Picture of the Day: Fruit for Sale in Hanoi

Hanoi, Vietnam
08.09.2011 

Picture of the Day: Carving at Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei, Cambodia
08.19.2011 

Scrapbook Layout: Enlightened

Over the past few years I've barely done any scrapbooking but I am trying to motivate myself to get back into it a bit. Hilary's comment on my Picture of the Day Post about the Fruit Juice Stand in San Pedro made me decide to finally get a layout done last night.

I had these pictures from Todaiji in Nara, Japan that I thought were fun so I decided to scrapbook the story behind them. I liked the tealish patina that the Buddha has developed over the years so I decided to use teal as an accent color. I wanted to keep things simple on the layout and focus on the pictures so I just matted my large photo, added a sticker title and drew a line to outline my smaller picture and journaling.

The journaling reads, "At the Daibustuden at Todaiji there is a special column off to the side of the great Buddha. It's said that if you are able to pass through the hole cut out at the bottom you'll achieve enlightenment. Despite being the only foreigner and one of the only adults in line (the opening is quite tiny) when my turn came I did it and was able to squeeze through. August 2010" 

Picture of the Day: Bridge Reflection at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park
Taipei, Taiwan
4.10.2009

Picture of the Day: Outside of Horyu-ji in Nara

Horyu-ji (法隆寺)
Nara, Japan
08.15.2010 

Picture of the Day: Boat Quay in Singapore at Night

Singapore
12.25.2008

Picture of the Day: Manila Cathedral in the Intramuros

Manila, Philippines
01.18.2009 

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

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: Constellation of Literature Pavilion in Hanoi

Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu)
Hanoi, Vietnam
08.2011