Traveling Luzon was not on the top-list of Violet. Why? Long hours of traveling on the road is not her thing, she is hyper and restless, and boredom often occurs to her in waiting too long. The farthest she had been was in Baguio and 6-hrs of sitting in a bus is really a pain in her ass. She’s anyway living in Luzon, that’s why she prefer Visayas or Mindanao, which can be reached by traveling in an airplane which is faster. Now, she is going North with her friend – Len. Learn what made her travel up and what adventure unfolds as they travel from Manila to Sagada.
Hagdan-handang Palayan ng Banaue or also known as the Banaue Rice Terraces is Violet’s childhood dream. She dream of becoming a Chemistry mobile teacher in Banaue, then maybe marry an Igorot and live a simple life with the view of the rice terrace. Probably she will never get that dream but at least she had seen the place and breathing in the what is left of that dream. This tour is part of Banaue-Sagada Adventure.
Being young, Violet was rebellious. She wanted freedom and she wanted to get that freedom by going to a far place. But life was unpredictable, some freedom are not exactly same with running away. Life could be difficult (for someone who is not rich) and deciding being a mobile teacher means lesser income as well. Reality strikes! That childhood dream had to be shoved into the box and find a job in the Metro.
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted~Excerpt from I dreamed a dream; Les Miserables
But some dreams are too strong, even if you ignore it for quite a long time, it will always finds it way to resurface.Through friends and people who (like Violet) has the passion to seek adventure and to travel, they had planned to visit Sagada. Finally, a way to pass by Banaue.
A month of preparation was done. Reading travel blogs and researching about the modes of transportation, transpo, food, hostel and attraction costs, when to visit (fixing everyone’s schedules), where to visit and to stay and all of the essential things to bring… Yes! It was decided to visit Sagada on May 20-22. After contemplating for about a month, an itinerary for four persons was made.
From 8 prospects of adventure mates, it was trimmed into 4 (a week before the trip) and a slash of 1 mate due to emergencies (2 days before the trip ) and ate Fe backed out (due to her migraine) on the night of the trip, and that’s it – Len and Violet are the last two standing. By hooked and by crooked, the adventure for 2 begun on the night of May 19, 9:00 PM and arriving in Banaue, 6 in the morning. Here is the itinerary for Banaue-Sagada Adventure.
Banaue Rice Terraces
Len & Violet at Banaue View Point. Photo courtesy of Len Flores
Violet had made her dreams come true. She had seen the place she had been dreaming for so long now. Thanks to her travel buddy – Len for coming this long way. Adventures are worth sharing and if it wasn’t for Len, the trip will definitely had gone back to the box of shattered dreams. Thank God for friends. 🙂
See: A Quick Tour at Banaue Ifugao. Getting there, must see, the people and the experience.
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