This is a typical house out in the mountains. It's made from natural materials. Some houses have corrugated tin roofs (to hear the rain in the night, probably). A women named Evelyn lived in this house with her four children. This house was right down next to the rice paddies at the bottom of the valley. We hiked down into the village. It was a long trip down and every step down had to be retaken on the way back up. Hard work for us old folks.
The rice is dried and thrashed (or is it thrushed?) by hand up in the mountains because there is no flat places to spread it out. This woman is cutting the rice grains from the stalks. The stalks are piled up and burned, so you often see small, smokey fires here and there.
As we left the mountain terraces and went down to the flat lands we saw field after field of rice paddies. The walls keep each section level to hold the water required to grow the rice. This man is preparing his paddy for planting. We were told they plant in January and harvest in April or May. Up in the mountains they can only get one crop each year (because of the short seasons there), but in the flat lands they can usually get two crops.
In the flat lands the farmers spread their rice on the roads to dry. You simply have to drive around it, but sometimes . . . . The husks are removed and it is cleaned before it is eaten, but still . . . . ????
When the rice is dried, it is swept up into long piles and then scooped up and put into bags. The bags are often left standing on the side of the road waiting to be loaded into carabao carts or into jeepneys. Sometimes you see a truck loaded with sacks of rice.
That was our trip to Banaue.
4 comments:
From chase, that looks so fun I love you grandma and grandpa! I bet that is way different than the weather your use to seeing in Las Vegas.
Wow! Your adventures are always facinating. I cannot believe those homes. I can't imagine what it must be like to really be there and see all this, talk to the people. They mix lime (as in the fruit or the chemical) with their chew? I love the picture of Mom with the little red ladies.....good thing her umbrella was color coordinated.
What a story. I wonder what those three old ladies in red talk about all day when they are not taking photographs with tourists?
We will have to take all your photos when you get back and hand them to Cathy or Carolyn. They know how to make them into a photo album. I'll eat something and watch.
I love hearing about your adventures half way around the world. Who would have thought this is what you'd be doing when you retired?
I loved the picture of Mom with the red ladies, too. Dan says Philippinos love to karaoke, too. Have you noticed that? When you do, will you be sure and take a picture of Mom?!
Love you guys. Trav, I'll keep you company while Carolyn and Cathy are compiling the pictures.
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