December 02, 2013. The trailhead, beginning the hike to Batad village.
December 02, 2013. The hike to Batad begins with more than 450 crumbling, narrow, sloping stairs down the mountainside.
December 02, 2013. Along the way, buildings perched upon the opposing ridgeline.
December 02, 2013. Looking down on Batad's rice terraces.
December 02, 2013. A panoramic view from above Batad.
December 02, 2013. A home on the outskirts of Batad, above the village proper.
December 02, 2013. A child on the trail above Batad.
December 02, 2013. Me: Hey, can I take your photo? / Him: Candy. -- I didn't have any candy, so I snapped a few frames and forked over some dried mango.
December 02, 2013. Batad's elementary school.
December 02, 2013. On a break from class, children come up the trail from the school.
December 02, 2013. On a break from class, the children go for snacks from a nearby vendor.
December 02, 2013. Young schoolgirls unphased by tourists.
December 02, 2013. Looking down on Batad and its rice terraces. It's the off season for growing, so most of the terraces are unplanted.
December 02, 2013. Shops at the village entrance, ready to greet hikers and locals alike.
December 02, 2013. Now hamming it up for the camera.
December 02, 2013.
December 02, 2013. Batad Elementary School.
December 02, 2013. An afternoon nap.
December 02, 2013. Looking down on mostly unplanted rice terraces.
December 02, 2013. Women washing laundry in one of the streams trickling down the mountainside.
December 02, 2013. Our path along the mountainside, between two clusters of village homes.
December 02, 2013.
December 02, 2013. We picked up a guide (and two dogs) in the village, Ferdinand, to lead us through the rice terraces and to the waterfall beyond Batad. In the end, we decided that this had been a good decision; the rice terraces were not particular difficult to traverse, but they were difficult to navigate.
December 02, 2013. Looking out over a terrace of unharvested rice.
December 02, 2013.
December 02, 2013.
December 02, 2013.
December 02, 2013. Batad exerts tremendous effort to maintain the terrace walls against erosion and other natural forces. It's a time-consuming and laborious process, the stones having to be carried up and down the slopes by hand. Here, a man repairs a section of terrace wall; new construction stands out against the faded stone of older walls.
December 02, 2013.
December 02, 2013. Our intrepid canine companions, oblivious to the beauty and grandeur of Tappiya Falls, probably wondering what's to eat.
December 02, 2013. Tappiya Falls.
December 02, 2013.
December 02, 2013.
December 02, 2013. This local woman and her husband live in her shop with three young children.
