"It's more fun in the Philippines!"

We have arrived in the Philippines! Now, now, I know what you’re thinking…you thought Beijing was our last leg, right? Yeah, we did too. Until we decided that with still some money left in the account, why not go for round 2? So, we did. We were in the bustling capital of Manila for a couple of days before we headed north to the rice terraces of Banaue. And here we are now, surrounded by the lush green rice terraces, instead of the smog-ridden city of Beijing.  

These terraces were built by the native Ifuago people more than two thousand years ago, and it was nice to see that the people there today still used the same land and pretty much the same techniques as their ancestors to plant and harvest the rice. As we hiked through the enormous terraces and saw the farmers out there sweating under the hot sun, you can’t help but feel more appreciative of each grain of rice that is in your bowl. The village people here lead a very simple life. They farm, they tend to the family, and they always have time in between to have a few laughs with family and friends. We passed by a house in the village where an old man was squatting effortlessly in front of his house. He was missing all but one tooth, but seemed quite energetic and aware. It wasn’t until we were heading off that we found out that he was 95 years young.

But now we’ve had our fill of green rice terraces, and we’re heading off to the south where the thousands of islands of the Philippines await. One of the first things I saw right before we landed on the tarmac in Manila was a sign that said, “It’s more fun in the Philippines!” We’re definitely ready to put that statement to the test. Although we won’t have time to see all 7,107 islands of the country, we will definitely try our best to find our little slice of paradise under the sun.

The amazing rice terraces of Banaue