This last weekend Elia and I, with our friends from Los Banos and Santa Rosa, took a trip to the rices terraces in Banaue and to the hanging coffins in Sagada. We left Thursday night and arrived in Banaue just in time to see the sunrise Friday morning. Banaue and Sagada are located in the mountain province of the Philippines which is about 8 hours from Manila and has a much cooler temperature. It was nice escaping the heat for the weekend! Our first stop was sightseeing and taking pictures at the rice terraces in Banaue. The rice terraces are a UNESCO World Heritage site and some even consider it the 8th wonder of the world. I must say, I do agree with them! It was absolutely breathtaking seeing the sun glisten off the water in the terraces. The rice terraces were carved into the mountainside hundreds of years ago completely by hand and still supply most of the rice for the Philippines (which is a lot of rice). I was in awe of the craftsmanship and the absolute willpower it must have taken to complete such a feet!
After the rice terraces, we went spelunking through Sumaguing Cave for about 5 hours. Now let me tell you... I've done plenty of adventurous things in my life, but spelunking definitely pushed me completely out of my comfort zone. From skydiving, to hang gliding, to cliff jumping, to rock climbing, to reverse bungee jumping, I've never felt as much anxiety as I did from spelunking. Spelunking (also called caving) is the act of exploring caves and requires crawling and climbing through tight spaces and being on the edge of very high heights. Our tour guides said the best footwear for spelunking was "slippers" so I was completely reliant on my Crocs to stop me from slipping 75 feet. Thankfully, Crocs are generally the best overall footwear so I survived in one piece. I definitely had to push my mind and body to the limit, but it was well worth it in the end as the views were breathtaking! It'll probably be awhile before I go spelunking again, but I'm glad that a persevered and experienced it in the Philippines. Maybe next time I'll request a harness and helmet.
The next day we went to Echo valley where a majority of the hanging coffins are located. The hanging coffins are an ancient burial practice where families would place the coffins of their relatives on the sides of very tall cliffs. Only people who are 100% Igorot (an indigenous tribe from Sagada) and who died of natural causes or child birth were allowed to be placed on the side of the cliff. Before an elderly person dies, he/she actually collects the wood and creates his/her own coffin. Then once that person dies, he/she is usually placed in the fetal position as it is believed one should leave the world the same way he/she entered. People only started being 'buried' in the supine position once Christianity came to the Philippines. The Igorots believed that the deceased should receive plenty of light upon burial. That's why they placed coffins on the sides of cliffs instead of burying it in the ground. It was so interesting learning about this burial practice as it is so unique and different than what I have observed in my lifetime.
Lastly, we went hiking through the rice terraces to Bomod-ok Falls. I absolutely love hiking and it was great being so close to the rice terraces. I actually didn't know how rice was grown so it was great being able to see it up close. The hike was great and I loved every second of it. Being close to nature always makes me so happy :)
Overall, it was nice being with friends for the weekend. Exploring a new place in the Philippines was great and has given me a greater appreciation of the Filipino culture. I love how each area of the Philippines is unique and gives different perspectives about how it is to be Filipino. To be continued... :)
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