BONTOC PHILIPPINES
Bontoc,
the capital of the
Mountain Province, lies at an altitude of only 870
meters along a green mountain stream. The town is
two and a half hours from the good Banaue road and
you can make the return journey in one day. During
the rainy season, landslides can cut off the road.
The
view from the read is truly spectacular. The road
goes into the mountain hollows which are still
covered in certain areas by a canopy of luxuriant
green forest, made up of mossy trees adorned with
orchids.
A
little before arriving in Bontoc, the scenery
changes, the forest giving way to the rice terraces.
In Bay-yo, the square patchwork of terraces
dominates an impressive precipice, evoking a citadel
with the backdrop of mountains. The track leads to
the pass of Mount Polis, obscured in the mist. In
the surrounding area of Bontoc, the indigenous
tribes now cultivate vegetables on the terraces,
notably cabbages and potatoes on plots forming
geometric patterns. The spiral designs of the
vegetable gardens alone are astonishing.
The
main interest in Bontoc is the visit to the rice
terraces of Malegcong, an hour by car through a very
steep track (three hours on foot!). The track goes
right up to the village of Malegcong and you can see
the rice terraces below without having to walk any
further.
The
rice terraces of Malegcong ascend like a staircase
in the Mountain Side, near the Mainit Hot Spring.
Unlike those of Banaue, the rice-fields here have
the particularity of having stone walls. You can
easily walk in the rice fields and go right up to
the other slope of the circle - a narrow footpath
follows the stone walls. The view of the rice
terraces you have within the amphitheater is quite
unusual and gives you a better understanding of
their function. It takes and hour to walk through
the area. The descent by car to Bontoc is faster
than going there (half and hour only).
If
you spend the night in Bontoc, you will have time to
visit the little museum dedicated to the mountain
tribes, founded in 1911by a Belgian missionary,
Sister Basil Gekiere. It houses a collection of
mountain tribe objects - tools, pottery, porcelain,
jewelry, traditional costumes of beautifully woven
cloth, and photographs. The museum garden
likewise houses replicas of traditional dwellings.
Banaue Viewpoint
(4 kilometers from Banaue) the viewpoint is on the
road from Banaue to Bontoc. The view is superb, the
rice fields occupying a narrow, high spur in the
mountain on a rather steep incline. As it is very
near the town, the natural serenity of the
surrounding is somewhat ruined by the sprouting
handicraft stalls. From Banaue you can make a round
trip (it can take between two to three hours) across
the rice fields passing through the viewpoint.
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