I decided to go to Bangaan rice terraces in the afternoon after I went to Tappiya Falls.
First, I thought that I could walk on the paved road, which I passed on with the jeepney going from Banaue to Batad the day before. But the guide told me that there is a way to Bangaan nearer than the paved road. So I asked him to be my guide.
Walking from Batad to Bangaan
We started walking at 1 pm and moved on, pushing through the exuberant foliage with my arms, and passed through the small-sized rice terraces.
We walked on a narrow path of the mountain from the rice terraces.
I felt this path was challenging because of its many ups and downs, and I really had a hard time, especially going uphill.
Then, along the way, we got to a place to sit down and rest at approximately 40 minutes since we started.
The guide explained some things about the villages and the rice terraces that we could see around us. But I couldn’t comprehend because of my tiredness. I had a runny nose and I was sweating a lot as well.
After hydrating myself with the water I brought, we started walking again.
The narrow path at first was very hard, but after the spot where we rested, the path became slightly better. I gradually felt refreshed while walking.
And I saw a quite interesting thing. There were lush green rice plants, despite having no water.
He told me that they will be the feeds for the chicken animals.
Some parts of the path were muddy due to the rain the night before, which made it harder to walk.
The guide suddenly stopped. He picked up a stone and started throwing it to a creature. I thought it was a snake. I looked at that creature and I saw it getting weaker.
But to my surprise, it was a big centipede that has blue legs. The guide told me that it was a dangerous creature, especially if it bites you.
If you are looking to visit around here, you need to wear a long pants and comfortable shoes, not flip flops.
We walked around some fields and some forests, and finally got to the entrance of Bangaan village. It took 2 hours and a half since we started.
Bangaan village
We went down the stairs from the entrance to Bangaan village, and passed through the rice terraces.
When we got into the village, many people were gathering in one place. A wedding ceremony was just held that day.
Actually, we were given meals like noodle called pansit, simmer beef, stir-fried vegetables and pork in here. These are the specialty of the Philippines. I was satisfied to eat until my stomach was full, and had a rice wine with rice grains remains.
We had these with thanks and looked around in the village. We saw the traditional houses with carved pictures of working people, dogs and cows on the wall. Most houses were made of wood and leaves called “Anahaw”.
Then we went back taking the stairs up to the entrance of the village. From there, we took a tricycle that came to pick us up and bring us to Batad.
Bangaan rice terraces is small compared to Batad rice terraces.
But I love the small village where it reminds me of my childhood days. It maybe because of the smell and people in there.
These rice terraces are not only suitable for this mountainous area, but also have breathtaking scenery. I hope the beauty of the area will remain forever.
Special thanks to DMM eikaiwa’s teachers who helped me write this article in English.
