8th Wonder of the World
Above: Beneau Rice Terraces
The wonder that man have built with his bare hands.
With this in mind, it baffles you on how your ancestors made such brilliance in this art of landscape. And with this mind baffling thought, it made Banaue Rice Terraces the 8th wonder of the world.
This is a tourist destination in the Philippines; it is where the century old rice terraces had surpassed time and the cons of Mother Nature; it is one of the richest soils in Philippine ground. An effective agricultural industry infused with a mind boggling sense of creativity. If Egypt has its pyramids then let this be the pyramids of the Philippines.
While some take into consideration the beauty unraveled through this site, some may belittle the hard work embossed in these stairs of rice field.
In these times people made the best of what they have and there’s no technology to back them up but rather the innovation instilled in them.
They knew of the softness of the slopes of these mountains to begin with for landscaping purposes, as well as it has a rich soil good for agriculture, they used resources near by like stones, gravels and the likes to build the walls that scrape the edges of this landscape. However, their intelligence dictated the strength that held these walls together making it strong to withstand the test of time. Course fills lie underneath the stone walls that had been intact with gravel to fill in the spaces in between. Waterways are their only means of transferring one material to another in building these walls and in this case, they made use of existing water streams. The idea alone connoted innovation in itself and one does not find himself picking up stones and scraping the sides of mountains everyday.
You would like to experience seeing such sites first hand to get to appreciate the wonder itself.
Ways to get there
You may think that going to this said place takes long, but it actually takes longer to go to Baguio than go to Banaue. This place is also a good place to pass by going to Sagada and Bontoc if you’re on a joyride.
If you were to ride a bus we suggest that you take that 10 PM ride from Auto Bus or Dangwa Bus from Manila. Approximately 8 to 9 hours of travel time. Making you arrive at the place at 5 AM to 6 PM.
The best place for accommodations
Just ten minutes walk right at the southern side of town you’ll fine The Banaue Hotel. If this is not literal enough, then consider yourself releasing your luggage in the accommodation of Banaue View Inn where it overlooks the town square and other panoramic views. All are reasonably price making the accommodations a piece of cake for travelers and the likes.
