I spent two weeks travelling around the Philippines. One week around Luzon and one week around Palawan.
Around Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines.
Banaue
It's a 9 hour overnight bus trip to escape the bustle of Manila and reach Banaue in the Ifaguo province. "Ifaguo" means "people from the hills". The rice terraces here are over 2000 years old.
Village life overlooking rice terraces.
This women proudly displays the bones of her grandfather which she treats with great reverence. She claims he was 122 when he died. He was good man who still protects her family.
Batad
We trek to the village of Batad where we stay overnight in traditional Ifaguo huts. The rice grown here is not exported. There is only enough for local consumption.
A simple lunch of chicken adobo with rice and green. Good Filipino food can be quite tasty. Typical Filipino food is quite ordinary. Longing for some dal bhat. (I still recommend eating here - for the ambience.)
And did I mention the rice terraces?
Sagada
We cross the Cordillera mountain range by jeepney to reach Sagada.
Sagada is famous for its hanging coffins. the honoured deceased are strung up on the side of cliffs. The coffins are small because the dead are put in the fetal position.
We have a great time exploring caves. The rocks are smooth, wet and slippery so bare feet are recommended to get the best traction. I think we were lucky that there was lots of clean fresh water washing over the rocks. Apparently in drier conditions there are more bat droppings and things are slimy and icky.
Around Palawan
Palawan is another island in the Philippines.
Travelling by road. I like the way this photo turned out.
Sabang
From Sabang we travel by boat to reach the entrance to the underground river.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is claimed locally to be one of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World. I haven't found anything to substantiate that claim yet. It certainly earns its UNESCO world heritage listing. It is a long cave. It is a river. It is underground. Very nice but I did have more fun in the cave in Sabang.
El Nido
A popular tourist destination and starting point for day trips to the many surrounding islands.
Surrounding Islands
Boating, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, diving, beaching, lazing.
