Update 39
We took off early today to go deeper into the mountains...farther into this culture & away from civilization...to Batad. Rog forgot about being Mr. Careful and climbed on top of the jeepney...I did not as someone had to live for the grandkids! We chugged up and around and down the mountains on roads that clung to the side. Rog said it was exhilarating and the views were fabulous. At the end of the road was a shop where we "rented" a walking stick and wonders of wonders--I got a cold Coke Zero! The rest of the way was on foot. We passed many workers who were building more road and then onto a narrow but well worn path...the one the Batad villagers use & have used for many years. About an hour later, we came out of the woods and everywhere you looked...terraces! I'd read if you'd line them up side by side, they'd reach half way around the world...and now I can fathom that. The small village of Batad was a bit farther and placed int eh center of the terraces. We stopped part way down the mountain at Hillside Inn where we gladly took off our hiking boots and sat admiring the panoramic view while we ate...Rog a Middle Eastern dish & me, pizza (well kinda like) and a Coke Light...who'd of thunk? Hearing the kids at a nearby school, I took off to check it out. The first grade teacher invited me in where the 22 kids were quietly copying from the board. They greeted me saying, "Welcome visitor" & then said the ABC's & counted to 10 for me. The classroom was neat with birthdays posted, neat work displayed and two large signs:
Lazy hands make a poor man but diligent hands bring wealth --If a little money does not go out, great money will not come in. Some lessons are never to early to learn! I peeked into the oldest kid's classroom--a 5th & 6th combination & only saw about 15 kids. I later heard only about half of them will go to Banaue for HS. So if you do the math, probably only 3 or 4 of the 22 first graders I met will go to HS.
We put our boots back on and step by step...each unique in size, shape & depth...we lowered ourselves into the midst of the terraces...surrounded on all sides...engulfed. Seeing them is one thing...being in them another. Almost mystical. We sat down often to just let it all soak in--okay, to rest. We watched the workers setting out seedlings, rebuilding the moats & trimming brush off the stone terraces. Endless. TIme less. Back at our Inn, we visited with 2 other couples are age...both guys had graduated from U of M...it is such a small world! One couple was from Montreal. The other from Boston...they travel about 50% of the year volunteering often with IVHQ. We swapped travel highlights & email addresses...who knows, we may end up travel with them sometime! Kindred souls all suffering from the same disease our Galapagos buddy labeled FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
Update 40
When we opened our hotel door this morning, brilliant sunshine lit up paddies so they looked like mirrors! Such beauty. We took off hiking in a different direction, never tiring of the views...only tiring of the up & down terrain. This route took us past the school. We sat down to rest & read the mission statement posted on the building...chuckling about the hours we both were required to work on them and how many buzz words had drifted even here: life long learners, student centered learning, productive citizens, highest potential. The first grade teacher I'd met earlier somehow noticed us & came out to say Hi & invited us in again. We asked if she wanted us to play a few games & she readily agreed so soon we were teaching the kids Head, Shoulder, Knees & Toes & Doggie, Doggie Where's Your Bone? and Itsy, Bitsy Spider. All of us loved it. The teacher wrote down the words saying she was glad to learn new games. Then the second grade teacher came & invited to her class...so again, we played games. Kids & classrooms are always a treat for me! (Loved this sign posted in the 2nd grade class: If you always spoon feed kids, they will only learn the shape of the spoon.) At noon, we headed back up & around the mountain so we could catch the jeepney that would be waiting for us around 3. It was a slow, grueling climb out....but it had been so worth it! We arrived back in Banaue in time for dinner at the Los Vegas restaurant where a Filipino was performing Elvis songs...pretty good impersonation really...and Rog earned brownie points by asking me to dance. Then we ran into some kids we'd met a couple times already & made arrangements to meet up tomorrow at 9 and head to some hot springs. It is neat how quickly fellow travelers bond regardless of age or nationalities. Wish it were more like that in the "real world."
