, the town centers are now bigger and the roads were now paved. Traffic was now becoming heavy along the way especially upon reaching La Trinidad.

We were back at civilization.

We reached Baguio at dusk, a little bit tired but very much fulfilled by our little adventure. Konky has never been to the places we've been to, never thought he'd go to these places and he was thankful for my suggested trip. After the memorable drive through the mountainside, Baguio seemed to have lost its attraction to me. We just rested our tired and battered bodies in the cool evening of Baguio.