Picture of the Day: Green Door in Szentendre

Szentendre, Hungary
05.29.2006

Misadventures of Lisa & Trisha: Overnight to the Rice Fields of Banaue

"What are you doing the weekend of January 16th?" Trisha asked one day at lunch. "I'm trying to figure out my plans for my last few weeks in Japan before heading back to the US."

"I'm planning on going to Manila," I replied. "Do you want to go?"

"What is there to do there?"

"Lots of fun stuff."

"Okay, I'm in. You've never steered me wrong before," Trisha said and then paused. "By the way, where's Manila?"

With that conversation the seeds were sown for Trisha's and my weekend adventure to the Philippines. We booked nonstop flights from Nagoya to Manila with frequent flier miles and set about planning our trip. Both of us really wanted to visit the rice terraces around Banaue in Ifugao Province (what can I say, we are suckers for World Heritage sights) but there was one catch; they were a six and a half drive away from Manila. With limited time, we didn't want to waste daylight hours driving but our flight got in too late for us to take an overnight bus.

Trisha and I are not the type of ladies to be deterred so I did a little investigating and found a car company that would be willing to pick us up at the airport and drive us overnight to Banaue for 10,000 PHP (about 200 USD). It was a bit of a splurge for us but since we had free flights and the rest of the trip was pretty inexpensive we decided to go for it.

With one small backpack each, we landed in Manila just before midnight, went through immigration, exchanged some money and headed out of the airport. It was a madhouse outside with throngs of people swarming around trying to get the tourists fresh off the plane to hire them for transportation. I typically like to travel by the seat of my pants but with the late night chaos this was one time I was glad I had booked in advance.

We found our driver holding a sign with my name on it and after a short walk to his car we were on the road heading north. Trisha and I settled into the back seat and tried our best to catch some sleep. There is a good reason why the drive takes so long despite not being very far as the crow flies and the windy, mountain roads did not make for a restful night. On several occasions I woke up as the car seemed to be heading off a cliff or into the mountain only to have the driver turn just in time to stay on the road.

We arrived bleary eyed in Banaue bright and early in the morning. Our driver dropped us off in front of the Tourist Information Center which was a tiny, one room building painted a cheerful red and green in contrast to the drab, drizzling morning. After a little negotiation we were able to hire a jeepney for a few dollars to take us to Batad Saddle so we could visit Batad. Jeepneys were originally made from surplus Jeeps left in the Philippines by the Americans after World War II and are known for having flashy decoration. The jeepneys in town were all fun to look at but we thought our jeepney with its flamboyant red and yellow grill was particularly awesome.

As we set off from town we had a good look at how precariously perched the buildings were along the mountainside. It was as if the concrete buildings were growing out of the mountains. We also go to see some rice terraces along the way that used earthen walls. The road was very rough and on several occasions the driver had to stop so his friend could jump out of the jeepney and move rocks out of the way or place some boards they had with them over particularly deep potholes. We were bouncing around so much that at points Trisha and I couldn't even talk to each other. We would start to say something, hit a bump causing us to bite our tongues and then just break out laughing about the situation. 

An hour and a half of a bumpy, jerky ride later we arrived rattled but intact at Batad Saddle which is the end of the road and the beginning of the hike to Batad. Apparently during the rainy season, landslides can take out parts of the road so were lucky to make all the way to Batad Saddle by vehicle. At Batad Saddle we hired a local man to take us down into Batad Village to show us around and we set off.

As we began our descent we could catch glimpses of the rice terraces until finally the view of the valley opened up in front of us. I know it is cliche to say, but no words or pictures can really describe it. The mountains were impossibly steep with rice terraces clinging to their sides and the little village of Batad nestled below. It was gorgeous and seemed like something out of a picture book.

The village was a mixture of buildings with thatched and corrugated metal roofs. I loved the splashes of colors that the brightly painted tin roofs made against the green and brown backdrop of the mountains.

Just like the rice terraces, the buidlings were built on levels so exploring the village meant lots of walking up and down. It was interesting to wander around and the highlight was getting to watch an older woman doing some weaving with a backstrap loom. Our guide translated for us as she explained what she was doing. 

Leaving the village we had a chance to see more of the rice terraces close up. Rice farming along the steep slopes has remained virtually the same for two thousand years. Batad is special because unlike the other earthen walled terraces in the area, Batad's are made of stone. We saw several of the locals working on tending the walls to keep them in good order. 

We hiked out of the valley a bit and headed to Tappiyah Falls. Set back in a secluded alcove and tumbling down into a brilliant turquoise pool, the falls were really magical and definitely worth the effort to see.

Heading back to the village we were starving and stopped at a little place for some food. We also couldn't resist buying some carvings and textiles to bring home. Rested a bit, Trisha and I started our hike back out of the valley up to Batad Saddle.

When we got to Batad Saddle we were pretty tired and sweaty as we got back on our jeepney. Being late in the day it had become a bit chilly and with the open windows of the jeepney it wasn't long before we were freezing. Despite being cold we toughed it out to head out to the Banaue Viewpoint which provided spectacular views of some mud walled rice terraces.

As we arrived back in Banaue it was getting dark and we were starving. We had some time to kill before catching the overnight bus back to Manila so we headed over to a hotel to eat dinner. It was nice to rest and warm up and before we knew it was time to climb aboard the bus. We had opted for the nicer bus (which was pink and still a steal with a fare less than ten dollars) and being exhausted we had no trouble falling asleep. Next stop Manila (six and a half hours later, that is)! 

If you are interested, check out my other adventures with Trisha here: The Great ATM Debacle, Getting a Ride to the Beijing Opera

Picture of the Day: View Overlooking Schönbrunn Palace from the Gloriette

Vienna, Austria
05.31.2006 

Mirror, Mirror On My Bathroom Wall

In trying to figure out what to hang over my bathroom toilet I stumbled across a gold mirror that I already had. My mom had picked it up used but ended up not having a place for it in her home so she had given it to me about a year ago.

I tried hanging it over the toilet to see how it looked. The shape was great but with chrome and silver in the bathroom the antique gold looked out of place. To fix the situation I turned to my old friend, spray paint.

The mirror was old and there was no way to detach the mirror from the frame without causing damage so I had to cut out some butcher's paper in the shape of the mirror and carefully tape it down with painter's tape to protect it. Because of the oval shape of the mirror getting the painter's tape to curve and completely cover the mirror without overlapping onto the frame was a little tedious. After that I had a new looking mirror with just two thin coats of silver spray paint.

I love how it looks on the wall and I am really happy with the results. Best of all it was free since I already had the mirror as well as the silver spray paint. Now I am one step closer to finishing my bathroom. 

Since I had the silver spray paint out I also decided to update the lid of the canister that I use to store my cotton balls. I've had this canister since I was in undergrad so it was pretty scruffy and worn. Two thin coats of spray paint later and the lid was looking fresh and shiny.

Is anyone else revamping some items they already have? Any spray painting or wall hanging going on in your life?

If you are interested, check out the rest of my bathroom posts here: Bathroom Blog Posts

Picture of the Day: Textile Vendor in Chichi

Chichicastenango, Guatemala
07.04.2010 

My Top Ten Travel Experiences (So Far...)

Rene posted a comment wondering where my favorite place was that I have visited on my travels. While picking just one is impossible (Sorry, Rene!) I thought that as a substitute I would share my top ten list of travel experiences. Without further ado and in no particular order, here they are:

- Going on my first trip abroad to Paris and setting eyes on the Eiffel Tower for the first time

- Hiking along a 10km stretch of the Great Wall of China 

- Taking an overnight car ride in the Philippines to reach the terraced rice fields of Banaue 

- Exploring Australia's Red Centre and hiking around Ayers Rock

- Eating street food in Vietnam (Banh Mi, anyone?)

- Biking around the beautiful Dingle Peninsula in Ireland and barely making the bus to my friend's wedding

- Hiking the four day Inca Trail in Peru and watching the sunrise at Machu Picchu

- Seeing elephants, giraffes, zebras and other African game in their natural habitat in Kruger National Park in South Africa

- Exploring the mountains and lakes of Hokkaido, Japan in the winter

- Taking a boat ride in Milford Sound and watching the blue penguins tumble ashore at dusk in Oamaru in New Zealand 

I could keep going and going and if you asked me on a different day I may respond with a different set of ten favorites. What I do know for certain is that traveling has changed and enriched me and I feel blessed that I have had these opportunities to see some of this amazing world we live in.

So now that I have shared some of my favorites, where are your favorite travel experiences? I need some inspiration to figure out where to go next...

Picture of the Day: Kangaroo at Sydney Wildlife World

Sydney, Australia
11.2010 

Adding Shelves to My Built-In

With the top of my built-in gussied up with wallpaper it was time to get to work on making the bottom cabinet more functional by adding shelving. Just like hanging my medicine cabinet, this project also addresses both facets of my 2012 resolutions of getting organized and finishing up projects around the house.

Adding the shelves was pretty easy to do with the only trick making sure to get everything level. I started by picking up a six foot long pine 1x8 board to use for the shelves and some shelf supports from the hardware store. I measured and cut the boards to length and then held them up inside the built-in to get a rough idea of where I wanted them.

I aligned the level where I wanted my shelf to be on the left side of the cabinet and then applied a piece of painters tape directly underneath it which gave me a level guideline. I then measured up the distance from where the board rests to where the peg is located on the supports and drilled holes at that spot 1-1/2" and 6" from the back of the built-in. I put the supports in the holes and then used my level again to check that it was level.

To get the placement for the right side I put one of my shelf boards on the supports that I had installed, put the level on top of it and then adjusted the board until I got it level. I then put another piece of painters tape underneath the board to mark the level line and measured and drilled the holes in the same way that I did for the left side. I put the supports in the holes on the right side and then repeated the whole process for the second shelf.

After priming and adding two coats of paint to the shelves I was all set to start organizing my built-in cabinet. On the top shelf in the left corner I have two cardboard bins that cost a dollar from Target. One has some basic medicines and band-aids while the other has extras of things like razors and soap. Moving across the top shelf I have a little teal dish that I already owned holding my cleaning sponges and then all my bathroom cleaning supplies.

My middle shelf is organized with metal baskets that I also found at Target. The leftmost basket has things that I don't use very often like suntan lotion, bug spray and nail polish remover. The other two baskets hold my sample sized items. Whenever I stay at hotels I always take the mini shampoos, lotions or whatever else may be offered to guests in the bathroom. They are great for packing on my travels or if I have a house guest that forgot something. Over time I had amassed a ridiculous amount of hotel toiletries so I decided to pare things down to just these two baskets with liquid items like shampoo and conditioner in the middle one and dry items like bars of soap and hair brushes in the right one. 

Finally on the bottom shelf I have my extra bath towels and toilet paper. It feels good to have everything organized and by limiting myself to the space available it forced me to go through what I had and throw out a lot of things that I just didn't need. Nail polish that changes color in the sun? Gone. Twenty hotel shower caps? Maybe keeping three is enough. Now I just need to keep everything this way!

Is anyone else out there trying to get organized? How is it going? Do you have any tips to share?

If you are interested, check out the rest of my bathroom posts here: Bathroom Blog Posts

Picture of the Day: Constellation of Literature Pavilion in Hanoi

Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu)
Hanoi, Vietnam
08.2011

Hanging My Medicine Cabinet

On Sunday afternoon I finally got around to hanging up my medicine cabinet as part of my effort to put the finishing touches on my bathroom. I had considered building my own but then I found this one for half off ($115) at the Birch Run Pottery Barn Outlet and couldn't pass it up.

I wanted to liven it up a bit so I used the same technique that I used for my built-in to add wallpaper to the back of the cabinet before hanging it. To figure out the placement, I put up some blue painters tape on the wall in the dimensions of the cabinet, adjusting it until I got it located where I liked. I then hung it according to the directions, screwing the metal cleat into the wall using wall anchors and making sure it was level. After putting the glass shelves back in I was ready to fill it up.

I don't have much in the way of toiletries so I have plenty of room to keep things neat and tidy. I found cute little black and white cardboard bins for a dollar each at Target (I love the One Spot!) to use as shelf organizers. I have my disposable contacts in one, bobby pins and hair bands in another, earrings in another and so on.

I really like how the medicine cabinet looks compared to the small mirror I had before and now I can keep the deck of my sink clear of everything but my hand soap. It also helps me toward both of my 2012 New Years resolutions of finishing projects around the house and getting organized. Not bad for a project that took me less than an hour to complete!

If you are interested, check out the rest of my bathroom posts here: Bathroom Blog Posts