Not sure if it warrants its own post, but it was kind of interesting and didn’t fit into any of our other tales….  so meet Banaue’s unique footbridge, which cuts off a good 20 minute walk from one side of the town to the other- by going directly from A to B — via a very large rice paddy filled ravine.

We first spotted it on the map on the day we arrived, and set out (in the wrong direction) to find it.  We, of course, failed and tried a second time that evening.  Failed a second time too…this bridge was well hidden…  However on our return visit, a third try was successful when we nipped down an alley next to the police station and caught site of it.

It was well used.  We watched locals move swiftly and deftly over the metal bridge, which swayed quite considerably with all the use.  We looked at each other to gauge whether or not crossing it would be a smart move.  After all the footing looked like this:

I remember thinking that the odds it would collapse the one time I used it were pretty slim, so we ventured out onto the rickety construction.   If Indiana Jones can do it, so can we!  With all the people coming and going, and the slippery, inconsistent bridge floor, I just couldn’t bring myself to use less than two hands and I certainly wasn’t going to take the camera out and take pictures.  So I did the best I could to capture the bridge from the safety of the other side:

Wow, did it ever buckle in the middle!  It wasn’t just the vibration from walking or the swaying of the wind.  The whole metal construction had warped, so midway you had a very distinctive sense of leaning to the left.  Scary stuff.  We arrived on the other side, just a little glad to be alive.  However, we were then faced with the reality as everyone else, now you’ve gotten there..you’ve got to go back (or walk 20 minutes around).  So back we went again – I mean, what are the odds, right?!