Back from Batad

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Just came back from trekking the Cordilleras. Our first stop was in Batad. Batad terraces is a UNESCO heritage site, one of the five rice terraces in the Cordilleras. Getting there is already a challenge since the bus ride to Bontoc is nine hours. From Bontoc, you will need to take another hour and a half trip either by jeep or van. Tricycles will only bring you to Batad Junction and you need to trek to Batad Saddle, which is around 2kms. When we got to Bontoc, the one thing that guide books or blogs don't tell you is that the public jeepney to Batad saddle starts at noon up to 3pm. We got there at 7am and we had breakfast first. After breakfast, that's when we scoured the place for the public jeepneys, only to find out that they start at noon. The tourism officer advised us to hire a private jeep which would cost us P2500 ($55). We balked at the price and then she suggested that we scour the restaurants and look for other tourists to share with the bill. Unfortunately most of the tourists weren't that friendly and told us that they will just take the public jeep at noon. So we went back to the restaurant where we had breakfast to plan what we could do to while away the time while waiting for the public jeepney. The owner of the restaurant overheard our conversation and we were lucky because a Batad resident was eating breakfast at that time and was about to head back to Batad saddle. We spent only P150 ($4 each) for the fare. Once we got to Batad Saddle, we started the downwards trek to the village. This usually takes an hour or less, depending if you are used or not to trekking. It was a sight to behold, walking amidst trees and seeing clear brooks running across our path. When we got to the village, the rice terraces was breathtaking. It seemed to melt away our aches and pains from the long trek. But on a closer look, you will see that only a few paddies have been planted. I hope that I can still go back and that when I go back, the terraces are a bright green color.