Cordillera : 1

[Doc Alan]

Ambuclao Lake, Benguet, from the air.


Lion’s Head Statue on outskirts of Baguio City





Mines View Park, Baguio City, 1,500 metres above sea level

[grahamw48]

Looks lovely Alan.

I only got as far as Dagupan.

[Doc Alan]

Looks lovely Alan.

I only got as far as Dagupan.

I very much enjoyed Baguio and its surroundings, Graham. Didn't enjoy the 5 hours ( + ) Victory Liner bus trip from Cubao, but it was worth the effort . The weather - to me - was perfect, just like a good UK spring, but the locals found it unusually cold. Steve.r and family made the effort to visit Baguio for a night, which added to the enjoyment.

There were many interesting and beautiful local areas to visit, including the Botanical Gardens, Wright Park, Lourdes Grotto, the Tam-Awan village, the BenCab Ifugao Museum, and Camp John Hay. I didn't actually make it this time to the Banaue Rice Terraces ( another few hours by bus ).

[gladz]

Great pics doc Alan

I do love Baguio City. I stayed there for years when i was still in college. Will go there on the 22-23 of this month in time for the Panagbenga (Flower festival)

[Terpe]

Some more good photos Alan.
Like you, we also love visiting Baguio and the surrounding area.
We really don't enjoy that bus ride either and can't relax.....mostly we now get driven in a comfortable SUV

Glad you enjoyed.

[Doc Alan]

The Ifugao Rice terraces, which follow the natural contour of the mountains, have been cultivated for 2,000 years but up to a third of the terraces have been abandoned due to young people migrating away to the cities. The region’s value to the nation as a tourist destination may exceed that of its rice production.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.co....rice-terraces/


Other sites of interest which I managed to visit in January included the Tam-Awan Village ( Tam-Awan means “ vantage point “ ).

http://www.tam-awanvillage.com/





… with Ifugao tour guide :-





Another was the BenCab Museum :-






http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awes...ull-bloom.html


Here could be seen the much revered rice gods ( bulol / bulul figures, carved from narra wood by the Ifugao ). They may be in pairs, standing, squatting or dancing – which help identify their origin.

It’s not often these are seen in Ifugao houses now because of the prices paid by antique collectors.











There was much more to be seen at the Museum :-


























… and the gardens, which were purchased by BenCab to prevent more building :-








http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/282189/Ifugao


http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/ethnoatlas/hma...r/culture.7848

[grahamw48]

Thanks Alan.

Most interesting !

[Doc Alan]

Thanks Alan.

Most interesting !

Thank you Graham I also learned a lot, but stand to be corrected by any member

I did discover that in Ifugao culture, illness is " believed to be caused by deities acting with the consent of the ancestors and is treated by a priest through the medium of divination and curing rites. If the deities refuse to return the soul of the person they have made sick, despite the best efforts of the priest to effect a cure, then the person dies. Illness and death can also be caused by sorcery and the evil eye " .