Philippines: Stairway To Heaven 4

 
The terraces are flooded, and the edge of the earth around them is sometimes very narrow and unstable. On steeper slopes, the terraces are more than three meters above each other, so it is sometimes a real art to find the right path, as the terraces are mostly connected only lengthwise, with few cross-paths.

Text & Photos: Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Philippines: Stairway To Heaven 3

 
Since they are several hours' walk away from the nearest road, they have to manage without machinery or means of transport. There are no straight paths in the villages, only winding trails that rise and fall between thatched huts on wooden poles.

To reach some of the villages, we had to walk for several hours on narrow paths through the jungle uphill, and then a few kilometres further along the edges of the rice terraces.

Janin (continued)

Philippines: Stairway To Heaven 2

The locals don't need any signposts on the long kilometres of these paths, for us, finding the right path was a puzzle. The terrace walls are made of stone, unchanged for several thousand years and still as solid as they were then. On the way from one village to another, there is almost no way other than to climb back at least a few times, as the transverse passages between the terraces are steep and quite hidden.

Text & Photos: Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Philippines: Stairway To Heaven 1

They don't know any seasons, so the rice is at different stages of growth. On one terrace, it has just ripened, on another it has just sprouted, and on the third they have just dug it. The terraces are mostly about three meters wide, and the fields follow each other every ten to fifteen meters.

Text & Photos: Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Philippines: On the Roof of a Jeep 2

 We sat on large bags of rice, and the jeepney bounced at top speed along a narrow rocky path above ravines and beautiful rice fields. It sounds romantic, but if I hadn't held on with all fours, I would have quickly landed a few hundred meters below.

The views from the top of the jeep were incredible. The terraces, which reach up to 1,500 m above sea level, are like stairs to heaven.

Text & Photos: Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

The Philippines: Riding on the Jeep’s Roof

About 14 kilometers northwest of Bontoc lies the mountain village of Sagada. While there is a jeepney that travels there almost daily, there’s no fixed schedule, making it hard to catch.

One morning, the jeepney didn’t show up, and no one knew where it was, so we set off on foot. After two hours, it finally caught up with us on a rocky mountain trail and picked us up. It was already full, so I joined two Australians on the roof while the others squeezed inside. 

 Text & Photos: Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

The Philippines: Descendants of Headhunters 2

These might be the most spectacular terraces in the world. It has been calculated that if placed end to end, they would stretch for 20,000 kilometers—halfway around the Earth!

There are two ways to reach the Mountain Province from Manila. The first, faster route is via the direct road through Nueva Vizcaya. The second is much longer—a seven to eight-hour bus ride to Banaue, followed by a four-hour jeepney journey to Bontoc. A "jeepney" is a Filipino hybrid between a military jeep and a passenger van, decorated like a Christmas tree.

 Text & Photos: Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Janin Klemenčič: Backpacking Through the Philippines

The Philippines: Descendants of Headhunters

Rice terraces are an everyday sight in Southeast Asia, and those who have traveled extensively in this part of the world may eventually stop noticing them. However, this does not apply to the terraces around Banaue and Bontoc in the mountainous regions of Luzon, the northernmost island of the Philippines. Built by the Ifugao and Igorot tribes over 3,000 years ago on the steep slopes of the mountains, these terraces are unlike any other.

 Text & Photos: Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

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New Zealand: Fox Glacier and Wanaka 2

 It fulfilled my image of a glacier. We drove to a nearby viewing area of Mt. Cook and then we were on the road again (this is our theme song, we sing it on a regular basis) headed to the town of Wanaka. We stopped in the town of Haast Junction for lunch and Matt mistakenly ordered a "whitebait" sandwich which turned out to be the world's most expensive fried egg sandwich.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand

New Zealand: Fox Glacier and Wanaka

 We didn't get up all that early this morning so I pretty much missed the best light for the glacier. Oh well. I didn't mind much because there is another glacier nearby that we were headed to: Fox Glacier. It was a short drive and we were able to walk about 45 min to the glacier terminal and this one was no disappointment- it was really cool (no pun intended). The glacier was an icy blue all round the top and there were huge spiky pieces of ice hanging everywhere.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand Franz Josef glacier 3

 It didn't look anything like the glaciers of Alaska that I had seen on the discovery channel and that, of course, was what I expected. It was obviously receding too, though the literature indicated that it recedes and advances alternately. In order for me to get the best light conditions for shooting, we would come back early in the morning. The local holiday park was very nice and new with views of Mt. Cook. We cooked up our favourite standby meal of beans, weenies and fried corn and made it an early night.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand Franz Josef

 We had lunch at a trendy little spot and got back on the road. We made it to Franz Josef around 4pm and headed straight for the visitor centre. We found out how to drive to the glacier (the trail to hike there was closed due to inclement weather, damn) and we were there by a quarter to 5. The light was fading fast so we hoofed it up to the best lookout and got our first glimpse of the glacier. It was pretty neat but I was kind of disappointed.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

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