Famous for the world-renown rice terraces carved into the mountains by the ancestors of the indigenous Ifugao people, our trip to Ifugao Province in July 2017 was indeed very amazing.

We were able to visit one of the 5 main world heritage clusters protected by UNESCO called Nagacadan Rice Terraces.

As one of the lesser known clusters, we were thrilled to trek off the beaten path to see this ancient wonder found in the municipality of Kiangan.

But we were here for ancient history just as much as we were here for modern history…

It’s not well-known, but Kiangan is actually the small town where Japanese occupation of the Philippines officially ended in 1945 with the capture of General Tomoyuki Yamashita.

 

I was able to climb up the rear set of stairs of the bulky tower of Kiangan Shrine…

…to take this beautiful photo of the shrine’s expansive grounds with the Ifugao Museum in the background.

Here is a slightly closer look at the Ifugao Museum.

We were also pleased to visit the town of Lagawe… the capital of Ifugao Province.

The Provincial Capitol and surrounds were bustling enough without losing its rural and relatively pristine atmosphere.

 

Ifugao was part of a big Northeastern Luzon Road Trip visiting three provinces in the Cagayan Valley Region as well as three provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Many thanks to our friend Thony for lending us his DMax for this memorable road trip.  

And what about this for road works? Is this an OHS issue? I think not… better than sitting at home playing games on phones and computers. 

And if you’re thinking about Banaue Rice Terraces… lack of time, unfortunately, prevented us from reaching this more famous cluster of the rice terraces of the Cordilleras. Here is a great photo of my niece Nicole when she made it there with her friends in January 2017.

I will definitely come back to this amazing province to visit Banaue Rice Terraces. I will make sure my wife and children are with me to experience this wonderful harmony between nature and the ingenuity of the Ifugao people.

 

CoachConto – Athlete, Warrior, Statesman, Spirit