 Bulul, the rice god of the Philippines keeps watch over the terraces. (Above) A settlement in Ifugao is almost completely surrounded by paddy fields. (Top Right) An Ifugao elder recounts tales of his people during a cultural presentation. (Far Right) |
  A Jeepney takes me along a bumpy road that winds through the hills a few km out of Banaue to a vantage point that has a sweeping vista over what’s been called the ‘eighth wonder of the world’.
Enshrined on the World Heritage List in 1995 these ‘stepping stones to the sky’ were crafted by Ifugao tribal people using primitive hand tools. Much of the work was done by women because the men were constantly on guard against head hunters!
I am surprised to learn the terraces are spread over some 400 sq. km and that if they could be placed end to end would stretch halfway around the globe, a distance ten times the length of the Great Wall of China. Terraced mountainsides vary in height from a substantial 865 m to a breathtaking 2 km. Constant maintenance is undertaken to protect one of mankind’s greatest agricultural achievement from erosion and landslides.
An illustrated feature on the Banaue Rice Terraces can be written from 1000 to 2000 words after assignment depending upon editorial requirements.
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