The title might seem misleading since The Banaue Rice Terraces isn't in Sagada. But I included it nonetheless in my Sleepless in Sagada series because it's a part of our Sagada tour and it was also our first stop en route to Sagada! So, don't mind the category. Can I just say it's difficult to categorize shit in one's blog? I keep on having different ideas on how to categorize my recipes, travels and food adventures, now, my whole blog is a mess. I'm thinking of starting from the beginning and just put out about 5 categories for the whole blog but...meh. I'm too lazy. I'll probably end up re-coding everything, huhu. Anyway, going back to what this post is really about.

The Banaue Rice Terraces, often referred to as the Eight Wonder of the World, are 2,000-3,000 yr old terraces that were carved in the mountains of Ifugao. And no, that's not stock knowledge. Thank you internetz for giving me that information. I was half-asleep during the trip, which I realize now, was about 8-10hrs, with stop overs in between. We were told by our guide, also our driver, that we can frolick around the terraces for 30minutes, and frolick we gladly did. I went down and walked along the terraces with my sister. It was a little scary because if you fall, you won't really die, I presume. But you'll definitely get hurt, real bad. It was a annoying as hell when other tourists, who saw that the only way to traverse the terraces is by following a one-way line, would try to go back because they get scared mid-way. I don't have a problem with being scared, but I have a problem with not being able to assess if you're able to take on the whole thing before proceeding. Cheezus. That was, by far, the only nuisance we experienced. 

There's also a souvenir shop before you take on the plight of stairs down the terraces. They have a ton of awesome and useful hand-crafted items for home and personal use. They also sell several ref magnets and keychains, much like any other souvenir store in tourist-y places. The quick stop at The Banaue Rice Terraces is one of the many highlights we've had on the tour that's why I thought of incorporating it in this series even if it's not in Sagada. I read from a blog that there are other nearby terraces you can visit. There are also inns and home stays available for people who want to spend the night. If you want to know how to get there, the different types of accommodations you can choose from and other side trips and places of interest, you can go to this site for more details.