As I was admiring the postcard view of the Banaue Rice Terraces from the Viewpoint, I noticed that there was a small souvenir shopp right at the viewpoint itself. The owner somehow managed to find a great spot here at the viewpoint where there are more customers. Unfortunately for the owner, there were not a lot of customers at the moment.
The shop is a simple wooden shop selling a lot of Igorot themed stuff. From statues to key chains to furniture. The shop seems to have a lot of high quality stuff that can be bought but I wasn’t really into this kind of thing. The owner mentioned that a lot of his customers are actually from overseas. He has a factory that manufactures these things and exports them. I noticed a very un-Igorot Chinese dragon beside the shop and ask him about it. These are basically samples from China which are sent here for his workers to manufacture and export back out to other countries.
It was interesting to see all his stuff. He even has this giant fork and spoon that is ubiquitous in Filipino households. It was a wonder that there were not more people looking at his stuff. In the end, I got myself my mandatory T-shirt souvenir. I guess I also bought it as gratitude for his letting me take photos of his store. Shops like these are good since they help to preserve the culture of their ancestors. They may not practice it anymore but at least they will live on in their handicrafts.
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