Just like the Victorians-A tale of exploration!!! Banaue and the Batad Rice Terraces!

"My first occupation was to map the country. " John Hanning Speke

Just like 3 of my heroes, the Victorian explorers Livington, Burton and Speke Oooo I love a bit of adventure and whilst in the Philippines we travelled to Banaue in the province of Ifugao to tackle the Batad Rice terraces!!! Now when we arrived the weather was most un-filipino and more like a winters day in Blackpool but we as brave explorers did not fear the weather nor the tough terrain!

Staying at a super hotel which had it's own giraffe we prepared for a full days trekking on the world famous UNESCO world heritage site!

Mum in full blown Indiana Jones mode

Dad and me on the rice terrace.

Now the Batad rice terrace is over 2000 years old and mainly cut from the hillside using tools older than those found in Dad's tool cupboard! At 1500m (5000ft) above sea level they're quite high considering Ben Nevis is only 1345m, however the start point is accessible by a mini van...errr...providing it doesn't BREAK DOWN!!!! Which is what happened to us! Yes....Livingston, Burton and Speke made the additional climb to the start point known as the saddle. There we found of all things a shop!!!??!!!!

From the saddle we descended down 412 steps, that's not hard I hear you cry! However the return journey requires a re-accent of said 412 steps which even as seasoned explorers is really blimming difficult! Despite these hardships we three explorers pushed on and even had the time to write the obligatory Victorian letter home. "Dear Mrs Lovemonkey.....we have not since Edward for five years...he has had the fever and been eaten by a lion...twice..please send money!"

Following a very pleasant high tea we pushed on.....

and on....

errr......and on

Until we reached the end of the journey.......but was it the fountain of youth???? Nope just the lovely lovely Tappiya waterfall!!!!

“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”― Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

Right I'm off for a cup of Earl Grey! Tally Ho!

Ed xx