Rice terraces are often seen in textbooks and postcards and it is ‘something’ to see them in person. Seeing it isn’t just one thing, experiencing it is quite another.
Experiencing Batad requires the very first step, commitment, as it will literally demand almost a day of bum-numbing rides, a brutal trek that will make everyone huff and puff and ounces of pain as its end product. The second step depends on how you’ll enjoy your journey and how you’ll appreciate the experience.
With pathways only wide enough for one person to pass, unpaved roads, steep drops of 5 or more feet in some places and countless steps of up-down-up, the whole trip was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Yet every ounce of pain is just worth it when you see the brilliant view of the rice terraces from the very top of the mountain – a view that has been carved by our ancestors for the whole world to appreciate. It’s beyond stunning!
It would be a lie if we’ll say that the experience was difficult. Truth is, it was near horrible. In spite of this though, we cannot hide the fact that we actually enjoyed it. It wouldn’t be such an experience if without the hardships. We were such a young fool to give out the comfort of our home for the Batad experience. But it was a reminder for us that in spite of how fast world is moving nowadays it would still best to slow time down sometimes, be taken by a secret world and definitely fall in love once again.
The process of shooting our pre-wedding video was super epic! From the travel itself, the destination, amazing group, transportation used, funny stories here and there and of course THE EFFORT put up to make this a success. And with that, Teng and I would like to thank the following people who made this all possible.
Cinematography: Mayad Team:
Raphael Jamil Pranga, Alvin Paver, Katrina San Juan, Jackner John Abantao Borja, John Paul Paver, Dudz, Aleyn Comprendio, Sheena Caburog.
From planning to execution to post-processing, Mayad never fails to amaze us. Everything has to be done perfectly - from the easiest frame to the most dangerous stunts!
The 'concept' and 'location' that we choose wasn't that easy. It required the whole team to climb-up the mountain and do a 6-hour trek. Its a hard trek for first timers - the roads weren't paved, there are less support, barely no handlebars along the way, the steps going to the falls were very steep, not to mention, the team have all sort of equipment with them: minimum of 4 cameras, tripod, mono-pod, cranes, lenses, and others.
We never heard a single complain from them. Even though they were already tired, the creative juices within them were still there. In fact, it seems they really enjoyed it. Probably because it was a breathtaking experience with all the fresh aura of the environment - something different from what they usually do and far away from their usual "work location".
They are SERIOUS most of the time but still so much FUN to work with. They are perfectionist to the highest extent, as in! Maybe that is why they are THE MAYAD nowadays!
For the record, we will never ever forget Fiel's countless "safety shot!" and Alvin's line "Its OK. We belong to the same company naman!" Even Kat's "10 seconds lang" and Jackner's "Dudz, pakilipat dito ang baka"
Styling: Carina Canlas-Villaluz
The super energetic, hyper, funny, fashionista, generous and loving Carina. ♥ We love her to bits! She's our designer for our entourage and when we asked her if she could also style us for our pre-wedding shoot, she didn't hesitate. She's very willing to do it!
We felt like we're 'artista'. We've been dressed-up from head to toe, she knows what clothes best fit us and the style that will look good on us. Even when we're hiking, she ensures that all the necessary props and attire needed were being handled by the porters. Eventhough she's already tired, she still have the energy to crack some jokes and laugh so hard.
We're super thankful that Carina joined us on our Batad Trip. It wouldn't be so much fun without her!
Hair and Make-up: Nicole Uy Aparentado
The lovely Nicole. I have already blogged the trial make-up that I did with Nicole and as I have said, she have a very light hand as a make-up artist. As what the saying goes: Makeup is meant to highlight and enhance, not erase or create. Nicole gave justice to this.
Punctuality is key on our shoot. If we're not on time, the whole team will end up waiting until our makeup session is done. This doesn't happen during the shoot. Nicole is very early, she's the one who wakes me up everyday during our 2 day shoot so that we can start with the session early :)
She's very professional too! On our way up during our first shoot-day, unfortunately, she got injured. She fell on her ankle when she stepped on those tiny rocks along our way up the rice terraces. I can imagine how painful it was for her at that time, so asked our manong guide to just bring her back to the inn for a first-aid maybe. It was 2 days worth of pain with a thought that it was just some sort of shock. We never thought that it's already a broken bone. And I cannot imagine how she was able to tolerate such pain for more than 48hours. But then again, as I have said, she's very professional. Her injury didnt stop her from delivering the service. Hat's off to Nicole!! ♥
Kombi by Jayghee Gayo
One of the biggest worry that we have is that the vintage Kombi van that we wanted to use for the shoot cannot cope up with the travel requirements. Most of the van for rents are coming from Manila or are out of way going to Batad. If its coming from Manila, we worry that at some point, it would break down - its more than a 12-hour ride (with shoots in between) so we must ensure that the van will be in a very good condition to do long trips. If its from out of way, it would be too costly as we need to pay the extra day, gas, driver and other miscellaneous.
Fortunately, we found Jay and his Kombi in one of Sulit advertisements. Its the perfect van for us because its being used by his family for road-trips going to Nueva Ecija - so we can say that the van's machine is in perfect condition for a super long road-trips.
The van didnt fail us! It ran for more than 18hours without any problems. And I am so surprised that it can still hit 100-120 kph on the road! The owner-driver of the van too is super friendly and accommodating. He was the only person that drove the van for 18hours and he didn't complain even for a second.
Paula King of Christine Ong Te-Events
The moment I told Paula that we wanted to do a shoot in Batad, she questioned us immediately "Sure ba talaga kayo dyan?" . Its because Paula have been to Batad already and experienced how hard it is to climb up there and trek - what more if we're doing a pre-wedding shoot with all the props? Still yet, she has been very supportive. Early morning of the trip, before we leave Manila, she texted us with all the things we might need - from the slightest detail like toothbrush up to when and where we should be buying our drinks/chips and tungkod.
She has been a really big help in our planning. Even in us getting prepared with the difficulties we are about to encounter. Too bad she wasn't able to come with us in Batad - she's already pregnant that time and would be really really risky if she'll come. Nevertheless, she's been there monitoring us - asking from time to time how's everything going. We love Paula and we love COTE!Definitely, this Batad Shoot is yet one of the most memorable trips we have had. And we're very grateful that we have great company to share this experience with. It may sound cliche, but truth is, these people are no longer just our wedding suppliers - they are our new found friends.