The Banaue Rice Terraces and The Drone

I woke up this morning after my first good night’s sleep in three days. The constant dripping in the shower acted like a high-end clock radio that came with “Sounds of the Rain Forest” providing background noise to sleep by. I also found it was impossible to shave the left side of my face due to the lighting in both the bathroom and the bedroom which cast nothing but a shadow on my left side. After a decent breakfast I met my guide and we headed out to hike to some of the local villages. We first crossed this suspension bridge. The metal flooring was once used as a field runway during the war. It lasts forever so they have re-purposed it for everything from fences to playground equipment to bridges.





We then caught a local Jeepeny to get out to the country side. Each one of these seemed to be more tricked out then the next and I found that riding on top provided the best views.

I’m old and don’t really get the whole selfie fad but here is my best attempt at one.

The Jeepeny is the standard transportation in the Philippines, much like how the Tuk Tuk is the standard transportation in Thailand and Cambodia.

The Philippines have been heavily influenced by the war and Americans, and that is where the introduction of the Jeepeny came in. When the war ended the Americans simply left their jeeps behind as it was too costly to bring home heavily used and worn out equipment. The Filipinos used these and when they finally broke down they started replacing them with fancier, stretched out ones. Which brings up another question, why is Filipino spelled with an “F” when the Philippines is spelled with a “P”? It makes no sense to me.

Along the way I saw this fella, who was the result of years of picking rice and could no longer stand up straight.

After a short hike we got to the first village, and while the rice terraces were cool they were nothing compared to the ones in Sapa, Vietnam. Which is strange because Banaue has been declared a UNSECO site while Sapa has not.





Not sure why I never picked up on this before but creating rice is quite a lot of work. They first plant the seedlings in one terrace for 15 to 30 days. Then they move it grain by grain to a second terrace. This gives the plant a better chance for survival over existing weeds and creates a more uniform structure.



But that’s just the start, they next have to dry it out and then pull the grains from the plant. Now they need to break open the seed in order to get the actual rice inside.

The rice is heavier then it’s casing so they can use gravity to separate the two and finally you have something you can eat. I guess they don't know you can buy this stuff by the bagful at the store.

The local blacksmith, who can turn out a machete from an old shell casing in two days.

The people here are called Ifugaos and it is common for a family of five to share a small one room house built on stilts in order to keep the snakes out. Plus the dryer and chicken coup are under the house, or should I say room.

Here is the kitchen and part of the bedroom.

Here is the pantry and the other part of the bedroom.

It’s true they could build larger houses, but they don’t need larger houses, it would not benefit them in anyway. Americans are kind of backwards, building huge houses and filling them with crap, hoping to secure their social status and find happiness. But these people are very happy and maybe it’s because they have less to worry about. Why would you want to attract more stress in your life?



These are beautiful people and I was so grateful they were sharing their lives with me. Years ago I was able to share a small part of my life with people in the various villages I would visit by showing them my digital camera. Taking a picture of them and being able to show them the results, but now days they all have cell phones and that magic is gone. I did however happen to have my drone with me and was taking some aerial shots when the principal from the local school came out. She communicated with me through my guide and before I knew it I was the guest speaker with the entire school, grades 1 through 5, coming out to learn about the drone. I was more than happy to share and this was one of those tiny moments that make you feel widely alive. I was so grateful for the experience and this is why I travel.



The kids not only got to see my “flying camera” as they called it but also got to see themselves on my phone from above. They were also amazed to see their village and rice terraces from angles they never could have imagined. I had a wonderful time with the kids and if my trip ended here I would have been completely satisfied.



After a few flights we took a group picture and I had to say goodbye. The kids then sang and danced to thank me. However, they also gave me some homework. I had to do a quick edit tonight and post it online, then email the principal. This was not only so that they had a copy, but it turns out that they are short on teachers. The kids alternate going to school every other day, meaning a second set of kids missed my flights.





We then continued our hike and I was starting to feel the heat. This was great in that I was earning a few extra San Miguel’s tonight.

We finally reached the next village and the terraces were even more impressive. I took a few more drone shots and a few of the local kids came out to see what was going on.







They even know what a photo bomb is.

Today was amazing, I would even say life changing, but I have been fortunate enough to travel the world and have these kind of experiences before. But even so, every one is so special and further defines who I am.

On the way back we stopped at one last village.



Beautiful views.

Beautiful hidden waterfall.

Beautiful Terrace.

Beautiful cock. In the Philippines cock fighting is huge. While I didn’t want to attend a live event I did catch some action on TV at a later date.

I returned to the hotel, turned on the shower and then went to get a few beers. Afterwards, I stood in an ankle deep puddle as I cleaned up. I then noticed that the dial on the sink turned both ways and getting it to actually stop was like cracking open a safe. I reviewed the evacuation plan and then drifted off to sleep to the pleasant sound of water droplets coming from the shower.