Amazing Earth

If Dingdong Dantes has Amazing Earth on TV ,,, this blog has an Amazing Earth series that will leave you breathless as your jaw drops either of disbelief or a state of shock.  Let me remind our readers that the photos are not ours ... so kudos to the person who owns the images.  We are just too happy to share them with you ... that man since time immemorial has created a lot of stupefying ideas only a genius can think.  They made these ideas happen and we are here to marvel at their beauty ... the time and money spent on it ... and the sleepless nights they spent perfecting their craft.

Structure: Mu Cang Chai Rice Terraces in Northern Vietnam

 Location: R48H+884, QL32, Dế Su Phình, Mù Cang Chải, Yên Bái, Vietnam
Province: Yen Bai

Description: Situated at the foot of Hoang Lien Son mountain range,(about 300 km northwest of Hanoi) the Mu Cang Chai terraced landscape is representative of a living culture’s harmonious interaction with nature. With great ingenuity, the indigenous culture has transformed the mountain’s harsh natural conditions.

Mu Cang Chai possesses nearly 500 hectares of rice terraces named as “National Site Heritage” in 2007.

Much Ado About Rice Terraces

I was a little disappointed knowing the facts below ... I have that mistaken notion that there is only one rice terrace in the world ... and that is the Banaue Rice Terraces in Sagada in Baguio.

I was a little dismayed and disheartened ... because I thought we were the original. Whoever made it first is immaterial ... now we should not take credit that our ancestors were a genius bunch because other countries have also thought of putting the same novel idea into reality. 

I don't think they have internet access several centuries back ... or they have cellphones where Igorots talk to other Asian counterparts and compare notes ... so we can't accuse anybody of copying the works of others. That would be the first work of plagiarism ever recorded in olden times (if that was really what happened)- a practice where a country takes someone else's work or ideas and passes them off as one's own.

I did my own research and I found out that rice terraces are not our Igorot ancestor's brainchild ... other Asian countries have their own version of it too ... as rice terraces exist in the following locations. Who made it first ... and who copied ... is the 24-dollar question.

1. Banaue Rice Terraces - Philippines

2. Mu Cang Chai Rice Terraces - North Vietnam

3. Sapa Rice Terraces- Vietnam

4. Yuanyang Rice Terraces - Yunnan Province China

5. Tegalalang Rice Terraces - Ubud Bali Indonesia

6. Rice Terraces Facing The Ocean - Hamanoura Saga Japan

7. Rice Terraces With Hillside Villages- Annapurna Nepal

8. Rice Terraces With Stilt Houses - Jiabang Guizho China

9. Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh Rice Terraces - India

10. Pa Pong Piang Rice Terraces - Thailand

11. Hong He Hani Rice Terraces - China

12. Houshitogue Tanada Niigata Rice Terraces - Japan

You see ... I can't believe Rice Terraces are a dime dozen ... even Miagao Iloilo in Barangay Cabalaunan has its own rice terraces (I only know it today). The fact that Banaue Rice Terraces was heralded as the eighth wonders of the world is losing its substance. 

The once Stairway To The Sky ... which is a rare experience is fast becoming ordinary and common ... passe and becomes of little value. It is even eroding its mystery and the enigma of the story behind the story. 

What was worse was ... browsing images of the other rice terraces just like the image above ... Banaue pales in comparison beauty-wise, grandeur-wise, or splendor-wise.

Guys don't bash me for feeling this way. I am no spoiled brat who felt rice terraces were losing its charm and magic. It is just one of those days when information overload strikes from nowhere and siphons whatever appreciation or patience left of you.

Don't worry ... this is just temporary ... it will pass!

If A Picture Paints A Thousand Words

Pictures don't lie.  We have been inundated with lavish words like Stairway To Heaven and Eight Wonders of the World by our elementary school teachers but do the generous and unselfish words commensurate to the hype?

I don't trust words ... I trust pictures ... unless it was photoshopped. I hate extravagant and extensive publicity and promotional stunts (they can be subjective) ... I hate hyperbole and conditioning the students' minds in the classroom as if what the teachers are preaching is the gospel truth,

Truth in advertisement and hyping ... and truth in the teacher's use of words in his lectures. When consumers see or hear an advertisement, whether it's on the internet, radio or television, or anywhere else, the law says that the ad must be truthful, not misleading, and, when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence. We demand the same thing with the teachers' pronouncements. The student's minds are malleable and they always believe what is being fed to them.

Truth in tourism advertising is a valued principle in brand development and management. Good marketing includes authenticity and truth ... and these two factors can always help sell your brand.

Now compare the pictures and see who will win the eighth Wonder of the World (if there is one).

1. Sa Pa Terraces Vietnam

2. Yuanhang Terraces - China

3. Hong He Hani Rice Terraces - China

4, Guang Xi Province China

5. Mu Cang Chai Terraces Vietnam

6. Tegalalang Terrace Ubud Indonesia

7. Rice Terraces in Nepal

8. Hamanoura Terraces Japan

9. Hashitougue Tanada Niigata

10. Banaue Rice Terraces Philippines

What The Hell

I just remembered that I must turn on the aircon before sleeping. And when I woke up at midnight I had night sweats. I was almost soaking wet.

This is just a preview of what to expect this summer. Ito rin ang pre-trial ng impiyerno ... na malapit ng magkaroon ng premiere night ... say 2 weeks from now? Are you excited?