Slept in the Middle of a Rice Field

We hiked our way around Agbanawag in Nueva Ecija last week to check some things about my wife's dad's rice farm. Agbanawag offers perfect countryside scenes showing vast fresh green fields of swaying palay plants and irrigations. But when we came there, harvest has just happened so the fields weren't that green, but nonetheless scenic. But the smell of freshly cut palay plant was rich in the air.

The best part of our 3-day stay there was staying and sleeping in a 2-level concrete house (fondly called "kubo") standing right in the middle of the expansive rice field--like it's in the middle of nowhere. Nothing around but palay plants, small ponds, bamboo and other fruit trees, and the unending cool wind coming from the Sierra Madre mountain range and mountains in Baler visible from the kubo.


Here are some pictures:

The houses in the distance (left picture) are some of our "neighbors" in the area. Your nearest neighbor is about a hundred meters away. Well, some are about half that distance, and they're your "nearest" neighbor. Imagine what the whole place looks at night. Dark and quiet with only nocturnal insects making eerie sounds and the flickers of light coming from the neighboring houses and the stars in the sky.

The shadow in the picture is the one cast by the 2-level concrete house. Somewhere there I could hear ducks chuckling wildly, probably a hundred of them, getting more excited with every shout from their shepherd (or should I say "duckherd"?). All around were birds of different varieties, big and small.

Sometimes, mists would settle around and wet us with showers of tiny droplets, adding to the fresh ambience, and then leave. The Sierra Madre mountains often have their tops covered with thick white and gray clouds, but there are moments when the tops peek shyly and reveal lush greens. But sadly, our friends tell us that sometimes "Kaingin" farming gives the mountains a glowing red color at night. 

Staring at the scenes around, the distant mountains, and the relaxing silence gave you some kind of emotional and mind therapy, plus the fresh air you fill your lungs with when you inhale deeply. Sitting there in front of the kubo and just taking in everything, forgetting about life's concerns for a while, gave you spiritual rejuvenation and renewal, like your spirit is young and excited to tackle anything again as it did when you first were exposed to the mysterious things of the spirit. 

I had a lot of time meditating while hiking around, enjoying the simple but rich creation, at the same aware of the wonderful biology behind it all which God put there, invisible to the naked eyes and yet more real than the hustle and bustle of the metropolis you left behind in Manila. It's a unique refreshment for the mind and soul to hear the curious sounds of nature again. 

Another area of the rice field.

The nearest shady tree.

When we hiked some more around, especially when we passed by San Jose, we saw other interesting places. We were mesmerized by the hills and mountains we passed by near the road--and again the healthy scent of freshly cut grass and palay plant. We also saw other scenic places, like a carabao center specializing in carabao dairy, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products popular in the locality.

Visitors can also drop by near Pantabangan Dam and the road to Baler, Aurora. These places are picturesque. We once went there and got off our car to hike a bit and feel the surroundings. The lush vegetation there was a bit different, probably made so by the unique colorful wild birds we saw gleefully gliding by at low altitudes, as if fascinated by our presence.

It was just strange that just below the Pantabangan dam we heard voices of young women talking and giggling though we saw no one there. There probably was some portions of the river below the dam that were not visible to our eyes, but it seemed impossible for anyone to be down there because the riverbed was dozens of meters away from us. Anyway...

More pictures of where we stayed here: 

The place at dusk with reflection 

from the fish pond.

The concrete road from the gate to the house

with the fishpond beside.

That's Liela looking afar. She's

a playful but brave watch dog.

The fishpond.

The makeshift bamboo bridge.

That's my hand when I was crossing 

the bamboo bridge while hiking around.

When we hiked to the wet market 

at the town center.

End of hiking story.

Let me add, before I end this hiking story, that we visit the rice field at least once or tice a year for the harvest and then for re-planting season. And for land tax payment. Or sometimes, we just go there for plain relaxing overnight stay. It's near Metro Manila (about a 3 hour-drive) so it's convenient to retreat to when city life gets too hectic and starts getting in our nerves.  You should try to visit it, too.