Log in
Join travelers community
Your Profile
Logout
The Philippines is such an amazing country because it has so much to offer. We went from lounging on incredible beaches to hiking among lush green mountains. Next stops on our trip: Cebu, Manila, Banaue, and then out of Manila. Like the first half of our trip, the adventure never
stops.
Banaue: Rice, Rice Everywhere, but not a Grain to Eat
Casey Lary2006-10-06 16:45:16
Displayed times (last time: )
own driver to take us to the rice terraces. Instead, Lisa and I took a (gasp!) vacation day. We went to the Makati District and pampered ourselves at a beauty salon and indulged in the imported
western culture. We each got oxygen facials for a mere 25 bucks, and pedicures for 5. We splurged on 2 dollar dvds, english books, and a fastfood taco stand. Going to Makati was like entering a new world in comparison to the Malate Distric. People here had money. Malate was beyond poor with people and even whole families sleeping on cardboard in the streets. In Makati every store had a security guard- even Starbucks and McDonalds. We ended the night with one of Lisa's traditions: going to the Hard Rock Cafe. I know that if Lisa worked at one her pin collection would surpass any other employee. Later that night we caught the cold, long bus ride to Banaue.
Banaue
Coming up here was definitely a trek but well well worth it. We arrived and immediately found a guide and driver in our own personal jeepney for the day. He took us first to a cute little hotel for breakfast. After that we headed up to the main lookout point where we could see all the rice terraces of Banaue. We actually timed our trip to the Philippines perfectly because it was the best time to see the rice terraces. Every terrace was full of long green rice. These terraces are dubbed the "8th Wonder of the World" because of the way they were made on the side of hills and the amount of them. Most of them are practically horizontal along the top. From the photos you can see they are quite impressive. There are soooo many terraces you would think there would be enough rice for the entire country. Oh Contrare! The rice terraces are slowly deteriorating. Instead of growing rice on them they are being perserved for tourist/heritage reasons. The output of rice from the terraces is minimal and a lot of rice is imported to the country, hence the title of my blog.
The latter part of
...
See photographs from:
Philippines Gallery
