The must-see destination in the area is the Batad rice terraces but since we only had one afternoon for the tour, we were led to the Bangaan rice terraces. The marker says that the public elementary school is 120 m below the road and the village (3,500 ft above mean sea level) is perhaps 5 m lower and much farther in terms of horizontal distance. Despite the exhausting walk, it felt good to actually step on the terraced paddy fields, smell the cool breeze, and more importantly, meet the village locals.
It was more exhilarating and breathtaking (more literally, we were gasping for air) as we braved the steps back to the road and our waiting jeepney.
Indeed, "going downstairs and upstairs" is more fun in the Philippines!
