Last week I received a request from an architectural design firm to design a carpet from a hotel lobby in the Philippines. I was really excited because the Philippines was my second stop during my 3 month backpack trip to Southeast Asia. My first question to myself was what is native to the Philippines? The Philippines has had a multitude of colonizers who have each left their own cultural influence on the country making my assignment even more challenging. The country has strong influences deriving from African, European and Asian cultures. I wanted to focus on those groups of people who managed to keep their cultural traditions in tact; one of such group is the Ifugaos. I was fascinated by their rice terraces located in the Cordillera Region. They were created thousands of years ago by the Ifugaos. They work as a community to maintain the lands and it is passed down from generation to generation. The ariel views of the terraces create breathtaking patterns with multiple shades of colors that are absolutely beautiful! The terraces have been designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Even though I didn’t have the opportunity to visit the terraces during my visit to the Philippines it has inspired be to go back and explore more of the country. To learn more about the rice terraces visit www.unesco.org.