Breathtaking
(Hungduan) Banaue Rice Terraces at midday on April 19, 2005
The eighth wonder of the world deserves its title. Tall rice stalks dancing in the wind, terraces carved on mountains forming stairways to the sky. What once were just images on postcards and travel books got closer. For a day, I walked on narrow--some only eight inches wide--footpaths atop stonewalls separating the terraces.
Banaue Rice Terraces: figuratively and literally breathtaking. Figuratively, its beauty blew my mind and took my breath away. And literally too as I found myself catching my breath more than once. A little out of fatigue. A lot out of fear of falling the ten-foot drop on one side.
I and fifteen others gingerly took hundreds of steps, equivalent to a 75-minute hike, to reach the river and hot springs unusually located somewhere in the middle of Hapao (majority of my officemates went to the more gruelling Batad). When we got there, twelve of my companions took a dip. As for me, I found a shady spot overlooking the river and flipped through the pages of my latest book buy. I savored the unhurried block of eternity as the calming splashes of water against the boulders provide music. Once in a while, I close my book, just take in the sight and quietly say a prayer.
The grandeur of nature makes me feel both insignificant and significant. As I am dwarfed by the huge picture-perfect mountains, lullabyed by the sound of rivers, I am at the same time awed by the One whose Hands fashioned these wonderful works of nature. Yes, God made the rivers and the mountains but it is me--and all of us--whom He loves. The shades of His grace in my life is infinitely more vibrant and alive than the colors and shapes of nature I see with my eyes.
This truth is more breathtaking than all the wonders of the world combined. No contest.
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I love Pinas
7 comments:
Yes, company retreat and outing namin. We also went to Sagada (deserves another blog entry!).
As for the pix, yes, took it myself. Our hired jeepney stopped in the middle of the road and I snapped away. I forgot about the rule of not taking pictures against the light. The view was just awesome I had to take the shot. I was so happy to see it turned out OK, the rays of the sun veiling the terraces. :-)
Wala akong masabi, ang bilis ng update :) i'll post about banaue and sagada before my sun burn heals. Hehe.
te beng, ang ganda ng pic na to
Sillyserious, minutes ago I visited your site. Wala ka pang Banaue/Sagada entry. Pero sige lang, will be checking every now and then.
Ives, thanks for the comment. Alan, thanks din pala. Ang tawag sa picture na ito, tsamba. haha. :-)
Grabe ang picture! breathtaking indeed. Great angle, ganda ng effect ng light... parang professional ang kumuha! Sana may mga ganyang tsamba rin ako sa mga pictures ko. ;)
Nice shot. I think your digital camera is excellent (-:
Yes Nang, the digicam is excellent! So did the kind benefactor,AKA Chris, your DASHING (through-the-snow?)HUSBAND saw this picture already? So that he'll know that his generosity was not in vain. :-) Pero actually, just between the two of us, gumaling na talaga ako mag-take ng pictures! Haha. Usap-kapatid po ito, mga kaibigan.
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