Early in the morning we boarded the jeepney (one of the colorful minibuses which are a popular means of transport in the Philippines) that would take us to the nearby villages and centuries-old rice terraces. Our first stop was the quaint village of Banga-An, an additional 20-minute on-foot trek down a mountain trail. We were received with warm smiles by villagers in homespun garb, who welcomed us into their thatched wood huts and showed us how...  keep reading