• The travel is open to all. Bring friends and your family! Text complete name, institution, gender and age @ 09187318010 and confirm attendance.
• Warm up and flex your muscles or exercise before the event. Join in good health.
• For Sagada cold weather during night time, wear a thick jacket/sweater, gloves, a bonnet or a cap for the head plus socks, neck protection.
• Bring your sunglass, sunblock, moisturizer, cap/umbrella, medicines; baon for 3 days and 2 nights; & extra money for food, souvenirs, etc.
• Bring water at all times.
• Bring a self-help book or a bag of periodicals/books or a box for the outreach program of the Association.
• Going to Sagada (12 hours) transforms you into a backpacker.
• Fee of 3,200 pesos is inclusive of transportation, accommodation, tour packages & guide fees, tourism fee, museum fee, pottery shop w/ demo fee, day-tour van/jeep)
• Take care of your personal belongings. The tour coordinators will not be responsible for losses from Manila to Sagada, vice-versa.
ASSEMBLY
• Be at the bus station of the Cable Tours, in front of Trinity University of Asia (college campus), Rodriguez St., Q.C. @ 7pm (Dec. 26. Come earlier since traffic is heavy beginning 4pm.
• Departure is 8pm. Get enough sleep each day...
ACCOMMODATION
• Beddings are provided. There is an extra cost for an extra blanket.
• Bring your toiletries.
• Water in Sagada is ice cold but tolerable during shower.
• Water is scarce when there is a big number of tourists in the municipality.
• Hot water is available in the resthouse (St. Joseph’s Resthouse).
• Battery charging is allowed.
TOUR
• Wake up early, greet & say your beautiful mornings to all and eat breakfast @ 7am (Masferre Inn). 7:45am tour assembly is in front of the Municipality Hall. @ 8am, all in the van/jeep and tour begins.
• Wear non-white and jeans are a no in doing spelunking (caving) in the Sumag-ing Cave (Friday) or walking over rice paddies to Bomod-ok Falls (Saturday). Be in simplest attire at all times and shorts are okay.
• All ages are admitted including kids of 4 and can go down the cave or aim also for Bomod-ok Falls for four (4) hours each.
• No step-ins down the cave. The group will be going down barefoot or barefooted. There will be pool swimming
• Saturday walk to Bomod-ok Falls: bring food for your merienda and lunch and your swimsuit.
• Little fasting is a yes-yes! But eat fruits, bread, drink water or juice or raw vegetables with some sauce, avoid cola.
Others
• Sagada is very people-friendly. Understand dwellers’ accent.
• Listen to tourist guides and guides are accommodating. If you have inquiries, ask them.
• You may give a personal tip and be informed that a group tip is already part of your travel fees. If asking for a personal guide, provide also a personal tip. Two (2) guides for a group of 10.
• Text @ 09187318010 if you have inquiries or decide to eat and be somewhere in the municipality on top of caves
• Don’t forget to try lemon pie or blue berry pie w/ brewed coffee, or be @ the Lemon Pie House or Yoghurt House. Be & eat out also anywhere: Alfredo’s, Log Cabin, Cusina Igorota, Sagada Guest House, Olahbinan, Igorot Inn, Sudimay, and other small eateries.
• Establishments close @ 9pm except for St. Joseph Cafe and St. Theodore Hospital with a pharmacy.
• Saturday is market day. Buy a lot near the Municipality Hall.
• See Sagada online-resources for other tips for an EXCITING, RELAXING & PLEASURABLE TRIP to the HIGHLANDS of MOUNTAIN PROVINCE.
• Opinions are welcome before, during and after Sagada trip!
• Exploring Sagada is team-building and one learning experience to share, discover and enjoy good life in Cordillera.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
KNOWING AND LOVING SAGADA-MENSAPIT (TRAVEL STORY)
KNOWING AND LOVING SAGADA-MENSAPIT (TRAVEL STORY)
"Beyond those traveled hills of the north Lies my home, all laden with pines... "
Sagada mornings make you high. Little did we expect that we would be greeted immensely by skies on our first day. Heavens' gates are open with a fine spray, falling in fog, flakes on skin. With its wintry breeze, cool and temperate climate, one is stimulated to kneel down, gets thick but fresh air - right to the faces - a treat, free of charge.
Sagada, a municipality of the Mountain Province, is a well-kept paradise of the Kankana-ey language group. Lavishly productive are the lands blessed with growing pine trees, plentiful fruits, and leafy vegetables. Stone paths, waterfalls, etc. -based decors of the terraces - mountains surrounding and cliffs walling villages are breathtakingly awesome.
While served with mountain tea and cinnamon, terraced ricefields are seen by the window, a main feature of the town.
"My thanks to thee, my love dressed in green; My paradise unforseen..."
Sagada allows you to feel "welcome among the friendly people here," a visiting Australian professor once commented. It is a small town offering an exceptional experience. Here, people are sociable. Ancient traditions and religious obligations have metamorphosed them into active and fascinating community to discover about.
Sagada, "a must stop" designation for tourists is home to more than 10,000 competently industrious, convincingly peace loving and confidently intelligent Sagadans.
"In you, I will give; my life, I will live; With you, I will share; all my life, without care."
Its natives speak so well of the place. This little but pleasant town is vehemently endeared in the heart of every born Sagadian. One may dwell far from it but soon he realizes an umbilical cord pulling him back to lay his "face before thy shrine." He will desire and love to embrace it back inevitably.
Numerous houses including private ones await guests with affordable meals. Electricity exists! St. Joseph's Resthouse does not only have rooms for P100, but it does have also an area for conferences, a restaurant, a souvenir store, and a big garden. Other important places to stay and eat are: Masferre Inn and Restaurant (Julia's Guest House), Alfredo's Cabin (Hotel and Restaurant), Ganduyan Inn and Coffee Shoppe, Sagada Guest House, Olahbinan (Bar and Restaurant), Greenhouse, Mapiyaaw Pension, Rocky Valley Inn, Igorot Inn (Moonhouse Cafe), Ruby's Place, A-Seven House, Yoghurt House, Shamrock Cafe, Log Cabin, Bilig Cafe, Right Turn Crafts and Cafe, Sudimay Canteen, and Cuisina Igorota (CI).
One excellent barriotic cuisine one shouldn't miss is called pinikpikan. All households prepare this with etag, a salted meat, producing a distinct aroma, soothing to your nasal and tastes differently.
Spread in the outskirts are novelty shops. The very popular Sagada Weaving & Souvenir Shop introduces a variety of wooden products from coin purses, wallets, shoulders and belt bags, caps, backpacks, and blankets. Bringing additional cash for these items is necessary to avoid personal dismay.
Northern roads are crooked, narrow, and windy. Trekking in six hours from the City of Pines to Sagada for caves is exhilaratingly a sojourn. Caves are a wonder and very enchanting. It begins when one feels being pushed by air and smells some strange odor inhaled and exhaled by underground spaces. Sounds of water dripping from nowhere in the dark tickle up imaginations. Calm creatures, black winged birds fly around, undistrubed.
A spelunker, one who makes a hobby of exploring and studying caves, or a guide is indispensable for any group aiming to unleash specific inexplicable chambers beneath surfaces of Sagada, known for being on top of a huge cave the Sumaging "Latipan" Big Cave. Spelunker Egbert Dailay, a BS Tourism undergraduate, orients adventurers on what distinguishes vertical to horizontal caves; safety rules on caving from hole passing to water plunging; and, surprises all with the naming of identifiable rock formations. Other caves including burial caves are: Sugong Cave, Crystal Cave, Balangagan Cave, Madrigal and Natividad Caves, Mataug Cave, Romeo's Cave, Matangkib and Lumiang Caves. Lamps and well-trained guides can be asked from the Tourist Information Center of the Municipality Hall.
Enormously enthralling are majestic appearances of several waterfalls. Bokong and the biggest named Bomod-ok Falls are two of the most visited. The former requires only a 15-minute walk from Poblacion, while the latter, a jeepney or a 45-minute walk to Bangaan, northern barangay of Sagada. Still, a long walk follows. Thirty minutes more down to the rice paddies offering spectacular views like amazing rice terraces as you walk by mountain trails.Thunderously from a far, the water splashes, is crystal-clear and ice-cold.
Found hanging amidst great big rocks are coffins piled one after the other. Vauntedly displayedare made of chiseled woods. Though, very indigenous, many set their dead on the cliffs as a ritual being practiced up to now.
"See them! They are sacred to us," a school grader points out. "Bringing yourself up there is an act not pleasing to us. Much more to old folks in the neighborhood."
The mysterious coffins of Sagada; whether hanging or in burial caves; accessible, like those seen inside Latang caves near the Underground River, or not, like those situated in the Echo Valley; one must learn to pay respects to remains of indigenous people who believe in the so-called afterlife.The said valley can be reached through walking over the Calvary - a cemetery for the Anglicans - in the Episcopal Mission Compound where St. Mary The VirginChurch and its high school, and Trinity College are located. Few steps away from the Calvary's big cross, paving the way as entrance, are astounding age of huge rocks.
During ceremonies, the dead is serenaded, both in the native tongue, Filipino, and English as well. Literally, an aging man talks to the spirit and recalls stories involving him and the speaker. On their seats, many do chanting, well-wishers to the spirit. Voices blend so well magically enthusing and leaving non-Kanaka-ey listeners charmed by a spell. Butchered pigs and chickens are trayed for the dead and for those who arrive and express condolences. It's a communal affair not only for distant relatives but also for everyone in the community to honorably solemnize the passing out of a fellow Igorot. This holds true also when a family attends to occasions such as gobbaw (Child dedication), dekat (wedding invitation), mangmang (housewarming), etc.
By jeepney or aone-hour walk from the town proper is the beautiful mystifying Lake Danom. It is a small lake concealing like a woman in the forest of lush greens. Hidden from view. Formidable trunks of trees cover it; but surely, outside of her world, a stranger is destined to come, to conquer her.
From her, perhaps the best sight of the sun rising and setting can be acquired. On hilltops overlooking a magnificent basin of water, a goddess sits enticing! Behold! A fertile, real, lovely lake is unravelled!
Baguio is the jumping-off place to the very rare, exquisite appeal of Sagada, Cordillera's pride and gateway to the heavens. Take a bus from Dangwa terminal available only for morning trips. Do some sightseeing while on board - and be delighted with Luzon's most precious natural wonders in the Philippines.
Why Sagada? Lifted from a 2000 souvenir program: Sagada remains a unique combination of mountains and native culture. The altitude gives that coolness and feeling of well-being, not found in the lowlands; while the abundance of sturdy pine trees enhances the beauty of the environment - an in inheritance to be proud of. There also exists an intriguing blend of Christian and traditional culture and customs that add to the appeal and friendliness of the local people. They are proud of their identity and their traditions. There remains an enviable balance between man and nature, a sense of harmony and peace, difficult to find elsewhere. (8/3/01)
"Beyond those traveled hills of the north Lies my home, all laden with pines... "
Sagada mornings make you high. Little did we expect that we would be greeted immensely by skies on our first day. Heavens' gates are open with a fine spray, falling in fog, flakes on skin. With its wintry breeze, cool and temperate climate, one is stimulated to kneel down, gets thick but fresh air - right to the faces - a treat, free of charge.
Sagada, a municipality of the Mountain Province, is a well-kept paradise of the Kankana-ey language group. Lavishly productive are the lands blessed with growing pine trees, plentiful fruits, and leafy vegetables. Stone paths, waterfalls, etc. -based decors of the terraces - mountains surrounding and cliffs walling villages are breathtakingly awesome.
While served with mountain tea and cinnamon, terraced ricefields are seen by the window, a main feature of the town.
"My thanks to thee, my love dressed in green; My paradise unforseen..."
Sagada allows you to feel "welcome among the friendly people here," a visiting Australian professor once commented. It is a small town offering an exceptional experience. Here, people are sociable. Ancient traditions and religious obligations have metamorphosed them into active and fascinating community to discover about.
Sagada, "a must stop" designation for tourists is home to more than 10,000 competently industrious, convincingly peace loving and confidently intelligent Sagadans.
"In you, I will give; my life, I will live; With you, I will share; all my life, without care."
Its natives speak so well of the place. This little but pleasant town is vehemently endeared in the heart of every born Sagadian. One may dwell far from it but soon he realizes an umbilical cord pulling him back to lay his "face before thy shrine." He will desire and love to embrace it back inevitably.
Numerous houses including private ones await guests with affordable meals. Electricity exists! St. Joseph's Resthouse does not only have rooms for P100, but it does have also an area for conferences, a restaurant, a souvenir store, and a big garden. Other important places to stay and eat are: Masferre Inn and Restaurant (Julia's Guest House), Alfredo's Cabin (Hotel and Restaurant), Ganduyan Inn and Coffee Shoppe, Sagada Guest House, Olahbinan (Bar and Restaurant), Greenhouse, Mapiyaaw Pension, Rocky Valley Inn, Igorot Inn (Moonhouse Cafe), Ruby's Place, A-Seven House, Yoghurt House, Shamrock Cafe, Log Cabin, Bilig Cafe, Right Turn Crafts and Cafe, Sudimay Canteen, and Cuisina Igorota (CI).
One excellent barriotic cuisine one shouldn't miss is called pinikpikan. All households prepare this with etag, a salted meat, producing a distinct aroma, soothing to your nasal and tastes differently.
Spread in the outskirts are novelty shops. The very popular Sagada Weaving & Souvenir Shop introduces a variety of wooden products from coin purses, wallets, shoulders and belt bags, caps, backpacks, and blankets. Bringing additional cash for these items is necessary to avoid personal dismay.
Northern roads are crooked, narrow, and windy. Trekking in six hours from the City of Pines to Sagada for caves is exhilaratingly a sojourn. Caves are a wonder and very enchanting. It begins when one feels being pushed by air and smells some strange odor inhaled and exhaled by underground spaces. Sounds of water dripping from nowhere in the dark tickle up imaginations. Calm creatures, black winged birds fly around, undistrubed.
A spelunker, one who makes a hobby of exploring and studying caves, or a guide is indispensable for any group aiming to unleash specific inexplicable chambers beneath surfaces of Sagada, known for being on top of a huge cave the Sumaging "Latipan" Big Cave. Spelunker Egbert Dailay, a BS Tourism undergraduate, orients adventurers on what distinguishes vertical to horizontal caves; safety rules on caving from hole passing to water plunging; and, surprises all with the naming of identifiable rock formations. Other caves including burial caves are: Sugong Cave, Crystal Cave, Balangagan Cave, Madrigal and Natividad Caves, Mataug Cave, Romeo's Cave, Matangkib and Lumiang Caves. Lamps and well-trained guides can be asked from the Tourist Information Center of the Municipality Hall.
Enormously enthralling are majestic appearances of several waterfalls. Bokong and the biggest named Bomod-ok Falls are two of the most visited. The former requires only a 15-minute walk from Poblacion, while the latter, a jeepney or a 45-minute walk to Bangaan, northern barangay of Sagada. Still, a long walk follows. Thirty minutes more down to the rice paddies offering spectacular views like amazing rice terraces as you walk by mountain trails.Thunderously from a far, the water splashes, is crystal-clear and ice-cold.
Found hanging amidst great big rocks are coffins piled one after the other. Vauntedly displayedare made of chiseled woods. Though, very indigenous, many set their dead on the cliffs as a ritual being practiced up to now.
"See them! They are sacred to us," a school grader points out. "Bringing yourself up there is an act not pleasing to us. Much more to old folks in the neighborhood."
The mysterious coffins of Sagada; whether hanging or in burial caves; accessible, like those seen inside Latang caves near the Underground River, or not, like those situated in the Echo Valley; one must learn to pay respects to remains of indigenous people who believe in the so-called afterlife.The said valley can be reached through walking over the Calvary - a cemetery for the Anglicans - in the Episcopal Mission Compound where St. Mary The VirginChurch and its high school, and Trinity College are located. Few steps away from the Calvary's big cross, paving the way as entrance, are astounding age of huge rocks.
During ceremonies, the dead is serenaded, both in the native tongue, Filipino, and English as well. Literally, an aging man talks to the spirit and recalls stories involving him and the speaker. On their seats, many do chanting, well-wishers to the spirit. Voices blend so well magically enthusing and leaving non-Kanaka-ey listeners charmed by a spell. Butchered pigs and chickens are trayed for the dead and for those who arrive and express condolences. It's a communal affair not only for distant relatives but also for everyone in the community to honorably solemnize the passing out of a fellow Igorot. This holds true also when a family attends to occasions such as gobbaw (Child dedication), dekat (wedding invitation), mangmang (housewarming), etc.
By jeepney or aone-hour walk from the town proper is the beautiful mystifying Lake Danom. It is a small lake concealing like a woman in the forest of lush greens. Hidden from view. Formidable trunks of trees cover it; but surely, outside of her world, a stranger is destined to come, to conquer her.
From her, perhaps the best sight of the sun rising and setting can be acquired. On hilltops overlooking a magnificent basin of water, a goddess sits enticing! Behold! A fertile, real, lovely lake is unravelled!
Baguio is the jumping-off place to the very rare, exquisite appeal of Sagada, Cordillera's pride and gateway to the heavens. Take a bus from Dangwa terminal available only for morning trips. Do some sightseeing while on board - and be delighted with Luzon's most precious natural wonders in the Philippines.
Why Sagada? Lifted from a 2000 souvenir program: Sagada remains a unique combination of mountains and native culture. The altitude gives that coolness and feeling of well-being, not found in the lowlands; while the abundance of sturdy pine trees enhances the beauty of the environment - an in inheritance to be proud of. There also exists an intriguing blend of Christian and traditional culture and customs that add to the appeal and friendliness of the local people. They are proud of their identity and their traditions. There remains an enviable balance between man and nature, a sense of harmony and peace, difficult to find elsewhere. (8/3/01)
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sagada exploration on October 28-31, 2010
Pledge for one book and help one Sagada municipality high school with your donation. You may also join us for a once-in-a-lifetime trip with Eric joining other backpackers for Sagada exploration this October 28-31.
Fee: 3,200 inclusive of 2 breakfast meals, transportation, room reservation & accommodation w/ blankets, major & minor tour packages w/ lamp, guide tips, van, museum fee, scholarship fund and surprises!
Fun activities await backpackers and their families in Sagada – a municipality on top of caves in the northernmost . They will stay at pricely cheap rooms of St. Joseph's Resthouse. It's going to be a little more than 6-hour travel with Lizardo Bus in Dangwa (Baguio) as dropping point after a little less than 6 hours from Manila with Philippine Rabbit, Sta. Cruz as the group's assembly place. You may also send your professional journals, magazines for teachers of Sagada National High School.
Spelunking
Rappelling
Swimming
Mountain trekking
Walking over rice padies
Wine tasting
Souvenir shopping
Lemon pie/cinnamon/French bread eating with lemon and mountain tea
Pinikpikan
Family bonding with colleagues
Church visits
Reflection activities
Touring Bontoc Museum
Visits to Echo Valley, Calvary, Lake Danum, Sumag-ing Cave, Burial Cave, Bomod-ok Falls, Bok-ong Falls, Hanging Coffins
Historian Scott's tomb searching
Community outreach through book donations & scholarship fund raising
Yoghurt
Lemon pie tasting... and a lot more surprises!
Slots are open, text @ 09187318010 and click for details:
http://sagadalibrarianbackpackers.blogspot.com/
Fee: 3,200 inclusive of 2 breakfast meals, transportation, room reservation & accommodation w/ blankets, major & minor tour packages w/ lamp, guide tips, van, museum fee, scholarship fund and surprises!
Fun activities await backpackers and their families in Sagada – a municipality on top of caves in the northernmost . They will stay at pricely cheap rooms of St. Joseph's Resthouse. It's going to be a little more than 6-hour travel with Lizardo Bus in Dangwa (Baguio) as dropping point after a little less than 6 hours from Manila with Philippine Rabbit, Sta. Cruz as the group's assembly place. You may also send your professional journals, magazines for teachers of Sagada National High School.
Spelunking
Rappelling
Swimming
Mountain trekking
Walking over rice padies
Wine tasting
Souvenir shopping
Lemon pie/cinnamon/French bread eating with lemon and mountain tea
Pinikpikan
Family bonding with colleagues
Church visits
Reflection activities
Touring Bontoc Museum
Visits to Echo Valley, Calvary, Lake Danum, Sumag-ing Cave, Burial Cave, Bomod-ok Falls, Bok-ong Falls, Hanging Coffins
Historian Scott's tomb searching
Community outreach through book donations & scholarship fund raising
Yoghurt
Lemon pie tasting... and a lot more surprises!
Slots are open, text @ 09187318010 and click for details:
http://sagadalibrarianbackpackers.blogspot.com/
Thursday, April 8, 2010
THE ROAD TO SAGADA (First of a Series)
Dennis Bryann M. Ting
You don’t need to spend a good fortune to find Shangri-la. In fact, you can explore Shangri-la on a shoestring budget.
For many people, Shangri-la represents an isolated paradise far from the modern madding crowd. In the Philippines, we have our own Shangri-la for only Php3,200 three days and two nights—Sagada.
Sagada is situated 275 kilometers north of the capital city of Manila, and 140 kilometers from the summer capital city of Baguio. With 19 barangays, Sagada has a population of more than 11,000 people. Expect this to increase during Semana Santa and the week-long Christmas break. Do your math: Multiply this figure five times, and you’d have a rough estimate of the number of annual tourist arrivals in this 5th class municipality, or so I was told.
To reach Sagada, our group of 35 backpackers (plus one guide) is directed to assemble at Jollibee Avenida fronting the Philippine Rabbit Station beside what used to be the Odeon Theater in Rizal Avenue corner Recto Avenue. Assembly time is at 10:00PM.
The Philippine Rabbit Bus Station doesn’t offer direct travel to Sagada. We have to go to Baguio. A one-way ticket from Manila to Baguio costs Php350 (Student discounts are honored as long as one can present a valid student ID).
The group left quarter to 11:00PM. True to its name, the Rabbit driver hops so we arrived in Baguio 5:00AM.
There is a Jollibee near the Baguio bus terminal. Unfortunately, it opens 6:00AM. No problem if you arrive after sunrise. Then there is SM Baguio, a stone’s throw from—in fact above— the bus terminal station. Malling hours are the same as Manila’s.
I had an early taho for breakfast—the magtataho uses strawberry arnibal—for ten pesos.
After our Mang Andok’s breakfast in Session Road, we boarded a bus to Sagada. Ticket costs Php220. The normal Baguio-Sagada road trip, with two stops (lunch and restroom breaks), is six hours; but the road to Sagada, to borrow the words of our tour guide Roderick, is full of surprises: Dusty rough roads leading to cemented highways and returning to dustier rougher roads. Nakapagpulbos ka na pagdating mo sa Sagada since Baguio-Sagada buses are not air-conditioned. Try bringing a light jacket in summer— to protect you from the cold weather or heat of the sun while walking along the rice paddies.
Lesson here: Expect the unexpected. Isama mo pa pag masiraan yung bus. Once the bus gets busted, you’d have to wait for the next bus. Till what time? Nobody knows. In our case, it is the longest two hours of the trip.
White Flower or Katinko comes in handy for biyahilo. The same goes for what we call lamig or kinabagan, all too common during cold long-day trips.
Malayo pa ba? Are we there yet? Finally, our prayers have been answered. We are in Sagada 5:00 PM.
Since we are in the middle of an election campaign, Sagada is no exception to Villar’s Tapusin ang Kahirapan posters and tarps. Surprsingly, Gibo’s Galing at Talino green ads are visible all over the place.
There are no tricycles in Sagada. The common public transport is a jeepney or a fiera-converted-to-jeepney (imagine the orange CCP shuttle), where it can accommodate around 25 passengers. Nine from one side of the long bench (that’s 18 ) plus passengers on top of the jeep.
Sitting on top of the jeep while holding the railing is a must-try experience. The view is good but it hurts. Masakit lang sa puwet lalo na kung matagtag at mahaba ang biyahe. But what the heck— the local girls on board atop those jeeps ain’t complaining!
Accommodation in Sagada is cheap and plentiful. One can get a room for Php200 per night. With hot water/shower add Php50.
Food is relatively higher than Manila. A rice meal costs Php100-Php180. But the serving is bigger than Manila’s and they use local red rice. Bottled water is a dime a dozen.
SMART has the most reliable network signal. There is a SMART tower in Sagada.
The thing that I like about Sagada is those pine trees—lots of them. This is in sharp contrast to the Pine City—Baguio—where instead of pines, galvanized rooftops cover the mountains.
Curiously, limestone mountains abound in Sagada, which remind me of the limestone karst cliffs of Guilin, China. Local guides explain this by saying the province used to be submerged millions of years ago.
One guide even showed us a cowrie when we are in Sumaguing Cave. But that’s another story.
Sagada offers a lot of adventure and backpacking activities. But if you want some peace and quiet, this place is for you, too. There is no nightlife unless you pack your bags with booze before coming.
Shangri-La, they say, is synonymous to an earthly paradise hidden from man. I do not know how long Sagada can maintain its mysticism from commercial encroachments. The “I-Survived-Sagada” shirts are giveaways that it cannot escape the inevitable. Let us just make sure that it does not become a paradise lost.
You don’t need to spend a good fortune to find Shangri-la. In fact, you can explore Shangri-la on a shoestring budget.
For many people, Shangri-la represents an isolated paradise far from the modern madding crowd. In the Philippines, we have our own Shangri-la for only Php3,200 three days and two nights—Sagada.
Sagada is situated 275 kilometers north of the capital city of Manila, and 140 kilometers from the summer capital city of Baguio. With 19 barangays, Sagada has a population of more than 11,000 people. Expect this to increase during Semana Santa and the week-long Christmas break. Do your math: Multiply this figure five times, and you’d have a rough estimate of the number of annual tourist arrivals in this 5th class municipality, or so I was told.
To reach Sagada, our group of 35 backpackers (plus one guide) is directed to assemble at Jollibee Avenida fronting the Philippine Rabbit Station beside what used to be the Odeon Theater in Rizal Avenue corner Recto Avenue. Assembly time is at 10:00PM.
The Philippine Rabbit Bus Station doesn’t offer direct travel to Sagada. We have to go to Baguio. A one-way ticket from Manila to Baguio costs Php350 (Student discounts are honored as long as one can present a valid student ID).
The group left quarter to 11:00PM. True to its name, the Rabbit driver hops so we arrived in Baguio 5:00AM.
There is a Jollibee near the Baguio bus terminal. Unfortunately, it opens 6:00AM. No problem if you arrive after sunrise. Then there is SM Baguio, a stone’s throw from—in fact above— the bus terminal station. Malling hours are the same as Manila’s.
I had an early taho for breakfast—the magtataho uses strawberry arnibal—for ten pesos.
After our Mang Andok’s breakfast in Session Road, we boarded a bus to Sagada. Ticket costs Php220. The normal Baguio-Sagada road trip, with two stops (lunch and restroom breaks), is six hours; but the road to Sagada, to borrow the words of our tour guide Roderick, is full of surprises: Dusty rough roads leading to cemented highways and returning to dustier rougher roads. Nakapagpulbos ka na pagdating mo sa Sagada since Baguio-Sagada buses are not air-conditioned. Try bringing a light jacket in summer— to protect you from the cold weather or heat of the sun while walking along the rice paddies.
Lesson here: Expect the unexpected. Isama mo pa pag masiraan yung bus. Once the bus gets busted, you’d have to wait for the next bus. Till what time? Nobody knows. In our case, it is the longest two hours of the trip.
White Flower or Katinko comes in handy for biyahilo. The same goes for what we call lamig or kinabagan, all too common during cold long-day trips.
Malayo pa ba? Are we there yet? Finally, our prayers have been answered. We are in Sagada 5:00 PM.
Since we are in the middle of an election campaign, Sagada is no exception to Villar’s Tapusin ang Kahirapan posters and tarps. Surprsingly, Gibo’s Galing at Talino green ads are visible all over the place.
There are no tricycles in Sagada. The common public transport is a jeepney or a fiera-converted-to-jeepney (imagine the orange CCP shuttle), where it can accommodate around 25 passengers. Nine from one side of the long bench (that’s 18 ) plus passengers on top of the jeep.
Sitting on top of the jeep while holding the railing is a must-try experience. The view is good but it hurts. Masakit lang sa puwet lalo na kung matagtag at mahaba ang biyahe. But what the heck— the local girls on board atop those jeeps ain’t complaining!
Accommodation in Sagada is cheap and plentiful. One can get a room for Php200 per night. With hot water/shower add Php50.
Food is relatively higher than Manila. A rice meal costs Php100-Php180. But the serving is bigger than Manila’s and they use local red rice. Bottled water is a dime a dozen.
SMART has the most reliable network signal. There is a SMART tower in Sagada.
The thing that I like about Sagada is those pine trees—lots of them. This is in sharp contrast to the Pine City—Baguio—where instead of pines, galvanized rooftops cover the mountains.
Curiously, limestone mountains abound in Sagada, which remind me of the limestone karst cliffs of Guilin, China. Local guides explain this by saying the province used to be submerged millions of years ago.
One guide even showed us a cowrie when we are in Sumaguing Cave. But that’s another story.
Sagada offers a lot of adventure and backpacking activities. But if you want some peace and quiet, this place is for you, too. There is no nightlife unless you pack your bags with booze before coming.
Shangri-La, they say, is synonymous to an earthly paradise hidden from man. I do not know how long Sagada can maintain its mysticism from commercial encroachments. The “I-Survived-Sagada” shirts are giveaways that it cannot escape the inevitable. Let us just make sure that it does not become a paradise lost.
Monday, April 5, 2010
May 21-24, 2010 Next Sagada Sked
Just had 35 joiners last March 31 with elementary and high school faculty from STI-Las Pinas, University of the East, UP-Manila & Diliman, librarians from DLSU-Manila, C & E Logic & Commission on Appointments with her daughter, Chavez Family of 8 from Dasmarinas, Cavite, BDO bank teller and her boyfriend, staff from Norfil with a niece from Cebu, a fresh graduate from Centro Escolar University, shool staff from Congressional National High School-Dasmarinas, Cavite. A professional nurse and her husband also joined and there were 2 young accountants from Q.C.
Next sked will be on May 21-24 and general assembly will be @ 10pm, Jollibee in front of the Philippine Rabbit Station. This librarian-backpackers' activity is also aimed at donating books to Sagada National High School and to earn for some scholarship fund.
Click for other details: http://sagadalibrarianbackpackers.blogspot.com/
May 21-24, 2010 1st BEST TIME Sagada Travel
Fee: 3,200 inclusive of 2 breakfast meals, transportation, room reservation & accommodation w/ blankets, major & minor tour packages w/ lamp, guide tips, van, museum fee, scholarship fund and surprises!
Contact: See http://www.sagadalibrarian.backpackers.blogspot.com for other details & stories or text @ 09187318010 for 500 pesos/head room reservation, e-mail ramospnulisaa@yahoo.com
Next sked will be on May 21-24 and general assembly will be @ 10pm, Jollibee in front of the Philippine Rabbit Station. This librarian-backpackers' activity is also aimed at donating books to Sagada National High School and to earn for some scholarship fund.
Click for other details: http://sagadalibrarianbackpackers.blogspot.com/
May 21-24, 2010 1st BEST TIME Sagada Travel
Fee: 3,200 inclusive of 2 breakfast meals, transportation, room reservation & accommodation w/ blankets, major & minor tour packages w/ lamp, guide tips, van, museum fee, scholarship fund and surprises!
Contact: See http://www.sagadalibrarian.backpackers.blogspot.com for other details & stories or text @ 09187318010 for 500 pesos/head room reservation, e-mail ramospnulisaa@yahoo.com
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
23 Sagada Trekkers-Donors this March 31, 2010
Fun activities await twenty-three backpackers and their families in Sagada – a municipality on top of caves in the northernmost . They - Jocelyn, Rhina, Racquel, Dennis, Angie, Jenny, Timothy, Jennie, Rosalie, Rose, Jeson, Richard, Reyn, Lidivina, Joseph, Shine, Marietta, Romylyn, William, Shirley, Shirley's Daughter & Eric- will stay at pricely cheap rooms of St. Joseph's Resthouse. It's going to be a little more than 6-hour travel with Lizardo Bus in Dangwa (Baguio) as dropping point after a little less than 6 hours from Manila with Philippine Rabbit, Sta. Cruz as the group's assembly place. Joining BEST TIME FOR A SAGADA TRAVEL with book donations for a library are nine male and fourteen female participantes. You may also send your professional journals, magazines for teachers of Sagada National High School.
Spelunking
Rappelling
Swimming
Mountain trekking
Walking over rice padies
Wine tasting
Souvenir shopping
Lemon pie/cinnamon/French bread eating with lemon and mountain tea
Pinikpikan
Family bonding with colleagues
Church visits
Reflection activities
Touring Bontoc Museum
Visits to Echo Valley, Calvary, Lake Danum, Sumag-ing Cave, Burial Cave, Bomod-ok Falls, Bok-ong Falls, Hanging Coffins
Historian Scott's tomb searching
Community outreach through book donations & scholarship fund raising
Yoghurt
Lemon pie tasting... and a lot more surprises!
5 more slots are open, text @ 09187318010 and click for details: http://sagadalibrarianbackpackers.blogspot.com/
Spelunking
Rappelling
Swimming
Mountain trekking
Walking over rice padies
Wine tasting
Souvenir shopping
Lemon pie/cinnamon/French bread eating with lemon and mountain tea
Pinikpikan
Family bonding with colleagues
Church visits
Reflection activities
Touring Bontoc Museum
Visits to Echo Valley, Calvary, Lake Danum, Sumag-ing Cave, Burial Cave, Bomod-ok Falls, Bok-ong Falls, Hanging Coffins
Historian Scott's tomb searching
Community outreach through book donations & scholarship fund raising
Yoghurt
Lemon pie tasting... and a lot more surprises!
5 more slots are open, text @ 09187318010 and click for details: http://sagadalibrarianbackpackers.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Nikko's
Visiting Sagada again after thirteen years was a very different experience.
The infrastructures and tourist around were easily forgotten when you get into the icon in all parts of the Sagada, I find Sagada still very mystic. Cold weather, forested trail, long trek, added with the nice and knowledgeable guides who continuously provide education. I undauntedly made it, it was an adventure that I admired to experience in my mid-40s. Thank you to Eric who organized the trip with a good purpose – sending self-help books to the public schools in Sagada
(Nikko V. Zapata, 5 January 2010).
The infrastructures and tourist around were easily forgotten when you get into the icon in all parts of the Sagada, I find Sagada still very mystic. Cold weather, forested trail, long trek, added with the nice and knowledgeable guides who continuously provide education. I undauntedly made it, it was an adventure that I admired to experience in my mid-40s. Thank you to Eric who organized the trip with a good purpose – sending self-help books to the public schools in Sagada
(Nikko V. Zapata, 5 January 2010).
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
13 Sagada Book Donors
Next sked is March 31-April 1 to 3, 2010, 1st BEST TIME Sagada Travel During Holy Week for only 3,200 inclusive of 2 breakfast meals, transportation, accommodation w/ blankets, major & minor tour packages w/ lamp, guide tips, van, museum fee, scholarship fund and surprises! See http://www.sagadalibrarian.backpackers.blogspot.com for other details & stories or text @ 09187318010.
Manang Julia, consultant and beloved, said in her text message: Hi Eric, thanks for this very nice book-WHY WORRY? When I started reading it I can’t stop until I have finished cover to cover. I will let my children read it. It’s a very gud buk. Thanks and regards.
Why Worry: How to Live Without Fear & Worry copies were distributed to 12 participantes of Sagada Librarian-backpackers, 9 municipality high schools and to few Sagadans met in the poblacion prior to a 4-hour Mt. Bomod-ok Falls Walk Over Rice Paddies, also known as little Banaue Rice Terraces in Fidelisan (northern barangay) last December 30 (Wednesday). See below a list for other book donations provided by the group to Bomabanga National High School with Mrs. Genevieve Gewan Daoas as coordinator for sent donations .
An hour-ride to Bontoc is its pride, the one must-see Bontoc Museum. Young tourists namely Geraldine (O.B. Montessori) who wishes to become a Mountain Province barrio teacher and Cecil (Girl Scout of the Philippines) whose one suitor is an Igorot, served as main recipients of exciting highland activities in this municipality on top of caves, known as Sagada.
Mt. Ampacao trekking attempt started with a long walk to Demang community, an old village with traditional rituals held @ ‘dap-ays,’ western barangay of Sagada Municipality. A single photo with the mountain’s Smart communication tower as backdrop is enough proof to try and trek Mt. Polis or Mt. Pulag. Other than high mountains, berry fields, and hush-hush trails, tagged Pork Chop duo, Lana (St. John C) and Bernadette (PNU), entertained the group while aiming for Lake Danum. Their batch mates, Kareen (ADMU) and Joel (TNL), cheered and jeered also. Past noon, they listened to Sigrid in the used-to-be-barracks now a pottery shop for a paid demo and were thrilled. After Alapo’s Sinigang warmed each, two did not join a walk to Echo Valley, where the group shoutout was made, to Hanging Coffins, where a sacred burial area with many old coffins was disovered, to Lemon Pie House, ordered for brewed coffee and lemon tea, to mushrooming shops for souvenir and gift items. The 2nd night ended with a light meal in the Masferre’s Restaurant surprising diners with piano pieces and Kundiman songs played on by expert Ms. Vernie of Sta. Isabel College-Manila. CCP’s Niko and Dr. Karen (former FEU Tamaraw) were so silent, enthralled, and obviously, had the evening’s music.
The trekking to Mt. Ampacao was second to the very popular Sumag-ing “Big” Cave (1st day, Dec. 28). Photos of group spelunking and rapelling will excite surely anyone. Dr. Karen, also a participante, discouraged those who have hypertension, heart ailments, diabetes and epileptic tendencies to perform any of the backpackers’ exhaustive activities. The good doctor also suggested everyone to moisturize. Males will have to moisturize, she added.
Pasta and yoghurt-tasting were part of the itinerary. Annie (Manila Science HS) and 15-year old named Rof had a nice mother and son bonding time with a newfound friend Froi (CCT) and Ms. Vernie at Sagada’s only Yoghurt House.
READING MATERIALS SENT TO BOMABANGA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL thru Mrs. Genevieve Gewan Daoas:
Pabula at parabula- Kareen Banal (Ateneo de Manila)
The World almanac for kids-Lana Cayabyab(St. John’s College-Novaliches)
Gabay para sa kasanayan ng barangay tanod-thru Arturo Morales (DILG-Local Government Academy), 4 copies
PALS feet: foundation for effective and efficient transition-thru Arturo Morales (DILG-Local Government Academy), 4 copies
LGU Academy annual report 2008-thru Arturo Morales (DILG-Local Government Academy), 5 copies
Feminine voices: toward a new millennium-thru Ms. Flordeliz Siochi(NCCA)
Our daily bread-Froilan Parado (CCT Group of Ministries)
Webster’s thesaurus-Froilan Parado (CCT Group of Ministries)
Wealth within your reach-Consuelo Zapata (CCP)
Quick & easy devotions for youth groups-Consuelo Zapata (CCP)
Sociology-Consuelo Zapata (CCP)
The Fires of Merlin-Cecil Velasco (Girl Scout of the Philippines)
The Seven songs of Merlin Cecil Velasco (Girl Scout of the Philippines)
The Prince and the pauper-Geraldine Sarmiento (O.B. Montessori)
The One-minute manager -Geraldine Sarmiento (O.B. Montessori)
Why worry: how to live without fear & worry, 50 copies (thru Wilma Bitmal)
Manang Julia, consultant and beloved, said in her text message: Hi Eric, thanks for this very nice book-WHY WORRY? When I started reading it I can’t stop until I have finished cover to cover. I will let my children read it. It’s a very gud buk. Thanks and regards.
Why Worry: How to Live Without Fear & Worry copies were distributed to 12 participantes of Sagada Librarian-backpackers, 9 municipality high schools and to few Sagadans met in the poblacion prior to a 4-hour Mt. Bomod-ok Falls Walk Over Rice Paddies, also known as little Banaue Rice Terraces in Fidelisan (northern barangay) last December 30 (Wednesday). See below a list for other book donations provided by the group to Bomabanga National High School with Mrs. Genevieve Gewan Daoas as coordinator for sent donations .
An hour-ride to Bontoc is its pride, the one must-see Bontoc Museum. Young tourists namely Geraldine (O.B. Montessori) who wishes to become a Mountain Province barrio teacher and Cecil (Girl Scout of the Philippines) whose one suitor is an Igorot, served as main recipients of exciting highland activities in this municipality on top of caves, known as Sagada.
Mt. Ampacao trekking attempt started with a long walk to Demang community, an old village with traditional rituals held @ ‘dap-ays,’ western barangay of Sagada Municipality. A single photo with the mountain’s Smart communication tower as backdrop is enough proof to try and trek Mt. Polis or Mt. Pulag. Other than high mountains, berry fields, and hush-hush trails, tagged Pork Chop duo, Lana (St. John C) and Bernadette (PNU), entertained the group while aiming for Lake Danum. Their batch mates, Kareen (ADMU) and Joel (TNL), cheered and jeered also. Past noon, they listened to Sigrid in the used-to-be-barracks now a pottery shop for a paid demo and were thrilled. After Alapo’s Sinigang warmed each, two did not join a walk to Echo Valley, where the group shoutout was made, to Hanging Coffins, where a sacred burial area with many old coffins was disovered, to Lemon Pie House, ordered for brewed coffee and lemon tea, to mushrooming shops for souvenir and gift items. The 2nd night ended with a light meal in the Masferre’s Restaurant surprising diners with piano pieces and Kundiman songs played on by expert Ms. Vernie of Sta. Isabel College-Manila. CCP’s Niko and Dr. Karen (former FEU Tamaraw) were so silent, enthralled, and obviously, had the evening’s music.
The trekking to Mt. Ampacao was second to the very popular Sumag-ing “Big” Cave (1st day, Dec. 28). Photos of group spelunking and rapelling will excite surely anyone. Dr. Karen, also a participante, discouraged those who have hypertension, heart ailments, diabetes and epileptic tendencies to perform any of the backpackers’ exhaustive activities. The good doctor also suggested everyone to moisturize. Males will have to moisturize, she added.
Pasta and yoghurt-tasting were part of the itinerary. Annie (Manila Science HS) and 15-year old named Rof had a nice mother and son bonding time with a newfound friend Froi (CCT) and Ms. Vernie at Sagada’s only Yoghurt House.
READING MATERIALS SENT TO BOMABANGA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL thru Mrs. Genevieve Gewan Daoas:
Pabula at parabula- Kareen Banal (Ateneo de Manila)
The World almanac for kids-Lana Cayabyab(St. John’s College-Novaliches)
Gabay para sa kasanayan ng barangay tanod-thru Arturo Morales (DILG-Local Government Academy), 4 copies
PALS feet: foundation for effective and efficient transition-thru Arturo Morales (DILG-Local Government Academy), 4 copies
LGU Academy annual report 2008-thru Arturo Morales (DILG-Local Government Academy), 5 copies
Feminine voices: toward a new millennium-thru Ms. Flordeliz Siochi(NCCA)
Our daily bread-Froilan Parado (CCT Group of Ministries)
Webster’s thesaurus-Froilan Parado (CCT Group of Ministries)
Wealth within your reach-Consuelo Zapata (CCP)
Quick & easy devotions for youth groups-Consuelo Zapata (CCP)
Sociology-Consuelo Zapata (CCP)
The Fires of Merlin-Cecil Velasco (Girl Scout of the Philippines)
The Seven songs of Merlin Cecil Velasco (Girl Scout of the Philippines)
The Prince and the pauper-Geraldine Sarmiento (O.B. Montessori)
The One-minute manager -Geraldine Sarmiento (O.B. Montessori)
Why worry: how to live without fear & worry, 50 copies (thru Wilma Bitmal)
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