February of 2017 when James (@panoramicview) and I went backpacking Batad for our second wedding anniversary. Batad is one of our top destinations as we want to immerse ourselves in the beauty of the rice terraces which is thousand years old already plus experience how to leave away from technology and just fully understand how the Ifugaos live here in this side of the country.
It's a pity that I still have a lot of clips unpublished. I didn't seem to find a time to really stitch everything in a full video so today, let me share the first part of our mobile video covering our first day in Batad when we were lost on our way to our booked room because we felt confident we would find it by ourselves.
We stayed in Ramon Homestay where the owner still has a functional native hut which is the traditional house of the Ifugaos which they refer to as Bale.
The hut has been built without the use of any nails, with the expertise of their local carpenters, the sturdy tree trunks they had to find in the forest and the help of the neighbors through the Filipino trait called as "Bayanihan", the hut became a place for a married couple to stay and build their own family.
Through rituals and tradition, the house was made possible. The Ifugaos until these days follow spiritual rituals in their life decisions most especially when dealing with house construction.
Currently, most houses in Batad area now concrete but there are still traditional huts which are being used as either houses or rooms for rent so the visitors can experience how it is to live in a hut.
While the house looked really small from the outside, you'll be surprised with the spacious room once you get inside. The house has the ground floor as their storage area for their animals as well as a place where they entertain visitors. Through movable stairs, the family can get access to the second floor which is a one-room house like those condo units where the family can cook, eat and sleep. The third floor is used for storing their rice harvest.
But what really stunned me was the view of animal bones displayed at the house walls and the roof. These are animals which the family had hunted and killed, they keep their head bones and made it as house decorations but more importantly, to become legacies which the future generation can recall the traditions, rituals and specific activities they used to do in the old days. They become a sign of strength and courage.
Another thing is Ifugaos love carving, it is very obvious from their house designs, they carve on their house piles and even in the smallest wood piece available. Which is why most of the souvenirs in this part of the country involve carved woods.
Thanks for watching!
xoxo,
JUNEBRIDE
My video is at DLive
STOPBeautiful landscape =) A good place to calm down
thank you for checking it
Did you stay in their fertility huts? What I will always remember about that place are the deer tied in the posts of some of the houses there. Did you see deer when you were there?
nope didn't notice any deer tied..baka namiss ok un .. usually ung mga bigas nakikita ko sa gilid pinapadry ata nila
How much and ilang days ulit kayo nagstay sa Batad (Or yung whole trip nyo)?
Two days kami sa batad john
Ohhh okay. :) Thanks! :) I just bookmarked your previous Batad post for reference.
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