We hailed a tricycle to take us to the mountain village of Batad. It is quite a distance away from Banaue town and the tricycle is one of the ways to get there. It is also possible for visitors to hike from Banaue to Batad but it will certainly take a while. If you are in a hurry, you can also hire a jeepney to take you there but that will cost much more, depending on how many you are. Depending on your arrangement, you can ask the driver to pick you up on a certain day. Of course, as in any other country, don’t give the driver the full amount yet if you want to be picked up, else you’ll walk back to Banaue on your own.
The tricycle ride was a rough but scenic drive into the mountainous outskirts of Banaue. I got to stay inside the cab of the tricycle, so I didn’t really see much of the outside. We came to what they called the junction, where the tricycle can go no further. This is where we start walking. This would be my first nature hike in a long, long time. I hope I am up to it.
The road to the village of Batad is pretty straight forward. We walk around and up the mountain and down into the village. The road was paved and one could actually hire a jeepney to take them up to the top of the mountain. However, my friend and I chose to walk. Although the road was paved, it of course was a little steep since it was going up the mountain. After around 20 minutes of walking, I was already trying to catch my breath. This is hard work.
In one of my many rest stops. Out of nowhere a foreigner came down from the side of the mountain and told us that there was a shortcut to the top on the side of the mountain. The prospect of a shortcut delighted me and we took his advice. Of course, if it was a shortcut, there has to be some kind of trade off. It turns out the shortcut was even steeper than the original path we took. Now, I was stopping even more often and was already drenched in sweat. I really need to work out more.
In some parts of the climb, one would literally grab on to some rocks and vegetation to be able to bring oneself up. Part of me now was questioning why I bothered going on this trip. My friend was also probably wondering about the same thing, since he kept waiting for me to proceed, while I was taking my time “taking pictures”.
After a “grueling” 45 minute climb, we finally reached the ridge overlooking the valley where Batad was. It was a wonderful sight to behold. This was the first time I got to see such wonderful mountain vistas. The mountains were all green from the thick vegetation and the ridge also has a bird’s eye view of the terraces below. I then realize how high up we actually were since we were looking straight down at the rice terraces of Batad. I also realized that we need to go to that village since we will be staying there, which mean more walking!
My weary legs could not take it anymore so we rested for a while. Taking in the wonderful mountain air and taking photographs. There were also kids at the top selling drinks to weary travellers like me but I declined. After a few more moments we were one our way down to the village of Batad.
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