Banaue, Philippines

John and I have been to Banaue countless times. When we go together we travel by car (a four wheel drive which is essential if you are going further than Banaue). When I have taken visitors I have used public transport. More about that later. Banaue is the gateway to the fabulous mountain rice terraces of the Cordillera, some of them constructed 2000 plus years ago and still in use today. The farming people of this area have been on the same land for generations - as far back as the terraces themselves. There is no land ownership as such, but the right to till, plant, harvest and maintain their family plots. Once the family ceases to do this, ‘ownership’ of the land passes to another, be it a neighboring farmer or relative of the original ‘owners’. Maintaining the ancient stone walls of the fields is an annual task, but has ensured agricultural continuity in these areas.

These people were a fierce race. Tribal wars were common and headhunting expeditions between warring tribes were commonplace in years past. Their history has produced a super strong, proud people, quite different in appearance to other provincial peoples - shorter, muscular from a very young age, darker skin tone and broader features. The bolo, a large multipurpose broad bladed knife, cleaver, chopper etc, is carried by all and used for everything. Occasionally one may see an old man or woman in traditional loincloth or tapis shopping at the local market, but for younger people this clothing is reserved for traditional celebrations. Some elders wear the tapis etc for the photo opportunity with tourists, of which there are many, and for which it is a courtesy to pay. John paid 10 pesos each to the wonderful people in this photograph. As with all Filipinos, fun and laughter is the name of the game no matter where or when.

Banaue is a visually beautiful place, high in the mountains, sometimes shrouded in mist and cool rain. The rice fields are a fabulous testament to the inspired agricultural engineering of these people.

Banaue is a great stopover destination on your way to Batad or Sagada, however, stay for a couple of nights at least to get a sense of the place, then lock-up your room, leave your excess luggage there and set off to Batad. When you return you will be grateful for a good shower and the soft bed, plus the food that is available. A nice place to rest up.

Local lad sporting his home-made scooter.

Verandah of People's Restaurant

View straight down from People's Restaurant

View from "the View-point" with Banaue in the far left

During the days in this town there are a few things to do. Take a tricycle ride up the mountain road to check out the various lookouts on the way. Breathtaking views down into the valley are available all the way up. Get to the top, have a look in the various shops there (especially at the traditional blankets and weaving) and have your photograph taken with some of the wonderful elders who sit and wait for you. If you are interested in buying a blanket, look for the following points. One - always woven in red, black and white, sometimes with yellow and green embroidered designs. Two - Choose only the cotton weave, densely woven with a good weight. Three - Choose the fabric which is not coarse to the touch. You must barter. I usually offer half of the quoted price, or thereabouts. Always willing to increase my offer I must be met by a willingness to reduce the given price. Eventually you may reach a price satisfactory to both, but remember that these people are well experienced at this game and will take advantage of any weakness they detect on your part. It is also worth remembering that the weaver and maker of this fabulous piece is being paid very little for their work. What you pay is about the level of your own generosity to the shopkeeper, or their skill at bartering, or their stubbornness to not back down. In the end the choice is yours. All of this will be conducted politely and most times with great charm and apparent goodwill. They know what they are doing and like nothing better than a good laugh along the way. Don't get heavy. It doesn't work. Friends who visited this lookout continued on foot up the hill a little, then took a road to the left. They reported back that the walk was wonderful and on returning to the main road decided to walk back to town – all downhill and scenic

Have a look around the shops that line the streets of the town of Banaue. The mountain people are skilled basket makers and some are good woodcarvers. However, this has become, on the whole, commercialized and a lot of what you see is not of good quality. Goods sold as ‘antique’ are most often not, but have been stained to look old. The smaller, squatting figures (rice guards) are a good souvenir. They are often adorned with the woven loin cloth and have a tuft of feathers on the head. Have a good look and select those that have good facial expressions and well finished. They usually sell for 25 to 50 pesos depending on size. If you look carefully you will find some characters that appeal. My best advice with buying here is to go for what you like - inspect for quality of workmanship, carving etc, look carefully at handle attachments with future strength in mind. Utilitarian baskets and bowls, small containers or larger rice baskets are usually good because they are traditional and not too expensive. As usual, you need to barter.

A walk down the road along the valley is a nice thing to do, just for the fresh air and great views of the backs of the buildings along the main road of Banaue. On the way back to town, brave the swing bridge.

John and I have stayed in a couple of places in Banaue. One has closed its doors, so at present we have only one to describe. Peoples Restaurant and Hotel is in the heart of town. The rooms are quiet because they are at the back of the building. Expect to pay approx. P500 for a room with bathroom. The restaurant here has the best view in town. Take your meals and coffee on the balcony at the back. Meals generally are good, except for breakfast which is horrible. I am sure there are other, nicer places to stay in Banaue and would appreciate feedback should you wish to write to us with recommendations.

Drunkenness on the part of the local men is commonplace, so occasional outbursts of song or laughter can go on well into the night. Not a problem if you are a sound and determined sleeper, depending on where you are staying. Hotels generally are secure if you want to hold onto the room or leave your excess luggage while you go on to Batad.

Don't forget the tropical strength insect repellent and mosquito coils to fumigate the room and bathroom during the day. Umbrellas are a must as protection against sun and rain. Slightly warmer clothes are in order, especially for nights on the balcony at People's restaurant. Sturdy sandals or lightweight canvas lace-ups are the best foot wear and rubber thongs are essential to wear in the bathrooms at all times. John and I always take sarongs to wear. They are very handy for trips to the bathroom at night, or wearing on the quick trip from the bathroom after a shower. Sunscreen is a must anywhere you go and if you plan to walk at all while you are in these parts, light weight loose trousers are good, or shorts. Do not wear jeans or anything tight on the legs - it is too tiring on the many uphill stretches.

1. Via Baguio Lots of busses go to Baguio so consult your travel guide to go via this route. It seems to be the only route people know of. If you don't want to go that way after reading this web page, then go straight to Banaue via option 2 or 3.

To get to Baguio by bus takes about 6 hours. From there on to Bontoc is about 7 hours of bad dirt road. Good views but you will be glad to be off that road. About 45 minutes from Bontoc to Sagada, or 2.5 hours from Bontoc to Banaue. This is all dirt road. Some busses go directly from Banaue to Sagada, so ask for them as well.

2. Overnight express bus. You may like to know that the roads are good all the way from Manila to Banaue (no dirt road). As far as we know, only Autobus goes overnight to Banaue. They have recently moved and their depot is now in Espana near the University of Santa Thomas. New number is +63 2 7358096. It is best to book a seat. Taxi drivers generally know how to get there. Bus travel is cheap, about P270 to Banaue, with air-conditioning, usually crowded, bad movies on the video player, stops at filthy bathrooms and not very good food places depending on what you order. We have always relied on the good old chicken or beef Mami, which is a clear noodle soup with a few vegetables and a boiled egg. Avoid salads, shell fish, tap water. Take your own toilet paper, small towel and soap to the bathrooms and make sure your shoes have thick soles to keep you out of the inevitable water on the floor. Never rinse your mouth with tap water after cleaning your teeth -always use bottled water- always!!!.

3. Bus to Solano. day travel. Busses leave from Pasay or Cubao bus terminals (and possibly many more). The bus to Solano leaves often during the day, but remember you still have two plus hours of travelling time when you reach Solano and you definitely want to get to Banaue before nightfall. It is dark by 6.30 to 7 PM. To be on the safe side, it is advisable to take the Solano bus as early as possible in the morning. They leave from the terminal often, like hourly, so you will not have to wait for too long, no matter what time you get there. Bus travel is inexpensive but do take something warmer to wear in case the air-conditioning is frigid, as it so often is. Be warned, but I could be wrong.

Ask to get off the bus at the place where jeepneys leave for Lagawe and Banaue. My sister and I did this trip and we had to ask a few people once we left the bus, but eventually found the spot and the jeepney. People are generally kind and helpful at these times. When you find the jeepney you will discover the unknown departure time - this is because the jeepney won't leave until it is full of passengers and they mean full - beyond anything you would expect or imagine. We overcame this by offering to pay for the extra passengers so that we could leave straightaway. Everyone else was very pleased with this arrangement, as we travelled in almost comfort. However, we were ripped off and only one woman protested to the driver on our behalf. Good on her, but it did little good. We probably paid 100 pesos each over and above what was required, but it was still a good deal for us. I always ask fellow passengers how much the trip in a jeepney will cost. They are your assurance of not being overcharged. This trip would normally have cost about 20 pesos, then another 17 pesos from Lagawe to Banaue. The people on the jeepney will tell you where to get out at Lagawe to catch the jeepney to Banaue. We simply got off one straight onto the other with no waiting time at all. The Banaue jeepney will drop you off at the main road corner -they cannot descend the hill to the centre of town because there is no turning room at the bottom. Walk down the road for two minutes and when it swings to the right you are there.

All public transport to and from Banaue leaves Banaue from the same place and if you ask around in town you will find there is the ticket office for booking yourself onto buses out. This will give you reliable information about departure times, length of the trip etc. Cell phones now work in Banaue but only SMART (no GLOBE). There are a couple of places in the town that provide a phone service for visitors and residents. National or international calls can be made here. Just ask.

The Saturday morning market in Banaue can be really good. I have managed to pick up some nice, low cost, locally woven and embroidered fabrics, tapis, etc from local weavers. Also the vegetables can be a very good score if you have somewhere to cook them. We usually take a cooler box with us and return to Manila with plenty of organic food for the week. I always find markets fascinating and this one on a Saturday is no exception.