A place in my heart competition winner
©Hamish Smith
Hamish Smith, A place in my heart competition winner
Where? Batad, the Philippines
Why? Few people will ever go. It is a nine hour bus journey from Manila, two hour jeep ride then a two hour jungle trek. The 'Stairways to Heaven', as it is sometimes referred, are rice terraces carved from the mountainside more than 2000 years ago by the Ifuago tribesmen. They were created using primitive tools but with an understanding of irrigation that was way ahead of their time. Laid out flat, the rice terraces would stretch out more than 12,000 miles, end to end. This engineering feat makes Batad one of the man made must-sees of the world. For now, the rice terraces of Batad are overshadowed by the internationally celebrated Inca trail and Egyptian Pyramids. With better PR and improved access though, this millennium-old phenomenon would rank among the world’s most eminent sights.
Where would you stay? Our guest house Rosasna's afforded us meagre comforts; it was equipped with a bed, four walls and a ceiling. This of course was of little worry as the view provided an uninterrupted panorama of Batad's ancient amphitheatre-like rice terraces. In Batad, there are no complexes, hotels or motels - only rustic, hillside perches that offer you what you need: a place to sleep. We even got to meet Rosanna - a hunched woman in her 80s. After a 12 hour shift on the rice terraces she sat down with her four guests and spoke of her life and her toils. A charming lady; it struck me that our lives couldn't have been more different.
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