It was simple – we wanted to get from the beach to the mountains.
Before leaving the Philippines, my wife and I were determined to see the country’s world-famous rice terraces. What followed was epic:
- 5 Days
- 48.7 hours traveling
- 1,150 kilometers
- 15 different vehicles
Here’s how it went down…
11:00 am, Tuesday
Cabanbanan Resorts, Romblon Island
We bid adiu to our beachfront paradise and boarded the same small boat that took us scuba diving every day. Our destination was Romblon Town
Total time: 30 minutes
1:00 pm, Tuesday
Romblon Town Pier, Romblon Island
From the Romblon Town pier, we caught an overnight ferry boat back to mainland Luzon.
Our beds were in a communal area on the top deck of the boat and we spent the night surrounded by locals, crying babies, diesel engines and the cock-a-doodle-doos of roosters.
Total time: 14 hours
4:00 am, Wednesday
Batangas Pier, Luzon
Just before sunrise, the Maria Xenia reached Luzon Island and we joined the herd of sleepy passengers shuffling off the boat before boarding a cramped bus to Manila.
Our goal for the day was to make it all the way to Sagada: a 513 kilometer journey.
Total time: 2 hours
6:00 am, Wednesday
Manila, Philippines
Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers. After being dropped off underneath a highway overpass, Carrie and I had no idea where to find the bus to Sagada.
The first two bus stations we asked had never even heard of the place.
Fortunately, a sweet Filipino couple saw our distress and offered to help us find the right bus.
We must have followed them for more than a mile and stopped at a handful of other stations before learning that we had to go to Bagiuo first.
Total time: 30 minutes
7:30 am, Wednesday
Cubao, Manila
Finally on a bus to Bagiuo and free of our heavy bags, Carrie and I quickly fell asleep for much of the ride.
Total time: 6 hours
2:30 pm, Wednesday
Bagiuo, Philippines
Having missed the last bus to Sagada, we decided to get as close as we could before calling it a day. On the broken-English recommendation of a bus station employee, we boarded a bus to a town “one hour away.”
About two hours into the ride, Carrie and I concluded that we actually were going one hour away from Sagada. Or so we hoped.
Total time: 5.5 hours
8:30 pm, Wednesday
Bontoc, Mountain Provence
Our assumption was correct, as the bus dropped us off in a small town called Bontoc, which is an hour drive from Sagada.
Exhausted from our journey, we checked into the first hotel we could find and got some much-needed sleep.
. . .
9:15 am, Thursday
Bontoc
The next morning we boarded a converted World War II jeep (know in the Philippines as a Jeepney) for the bumpy and winding conclusion to our journey.
Total time: 1 hour
10:15 am, Thursday
Sagada, Philippines
Despite still being exhausted, we spent our afternoon wandering and hiking around Sagada, visiting a beautiful old church and cemetery and exploring the town’s main attraction: coffins that hang from mountainsides.
10:30 am, Friday
Sagada
The road from Sagada to Banaue is filled with an endless landscape of UNESCO World Heritage rice terraces.
Knowing that I would want to stop and take photographs every 50 feet, Carrie and I treated ourselves to a private air conditioned car for the ride.
What we got was a run-down old van with springy seats, no AC, a very friendly driver and his two friends who came along for the ride and to keep him company.
. . .
Regardless of the condition of the van, it was completely worth the money.
Photo opportunities were plentiful and my personal favorite stop was the fog-shrouded Bay-Yo Rice Terraces.
Total time: 3 hours, with stopping
1:30 pm, Friday
Banaue, Cordilleras
By the time we arrived in Banaue, had lunch, found a tricycle driver and had him take us to our hotel, the sun was almost gone.
So, we called it a day and hired the driver to take us on a tour of the Banuae rice terraces for the next morning.
7:30 am, Saturday
Banaue
A Filipino tricycle consists of a motorcycle with a teeny sidecar bolted to the side. It’s meant to seat several local people; not two giant Westerners.
Yet, that’s exactly what Carrie and I crammed into for our tour of Banaue and its surrounding communities.
With metal rods and bolts digging into our backs and sides, we bumped our way up and down rocky roads and steep mountainsides.
Fortunately, the tricycle stopped every few minutes for yet another sweeping panoramic view of the rice-filled green landscape.
Throughout the whole trip, Alfredo, our driver, offered information on the different sights and some history of the region. We couldn’t have asked for a more kind and good-humored guide.
Total time: 6 hours
2:00 pm, Saturday
Banaue
Carrie had a flight to India at 6:00am on Sunday from Manila. I had a flight to Taiwan at noon on Monday from Angeles City: about two hours north of Manila.
Our plan was to take a bus to Manila together before saying goodbye at the terminal. But first, we boarded a Jeepney for the three hour ride to Solano.
Total time: 1 hour
3:00 pm, Saturday
Lagawe
An hour into our ride, we arrived in a small town and had to transfer Jeetneys.
This was unfortunate, as we finally had gotten comfortable on the other Jeetney and now had to squeeze in with two dozen+ locals for the remainder of our journey.
Total time: 2 hours
5:00 pm, Saturday
Solano, Philippines
After being dropped off a gas station in the middle of Solano, we were surrounded by tricycle drivers offering to drive us to the “bus station.”
A more accurate statement would have been, “I’ll drive you to a street corner in front of a gas station and McDonalds where you can wait for a passing bus to Manila.”
Total time: 10 minutes
6:00 pm, Sunday
Solano
Sure enough, the tricycle driver’s drop-off point was confirmed by at least a dozen locals and after dinner and a brief wait we boarded a bus to Manila.
Total time 6.5 hours
12:30am, Sunday
Angeles City, Luzon
When our bus stopped in Angeles City, I decided to say goodbye to Carrie there rather than go all the way to Manila and back up the next day.
A former Air Force base, Angeles City is notorious for prostitution.
Upon arriving, I asked a tricycle driver for a “nice hotel, no bedbugs, no prostitutes.”
He proceeded to drive me directly into the city center: a haven for dirty hotels and prostitution.
Telling him that I didn’t want that, he drove me to another hotel that had a decent overpriced room.
Total time: 30 minutes
Epilogue
I spent the next 36 hours catching up on work in my hotel and avoiding Angeles at all cost.
When I finally left on Monday morning, I realized that the hotel he took me to was about 2 blocks from the bus station.
Oh well, at least my flight to Taiwan only cost $31.
Trip Summary
- Time: 48.7 hours
- Distance: 1,150 kilometers
- Different Vehicles: 14
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