Walking thousands of steps under the afternoon sun would be taxing under normal circumstances. But in the highlands of Ifugao, following narrow paths through the stone-walled Mayoyao Rice Terraces, exhaustion became part of the experience. This corner of the Cordillera is often overlooked by travelers heading straight to Banaue or Batad, yet a journey through Mayoyao reveals a landscape where rice terraces, remote villages, waterfalls, and centuries-old traditions remain deeply woven into everyday life.

I was sitting atop our jeep staring at the spectacular landscape of Ifugao when we came to an abrupt halt. A single roar of the engine gave it a kick a few inches forward, followed by a complete standstill. Deep mud had accumulated on the dirt road where, just a few meters away, large boulders from a recent landslide occupied half of the passage. What was a minor roadblock in our journey back happens to be an everyday occurrence for the resilient people living in the village of Cambulo in Banaue, Ifugao.