ADING, DENDO and ARNEL with the Igorots of BANAUE

First 'mission' of the day was the trip to the viewing spot of the world famous Banaue rice terraces. Dendo and I have been to this place before but for Arnel and Ading, it was a very inspiring panorama. As they took pictures, they were simply awed by the beauty of the Igorot's masterpiece, the so-called 'Stairway of the Sky'. I've been to this place a couple of times but I never get tired of watching the awesome structure curved by our forefathers centuries ago. I've been told of other terraces which the locals attest to as more beautiful but is accessible by long hike. I tend to agree with them as progress is starting to show its ugly head as numerous g.i. roofs have sprouted in the horizon and is slowly creeping in to disrupt the natural beauty of the terraces. Fortunately, this 'Wonder of the World' has been included in the UNESCO's heritage program assuring of it s survival for the next generation.

We started our descend from Banaue at around 8 am and I estimated that we would arrive in Santiago City in 2 hours time. The zigzagging route downhill made me dizzy and in a foul mood for a while. In Lagawe, children in colorful Igorot costumes greeted us but time constraint made us move on and miss the festive celebration. We reached Santiago City, Isabela at noon and as we entered the city proper we encountered traffic along the main highway. A big parade was in progress and we were stuck. As I took over the steering wheels, we have inched to the main city proper and being familiar with its one way route during daytime, I sped on to the left lane to the amazement of the three other guys. For once, the three thought that I was really bold and crazy for driving on the opposite lane and only later would they realize my familiarity with the local traffic. For a guy who have been to this place once a month for the last 8 months, why shouldn't I be?

ARNEL,ADING & DENDO at Magat Dam

We reached our second 'mission', the newly built IL Santiago building, still in its sparkling splendor but already suffering from reported water leaks and termite problems. Dendo and I were now doing our respective jobs and after half an hour, we were through with our second mission. This is the reason why this trip is so worthwhile, we were able to do our respective job and at the same time tour the countryside. We now set forth to Magat Dam for our lunch. I figured this is better than eating at the city's local restaurant since the scenery at the dam will be appreciated by the guys.

Magat Dam was built in the '70s and is maintained by the NAPOCOR. It has provided irrigation and power to the Cagayan Valley. Accessible via a short length of rough road, we arrived at Magat Dam at around 1 pm and the guys immediately loved the view of this immense structure. We were also witnesses to the effect of the El Nino on this area as we saw the low water table of the dam. Despite the intense heat of the midday sun, we enjoyed our picnic-style lunch on one of its cottages. By this time we have realized that we have traveled a third of our route and our excitement still overpowers the fatigue in us. We are still enjoying every minute of our trip and only the beauty of the natural scenery have eased our tired bodies.

After a quick lunch and a short rest, we were on our way again. By this time I have realized that we are staying overnight at Tuguegarao as Laoag City is impossible to reach unless we risk driving 'till midnight while Aparri is unfamiliar territory to me. More traffic greeted us along the way as parades were going on. In Alicia, we were initially held up by the tail end of the parade and after we passed a few corners, we saw the front of the parade approaching. It was a lively sight to see especially the children in bright and colorful costumes but I somehow pity them as they had to suffer from the intense heat of the afternoon sun and the long walk. I would wish that parades such as these were held later in the afternoon or early evening to convenience of everyone.

The overloaded Tricycle of Cagayan

The roads from Alicia to Tuguegaro are now newly paved so it was a smooth drive along the way. In this part of the country, one will not fail to notice how people, especially the young ones, jampack on the tricycles. On one occasion we counted 12 students abuse these tricycles and it seems these daredevils don't know the words 'overcrowding' and 'danger'. With the jeepneys crowding our city streets, the people of Cagayan Valley would probably appreciate it if the government relocates these jeepneys to their towns. And ass we progress further up north, my companions noticed that there are fewer vehicles on the road. Is it because today is a holiday? I told them however that this is the same scene even on ordinary days. We city guys are just used to the everyday traffic of Manila and are not used to clear roads.

A favorite tourist destination of mine in Cagayan, is the famous Callao caves in Penabalanca and I thought this is the fitting final mission for the day. The Callao caves, about 30kms from Tuguegarao City, is very much accessible thru a good-cemented roads and a creaky wooden bridge that seemed ready to collapse anytime. Going there is a thrill in itself as the grandeur of the valley beacons along the way. We arrived in Penablanca at around 5 pm and reaching the caves itself is another challenge and story. We had to scale a 250 step stair curved along the mini forest and I had to caution the 3 guys to take it slowly and rest at each resting point. True enough, upon the reaching the top, we were sweating profusely and panting with our tongues out, feeling like we just ran for miles. But the hard climb was rewarded with a magnificent view of the caves, particularly the man-made chapel in the fourth chamber. The caves were named after the Kalaw bird or hornbill that used to inhabit the area until development moved them out further away. Stories reveal that the KKK revolutionaries hid here from the Spaniards and Americans, the HUKS from the Japanese and the NPA's from the government troops. American president Theodore Roosevelt, during his term as Philippine Governor-General in 1932, went to these caves on horseback as a true adventure sportsman. The caves with its majestic columns of stalactites and stalagmites in various sizes has probably lots of stories hidden behind its walls but for now, we are mere observers of its natural beauty.

ADING, DENDO & ARNEL just dead tired after exploring Callao cave

Archeologists have unearthed significant artifacts from these caves and more are reportedly undiscovered. We reached only up to the 7^th chamber, as venturing further into its 30 or more chambers will require a little bravery and skill in spelunking on our part. The descent afterwards was more pleasant and easier. We had to forego a boat ride along the Pinacanauan River because the boatmen charged us too much for such a short trip. The experience of climbing the 250 steps took its toll on us and since it was about to get dark, we decided to find a place to settle in for the night.

Tuguegarao, the capital of Cagayan Valley, has a number of good hotels and one of them is the Hotel Lorita, where we checked in. It had air-coned rooms, soft beds, direct dial telephone and cable TV which made us felt at home and back to civilization. This was a welcome change compared to our lodging in Banaue. The only flaw of this hotel is the lack of elevator, which made climbing up and down the stairs to our room at the third floor reminiscent of our Callao caves experience.

After dinner, Arnel and I went out for a walk while Dendo and Ading decided to stay in the room. Hoping for exciting encounter, we were instead stuck with city's evening festivities. The students were splendid in their colorful costumes doing dance magnificent numbers depicting all the tribes of the country, from the local Ibanags up to the Igorots of Mountain province and the Muslims of Mindanao. Participated in by various sectors of the city, the policemen even had a band playing a marching tune. The evening festivities capped our long day on the road as we witnessed different celebrations of the 100 years of Independence. When we went back to the hotel, we told the two guys of the program we saw and they were sorry they missed it. But we got a chance to watch the rest of the Centennial festivities in Manila on TV as we settled in for the night.

As we retire for the night, images of our 2 days experience on the road lingered in our minds. So far the Tamaraw has not failed us a single bit. Day two was over and I was glad we were all safe and sound. With the usual trip planning, I figured we could still reach Baguio by midnight the next day and catch up with our schedule if we could start early the next morning. And the 3 guys promised their full cooperation by waking up early the next day. This time I didn't bother myself with too many calculations and went to sleep early at 10 pm.