A Chilly Sagada Vacation (Dec. 2010)

Last Christmas, we went up to the mountains to experience the cold weather in Sagada. Usually, we'd be in Baguio before 6 am whether to catch the first Lizardo bus leaving for the mountain province or not. That time though, for some reason, we were late. After we had parked the car at Camp John Hay, we proceeded to the Bus station only to be told that the first bus had left, the 2nd bus was full and the 3rd was leaving at 10 am. Naturally, we didn't like leaving at 10 am. So, I suggested we take the GL trip to Bontoc. I had read about some people taking the detour without any problems because it only took 1 jeepney ride to Sagada anyway. My family, having had no other choice, hesitantly agreed.

It was our first time at Bontoc. We reached the place around 2 pm and asked some people a place where we could have lunch. There wasn't any decent place to take lunch at during the whole 6 hour trip from Baguio. The old guys we inquired from directed us to this resto located by the market which name eludes me as of the moment. Tired and hungry, we trotted to the place which we thought was the nearest recommendable dining spot. However, much to our disappointment, the resto was not just beside the market, the food was not good at all - the chicken smelled and tasted like it had been dead hours before it was frozen, the pork didn't smell fresh and the fish smelled of moss. The vegetables though, just as is probably traditional of the Mountain Province, was at good.

Of course I knew there were a few spots we should have checked at Bontoc such as their museum. But, we were too exhausted to even give it a shot.So, after our not-so-horrendous meal, we were off to the jeepney station and boarded the first available vehicle to Sagada.

At Sagada, we were met by an old smiling and familiar face - Tita Mary. My husband didn't want to go and try out another lodge. To him and the rest of us, Tita Mary and her staff were like family. This time, we were given a room at the basement and by this I do mean the lowest part of the building. If you must know, The Residential Lodge has two basements - an upper and a lower one. Although we still love the hospitality, we didn't quite like the place assigned to us.

There were just 2 rooms at the lower basement - ours and the one beside it. The thing is that the area had 2 breakers which were both inside our room. One of it tripped the whole time we were there. It was irritating to be awakened in the middle of a restful sleep because there was no electricity and they had to switch it back on. this happened on the first night we were there. What was more disgusting was that it happened again. This time I told the caretakers I didn't want to be bothered any longer because when they went to switch the thing back on, that was the fifth time anyone had to do so. The other 4 we had done ourselves. I guess they had noticed my disgruntled tone such that they apologized for the trouble. Not that we expected much. After all, paying 250 pesos a night was not bad. But, having been at the Residential Lodge before, it would have been better. It's just one of those times when there are too many people and too little time to have things fixed. We would still be back at Tita Mary's. Like I said, they're not nearly perfect but they have a good place nonetheless.

It was chilly in Sagada that time. So much that I even dreaded the thought of bathing daily but did so despite it. The funny thing was that we sort of had to push each one to go first unlike in Manila where I usually opted to go first.

To be continued...

The View At Kiltepan - Sagada Day 3 & 4

There was a hesitant knock on our door. It was shortly before 5 am and I suddenly got up from bed. Quickly, I realized that Tita Glo and company would be leaving for Baguio that morning and, as agreed, were saying their goodbyes. We felt sad that they had to leave so soon. Luchie had a class the following day which she couldn't miss and Tito Bon had been missing his cat, Mox, already. They had been our companion since day 1 and, although we had only gotten acquainted at the bus, it felt as though we had known them all our lives.



Breakfast was at the nearby Bana Cafe. Ikee and Boyet had the corned beef meal whle I had a bowl of yoghurt and some banana cake. We had all intentions to go to Kiltepan on our 3rd day, just not during the sunset as it is too early for my husband and daughter. But it rained then so we did not leave the Residential Lodge because we needed to check out to transfer to the Rock Inn. I purposely wanted to try both accommodations so I could write about them in my blog. It was convenient that Bang of the Rock Inn had sent the shuttle service to fetch us from Tita Mary's place. Apparently, our reservation included 2 shuttle trips. It would've been enough to bring us to the Rock Inn from Tita Mary's and to bring us from the the Rock Inn to the bus station in town the following day. But, despite the rain, we didn't want to stay inside our room and not see as much of Sagada as we could muster. So, we put down our bags in our room, ate lunch and went back to town again.



It was still raining so we opted to go to the Ganduyan Museum. Andrew Bagni, our guide for the past 2 days, had suggested for us to go there to see the "matanda" (old person) who tells a tale. My idea of the "matanda" was that of a man, with wrinkled skin, wearing a headdress, spoke English and smoked cigar from a pipe. Thus, when we got to the museum, I was looking for such a person and got a pleasant surprise. Yes, the "matanda" spoke English. In fact, very fluent english. But no man, with wrinkles and a pipe, and all that. No sirree. The matanda was Christina Aben, the owner of the modest collection on exhibit at the Ganduyan Museum.



The door to the museum was shut but the sign said it was open. So, I went in with my family and out of nowhere, Ms. Aben was right at our back. She politely asked if we would like to hear the story behind her collection and of course we were interested. She started with the jewelry that both the men and women of the Igorot Tribefolks wore. Proudly, she had announced that she, too, is an Igorot - meaning people of the mountain. Her collection were interesting - some were really old and others were, well, recent. It wasn't anything like that of the National museum. In fact, the place is smaller than that of our own museum in Pasig. But, Ms. Aben's reception was realy warm and personal. She gave us a glimpse into Sagada's past and when appropriate, even bits and pieces of her own family's history. I would suggest she put in a video of Sagada perhaps just like that of the video presentation at the Asian Culture Museum in Singapore which was done in a skit form. But, altogether, Christina Aben, a fine woman of the brave Igorot tribe, and her collection gave any visitor a genuine, hospitable and amiable welcome treat from Ganduyan - the other name of Sagada.

There was a heavy downpour when we went out of the museum. That's why we found our way to the souvenir store right next to the museum. Apparently, it is owned by Ms. Aben's son who told us that the store and the whole complex including the inn, which is 2 doors away, was owned by Ms. Aben. Admirable woman. At the store, we bought some shirts and other souvenirs to bring back to our other family members who weren't with us.

It took us quite a while to leave the place. When the rain became a drizzle, I urged my family to go up to the St. Joseph's Inn and restaurant. There was a flight of stairs about 10 meters from the side of the store leading to the resto. There, we had some coffee and whole wheat bread glazed with chocolate. It was good and so my husband decided to buy some more for us to take back to the Rock Inn. My daughter had some milo. We tried to ask for some milk for her but the resto didn't serve any. Strangely, despite the many bovines that we had seen in the area, there wasn't any milk sold save for those usual ones in powder form and the canned ones.


The St. Joseph resto is really cozy. Most of its furniture were of wood and the place had an imaginary line created by the colors of the furnishings and the walls. The area to the right was classier and more stylish while the area to the left, nearer to the counter is more family-oriented. We chose to sit outside, by the dap-ay near the garden that had a hazy view of the St. Mary's church. Quite charming. After our snack, we took a walk towards the church. The view from St. Joseph was inviting. In fact, I had wanted to go there the day before because while we were at the Masferre' Restaurant, I had used our binoculars to take a good look at the quaint church on the hill. From the outside, it looked very much like a town church in a western land. Inside, the Anglican church had the usual pulpit, the cross, but very few statues.



It was almost 6 pm when we asked the Rock Inn staff to pick us up from the church's lawn. Dinner was at the hotel. We were still full thus we each had a bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich each. My shins still ached from all that walking since we got to Sagada. Although I had brought my liniment and my hotpacks, I still felt the pain. But, I didn't want to drink any painkillers. I'm not used to those. There was a masseuse at the Rock Inn and I requested her to give me a massage. It felt oh so good that I didn't want to go down to the Dap-ay where they lit up a fire. They do that every weekend at the Rock Inn. That way, the guests will have a place to socialize. Quite unique.


I was first to wake up the following day. It was not raining anymore. Since we'd be bound for Baguio in a few hours, I woke Boyet and Ikee up so we could take a chance at seeing Kiltepan. Andrew said it is really a nice place to visit since it had a view of the rice terraces comparable to that of Batad in Banaue. We weren't able to coordinate with Andrew about going there so I asked the owner of Rock Inn, Fely, for directions. She was kind enough to have one of his men accompany us.



We walked all the way from the inn to viewpoint. Fortunately, the Rock Inn is the closest to Kiltepan. It took us about 20 minutes to walk towards our destination through a partly rocky and partly muddy trail although probably 1/2 of our walk in addition to the rocky-muddy path was through a cemented road. We reached a wooden gate, entered it, walked a few more meters up and there it was - one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen in my whole life. Kiltepan spanned what seemed as huge stairways of monochromatic green but of different tones, with the clouds almost hovering above it. The sky was blue and created a great background to the lovely view. It was already 6:30 am by then and the sun was shining high above. Nonetheless, the view was still spectacular. It was the best finale to a wonderful trip for us. We took many pictures of that site never getting a single picture that would describe what it really looked like. I guess Kiltepan will surely remind me of Sagada and it will forever be the symbol of what a Philippine paradise would be.



By 11 am we had left the Rock Inn with an earnest desire to go back to Sagada. It had been a wonderful trip and a wonderful site which I and my family will always treasure.


Related sites:

Sumaguing Cave Adventure - Sagada Day 1
Bomod-ok Falls Adventure - Sagada Day 2
Surviving Sagada

Bomod-ok Falls Adventure - Sagada Day 2

We had a goodnight's sleep at the Residential Lodge. I was urging the guys to wake up early but they were too tired they said. I was tired too when I woke up but I hadn't realized it until we were about to go out of the inn. My shin hurt and my knees were tight. But I and the gang were too excited to stay home. The falls beckoned.

By 8 am our Kapampangan friends knocked at our door to announce that Andrew and the driver were already outside the lodge. Boyet ordered coffee, a banana cake for Ikee and some sandwiches from the nearby Bana Cafe. I also asked Andrew, our Saggas guide, to pass by the Bangaa-an which, according to our Inn's staff, sell yoghurt.

We reached Banga-an at about 9:45. I was salivating at the thought of the yoghurt which I had imagined was like the one I had at the Yoghurt house. But no. It was plain and the store didn't have any fruit to go with it. I had all intentions of buying a few cups since the yoghurt was going to be our snack at the falls. It was half the price of the yoghurt at the Yoghurt house. But, because it was plain, I knew none of us would like to eat it anyway. Thus, I left empty handed and decided to get it elsewhere after our trek. The driver did make another pit stop. This time it was to give us a glimpse of what were about to face - a 45 minute trek down.


The terrain was not as I had thought it would be. It was downward alright but trail was cemented. Andrew had told us that the path was also the trail the villagers took to go around the area. Apparently, there was not just a few people down there but a whole village of them. The sun was high up and the Sagada breeze could not be felt because our bodies got so much warmer too. We did one stop midway just to pay for an entrance fee (10 pesos per person at that time) and to buy some gatorade from the store. After that, we were back right on track to see what the Sagadians called the Big falls.



Luchie, Tito Bon, Tita Glo and Mariz walked way ahead of us because we had to ask Ikee to remove her brace. And for good reason. The path needed some balancing to walk on. Some parts were slippery and other parts required some hopping. The road that led to our destination was long and winding. From about 500 meters away, I could tell we were near because of the rustling sound of water.



By the time we got to the falls, our Kapampangan friends were already resting under a huge rocky shade. There were a number of other guests in the rocky basin of the falls but there was enough space for all of us. The falls was magnificent and the water dropped from and elevation of about 70 feet high. There was a cool mist from the falls which created a somewhat hazy view of the surroundings - reminded us about the falls in Yosemite. There was hardly any vegetation but there were huge boulders that lined downstream from the catch basin that became perfect basking areas for tourists and locals alike. What's sad is that we had seen some trash that were mindlessly thrown along the path and at the falls which of course gave the impression that the money that we had paid at the so called "entrance" was not used for the purpose it had been required in the first place. Still with that, the falls remains a top destination of Sagada.



My feet, thighs and legs hurt already at that time such that when a boy came to me to ask if I had wanted a massage, I immediately said yes. He had charged 20 pesos for a 10 minute leg massage. With his small hands, he kneaded on my shin. Of course he couldn't grip so forcefully which is also why I thought it was good. I didn't want to have a case of Deep Vein Thrombosis anywhere in the future. It felt good that I also asked him to give me a massage on my shoulder. 40 pesos for both body parts. Not bad eh? There were other kids who came to us offering the same massage and I urged my companions to avail of their service. Boyet, on the other hand, had found a little girl selling some local popsicles (ice buko) and bought one for each of us. It felt so refreshing.



We stayed at the falls for a little over an hour. Soon Boyet had to remind me that it actually took us 1.5 hours at least to trek down. Since he said we'd be going up, it might take us a longer time. I quickly took more pictures, posed with my family and friends and soon we were back to the trek again. Near the village though, I had felt drained and my thighs and legs were stiff. I don't really mind the walk or trek but I can't bear the heat. It was about 1 pm then and the sun was scorching. I took short rests about 4 times before I finally told Boyet I needed to rest a longer while but that I needed some water or gatorade. I already felt dizzy and my vision was already blurring a bit. Andrew went up to the store at the village and in about 2 minutes he was back and handed me a 300-ml bottle of gatorade. The bottle was half filled when I stopped drinking and I did feel so refreshed and walked again shortly after. Another 45 minutes after that we rejoined our companions at the place where our service vehicle was parked.


Lunch Finally!



Our original plan was to go back to the town proper to eat lunch after which we would go around to see the nearby sites before proceeding to Lake Danum where we'd view the sunset. However, when we got to the Masfere Restaurant, it was already 2:30 pm. The change of plan was made. We took our lunch there and went back to the lodge. The guides bought the ingredients for the Pinikpikan - an Igorot delicacy - while we waited for them. By 5 pm, our service vehicle was already at the Lodge to fetch us. Apparently, Andrew had texted me earlier but I didn't hear it because I had dozed off a bit.


Rainset?


A few minutes drive was all that was needed to get to Lake Danum. Unlike what we originally planned, there was no sunset to view because the place became white with fog. Even the view of the lake was not so clear because we could only see a few meters ahead of us. It had rained earlier on and it just stopped for a very short while - perhaps just to allow us to take some pics by the water or so it seemed. After a few shots, we were called back in because the chicken had been dressed and Rod was going to show us how the Igorots - his own kinfolks - to this day, use the gallbladder to check on whether the "forces of nature" is for or against a plan or an undertaking. After that, we waited a while for the chicken to be cooked. We were camped at an unfinished building which according to our guides is actually owned by the Department of Agriculture. It was cold and raining but we were kept warm most likely because we all had thick jackets and had sipped some Bugnay wine that Rod and Andrew bought from the marketplace. Pretty good stuff.



Since our companions were in a hurry to go home because they needed to pack and get ready to wake up early the following morning, we asked Andrew to just bring the chicken to the Lodge where we would all have dinner. That was our last night with Luchie, Tita Glo, Tito Bon and Mariz because they'd be on their way to Baguio the following day. Thus, the pinikpikas was a great way to have a traditional Igorot celebration of friendship and farewell to our new-found friends whose company we had enjoyed every minute with.

Related stories:

Sumaguing Cave Adventure - Sagada Day 1
Bomod-ok Falls Adventure - Sagada Day 2
A view at Kiltepan – Sagada Day 3 & 4
Surviving Sagada

Sumaguing Cave Adventure - Sagada Day 1

Bet you're really eager to hear about my Sagada adventure. Well, I'm equally eager to tell you about it. Here it is.

We left Manila at 10:30 pm. Boyet drove to Baguio because he came home from the office at 8:30 pm. We wouldn't have been able to make it to the bus station before 10 pm if he didn't decide to bring our old, trusty Blackie. Our target was to catch the first Baguio-Sagada bus (GL or Lizardo) which was scheduled to leave at 5:30 am the following day. However, according to my research, the buses that ply that route do not actually leave according to schedule. When the bus is full, it leaves no matter whether it be early or late. The trip from Manila by public transpo is anywhere from 5 to 7 hours, depending on traffic and road conditions.

By 4:30 am we were at the Microtel hotel in session road. We had arranged with my husband's friend Robbie to park the car there because we had a booking for the weekend anyway. We got to the Dangwa bus station in Baguio by 5 am but the bus was no where in the vicinity yet. In fact, noone was there even at the sales booth that we boarded the bus to find a place to sit even without the ticket. I chose to stay at the driver's side of the bus because we were going north and that side would be facing the west most of the time.

The trip took roughly 6 hours through mostly rough and bumpy road. While the part near Baguio was cemented, it had only lasted for about 1/3 of the whole route. But the trip was rather nice - the weather was cool and the view was scenic. There were about 3 stops to take some snack and do some personal stuff. While at the bus, we had met 4 persons from Pampanga (Tita Glo, Tito Bon, Luchie and Maris) who we found out were also booked at Tita Mary's Residential Lodge - a new but highly recommended inn where we would be spending the first 2 nights of our stay in Sagada. I found out that they didn't have a guide yet and asked them to join my party instead.

It was 11:45 am, when we got to the Residential Lodge. After having checked in, and placed our baggage inside our rooms, we went out to have lunch at the Yoghurt House. I can't say I really liked their food but the yoghurt is the best in all of Sagada. By 3 pm we were met by our guide, Andrew, at the Lodge and we were off to our first stop - the Lumiang Burial Cave.



The cave was a few meters down but the steps were small and steep which made it hard to descend and ascend. I admit I was not particularly impressed at this spot at first. I mean we had gone all the way down and all we could see were some dirt, a dark pit and some wooden things that looked as if they had been covered but dug up after quite a while. The wooden boxes turned out to be coffins. They were smaller than a mature adult's coffin because the dead were made to fit inside it while in a fetal position. And yes, they were ancient - some hundreds of years old. Of course, the Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider that I dreamed I was got the better of me and soon I was looking at what seemed to be archaeologic finds. We didn't stay for a long time there though because we needed to go to the Sumaguing Cave. After all, that cave is the highlight of any Sagada trip and since our new-found friends would only have 1.5 days to stay there, we deemed it would be best to see Sumaguing the soonest we could.


The trek to the Sumaguing Cave took us about 30 minutes from Lumiang. But we had enjoyed the walk because it was leisurely and we took pictures along the way. There were rice paddies that looked more like miniature rice terraces that were bright green as the grains had just been planted. The road was well paved and cemented and it didn't hurt my feet to walk. For a moment I thought that it would be easy to trek Sagada if it followed that pattern. But, I was proven wrong a few hours after.

Finally, we reached the entrance of Sumaguing. Mariz decided not to join us because she was already too exhausted. I, of course, adviced her against going too. It was the kind of risk that I wouldn't be willing to take either. It was good that there was a store just across the entrance. They sold practically everything a cave explorer would need. Yes, even a toilet and shower room to rid oneself of the dirt and odor that would be all over us. But we didn't know that yet. Ikee and I dressed down. I wore an old nylon shorts with the black shirt I had worn on our way from Manila. I knew I would be dirty and with a limited supply of clothes, I didn't want to get a new shirt soiled.

We had two guides - Andrew and Rod. Andrew, being the more senior guide (sorry Andrew, had to say it) gave us instructions about how to do the spelunking. Soon, we started our adventure. The first part of the cave, just as we were warned, was slippery and treacherous. We were all scared but excited. The thrill for the neophytes slowly creeped. I, for one, wanted to go ahead and follow my instinct. There were 7 of us and I was ahead of everyone for because I felt that Ikee needed the boost of confidence and I also wanted to ensure that she was alright all the time, not that I knew what to do. But I had to follow what my guide said lest I put myself or my "pack" in danger. Peril is almost always seductive you know.

At one point, we were told to hold on to rocks. At another, we were instructed not to touch the ground because it was covered by bat poop - slimy and stinky. But then again, you'd think twice about not holding on if you were in my place because doing so would actually save your life. There was no way you'd slip without dragging someone with you either. Thus, you save your life not only because of yourself but because of those you are with too. The cave was dark and everything was wet and slippery. Some rocks you hold on to. Others, you hug and kiss. Not kiss really but we had to keep so close to some rocks that it felt like we were kissing them. Some rocks would let you climb up them with nothing but your bare hands but would not let you slip nor fall. Those white rocks are called flowstones. Amazing.

But, as always, a treacherous journey ends with a beautiful reward. The rock formations were so beautiful. Andrew and Rod have this communicable sense of humor that we didn't feel scared so much. We needed a guide to keep us safe and to boost our confidence too. At that point, both our entertainment and safety depended so much on these guys who knew the cave so well they practically grew in it. I remember Andrew saying as a child he had gone to the cave so often to play hide and seek with his friends. Sheesh, some hiding place I tell you. We had given a nickname for Rod, the younger of the two. At a certain point, he rolled up his shirt up to the level of his diaphragm. He moved quite quickly and had the energy and the moves of a superhero - Spiderman. Thus, we called him midribbed spiderman.

Later on, I found out that rolling up his shirt had a purpose. It was to protect it from getting wet. Ikee got her shirt all wet such that midway through she shivered that I had to exchange shirts with her. But, my shirt was just a little less wet than hers so that she still shivered. We had asked her to stay close to the lamps that Andrew and Rod carried but to no avail. She trembled her way through the basement level of the cave. It was a good thing Rod had lent her his extra shirt he kept in his bag.

The cave had challenged us beyond what we ourselves expected we could do. None of us ever tried to rapell nor spelunk. But we did. None of us expected to smell of bat dung ever. But we did. Not one of us, mostly in our mid 40's, ever tried to get intimate with any rock. But we all did. All in all, the Sumaguing cave aka the King's palace, is a test of endurance and determination towards reaching our ultimate goal - that is to splendor in the beauty that lied within it and get out of there alive.

Related stories:

Sumaguing Cave Adventure - Sagada Day 1
Bomod-ok Falls Adventure - Sagada Day 2
A view at Kiltepan – Sagada Day 3 & 4
Surviving Sagada

Notes on Sagada and Banaue

For this summer, the highlight of our vacation (and probably the only one) is our trip to Sagada. Here are some of the websites that have helped me with my research and planning for our Sagada and Banaue trip:

1. G-Strain my husband's friend, Gerry, and their other buddies' trip to Banawe. Details include a cost accounting for a budget tour.

2. Pictures of a Sagada trip - Calming the Giant

I love the pictures by this hobbyist taken during his trip to sagada. You just have to check this one out too.



Visitasagada.com and the sagadagenuineguides.blogspot.com are most helpful too. I'm still looking for other companions so we can share the expenses. It will bring down the costs for all of us. The more, the merrier or so they say.

Recommended Package Tours for Summer 2009 - Philippines

Hi. I’m not certain whether we’d be able to have a summer vacation this year because of some major expense of moving to another country in a few months. But, I can still recommend packages which I encounter and wish we could join (sigh*). Here goes:

Philippines

1. BANAUE-SAGADA ADVENTURE MARCH '09
March 26-28, 2009(Thursday night departure)
An all-in package rate of Php4,650.00 per person for the following inclusions:
* Service of tour director
* Exclusive air-con van/bus
* Accommodation at George Guest House Annex
* Total of 6 meals (2 breakfast, 2 lunch, 2 dinner)
* Banaue-SagadaTour (please see itinerary)
* Service of local guides and use of equipments
* Tour entrance fees

A reservation downpayment of P1,000.00/pax is required on or before March 13, 2009. Full payment should be made on or before March 20, 2009For reservations and other details, please check out http://traveladvocate.multiply.com/journal/item/3 or call them at 741-9187 0917-5011884 0917-4249629


2. Camarines Sur (Bicol Region)
Caramoan Island – for Php 4650 until July 2009, get a chance to see an unexploited island. Included in this package are the following:

* Accommodations (4 pax room sharing at REX Tourist Inn)* Three (3) Breakfast Meals* Tour Guide (3 days)* Island Hopping Boat* Spelunking Fee* Cable Park and Equipment Rental Fee (CWC)* Beginner Wakeboard* Skis and Kneeboard* Basic Kneeboard Instructions from Professional Wakeboarder* CWC Swimming Pool use* Round Trip Transfer (Land and Boat)

For inquiries and reservations, please check out http://caramoan-paradise.blogspot.com/ or email Myra Roces at caramoan.tours@gmail.com

3. Sagada Tour Package
A package tour for solo, double or group tours. Check out Gareth’s blog at http://sagadagenuineguides.blogspot.com/. My virtualtourist friends attest to this group’s professional and efficient service.

I shall add more packages as I find them. Stay tuned.