The Sagada Experience: Day 1
Madaming paraan para maikwento ko ang Sagada experience. Ang una kong naisip ay ikwento ito na parang travelogue na pwedeng i-publish. Pwede naman, at alam ko kaya ko yun. Kaso, ang pag kwento ko ng ganung paraan ay mawawalan ng ilang mga bagay. Kaya naisip ko, ikwento ko ng dalawang beses: una yung pang travelogue, at yung pangalawa ay para sa being true to self thingy. I tell you, that would be more exciting.
I begin by saying that if you plan to take the Banaue route to get to Sagada, choose Autobus with care! My ghad, kung nakita nyo lang yung mukha ko nung dumating yung bus namin pa-Banaue. I asked hija_de_futah “Tara, Baguio na tayo?” half jokingly. I’m used to traveling by bus, but hello naman, ang bus na ito ay walang sinabi sa provincial station ng Victory. Sabay ilang beses pa dumadaan sa harap namin yung mga makulay at bagong bus ng Florida. Pink and purple. Nakaka-enganyo mag byahe.
Note to self: do a bit more research when it comes to bus lines. And for the love of God, to all bloggers and website owners who publish information about such services, keep your information updated! I had to walk half the length of Espana just to find the farkin’ bus station. Not everyone I asked knew where it was so that made it doubly hard.
FYI, Autobus address is Cayco St. corner S.H. Loyola. You can get there via Espana though. Contact numbers are 740-7959 and 493-4111.
Anyway, when the bus arrived talagang shocked daw yung mukha ko. I was already feeling apprehensive, but had my hopes up when I saw the Olongapo bound Autobus. Eh nung dumating yung pang Banaue, my gulay, I was ready to bolt. But I figured kaya ko to, so I told hija_de_futah na sige, game na to. Adventure. Kunwari kasali kami sa Amazing Race (at sana lang may kamukha ni Allan Wu sa dulo ng race di ba?).
So while I was mulling things over in my head, na pansin ko yung isang Caucasian guy sa harap namin na mag-bo-board na. Bumulong ako ke hija_de_futah “Kamukha ni Jason Wade” at siempre, natawa naman kaming dalawa. Later, ang kasama ni Jason ay nabinyagan naming Sylar, dahil hawig naman niya ang character mula sa series na Heroes. Ke-malas lang at nakita ko na sira ang zipper ng shorts ni Sylar kaya medyo na-TO kami at natawa nalang ng todo.
Buti nalang hindi sila marunong mag-Tagalog.
Tried my best to sleep but all I could manage was the kind of sleep that was so light, it wasn’t really sleep at all. I probably began to really fall asleep when we made it out the NLEX, because the next thing I knew, we were pulling into the first stop over for the journey. Di ako bumamba, pero na gulat ako when I saw a flash of light coming from outside. I took a peek and saw Jason taking a picture of the bus. Probably to show his friends back home what kind of transportation we had here. I could tell him that this wasn’t the normal condition of most bus services, but I fear that the driver might attack me for maligning his beloved bus.
Anyway, the next thing I knew, we were at the second bus stop and that was when hija_de_futah and I decided to check the comfort room for a mirror so she could fix her contacts. I ended up scrambling back into the bus because I was cold. A sure sign that we were near the mountains, but still far from our destination.
Finally, around 5 AM, the sky was starting to lighten. I tried to stay awake because I was under the impression that we would definitely see the rice terraces but only in passing. I kept nudging hija_de_futah to wake up everytime I saw one, but for some reason, I felt letdown with what I saw. I kept thinking “This doesn’t look like the ones I used to see in postcards,” so I figured there may be a better view somewhere.
We arrived at the Autobus terminal in Banaue, and it looked no more than your typical talyer in your neighborhood. I was desperate for some sign of anything that’ll tell me that we were in the right place. Luckily, we managed to snag a van along with some passengers who were heading off to Sagada. Ang nakakatawa dun, lahat kami ay first time visitors so ayun, pare-parehong mga sunod nalang sa “guide”.
Jason and Sylar went off with another group. Apparently, their destination was really Banaue, so it was goodbye eye candy. Tsk, kala ko pa naman makakatabi ko na siya sa van.
Our van driver, Marshall, took us to a restaurant-slash-inn, where we had breakfast while waiting for the other passengers who rode the Florida lines from Manila. Note, if you wish to travel the Banaue-Bontoc-Sagada route, take Florida for the sake of your comfort. And it costs only P25 more.
The inn was called Stairway, in reference to the rice terraces you can glimpse outside. Again, I knew that this wasn’t the terraces I knew from pictures, pero kahit papano excited pa rin ako. Ayun, picture picture like the tourists we were, and yes, hindi ko mapigil ang aking mga bungisngis kahit na emo pic dapat.
At Stairway, we got to introduce ourselves to our fellow travelers: A Mrs. De Vera who taught science in Chang Kai Shek college, her sister and their companions; a family whose last name I can’t recall (but towards the end of the trip we fondly referred to them as Tito Romy and Tita Edith, and their daughter was Joy, home for a vacation from Singapore). We were joined later by a Japanese girl named Sayuri, who beat us all hands down by being the Philippines all by herself, and going to Sagada with the just the help of her guidebook; and three guys, Eco, Jon and Jay-Jay, who were meeting friends who had been in Sagada since Thursday.
We squeezed ourselves into the somewhat creaky L300 van that had clearly seen better days. My respect for the driver and the vehicle actually grew as we navigated through the long, winding and often rough roads. Imagine keeping the position for four hours. At least my seat was ok. Eco was muttering to his friend about his butt since he sat on the part of the seat that folded, so it had metal areas that hurt.
But the trip was worth it. When Marshall pulled up an area by the road and told us, “Eto na yung nakikita ninyo sa postcard,” talagang napa-wow ako. If I was somewhat amazed by the sight of the terraces I saw earlier, this one had me flabbergasted. I remember reading somewhere that the terraces were the staircase to God, and it was then that I realized how true that was. I can only imagine the strength and effort it took for the ancestors of these people to build that. It was really something they should be proud of, and something I can be proud of too.
Did the tourist thing of taking pictures and all, but to heck with it. Once in a lifetime ito (unless bigla akong sumpungin at pumunta ulit ng Sagada). We did a few more stops along the way for a bit more of the rice terraces, plus the vegetable terraces with their cute patterns. Sort of like rice crop circles, but with a bit more flair.
After enduring the rough roads, I got my first glimpse of Bontoc. I could hear the Hallelujah chorus in my head, but when Marshall said, “This is Bontoc,” I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry because it wasn’t the end of the journey. Pero keri lang, and like I said, enjoy the trip nalang. Later, when It told Mama about it, she told me that one of her aunts lived there because her husband was a judge in Bontoc, and that she was supposed to go live with them but my grandfather didn’t want it. O ha? Eh di taga bundok sana nanay ko hehe.
Marshall told us that we had about thirty to forty five minutes before we reached Sagada. Ok, kaya yan, sabi namin. Pinilit ko nalang matulog pero hindi kinaya, hangat sa umabot na kumanta nalang kami ng “Someday We’ll Know” na version ni Mandy Moore at Jonathan Foreman (caught on video!). Finally, may nakita kaming sign, “Welcome to Sagada,” and our spirits perked up at the excitement of finally being there.
Entering the town proper seemed anti-climatic. I suppose reading all those blog entries and site information about Sagada gave me some expectatations that wasn’t exactly met by the actual thing. However, I knew that there was more to Sagada than what I initially saw, so I held back my thoughts.
We dropped the boys off at St. Joseph’s resthouse, then headed off to George to check in. Dun na rin nag stay yung iba naming mga kasabay sa byahe. Naging roommate na rin namin si Sayuri, mostly to help with the cost, as well as to guide her and keep her safe. Somehow we figured that we’d better watch over her as we can at least speak Tagalog and communicate easily with the residents. Ha, goes to show that we underestimated this girl. I have the feeling she’ll be ok even without us around.
The three of us headed to the Municipal Hall to register. Required ang mga turista na mag-lagda ng kanilang mga pangalan at pinangalingan, siguro para na rin mabantayan sila kung sakaling may mangyari. Ok naman yun di ba? Afterwards, we went to the bank to exchange Sayuri’s money as she wasn’t able to withdraw any in Bontoc. It rained while we were at the bank and we decided to wait it out. In the end, hunger proved to be too much so we braved the rain and ate at Yogurt House.
If there’s one thing I will go back to Sagada for, it would be the food. We picked Yogurt House first because it was halfway to our place and was highly recommended by the various sites we’ve visited. What I can say is this: even if you’re on a tight budget, you will survive in Sagada.
hija_de_futah ordered the Vegetarian Pasta, while Sayuri had the Cheese Pasta. I decided on a chicken plate that included pasta and toast. Coffee was what we had for our drinks. Dessert was yougurt: granola toppings for Sayuri (who looked really excited when she said she’ll have that), and complete for hija_de_futah and myself. Complete had banana, strawberry preserves and granola on it.
As for the cost, sulit! Let’s say the prices were typical, a hundred or so for one dish. But the servings! No one told us that it was good for two! Good thing I was hungry, because hija_de_futah wasn’t able to finish her food so I ate the rest. I think Sayuri was amazed that I ate it all, not to mention the yoghurt.
Afterwards, we went exploring. We didn’t really go very far, as it was late in the afternoon and we actually had no idea where to go. We took a walk to the St. Mary’s Church, which was a beautiful old structure with a very interesting altar. Needless to say it was a site for a bit of emo pictures.
While there, we ran into Tita Edith and family, and we joined them in hopes of seeing the Sagada weaving. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we took a walk back to our guesthouse. We didn’t have dinner as we were still full from the rather late and heavy lunch we had, so after taking a bath, hija_de_futah and I had coffee in the common room and chatted until our hair was dry. Downside to the cold weather, hair drying takes a long time.
Sagada is a coffee lovers paradise. Not only is brewed coffee common like it was their instant, you an also get it in different kinds. I swear, walang sinabi ang Starbucks sa kape ng Sagada. If you’re the type who wants a certain bean or something, you can get it here at more than half the price. And it was my first time to drink coffee black. Oddly enough, their coffee had a slight, chocolatey taste that I loved.
Off to bed for us, as we were to be up early for exploring the caves of Sumaging.
The rest of the pictures can be found here.
Day 2 tomorrow.
I begin by saying that if you plan to take the Banaue route to get to Sagada, choose Autobus with care! My ghad, kung nakita nyo lang yung mukha ko nung dumating yung bus namin pa-Banaue. I asked hija_de_futah “Tara, Baguio na tayo?” half jokingly. I’m used to traveling by bus, but hello naman, ang bus na ito ay walang sinabi sa provincial station ng Victory. Sabay ilang beses pa dumadaan sa harap namin yung mga makulay at bagong bus ng Florida. Pink and purple. Nakaka-enganyo mag byahe.
Note to self: do a bit more research when it comes to bus lines. And for the love of God, to all bloggers and website owners who publish information about such services, keep your information updated! I had to walk half the length of Espana just to find the farkin’ bus station. Not everyone I asked knew where it was so that made it doubly hard.
FYI, Autobus address is Cayco St. corner S.H. Loyola. You can get there via Espana though. Contact numbers are 740-7959 and 493-4111.
Anyway, when the bus arrived talagang shocked daw yung mukha ko. I was already feeling apprehensive, but had my hopes up when I saw the Olongapo bound Autobus. Eh nung dumating yung pang Banaue, my gulay, I was ready to bolt. But I figured kaya ko to, so I told hija_de_futah na sige, game na to. Adventure. Kunwari kasali kami sa Amazing Race (at sana lang may kamukha ni Allan Wu sa dulo ng race di ba?).
So while I was mulling things over in my head, na pansin ko yung isang Caucasian guy sa harap namin na mag-bo-board na. Bumulong ako ke hija_de_futah “Kamukha ni Jason Wade” at siempre, natawa naman kaming dalawa. Later, ang kasama ni Jason ay nabinyagan naming Sylar, dahil hawig naman niya ang character mula sa series na Heroes. Ke-malas lang at nakita ko na sira ang zipper ng shorts ni Sylar kaya medyo na-TO kami at natawa nalang ng todo.
Buti nalang hindi sila marunong mag-Tagalog.
Tried my best to sleep but all I could manage was the kind of sleep that was so light, it wasn’t really sleep at all. I probably began to really fall asleep when we made it out the NLEX, because the next thing I knew, we were pulling into the first stop over for the journey. Di ako bumamba, pero na gulat ako when I saw a flash of light coming from outside. I took a peek and saw Jason taking a picture of the bus. Probably to show his friends back home what kind of transportation we had here. I could tell him that this wasn’t the normal condition of most bus services, but I fear that the driver might attack me for maligning his beloved bus.
Anyway, the next thing I knew, we were at the second bus stop and that was when hija_de_futah and I decided to check the comfort room for a mirror so she could fix her contacts. I ended up scrambling back into the bus because I was cold. A sure sign that we were near the mountains, but still far from our destination.
Finally, around 5 AM, the sky was starting to lighten. I tried to stay awake because I was under the impression that we would definitely see the rice terraces but only in passing. I kept nudging hija_de_futah to wake up everytime I saw one, but for some reason, I felt letdown with what I saw. I kept thinking “This doesn’t look like the ones I used to see in postcards,” so I figured there may be a better view somewhere.
We arrived at the Autobus terminal in Banaue, and it looked no more than your typical talyer in your neighborhood. I was desperate for some sign of anything that’ll tell me that we were in the right place. Luckily, we managed to snag a van along with some passengers who were heading off to Sagada. Ang nakakatawa dun, lahat kami ay first time visitors so ayun, pare-parehong mga sunod nalang sa “guide”.
Jason and Sylar went off with another group. Apparently, their destination was really Banaue, so it was goodbye eye candy. Tsk, kala ko pa naman makakatabi ko na siya sa van.
Our van driver, Marshall, took us to a restaurant-slash-inn, where we had breakfast while waiting for the other passengers who rode the Florida lines from Manila. Note, if you wish to travel the Banaue-Bontoc-Sagada route, take Florida for the sake of your comfort. And it costs only P25 more.
The inn was called Stairway, in reference to the rice terraces you can glimpse outside. Again, I knew that this wasn’t the terraces I knew from pictures, pero kahit papano excited pa rin ako. Ayun, picture picture like the tourists we were, and yes, hindi ko mapigil ang aking mga bungisngis kahit na emo pic dapat.
At Stairway, we got to introduce ourselves to our fellow travelers: A Mrs. De Vera who taught science in Chang Kai Shek college, her sister and their companions; a family whose last name I can’t recall (but towards the end of the trip we fondly referred to them as Tito Romy and Tita Edith, and their daughter was Joy, home for a vacation from Singapore). We were joined later by a Japanese girl named Sayuri, who beat us all hands down by being the Philippines all by herself, and going to Sagada with the just the help of her guidebook; and three guys, Eco, Jon and Jay-Jay, who were meeting friends who had been in Sagada since Thursday.
We squeezed ourselves into the somewhat creaky L300 van that had clearly seen better days. My respect for the driver and the vehicle actually grew as we navigated through the long, winding and often rough roads. Imagine keeping the position for four hours. At least my seat was ok. Eco was muttering to his friend about his butt since he sat on the part of the seat that folded, so it had metal areas that hurt.
But the trip was worth it. When Marshall pulled up an area by the road and told us, “Eto na yung nakikita ninyo sa postcard,” talagang napa-wow ako. If I was somewhat amazed by the sight of the terraces I saw earlier, this one had me flabbergasted. I remember reading somewhere that the terraces were the staircase to God, and it was then that I realized how true that was. I can only imagine the strength and effort it took for the ancestors of these people to build that. It was really something they should be proud of, and something I can be proud of too.
Did the tourist thing of taking pictures and all, but to heck with it. Once in a lifetime ito (unless bigla akong sumpungin at pumunta ulit ng Sagada). We did a few more stops along the way for a bit more of the rice terraces, plus the vegetable terraces with their cute patterns. Sort of like rice crop circles, but with a bit more flair.
After enduring the rough roads, I got my first glimpse of Bontoc. I could hear the Hallelujah chorus in my head, but when Marshall said, “This is Bontoc,” I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry because it wasn’t the end of the journey. Pero keri lang, and like I said, enjoy the trip nalang. Later, when It told Mama about it, she told me that one of her aunts lived there because her husband was a judge in Bontoc, and that she was supposed to go live with them but my grandfather didn’t want it. O ha? Eh di taga bundok sana nanay ko hehe.
Marshall told us that we had about thirty to forty five minutes before we reached Sagada. Ok, kaya yan, sabi namin. Pinilit ko nalang matulog pero hindi kinaya, hangat sa umabot na kumanta nalang kami ng “Someday We’ll Know” na version ni Mandy Moore at Jonathan Foreman (caught on video!). Finally, may nakita kaming sign, “Welcome to Sagada,” and our spirits perked up at the excitement of finally being there.
Entering the town proper seemed anti-climatic. I suppose reading all those blog entries and site information about Sagada gave me some expectatations that wasn’t exactly met by the actual thing. However, I knew that there was more to Sagada than what I initially saw, so I held back my thoughts.
We dropped the boys off at St. Joseph’s resthouse, then headed off to George to check in. Dun na rin nag stay yung iba naming mga kasabay sa byahe. Naging roommate na rin namin si Sayuri, mostly to help with the cost, as well as to guide her and keep her safe. Somehow we figured that we’d better watch over her as we can at least speak Tagalog and communicate easily with the residents. Ha, goes to show that we underestimated this girl. I have the feeling she’ll be ok even without us around.
The three of us headed to the Municipal Hall to register. Required ang mga turista na mag-lagda ng kanilang mga pangalan at pinangalingan, siguro para na rin mabantayan sila kung sakaling may mangyari. Ok naman yun di ba? Afterwards, we went to the bank to exchange Sayuri’s money as she wasn’t able to withdraw any in Bontoc. It rained while we were at the bank and we decided to wait it out. In the end, hunger proved to be too much so we braved the rain and ate at Yogurt House.
If there’s one thing I will go back to Sagada for, it would be the food. We picked Yogurt House first because it was halfway to our place and was highly recommended by the various sites we’ve visited. What I can say is this: even if you’re on a tight budget, you will survive in Sagada.
hija_de_futah ordered the Vegetarian Pasta, while Sayuri had the Cheese Pasta. I decided on a chicken plate that included pasta and toast. Coffee was what we had for our drinks. Dessert was yougurt: granola toppings for Sayuri (who looked really excited when she said she’ll have that), and complete for hija_de_futah and myself. Complete had banana, strawberry preserves and granola on it.
As for the cost, sulit! Let’s say the prices were typical, a hundred or so for one dish. But the servings! No one told us that it was good for two! Good thing I was hungry, because hija_de_futah wasn’t able to finish her food so I ate the rest. I think Sayuri was amazed that I ate it all, not to mention the yoghurt.
Afterwards, we went exploring. We didn’t really go very far, as it was late in the afternoon and we actually had no idea where to go. We took a walk to the St. Mary’s Church, which was a beautiful old structure with a very interesting altar. Needless to say it was a site for a bit of emo pictures.
While there, we ran into Tita Edith and family, and we joined them in hopes of seeing the Sagada weaving. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we took a walk back to our guesthouse. We didn’t have dinner as we were still full from the rather late and heavy lunch we had, so after taking a bath, hija_de_futah and I had coffee in the common room and chatted until our hair was dry. Downside to the cold weather, hair drying takes a long time.
Sagada is a coffee lovers paradise. Not only is brewed coffee common like it was their instant, you an also get it in different kinds. I swear, walang sinabi ang Starbucks sa kape ng Sagada. If you’re the type who wants a certain bean or something, you can get it here at more than half the price. And it was my first time to drink coffee black. Oddly enough, their coffee had a slight, chocolatey taste that I loved.
Off to bed for us, as we were to be up early for exploring the caves of Sumaging.
The rest of the pictures can be found here.
Day 2 tomorrow.