We were picked up by a Hi-ace Van at around 10PM in Bocaue Exit and traveled comfortably despite the humpy sleeps the whole night ride to the North. We reached Banaue Ifugao at exactly 7AM and the view is just so stunning that the grogginess of our eyes went bright after seeing the famous rice terraces. After having our breakfast, which is just a simple "-silog" meals for Php120-140 , we hopped in one of the terraces to reach the, I must call "Stage" for a perfect view and yeah, picture!!
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where to stay
LABANET LODGE
In just a heartbeat, touch down...Sagada! Checked-in at 11AM on a traveler's inn, which is included in our Php 2,800 group package, named "Labanet Lodge" where we had a quick rest and a very rewarding hot shower followed by "Yakiniku", a local sagada beef that cost Php130 with lots of onion rings over a pink-colored rice that we had for lunch to start up our afternoon.
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what to do
"LUMIANG CONNECTING TO SUMAGUING"
Cave Adventure
Because Sagada is a place for adventurous people, you can't and you wouldn't want to leave this place without even trying to survive to at least one, two, three or even five adventures that Sagada offers!
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| on our way down to the Lumiang Cave. |
Before entering the first cave, which is Lumiang Cave, Kuyang Tour guide first discussed some of the information about the caves, historical events, do's and don'ts, how to survive, what to wear and so on.
Cave exploring has become one of my kind of adventure these days as I started caving in Bulacan with group of solid friends and it is actually a hell of fun! That's why I am more than excited to enter a cave, larger cave this time, again!!!
Lumiang Cave, as per kuyang tour guide, is one of the most visited among all caves of Sagada. According to him, this is where corpses were buried in the late '80s. Sounds creepy! One thing I won't forget is I have seen a real human bones inside those coffins for the very first time!
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| Cave burial |
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| Actual bone of an igorot |
Connecting from Lumiang to Sumaguing cave is not an easy thing. It took us 4hours (2 hours of exploring and 2 hours rest) to reach the other cave which is almost 2km. Clamber up, slide down, roping, hopping, crawling etc. Thanks to the two tour guides for being very patient in guiding us, lifting us if needed and for being a human stone to where we have to stepped in their knees, back or neck for the times that we will surely be slipped in the stones.
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| From 'Sagada" team to "Cave women" |
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| It takes two tourguides to support this woman to climb up of the rocks. lol. |
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| For every rest, there is a shot. |
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| Squad goals. |
REACHING THE CAVE OF SUMAGUING
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After all the struggles that we've passed through Lumiang, we have finally reached the main cave attraction, Sumaguing's. You really have to work hard to attain the best in life. Good thing we are brave enough to face the challenges inside the cave and had the opportunity to witness the God's gift of nature hidden in this cave. All the sweat, efforts and hardworks have been paid off. I love how the people of Sagada takes good care of this cave and maintains its naturalism. I can finally say, I've survived Lumiang and Sumaguing Cave!!
Thank for the one who invented Rope lol
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| Php10 Palitaw on stick is surely a great way to reward our body from that pain-causing adventure! |
where to eat
YOGHURT HOUSE
When we got out of the cave, it's almost dark, 6pm, everyone is hungry, tired, dirty and definitely needs some rest and refreshment so we headed back to lodge to refine ourselves.
The night was still young hence we had a chance to explore the place for some night walks and we decided to fit ourselves in the crowded hungry people of "Yoghurt House". I just had the most delicious home made hot chocolate which was very perfect for that breezy night sweater weather outside our lodge. Waaaah this is just so perfect! The silence of the evening makes it more peaceful and a lovely place to stay in.
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| the twins |
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| Sweater weather, indeed. |
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| Sugar? Yes, please! |
what to do
BUMOD-OK FALLS
Adventure
Since we just had a good sleep after caving on the first day of our Sagada trip, we are definitely energized and ready to prove our selves from cave to falls adventure. They maybe different in beauty, characteristic, histories and beliefs but one thing they have in common and that is a long trail ( almost 2km same as cave's) before reaching the destination. It costs Php500 for a group of 10 pax for we spent Php50 per head for this adventure. Not really bad! In Bulacan, for Php50 you can only have a value meal with a chicken that tastes more like flour. Ugh! I wouldn't trade this experience to any unworthy things in life. Just saying.
Of course, there's always a Kuyang tour guide and that can only mean one thing, There's a looong briefing! lol. Here is kuya Joseph, an Igorot, he gave us a safety wood to help us balance ourselves. He also explained that Bumod-ok is a hidden falls and he said that it's a woman falls, yes apparently this falls has a gender!, and the reason why it is hiding in between mountains is because she's afraid to show to other her naked beauty, I guess everyone wouldn't want that too.
I was so stupid to ask what's this flower is, and felt more stupid when Kuya Jospeh said "Sunflower po yan, ma'am!" with curiosity on his face, like hello!? It doesn't really look like a sunflower because the middle part is ain't dark (Don't know the term of that specific part of flower though haha) Well it is just so amazing that our way to the falls is full of this flowers. Waaah, mountains! I really love mountains! Igorots, good people, good food, fresh air, flowers, water, cave..Nature! Thank You, up there.
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Same as caving, this is no easy task.
There you go, dearest Bumod-ok! You're so far yet you make us so proud!! Listening to your repeated falling water tune is one of the most unwinding feeling ever after a long trek under the sun. How can you resist jumping on its cold crystal water!? I won't waste every single second of our stay in this creation and all I thought is if ever my Daddy is with us, he will surely be the bravest man to jumped on its deepest, greenest part of water.
Way back uphill, found a perfect place to stop though it is already occupied by the two other tourists.
Can't help my self but to think why can't we do this in Buacan. Why can't we lay on the grass, why can't we smell fresh airs like this, why, why?!
what to eat
PINIKPIKAN
At exactly 1:00pm, we're comfortably accommodated by an Igorot family nearby and offered us lunch which is the mos perfect moment to try their very own "Pinikpikan" .
Pinikpikan is the most popular local food of Sagada, or literally the whole mountain province. It can be pork, chicken or beef. "Pinikpikan" is derived from the process itself "Pinikpik" meaning they used to strike the meat until the bloods flows out and let it dry then smoked it for 3 months. The good thing about this food is it has no expiration after 3 months of smoking. It is a very practical way of saving food for the future events, or in case they run out of stocks. Look how Igorot made their life easier. With the resources that they have: Clean waters, fresh fruits and vegetables, animals, fresh airs; they are indeed richer than us. They can live with satisfaction, they will not be hungry, they won't need money to buy clean water, cold air and foods to eat. Mountain is life.
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| chicken and pork pinikpikan |
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| hungry trekker |
what to visit
SAGADA WEAVING
It's quite disappointing to know that they don't do the real and manual weaving of clothes and bags here in Sagada now which we expect to see Igorot in their native clothes "bahag" inside their shelter at the top of the mountain doing their weaving. Nevertheless, their product still on a good quality.
It's quite disappointing to know that they don't do the real and manual weaving of clothes and bags here in Sagada now which we expect to see Igorot in their native clothes "bahag" inside their shelter at the top of the mountain doing their weaving. Nevertheless, their product still on a good quality.
What to visit
HANGING COFFINS
Php300 for 10 pax, we paid Php30 per head for almost 500m walk to the hanging coffins. We have experienced the "Echo Valley" as well where we shouted the famous Regine Velasquez spell of Paolo Balesteros' role as Tidora which is "Huwoooow" and yes! There is a loud echo somewhere in front of us.
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| the solo traveler |
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| Sagada public cemetery |
Here's my team seriously listening to the pretty tour guide's briefing and trivia.
According to Max, the pretty tour guide, the last corpse hanged in this place was in 2010. Heavy storms and earthquakes lessened the number of coffins here. And this is not the only place for burials; there are many places here in Sagada where you can find this coffins like the ones in the Lumiang Cave. This is where they place the corpses of people who died naturally, meaning due to their oldness; while the corpses of those who died brutally which is due to accidents and disease were placed somewhere unreachable because they believe it will bring bad luck to them.
what to do
CANYONEERING
This is one of my companion, Kent, an engineer. Brave enough to try Canyoneering and realized it wasn't him lol.
what to learn
HOW TO MOLD A POT IN LESS THAN 5MINS
Here in Sagada Pottery, for Php10/head, you can watch a demonstration on how to properly mold a pot in less than 5mins. The English-speaking igorot created a vase which looks so easy to mold and we all thought that you only need a hand to do it but it's wrong! Very wrong, she used her one feet to move the circle wood in the floor clockwise while the other feet is at rest, then the clay will start moving in circular motion and she used her hands to, ehem, mold!
You will have to pay another Php200 if you want to try it out and like what English-speaking igorot said "Who wants to get dirty?"
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The molded clay will then place in an oven to cook under medium heat for 30 mins then rinse it off, Wait for a month then it's done!
where to go
ORANGE FARM
We are very lucky that we had the chance to experience the ultimate orange-picking of Sagada because it's the season of Ponkans!!
For only Php50/head entrance fee, we can now pick and eat all oranges that we could eat for 30 mins stay inside the farm plus you can pick more oranges and pay it per kilos for take out. Aside from that rule, we should place the orange peels under its tree for it can serve as fertilizers.
I was like a kid who is rushing to pick the brighter color orange that I can because as you can see not all oranges are already orange-colored but we can still pick those green ones since it's already sweet!
what to eat
FRENCH CREPES FOR MIDNIGHT SNACKS
On the second day obviously have the most number of itinerary listed and it was really a tiring day! To where we ate dinner, I don't care that much because I'm more concern with the rest I'm approaching at night. But before anything else, we cannot leave the place without trying the only familiar food, actually a foreign food, in the neighbor..French Crepes.
It took us 30 mins to wait for our order because everyone here in Sagada seems have craved for the good smell of this snack!
My sister had their best seller Honey & Lemon for Php90, I chose Honey & Blueberry Php120. It's hot and very perfect for the cold breezy nights of Sagada.
where to go
KILTEPAN VIEW
For the highlight of our Sagada trip. We opted to woke up at 4:00AM and headed to Kiltepan to witness the heart-melting view of Sagada.
It is so cold and fogs are everywhere, they made a bonfire but no use at all. Everyone is freezing on excitement. That place called Sagada. I was teary-eyed that moment because it's a very rare chance that you got to witness a miracle, a God's masterpiece. I can't understand why Filipino aims to visit other countries where beauty, thrill and adventures rolled in one can be found in no other than, our very own, Philippines.
We are not strangers in our own nation but we kept on believing it because we kept on doing it.
Would you believe that this place was first found and discovered as an tourist attraction by a foreigner, imagine, foreigner!!
I would rather waste my money traveling Philippines first and helping our tourism by contributing in terms of embracing our own. This is ours. We must be here for once in our lives.
The sea of clouds appears at 5AM, we've waited for the sunrise view but unfortunately it doesn't rose the way it should be. But that's very fine. We are loaded with knowledge about Sagada and that is more than enough.
where to stop
BENGUET, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE!
BENGUET, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE!
The highest point that a man can reach in the Philippines with the elevation of 7,400 feet above sea level located in Cattubo, Atok Benguet.
what to visit
STRAWBERRY FARM, LA TRINIDAD
Because of the recent storms which caused this farm ruined, we didn't get the chance to try the strawberry picking in La Trinidad. Nevertheless, we are very grant to visit this farm while the vendor suggested that we should go back in the mid-December because that would be the perfect season to pick lots of strawberries in this farm.
That would be the summary of our Sagada trip. Hope you guys enjoyed it! For those who's planning to visit Sagada, I cannot say that I've listed everything here but I suggest you to try what I have tried during my two days stay in Sagada and hope that you'll discover something else from their tourism.
The museum of Sagada is not included in this blog because picture taking is not allowed inside but I seriously suggest that you should give your 30mins for this small museum because it will explain all the histories of Sagada that I think every Filipino must know. It just made me so proud, those historical events in their lives, Igorot's way of living, traditions, beliefs etc will make you love them more! will make you love mountains, more! .
Sagada is a not only a place, it's a heaven, a sanctuary of peace, love and yes, soul.
Now I know why it's a perfect place for soul searching. :)
The museum of Sagada is not included in this blog because picture taking is not allowed inside but I seriously suggest that you should give your 30mins for this small museum because it will explain all the histories of Sagada that I think every Filipino must know. It just made me so proud, those historical events in their lives, Igorot's way of living, traditions, beliefs etc will make you love them more! will make you love mountains, more! .
Sagada is a not only a place, it's a heaven, a sanctuary of peace, love and yes, soul.
Now I know why it's a perfect place for soul searching. :)
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