BATAD RICE PADDIES

These amphitheatrical rice paddies stretch as far as the eye can see, offering an imposing spectacle in all seasons, whether mist-covered or bathed in sunshine. Walking through them is a real pleasure (provided you're not afraid of heights). Accompanied by an ifugao guide, you climb up and down the low walls that separate the plots. You're likely to come across locals with their arms full of victuals and schoolchildren striding off to school. It's a unique experience, but one that requires a good level of fitness.

A genius invention? The rice fields of Batad are, along with those of Banaue, on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Reflecting the genius of the first inhabitants, they flow over the mountain like silky green drapes. It is said that if they were laid end to end, they would encircle half the globe. In fact, their total length is 20,000 km! Thanks to the audacity of the first Ifugaos, the mountains were shaped, with a system of stone or earthen walls rising up to 23 m. The terraces were built as long ago as the Middle Ages. The terraces were built 2,000 years ago, when members of these tribes set about carving and sculpting them using rudimentary tools. Built and created by free men over whom no authority exercised power and without recourse to slavery, these terraces are viable thanks to a perfect irrigation system. Mountain springs and streams are channeled into gullies. The canals criss-cross the rice paddies down to the base of the mountain. Bamboo trees pierced with a few holes spread the water across the plantations, preventing it from evaporating. The knowledge of nature and the technical skills of the first Ifugaos intrigued and impressed many. However, the existence of terraces remained unknown during Spanish colonization. José Rizal, for example, was unaware of this success.

Ifugaos farmers have been growing rice for generations, and it's their job to keep these terraces intact. The work is physically demanding. They remain bent over from dawn to dusk, after having traveled many kilometers. Planting takes place in February; harvesting in July. From July to September, the terraces are cleaned; in December, the soil is prepared for planting. It's hard to remain indifferent to such a human endeavor, which testifies to the rich knowledge of the Ifugaos, who have known how to take advantage of nature while preserving it.