If only I could stay there for good..
I got off from work at around 10:20 in the evening last Thursday and budi and I scurried into the first cab that stopped and gave us a ride to Cubao bus terminal in time to catch the 11 p.m. bus ride to Baguio. Inside the bus, we found ourselves wiping away a silly grin from our faces as the thought of where we were heading became more and more real with every tick of the speedometer, as the engine’s hum became faster and faster with every change in gears.
The six-hour trip to Baguio--together with three bus stops in Tarlac, Pangasinan and La Union--was surprisingly cut down to no more than five hours, thanks to our driver’s swift driving and the early morning roads and highways free of any vehicular buildup.
To my surprise, the five-hour lull during the ride wasn’t enough to keep my spirit down and catch up on some much-needed slumber.
When we got off in Baguio, we had to ask for directions from the locals because from what we learned a couple of hours ago in the bus, budi’s first and last visit to the city of pines was when he was just in second grade and mine was at around that point in my life either. From there, we took a cab going to Dangua and with barely an hour to go until our next bus ride, we had our breakfast at a modest café (if you can consider it a café) at Dangua and the food was surprisingly delish! Either that or I’m just starving like crazy I could eat almost anything.
At exactly six in the morning, our bus motored away to the place where adventure and respite almost always combine--Sagada. I am proud to say it was our first time to visit the place and I just had to give ourselves a pat in the back for being bold enough to set out in that jaunt with only our internet printouts and maps to guide us along (*wipes away a stupid grin*).
The grueling six-hour ride going to Sagada along the rough roads and highlands of Benguet with all the dust and dirt coming from outside the window, amazingly made me sleepy. Maybe all the sharp turns and curves at about every corner was enough to make me fall asleep. It was an ordinary bus, mind you--the engine would not be able to make it with the air conditioner on, what with the uphill climb and all. But every time I would awake, I couldn’t help but stare at the splendid view outside the window. Rice terraces one after another and ranges and ranges of mountains with the early morning rays making it even more glorious, would astonish any urban-dweller who would happen to pass by this side of the country.
When we got to Sagada, after a seemingly endless ride along the mountainsides, my pain in the ass (literally) and the grime all over my body was worth it.
We had ourselves registered at SEGA at the municipal hall which doubles as a tourist center and not to mention, a police station as well! Afterwards, we looked for a place where we could stay and decided to settle over at Rocky Valley Inn and Cafe. It was a humble inn a few meters away from Centro (or the town center). The amenities were undeniably Spartan (read: there were no television, no hot water, no telephones, blah, blah, blah) but we had a pleasant stay nonetheless, because really, what’s the point in going to Sagada without going basic?
After having settled at our inn and with plenty of time to spare before the 9 p.m. curfew, we went for a stroll around the picturesque town and were able to meet a few locals. And I just had to say that Sagada has the most adorable and friendliest kids ever! Imagine being greeted by a warm ‘Hello’ or ‘Hi!’ by chinky-eyed kids with incredibly rosy cheeks! I love kids and the kids in Sagada being so warm and welcoming towards visitors was at about enough to make me want to have my own! Err--at least after a couple of years.
After a stroll down the church of St. Mary the Virgin, and having visited Sagada’s bell and St. Mary’s School, and a number of souvenir shops, we were finally able to find the famed Yoghurt House. We had our (really) late lunch which also served as our dinner alongside fellow tourists. While waiting, book aficionados would be delighted to know that the place offers quite an array of books from Chuck Palanhuik to Tich Nat Han which one could read while listening to the likes of Troy Andrews and Danny Weis. We had a generous serving of pasta, chicken, lemongrass tea and yoghurt which was absolutely divine!
Afterwards, we had a leisurely walk with nothing but the moonlight and the sweet smell of pines to set us back to our inn.
The following day, we got up at around six in the morning and we got ourselves a registered guide, Kuya Raffy, who took us sight-seeing around the area. From the Hanging Coffins in Echo Valley to several other burial caves and a number of rice terraces along the way, the trip was already wonderful. And with the splendor of Sagada around us, we couldn’t help but ask Kuya Raffy how much a piece of land in Sagada would cost (mayaman ako e). To our surprise, Kuya Raffy told us they don’t sell their lands to outsiders. Turns out, for Sagadans, land is more important than money which I think is okay, because who else could value and take good care of the place than the locals themselves? Basically, every piece of land in Sagada was passed on from one local to his descendants and on to his next descendants but never sold.
Getting to Sumaging Cave was nothing compared to the adventure that awaits us inside the cave. Again, I would have to give myself a pat in the back for having conquered Sumaging Cave because there was absolutely nothing that could have prepared me for our trek inside the cave! The entire cave was made slippery not only by the drops of water from the pine trees atop, but by bat droppings as well! Luckily, the bats seemed to have gotten used to cave explorers and our presence did not seem to bother them. Thank God. I wouldn’t know what I would do if they took off from their resting place above us (putek mababaliw talaga ko non). It was a huge cave, with limestone formations here and there. One can not help but marvel at the glistening stalactites and stalagmites and columns that await explorers with every turn. The temperature inside the cave was almost below 10 degrees Celsius (at nakashorts lang ako the whole time). Cold air would come out of our mouths with every breath and the fact that there was no other way to get from one spot to another but to swim through pitch-black (not to mention chilly) underground pools did not make the trek an easy one. I just had to take comfort in the fact that the water was partly sulfuric, so it’s good for our skin. After hours of trekking and rope-climbing, we were finally able to make our way out of the cave. Daylight made me realize how grubby I have become and how many bruises I got from the entire trek. But it was worth it. Walang adventure kung walang sugat! Ayus.
All that trekking and cave exploring gave us quite an appetite. So as we hiked our way back to the town center, we barely had the oomph to walk around and find another place to dine so we had our lunch over at Yoghurt House. In fact, we had all our other meals during our entire stay in Sagada from Yoghurt House.
During the afternoon, we hiked our way to Bontoc for a view of the well-known Kiltepan Rice Terraces. The view atop the mountain was worth the couple of hours of arduous trek to Kiltepan. The afternoon sun made everything seemed surreal-the spectacular view of the mountains and the terraces with patches of shadows coming from the clouds above as they race their way towards another mountain was breath taking. We just had to stop for (almost) half an hour and enjoy the sight with the cool breeze blowing at our cheeks. Our trek down the mountain did not fall short from what we just had when we made our way up. We were able to encounter wild horses at the so-called Marlboro country and wild roosters and woodpeckers and all other animals, plants and trees while the entire place smelled of pines.
When we got back to our inn, as we packed up our bags for the early morning trip back to Manila the following day, we were pretty sure our three-day stay at Sagada was not enough to explore all the wonders this magnificent place holds amidst all its beauty and longstanding culture--but it was enough to make us want to go back to this mystic place nestled in the mountains of Benguet real soon for yet another taste of adventure and thrill-seeking, Sagada-style.
