Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Batad

As you could tell from my previous blog, I needed some time off. I left Santiago for the weekend to hearken back to my days as a backpacker (It’s been a long year and a half). I went to a rural community called Batud. I chose Batud because it’s famous “amphitheater” rice terrace and it has a nice day hike to a waterfall.  My weekend started by catching and early bus from Santiago to Banaue. Once in Benaue I caught a jeepney to the part of highway closest to Batad. After a two hour hike, I finally arrived in Batad and rented a room just in time for dinner. The next morning I had a quick pancake and was on the trail before 8am. Anyone who knows me knows how unlikely it is for me to wake up that early on a weekend voluntarily, but I had to if I wanted to get all my hiking in before dark. 

By 3 pm I finally made it back to the highway, where I talked to some locals and waited for the next Jeepney. That’s when I saw a white man walking down the highway. I asked him if he had walked all the way from Banaue. He said that he had, and it took him only 3 hours. He also pointed out that he was 59 and if I didn’t hike back to Benaue, I was a [wimp]. The man had a glorious Irish accent, and answered me with profanity laced excitement that only someone who has time with real Irishmen can recognize as respect. I hiked back to Banaue, caught a jeepney to the main highway, and finally took a van back to Santiago. After a well deserved McDonalds Cheeseburger (my first in a month) I made it home. 

Here are the pictures from the hike itself:


P.S. Dear 2011 YASCer who is going to the Philippines and is reading my blog while trying to decide if that is a good or bad thing, It's a good thing. Do it. And shoot me an e-mail if you have any questions.