Cattleya Resort

              Its almost summer and everyone seems excited to go to the beach or plunge into the pool.  I don't have any plans to go out this summer (except for our Ifugao trip that was planned ahead) but luckily for me, I was invited for a night stay in Antipolo.  Specifically, in Cattleya Resort located in  Colaique, Sitio Ibabaw, Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City.

              I've been to Antipolo several times and I know there are several resorts in this place but I believe I have not discovered all nor half of the list yet.

              Cattleya is the place to be when it comes to getting a venue for big events: family reunion, wedding reception,  birthdays, homecomings and team building activities.  Its an exciting place to swim, sing and bond with friends and relatives.

               The place is quiet huge and private, I may say.  The address is located right next to the highway but you must have a private car for its still a couple of meters away from the main gate. otherwise, you will hike a little to reach the reception area and the pool itself.   If you are lost, you can ask around, the people know where the resort is.

              There are several types of accommodations based on the number of guest.  The rate per night ranges from P14,000-24,000 while day rate ranges from P7,000- 14,000 but these rates are based on 50 guests.  Each accommodations includes necessary amenities but the largest (Corazon, where we stayed) has the following: large pool and kiddie pool, Jacuzzi, children's playground, 4 large bedrooms (air-conditioned) and 4 bathrooms, kitchen and barbecue area.  If you have extra person other than the number of published guests, P100/pax and P600 additional if you extend (subject for availability).  You can rent their videoke for P500 up until midnight (in accordance of Barangay/City Noice Ban ordinance).  You can bring your own food.

               There's an available parking lot for cars and motorcycle.  For those guests who love playing hoops, basketball area is located right next to the swing area.

            For payment method and inquiries, you may visit their website: cattleyaresort(dot)com

Ramon Home Stay and Restaurant

             Ramon Home Stay and Restaurant is one of the best accommodation that you will find in Batad, Ifugao.  I chose to stay here not only because it was highly recommended by a friend but I want to experience how it feels like to live in a typical 'bahay-kubo'.  The 'kubo' is made of nipa-hut, so, even at noon you will not feel the heat of the sun.  It is very cozy and comfortable.  It fits four to eight persons.  It has its own 'kalan', 'palayok' and 'sandok' (cooking utensils/materials) for guest who wanted to cook their own food in a primitive way.  Woods are also provided for free by the owner.  The place may look like a small house but it is wide inside, has a small window that we used to have a glimpse of Batad rice terraces in the morning (with the fog and dew all over it) and at night (when all we see are silhouette of the trees and eventually, darkness).

            There is no electricity in the house but you may ask the owner to charge your cellphone and camera's battery and even your laptop in the restaurant.  Inside the nipa-hut, you will be provided with big and several candles to last for the night.  Smooth and sweet-smelling comforters/blankets, huge pillows and bed to sleep well.

          The 'kubo' is very impressive, I must say. A typical Cordillera house.  It was built without using a single nail, not even a rope.  Can you believe that? The locals simply put it together and balance it to form an authentic, beautiful and unbelievably sturdy hut.

            The food they serve are one of the best in the area.  They offer Filipino meal with a twist ( cook in Ifugao way).  One of the best order I had was their Batad pizza (cheese, tuna, squash with a lot of ketchup and tomato sauce). 

           The owner, manong Ramon, who personally run the home stay is very accommodating and helpful.  We have discussed how the rice terraces are maintained and how the locals manage to survive despite living in a remote area.  We had a nice and very interesting conversation over coffee about everything Batad can offer.

Ifugao: Batad Rice Terraces

             It all started when I laid my eyes to the black and white picture of Banaue Rice Terraces of my history book.  This was when I am still in primary school.  I was amazed how the terraces were maintained and how beautiful it became year after year.  Since then, its been my hidden desire to see the terraces in close range.

            Last week, I was given a chance to visit two of the widest and famous terraces in the country: Banaue and Batad, both are located in Ifugao, Mountain Province.

           Travelling to the northern part of Ifugao may seem risky for some because of the underdeveloped  infrastructure that has been featured in different website, several magazines and on TV.  I will not sugarcoat it, travelling to Ifugao, especially to Batad is definitely not a walk in the park experience.  You must be 'into it' to survive.  It takes a lot and I really mean - a lot of effort (trekking, hiking, climbing), sleepless nights (the means of transportation are several, you will need to stay awake to check your lead), money (fare, tour guide, food, accommodation and entrance fees/donations) and patience (it is a long trip).  Without taking this risk though, I'll miss the awesome Ifugao terraces and unforgettable experience.

          Prior to the trip, one of my TravBuddy friend informed me that to get to Banaue, I must take the Florida bus trip from Manila - Banaue to avoid the hassle of getting of the bus and taking another one which what exactly happened to us.  Mai, one of the Batad-trip-buddy owned a house in Lamut, Ifugao so we took the Victory Liner Bus from Kamias, Quezon City. We purchase the trip to Tuguegarao via Ilagan (350P/pax).  It took us almost 10hours (with the traffic in Nueva Ecija) to arrive in Ifugao - Cagayan Valley junction.  Needless to say, it was a long trip so you must bring with you a jacket (Victory Liner bus are air conditioned) and a travel pillow (comfortable sleep).  There are two - three stopovers so you will not be left starving while on trip but it is advisable to bring your own food because you may not like what they serve.  The options are limited except at the CBQ Stopover in Nueva Vizcaya where they offers a lot of options when it comes to food, pasalubong, services, etc.

           We were fetched by Mai's brother from the junction to their house near Lagawe, Ifugao.  If you don't have a car, you may take a bus going to Lagawe or straight to Banaue. From the house, we took another jeepney (P25P/pax) to Lagawe Town.  The place is quiet and not as commercialized compared to the towns in nearby  provinces (Ilocos, La Union, Pangasinan).  Another jeepney ride from Lagawe to Banaue (36P/pax).  Mind you, the fare maybe less but the travel isn't. It took us over an hour before we arrive in Banaue where we had lunch and a quick visit to Banaue Rice Terraces.

            Batad is one of the barangay in Ifugao.  It is not the farthest by car but definitely the hardest one to reach by foot. Being one of the farthest place, there is only one trip to the barangay (by jeepney), scheduled every 2PM.  If you arrive earlier, you may ask information about the next schedule of trip or other things to see in Banaue from the Ifugao Information Center located right in front of the public market.  Being punctual is not always a nice things, Oh and being innocent too.Hahaha! We are not aware about the upper-mentioned information so we arrived in Banaue around 10AM - as expected, there is no trip to Batad yet.  Either we wait until 2PM or we can rent a private car and pay around P1,000-P2,500 (depends on how many are you in the group). So, hand with a limited budget, we chose the former.  To maximize the 'wasted-not-so-wasted time', we had a quick visit to Banaue Rice Terraces which used to be the feature of the Philippines One Thousand Peso bill.  Right by the entrance is where the Banaue Heritage Cafe's located - where we had our sumptuous lunch of Filipino cuisine with a twist (cooked in Ifugao way).  Going there is one of the easiest travel, we took a tricycle for only P80/trip (one way fare).

          The trip to Batad by jeepney will cost you 100P/pax (regular fare).  Beware though because locals tend to ask more than the usual and treat all passengers as international tourist and asked for more.  It took us a lot of will-power to negotiate. Good thing is, Mai knows how to speak the language (Ifugao and Ilokano) and we found ways.  All jeepneys stop at the Sadle (the area on top of the mountain - jeepneys can no longer take the route to the terraces).  From the Sadle, prepare your hiking boots/sandal, jacket (if you don't like cold places or dry-fit shirts), water and a lot of energy for it will take another hour or two before you reach the final destination.  Its another 6 kilometers walk-a-ton experience (meet Mr. pebbles, boulders, twigs and cliffs along the way).:D

            Batad offers an opposite picture from the busy atmosphere of city life.  In this place, you'll definitely lost track of time.  You'll see how magnificent Mother Nature is for creating such lovely view.  This is my first time in Batad (most probably my last, hope not!) and I will definitely do what first-timers in the place do.  For starters, we checked in at Ramon's Home Stay and Restaurant.  There are a lot of accommodations in Batad but we want to experience how it feels to stay in a 'bahay-kubo' without an electricity and any means of comfort living (air conditioned, TV, Internet access/wifi, water heater, etc).  Don't worry though, they provide smooth and sweet-smelling comforter/blankets and big pillows.  Regular overnight fee and other info about Ramon's Home Stay and Restaurant, you may visit their website.  Another is taking lots and lots of picture by the terraces.  It may looked-like it is an easy ascending and descending  steps but I am telling you, it wasn't.  The steps are double my regular leap and the pathways are longer that what it seemed. Another first time is going to Tappiya waterfalls - one of the best and one of the hardest part of this trip.  It took us over an hour to get to the falls and double the time in returning to Ramon's. LOL! Its dangerous, tiring, hot and very interesting - definitely worth it.

          The adventure did not stop there.  Going back to the civilization is a lot harder.  There's only one trip from Sadle going down to Banaue - every 10AM. We arrived an hour over the scheduled trip so, yes, we missed the trip.  We decided to walk down to Batad junction instead.  Ironically, it was fun! We descend along other backpackers who are late too. Backpackers from Belgium, United States of A, Australia and Metro Manila. At the junction, it took us another hour to hitch and hike.  Good thing we tumbled down with good Samaritan from Australia who allow us to hitch with them to Banaue.  Thank you guys (Cheryl, David and Joyce - more power!).

           Going back to Metro, you can either take a bus to Baguio City or you may take another jeepney ride and experiences Sagada which four hours away from Banaue public market (jeepney's terminal) or take our route. Took a jeep to Lagawe and another jeepney ride to Lamut and down to Metro.

            A long ride, long trip, sleepless nights, language-barrier (I don't speak Ifugao or Ilokano, was force to speak in English all the time) but I wouldn't trade it for the world and I would love to do it again.:D