Banaue, Philippines – 10 to 13 May, 2007 – Our final and scariest adventure.
When we arrived back at the bus terminal about a half hour before scheduled departure, our bus was no where in sight. We didn’t think it was a good sign when it still wasn’t there ten minutes before departure, but then it finally showed up about the time we were supposed to depart, and we soon boarded. The bus was an older bus and was worse for wear, but at least the air conditioning worked. We soon found it worked too well, and the vents had all lost their closing knobs so all you could do was try and point the air flow away from you and start putting on additional clothing. Fortunately we had brought long sleeve shirts and a jacket anticipating slightly cooler weather in the upper elevations of Banaue.
We were about a half hour late leaving, but were soon on the road fighting the city traffic of Manila. The bus ride was pretty uneventful, and we spent the time trying to keep warm and sleep. The seats were not conducive to sleeping as they had a single position somewhere between straight up and reclined, so it was a long night. The bus made two short pit stops along the way, and we arrived in Banaue about 7:30 AM the next morning. J didn’t notice the twists and turns in the road as he was sleeping but D was thinking “is this the road to Hanna”? We made the short walk from the bus stop to our hotel, and fortunately we only had to wait a few minutes for our room to be cleaned. We had a cup of coffee in the hotel restaurant and then checked in and planned our day.
After discussing options with the front desk, we decided to spend the day visiting some of the local rice terraces and sights. The next day, we decided we would hire a private Jeepney to take us to Sagada and Bontoc which were other points of interest in the general area. That done we left the hotel with the intention of hiking the 4 kilometers along the road up the hill to one of the overlooks of the rice terraces. We got a few hundred yards up the hill when we realized it was going to be a steeper and longer walk than we planned on. About that time a tricycle came by and offered a ride to the top for only 50 pesos, so we jumped on. Well actually we had to wait for the driver to pump up his tires first.
The view from the overlook was impressive. It boggles the mind how people still farm these steep terraces, let alone how they built them three thousand years ago. After marveling at the view and taking numerous pictures, we visited the local craft shops nearby, and began our trek down the hill. The walk was much easier going downhill. We did stop about three quarters of the way down at a local shop where we each bought a beer and sat on a bench at the front to wet our whistles.
We made our way back to the hotel just before the heavens opened, so we called it a day for touring and read up a bit on the sights we would be visiting the next day in our hired Jeepney. We had a good dinner at the hotel, and then it was an early night so we could have breakfast at 6:00 AM and get an early start for the ride to Sagada.
After an early breakfast the front desk called for our Jeepney driver about 6:45 AM. It turns out the drivers have a lottery drawing each morning to determine who will get the calls. There are 32 drivers and as it is a slow time there are not many calls for them. Paul was the lucky lottery winner for our trip, and he arrived at the hotel just a couple of minutes after the call. We both tried to fit in the front with Paul but after D had to straddle the gear stick we decided it wouldn’t work for such a long journey. We loaded our few things into the back of the Jeepney and headed out. Once again we had way more room than we needed for the two of us as the Jeepney could comfortably seat ten westerners, and a few more with a little compression.
Along the way to Sagada we would pass through Bontoc which is noted for rice terraces that feature stone walls unlike the earthen walls in Banaue. There is also a museum in Bontoc that features the history of some of the local tribes. We decided to head straight to Sagada without stopping in Bontoc as the rain came mostly in the afternoons and we wanted to see the Sagada sights in good weather. We started off, and after about 5 kilometers were on a bumpy gravel road complete with many ruts, washouts, and landslides from the recent rains. The next three hours was a butt bruising but very scenic ride through the mountains between Banaue and Sagada.
We stopped a few times for pictures at scenic overlooks and along rice terraces. We eventually arrived at Sagada and stopped in town to hire the required local guide to take us to the local sights. There is a standard fee for a group of up to ten visiting three sites, and the guide assignment is another lottery system to make it fair to all the guides. We chose two sites for our visit which consisted of the caves full of coffins, and the hanging coffins in Echo Valley. We decided to pass on one of the major attractions which is a very scenic cave that offers an option to swim in a pool inside. As we have seen the inside of many other caves and we didn’t want to get wet and dirty crawling inside, we thought we would give that one a miss.
While interesting, the fifteen or so minutes spent at each site was not worth the three hour Jeepney ride to get there. We arrived at the first cave after a short hike. The coffins are placed just inside the entrance to the cave so there is no real cave exploration involved. It is believed they should be placed just inside so the coffins are protected from the elements but at the same time exposed to the light. There are not many coffins left in the cave due to previous vandalism and a major earthquake in the 90’s that caused many of them to slip down into the depths of the cave. At least now the area is enclosed to prevent vandalism and can’t be entered without a guide. On the hike back to the Jeepney we were able to view another cave where the occupants were women who had died during childbirth.
From the caves, we hiked back to Echo Valley which is a long valley with limestone outcroppings where the “hanging coffins” are located. Like the caves, coffins are still placed there today, but the newer ones are not on the tourist trail. We learned that the coffins are placed in overhangs on the cliffs to protect them from the rain, and are mounted on the limestone before the inhabitants are placed in them. As we arrived at the valley our guide began making what sounded like a clucking sound. He soon made a grab and showed us a medium sized bug that is evidently attracted to the sound.
After our short tour of the Sagada sights, we boarded the Jeepney for an hour ride back to Bontoc where we wanted to visit the museum. The museum was very interesting and contained the history and some of the costumes, implements, weapons, and other items from the local tribes. There was also quite a bit of detail on the headhunters of the area who practiced their craft until the early 1900’s.
From the museum the plan was to begin our trek back over the mountains to Banaue. At mid-afternoon as we came to the outskirts of Bontoc to begin our assent, we were stopped by a Philippine National Police (PNP) officer who advised us the road was closed because of a battle between the police and the communist rebel group. It seems that within just a few minutes after we passed by in the morning, the rebels ambushed a police convoy who were returning from a mountain training exercise. When we asked the officer how long the road would be closed he said we should plan on spending the night in Bontoc as we might not be able to return to Banaue. That wasn’t good news as we had left some luggage in Banaue expecting to return for the night, but more importantly our passports were in a safety deposit box in the hotel.
The driver suggested we wait as the road may be opened soon because after an ambush the rebels tend to run back into the hills. Also, the only other route to Banaue was a 15 hour drive. D asked if we would have a police escort through the mountains if the road were opened, and the driver said that would be a bad idea as the rebels shoot at the police and military but tend to leave local travelers alone. After a half hour or so the officer waved to us that we could proceed. There were a number of vehicles waiting to go on, but much to D’s shock we were the first vehicle to start the accent.
It was obvious the driver was pushing the speed boundary on the road and we would make much better time on the way back than we had made on our first trip. As we drove we passed a number of police and army vehicles returning to Bontoc, but it wasn’t until we passed a number of heavily armed police and soldiers along the road that it really sunk in what had happened. We also passed a 6x6 truck along the roadside that had all tires flattened, the windshield shot out, and numerous bullet marks on the driver’s door and along the bed. We later learned that the communist rebels ambushed the convoy and that 3 police offices had been killed and 16 wounded in the battle. We never did learn what casualties the rebels experienced. As we passed the danger area and approached the top of the mountain pass, the heavens opened and we now had to worry about landslides blocking the road. This day was officially no longer fun.
Fortunately we made it back to Banaue without further incident (other than topping the radiator up and jiggling some wire under the bonnet to restart the engine) while it was still light. We said goodbye to Paul and after dropping our gear in the room we headed to the dining room as we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. As we entered we were greeted by one of the waiters who asked weren’t we the ones who had gone to Sagada and run into the rebels that day? How fast news travels!
The next day we were scheduled to catch the overnight bus back to Manila in the late afternoon. After the events of the previous day we decided to take it easy and just walk around the area near the hotel. We walked into town for some last minute souvenir shopping, and then made our way back to the hotel to spend the rest of the afternoon watching TV in the hotel lobby and reading the newspaper accounts of the previous day’s battle between the PNP and the rebels.
The bus was scheduled to leave at 5:00 PM, so we boarded early not wanting to miss our chance to get out of Dodge! It was a good thing we were early as the bus pulled out about five minutes before scheduled time. As there were only six of us on the bus, we spread out in a pair of seats each and laid back for the 9 hour ride back to Manila.
Next stop Manila.
