Early start. Had breakfast and left by 0630. Not in a van - in a locals 4WD - roads very muddy and slippery! Out to the Hapao Rice Terraces. It is so beautiful as its wreathed in mist... contrasts to much to the ugly local housing which seems to be composed of rusting corrugated iron sheets and ugly gray concrete! The huts are so precarious perched on the side of the mountains - you can see where there have been mud slides - the local guide didnt answer Carl when I asked were people killed as a mudslide wiped out a house... so that sort of tells me yes they are.
Got back to Banaue by 10am, had a cup of coffee and then off for another long drive to get to Baguio. We have to go down this mountain, along the plains area again and then up the mountain to Baguio - they tell us that there is a road that is shorter, but its very narrow and in very poor repair - considering I think that about the roads we are travelling on we elected to go the longer and better roads lol
Stopped at Nueva Ecija for lunch. Tried the local delicacy called Hito (cat fish) I found the taste very muddy I had to say, but it was edible.
The hills on the road into Baguio are so different to Banaue. Banaue is so green and lush, the hills here are very dry and covered in shale. I think they said that they mine gold, silver and copper here. Arrived at 5pm - traffic congested as hell, and roads closed due to a market in Sessions Rd (end of the flower festival). Hotel is very nice and civilised lol.
Booked in and then headed down to Sessions Rd. Very very crowded... lots of pointing at me - somehow I thought the people here would be more used to Europeans since the Americans used this place so much. Started to rain, so we took refuge in an internet cafe - then there was a massive blackout - so gave up and went back to the hotel.
We bought some Guava wine - ewwww tasted like kerosene to me! Carl seemed to like it tho lol.
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