After the impressive tour of the Banaue Rice Terraces, our guide Jordan asked us if we are interested to see an ethnic village. I still have a lot of time before my bus finally leaves for Manila so I didn’t mind another tour. The English lady I was with didn’t mind either, and I think she would find it interesting. The village wasn’t that far away but we needed to climb a small hill to get there. The Tiwang Ethnic Village is privately owned and is open for special events.
It does feel very touristy, with a ready Ifugao hut within the premises. There were some Ifugao themed carvings on the side. Not really very authentic in my opinion. Not surprisingly, there were no visitors when we got there. The owner however was very accomodating and was showing us around. I probably have been to a more authentic Ifugao village in Batad. Actually, it doesn’t even feel like a village since people do not really live there. This is more for the tourist trade. Oh well, I might as well try to enjoy the place since I already paid for it.
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