Enchanting Sagada

June 2-4, 2006. Sagada, one of my dream local destinations...a mystery I've long dreamed to unravel. I finally went there in June with Fil and have I gone there with a female friend or in a group with strangers, I may not have enjoyed the place as much as i did. This place is so romantic it's a sin to go there without your "palangga".

Sagada is a charming, peaceful and enchanting town in the Mountain Province. Life here is so simple but its natural beauty and the tranquility that prevails can heighten your senses, making even a simple coffee break an experience to remember.

The people are very friendly and warm too and the tour guides are surprisingly organized. All you have to do is register in the municipal hall (located right at the center of town, you won't miss it!), choose from the tour packages and the fixed rates and a tour guide will be assigned to you. It was a great adventure, we had a blast! In Sumaging cave, we climbed from rocks to rocks and walked/jumped through small bodies of water. We even had to slip through a number of cracks and a waist-high crevice - feet first - and walk along rocks beside deep ravines. Caving is so much fun, kakaibang level, and I want to do it again! It even made me forget about my claustrophobia!

After we have conquered the cave, we passed the hanging coffins held by the rock walls and went to see the Lumiang burial cave where wood coffins were laid inside the chamber on top of each other, even filling-in the small spaces that lead to the cave's mouth. Our guide explained that the coffins were small because the dead were laid in fetal position, believing that they will reincarnate.

Dining in Sagada was another great experience! Tired from all the climb and descent, we had lunch at Masfere's restaurant. Masfere is a spanish photographer who lived in Sagada during the 1900s and took photos of the town and its people. Thus, the restaurant does not only offer great food but showcases these photos which are not only posted on walls but printed on bags and shirts as well and sold to tourists. We also ate at St. Joe's cafe more than a couple of times because they offer food that satisfied both mine and Fil's contradicting tastes plus they serve great-smelling coffee that's perfect for the cool climate. Another must is dinner at the Log Cabin. We were lucky to get seats for a Saturday buffet dinner prepared by a "local" French chef and shared a table with Rey and Joyce who've been staying in Sagada for about a month already to learn Sagada pottery. Wow! Wish I have the luxury to do the same thing!

In the afternoon and the following morning before we left, we enjoyed leisurely walks with the view of the rice terraces, visited the episcopal church and bought souvenir stuff: must-haves are bags and wallets showcasing the intricacy of Sagada weaving.  

For those who want a more physically-challenging adventure, there are other interesting sites to see in Sagada - echo valley, small falls, big falls. You want privacy and hot shower? We stayed at St. Jo's and for P1,500/night, our cottage on top of a hill was really nice, clean and private and had a great view of the surrounding mountains. But for party rats looking for non-stop fun, this place is not for you. Sagada locals follow a 9pm curfew. No loud music allowed, aha! not for the noisy couples out there! hahaha... sssssshhhhhh!

We also went to Baguio and Banaue and these places are worth a visit too. If I may suggest, better go to Banaue first to appreciate the same view of the rice terraces in your P1,000 peso bill, proceed to Sagada then celebrate and party in Baguio! What we did was a reverse (Baguio-Sagada-Banaue) and we were already tired and uninterested (or maybe we were just too smitten by the beauty of Sagada) that by the time we reached Banaue, we only stayed for a couple of hours and took the bus back to Manila. But hey, I love Banaue too! I went there last year (check out my posts on the 8th wonder of the world, the amphitheatre batad rice terraces & the tappiyah waterfall).

So if you are planning to break away from your sedentary life - away from the urban jungle, far from the noise, traffic and confusion of the polluted city - pack your things and go to Sagada. Let me warn you though that it takes at least 12 -13 hours to get there from Manila (by land) but it is worth it. By the way, did i tell you about the landslides? We encountered a fresh one on our way to Banaue and that alone was an edge-of-your-seat-praying-and-fearing-death bus ride adventure! :-)

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