The trailhead, beginning the hike to Batad village.
The hike to Batad begins with more than 450 crumbling, narrow, sloping stairs down the mountainside.
Looking down on Batad's rice terraces.
A panoramic view from above Batad.
A home on the outskirts of Batad, above the village proper.
A child on the trail above Batad.
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.
Batad's elementary school.
On a break from class, children come up the trail from the school.
On a break from class, children come up the trail from the school.
On a break from class, the children go for snacks from a nearby vendor.
Young schoolgirls unphased by tourists.
Looking down on Batad and its rice terraces. It's the off season for growing, so most of the terraces are unplanted.
Shops at the village entrance, ready to greet hikers and locals alike.
Now hamming it up for the camera.
Batad Elementary School.
An afternoon nap.
Looking down on mostly unplanted rice terraces.
Women washing laundry in one of the streams trickling down the mountainside.
Our path along the mountainside, between two clusters of village homes.
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.
Looking out over a terrace of unharvested rice.
Traversing the terraces.
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.
Tappiya Falls.
Our intrepid canine companions, oblivious to the beauty and grandeur of Tappiya Falls, probably wondering what's to eat.
