Sagada Yabadoo!

I just came off from another weekend lakwatsa and I can say that that has been one of the bestest so far!

Dream Girl + Dream Place = Dream Lakwatsa

My girlfriend, Kath, is with me in one of my favorite destination in the country... Sagada yabadooo!

After my first Sagada trip (see journal here), I promised myself I'll return to the scenic place. The storm Ondoy made the wait a bit longer as I should have been able to go back to Sagada last year if not for it. In any case, a series of fortunate events led to me being able to book a trip there early this year AND with my labidabs chuvachuchu chorva to boot! Panalo!

So as usual with pen and paper at hand, we took the long journey up the mountains of Benguet and here be the scribbles I jot down while we were at it...

Day 00

6:20PM

* We left the office in Makati; had a yummy dinner at this kebab place in Enterprise (one of our favorites); and head straight to the Intercon parking lot to wait for the shuttle service.

(Like my first Sagada trip, I booked us with Discover Asia Just can't go wrong with their rates. We arrived at the parking lot with their fleet of shuttle services arriving piece meal. I looked for the van assigned to us and it was to my surprise that the guy driving us is the same dude that driove for our group the first time I went to Sagada... Koya Dennis.

Anyway after some hubbub caused by a pack of [the politically correct term is...] homosexual co-tourists, the four-vehicle fleet finally pushed through with the trip.)

9:30PM

* Departure from Makati

11:08PM

* Shell-NLEX stopover
(Mex, a good friend that we met during our first Sagada trip... and basically the owner of the Travel Tours, has to join the caravan and asked me and Kath to transfer to her ride instead. Cozy.)

Day 01

12:55AM

* Shell-Tarlac stopover

2:57AM

* Shell-Rosales,Pangasinan stopover
(Some major catching up with Mex along the way. Kath and her is getting along as well with all those talk about food!)

3:57AM

* Baguio!

5:28AM

* Philippine Pali (Atok, Benguet)
(At around 2200 masl, the Philippine Pali is the highest point in any of the Philippine roads and highways. At ang lamig lamig lamig na! So jackets on na kami.)

8:24AM

* Sagada! (KM 390)

9:00AM

* Sagada Town Proper arrival
(We were lodged at what they call Bahay na Pula. Me and Kath still have enough time to goof around since the start of the tour is not until another two hours. Nag ayos lang kami ng mga gamit tapos sumugod agad sa pinaka-malapit na KAINAN... Lemon Pie House!)

9:48AM

* Lemon Pie House
(Truly a gastro-wonder, the place's honey lemon is a must-try for Sagada-goers and don't forget to complement it with coffee. Their hotdog/omelet breakfast is not bad to boot either for what it cost and the place is just cute. Yellow on the outside and so native-y in the inside... with WIFI! Haha. Nag-enjoy kami ni Kath sa unang food trip namin for the day! Nakita na din ni Kath yung brown rice ng Sagada which is the place's basic rice.)

2:06PM

* Bana's Cafe and Resto
(Second food trip... Bana's! Nagustuhan ko ang pagkain dito nung unang pumunta kami ng Sagada. Pina-sample ko agad ke Kath yung paborito kong chopsuey! Yub yub! They also sell the infamous Alamid Coffee which is basically coffee beans fermented via the cat's poop. Haha... exotic! It sells like hot pancakes on other countries and it's in here in Sagada that you can get some of the cheapest Alamid Coffee. Ibibili ko sana yung mga tropa sa Shak kaso kahit mura na sya sa Sagada, hindi ko pa din kaya pondohan.)

2:30PM

* Lumiyang Cave for spelunking
(Eto yung test of will! I was able to do spelunking before in one of the caves... Sumaging Cave. But now, I tried doing the cave connection which is hauling your arse down from Lumiyang to Sumaging Cave and hell it was no easy feat! A total of almost 6 hours inside the labyrinthine cave... braving the obstacles, the sheer stress, and all!)

5:00PM

6:09PM

7:37PM

* These are the series of stops I made to write down in my humble travel log that "WE ARE STILL INSIDE THE FRIGGIN CAVE!". By around 7PM, one of the tour guides announced that we are about to be leaving Lumiyang Cave and are entering the premise of Sumaging Cave.

I'm so proud of Kath. With all the females of the large group we are in, Kath the Couch Potato extraordinaire was all in for the challenges trekking those caves presented AT kinabog pa yung ibang babae naming mga kasama sa bilis at skills sa pag manouever sa loob nung kweba. Hindi din nagpahuli sa rapelling. May untapped talents at ang lakas ng loob. Hehe. That's my mama!

By the latter part of the Sumaging Cave spree, medyo test of patience na para sa amin. Hindi pa kami kumakain and most of us are already tired and weary. Bonus na lang na soooobrang ganda talaga ng mga rock formations sa loob nung kuweba. Fear factor yung part na palabas na kami. We have to hike all the way up to this level of the cave where the bats live and the entire floor was drenched with poop! Madulas ang ang mga bato dahil sa ebak nila and it was a choice of stepping/holding on to rocks with poop all over for support or fall some X hundred feet back to the cave floor. Obvious choice isn't it? Haha.

10:10PM

* We survived spelunking the Sagada cave connections!
(Gentong oras na kami nakalabas from the caves.)

10:44PM

* Salt and Pepper Diner
(Third food trip venue and also our late dinner in Sagada. We had adobo and lemon pork and they are mucho delicioso! Or maybe it's just the hunger in me talking that night. In any case, the place is a good venue to hangout during the wee hours of your stay in Sagada where you are not scheduled for anything. I think I should have sampled the chocolate shake!)

Day 02

8:45AM

* Breakfast at Lemon Pie House
(It's just some walk away from where we lodged so we just can't try NOT going back for more!)

10:00AM

* Trek to Bumod-ok Falls
(Nakisama ang panahon. It's windy and cloudy the time we trudged our way down the rice terraces towards the falls. Dito ko nalaman from Papa Dom - our tourguide - yung difference ng Banawe rice terraces from those in Sagada. Sa Sagada they used rocks and concrete as barriers for their terraces. Sa Banawe, lupa lang na pinatigas.

The view was always magnificent walking along the rice terraces. It's so surreal being surrounded by such wonders PLUS knowing that at the end of it was an even greater wonder which is the falls itself.)

12:30PM

* About an hour after arriving at the Falls
(It was summer. Tuyot yung falls. Water came in trickles. Very far from what I've seen the first time I went there where the entire thing was heaving with heavy water. Yung tilamsik ng tubig abot sa bukana pa lang papasok sa pool area nung falls! Nag enjoy si Kath magtampisaw sa ilog nung falls while I hang around the large boulders around it. Mababa yung tubig nung ilog.)

1:33PM

* The walk back up is pretty tiring. Sa last few meters of the hike, umulan pa. Ga-limang piso coin ang laki ng mga patak! But we made it anyway somewhat drenched but still good to go. Again, Kath did a good job of holding by herself during the entire hike.

3:03PM

* Echo Valley
(This is where the hanging coffins are. We just viewed it from the viewing deck. Wala nang nag-attempt sa mga kasama namin mag trekk pababa nung actual coffin area. I was able to trekk that area of the Echo Valley when I was with the DiscoverED Asia team on 2008.)

4:20PM

* Rock Inn's Cafe Bodega food trip!
(Kainan ulet! This one's on a more remote part of Sagada. The place is cozy... with ambiance ba. The food is good. At sa dami ng na-order namin ni Kath, nakapag take-out pa kami para breakfast the next day.)

5:43PM

* Souvenir hunt
(We just walked around the town proper to buy stuffs for our folks. Bumili din kami ng tshirts with handpainted designs by a local artist. Very unique yung tshirt dahil isang piraso per shirt sizes lang ang ginagawa nung artist for each designs. Hmm... parang nakakalito yung sinabi ko. Anyway, I also bought the infamouse Sagada brown rice para sa bahay.)

6:40PM

* Brownout
(Wow. May rotating brownout din ang Sagada??)

9:29PM

* Me and Kath were packed up and ready to go back to Manila the next day.

Day 3

6:50AM

* Bye Sagada!

10:10AM

* Buguias, Benguet

10:46AM

* Baguio-Bontoc Tollway

11:11AM

* Strawberry Farm, La Trinidad, Benguet
(We had lunch at Loaves and Fishes along the Strawberry Farm area. Dito din ako tinuruan ni Kath kung paano tamang kumain ng mais. Yung OC-way. Yung dapat walang himulmol at maganda pa din yung rows ng kernel. Seriously though, I still liked the barbaric way more. Bite anywhere... like a man! Haha.)

1:00PM

* Baguio City

2:47PM

* Some hubbub at Sison, Pangasinan
(Our ride was hit up the wazoo by a careless motorist. Nobody's hurt and it's nothing really serious but we have to stay a couple of minutes at the local cop station for some paper works.)

6:21PM

* Tarlac-SLEX stopover

7:17PM

* Marquee Mall, Pampanga

8:51PM

* Makati City

*****

It was a really fantastic trip all in all. I still haven't been able to book myself for Chef Aklay's buffet but no worries at all... all the more to look forward for another Sagada trip, I guess. I love the place and I know I'd kept coming back. Our tour guide Zandy has a Facebook account! Haha. Angas. I learned something... yung mga kasama naming X-Men ang tawag sa mga kasama nilang babae ay 'petchay'. Some interesting term, no? Haha. Hi Petchay! Haha.

With that, I want to thank the following:

* Kath, the Couch Potato Extraordinaire... for taking some time to see the world beyond the area around her TV (and for the love of course, I love you too... ahahay, cheeesy!)

* Mex, Gloria, Nanay Mely, and Dennis! The people of Discover Asia Travel and Tours... for setting up (AGAIN!) the whole Sagada experience and make me enjoy the whole thing (AGAIN!).

* Koya Oscar and Papa Dom (Koya Zandy). The guides of SAGGAS. The best people to look for to better enjoy Sagada. Malamang next year nasa itinerary na ang bisitahin ang tourist attraction na si Papa Dom! Haha.

* Ang mga Petchay na kasama namin. Sila 'Te' Precious, Bebs, Pinay, and the 'R' sisters. Wala ako natandaang pangalan kundi Bebs, Te, at Pinay. But that's me being the forgetful me. Normal yan.

* The Man upstairs. Great is the Lord God Almighty!

Sagada Yabadoo!

I just came off from another weekend lakwatsa and I can say that that has been one of the bestest so far!

Dream Girl + Dream Place = Dream Lakwatsa

My girlfriend, Kath, is with me in one of my favorite destination in the country... Sagada yabadooo!

After my first Sagada trip (see journal here), I promised myself I'll return to the scenic place. The storm Ondoy made the wait a bit longer as I should have been able to go back to Sagada last year if not for it. In any case, a series of fortunate events led to me being able to book a trip there early this year AND with my labidabs chuvachuchu chorva to boot! Panalo!

So as usual with pen and paper at hand, we took the long journey up the mountains of Benguet and here be the scribbles I jot down while we were at it...

Day 00

6:20PM

* We left the office in Makati; had a yummy dinner at this kebab place in Enterprise (one of our favorites); and head straight to the Intercon parking lot to wait for the shuttle service.

(Like my first Sagada trip, I booked us with Discover Asia Just can't go wrong with their rates. We arrived at the parking lot with their fleet of shuttle services arriving piece meal. I looked for the van assigned to us and it was to my surprise that the guy driving us is the same dude that driove for our group the first time I went to Sagada... Koya Dennis.

Anyway after some hubbub caused by a pack of [the politically correct term is...] homosexual co-tourists, the four-vehicle fleet finally pushed through with the trip.)

9:30PM

* Departure from Makati

11:08PM

* Shell-NLEX stopover
(Mex, a good friend that we met during our first Sagada trip... and basically the owner of the Travel Tours, has to join the caravan and asked me and Kath to transfer to her ride instead. Cozy.)

Day 01

12:55AM

* Shell-Tarlac stopover

2:57AM

* Shell-Rosales,Pangasinan stopover
(Some major catching up with Mex along the way. Kath and her is getting along as well with all those talk about food!)

3:57AM

* Baguio!

5:28AM

* Philippine Pali (Atok, Benguet)
(At around 2200 masl, the Philippine Pali is the highest point in any of the Philippine roads and highways. At ang lamig lamig lamig na! So jackets on na kami.)

8:24AM

* Sagada! (KM 390)

9:00AM

* Sagada Town Proper arrival
(We were lodged at what they call Bahay na Pula. Me and Kath still have enough time to goof around since the start of the tour is not until another two hours. Nag ayos lang kami ng mga gamit tapos sumugod agad sa pinaka-malapit na KAINAN... Lemon Pie House!)

9:48AM

* Lemon Pie House
(Truly a gastro-wonder, the place's honey lemon is a must-try for Sagada-goers and don't forget to complement it with coffee. Their hotdog/omelet breakfast is not bad to boot either for what it cost and the place is just cute. Yellow on the outside and so native-y in the inside... with WIFI! Haha. Nag-enjoy kami ni Kath sa unang food trip namin for the day! Nakita na din ni Kath yung brown rice ng Sagada which is the place's basic rice.)

2:06PM

* Bana's Cafe and Resto
(Second food trip... Bana's! Nagustuhan ko ang pagkain dito nung unang pumunta kami ng Sagada. Pina-sample ko agad ke Kath yung paborito kong chopsuey! Yub yub! They also sell the infamous Alamid Coffee which is basically coffee beans fermented via the cat's poop. Haha... exotic! It sells like hot pancakes on other countries and it's in here in Sagada that you can get some of the cheapest Alamid Coffee. Ibibili ko sana yung mga tropa sa Shak kaso kahit mura na sya sa Sagada, hindi ko pa din kaya pondohan.)

2:30PM

* Lumiyang Cave for spelunking
(Eto yung test of will! I was able to do spelunking before in one of the caves... Sumaging Cave. But now, I tried doing the cave connection which is hauling your arse down from Lumiyang to Sumaging Cave and hell it was no easy feat! A total of almost 6 hours inside the labyrinthine cave... braving the obstacles, the sheer stress, and all!)

5:00PM

6:09PM

7:37PM

* These are the series of stops I made to write down in my humble travel log that "WE ARE STILL INSIDE THE FRIGGIN CAVE!". By around 7PM, one of the tour guides announced that we are about to be leaving Lumiyang Cave and are entering the premise of Sumaging Cave.

I'm so proud of Kath. With all the females of the large group we are in, Kath the Couch Potato extraordinaire was all in for the challenges trekking those caves presented AT kinabog pa yung ibang babae naming mga kasama sa bilis at skills sa pag manouever sa loob nung kweba. Hindi din nagpahuli sa rapelling. May untapped talents at ang lakas ng loob. Hehe. That's my mama!

By the latter part of the Sumaging Cave spree, medyo test of patience na para sa amin. Hindi pa kami kumakain and most of us are already tired and weary. Bonus na lang na soooobrang ganda talaga ng mga rock formations sa loob nung kuweba. Fear factor yung part na palabas na kami. We have to hike all the way up to this level of the cave where the bats live and the entire floor was drenched with poop! Madulas ang ang mga bato dahil sa ebak nila and it was a choice of stepping/holding on to rocks with poop all over for support or fall some X hundred feet back to the cave floor. Obvious choice isn't it? Haha.

10:10PM

* We survived spelunking the Sagada cave connections!
(Gentong oras na kami nakalabas from the caves.)

10:44PM

* Salt and Pepper Diner
(Third food trip venue and also our late dinner in Sagada. We had adobo and lemon pork and they are mucho delicioso! Or maybe it's just the hunger in me talking that night. In any case, the place is a good venue to hangout during the wee hours of your stay in Sagada where you are not scheduled for anything. I think I should have sampled the chocolate shake!)

Day 02

8:45AM

* Breakfast at Lemon Pie House
(It's just some walk away from where we lodged so we just can't try NOT going back for more!)

10:00AM

* Trek to Bumod-ok Falls
(Nakisama ang panahon. It's windy and cloudy the time we trudged our way down the rice terraces towards the falls. Dito ko nalaman from Papa Dom - our tourguide - yung difference ng Banawe rice terraces from those in Sagada. Sa Sagada they used rocks and concrete as barriers for their terraces. Sa Banawe, lupa lang na pinatigas.

The view was always magnificent walking along the rice terraces. It's so surreal being surrounded by such wonders PLUS knowing that at the end of it was an even greater wonder which is the falls itself.)

12:30PM

* About an hour after arriving at the Falls
(It was summer. Tuyot yung falls. Water came in trickles. Very far from what I've seen the first time I went there where the entire thing was heaving with heavy water. Yung tilamsik ng tubig abot sa bukana pa lang papasok sa pool area nung falls! Nag enjoy si Kath magtampisaw sa ilog nung falls while I hang around the large boulders around it. Mababa yung tubig nung ilog.)

1:33PM

* The walk back up is pretty tiring. Sa last few meters of the hike, umulan pa. Ga-limang piso coin ang laki ng mga patak! But we made it anyway somewhat drenched but still good to go. Again, Kath did a good job of holding by herself during the entire hike.

3:03PM

* Echo Valley
(This is where the hanging coffins are. We just viewed it from the viewing deck. Wala nang nag-attempt sa mga kasama namin mag trekk pababa nung actual coffin area. I was able to trekk that area of the Echo Valley when I was with the DiscoverED Asia team on 2008.)

4:20PM

* Rock Inn's Cafe Bodega food trip!
(Kainan ulet! This one's on a more remote part of Sagada. The place is cozy... with ambiance ba. The food is good. At sa dami ng na-order namin ni Kath, nakapag take-out pa kami para breakfast the next day.)

5:43PM

* Souvenir hunt
(We just walked around the town proper to buy stuffs for our folks. Bumili din kami ng tshirts with handpainted designs by a local artist. Very unique yung tshirt dahil isang piraso per shirt sizes lang ang ginagawa nung artist for each designs. Hmm... parang nakakalito yung sinabi ko. Anyway, I also bought the infamouse Sagada brown rice para sa bahay.)

6:40PM

* Brownout
(Wow. May rotating brownout din ang Sagada??)

9:29PM

* Me and Kath were packed up and ready to go back to Manila the next day.

Day 3

6:50AM

* Bye Sagada!

10:10AM

* Buguias, Benguet

10:46AM

* Baguio-Bontoc Tollway

11:11AM

* Strawberry Farm, La Trinidad, Benguet
(We had lunch at Loaves and Fishes along the Strawberry Farm area. Dito din ako tinuruan ni Kath kung paano tamang kumain ng mais. Yung OC-way. Yung dapat walang himulmol at maganda pa din yung rows ng kernel. Seriously though, I still liked the barbaric way more. Bite anywhere... like a man! Haha.)

1:00PM

* Baguio City

2:47PM

* Some hubbub at Sison, Pangasinan
(Our ride was hit up the wazoo by a careless motorist. Nobody's hurt and it's nothing really serious but we have to stay a couple of minutes at the local cop station for some paper works.)

6:21PM

* Tarlac-SLEX stopover

7:17PM

* Marquee Mall, Pampanga

8:51PM

* Makati City

*****

It was a really fantastic trip all in all. I still haven't been able to book myself for Chef Aklay's buffet but no worries at all... all the more to look forward for another Sagada trip, I guess. I love the place and I know I'd kept coming back. Our tour guide Zandy has a Facebook account! Haha. Angas. I learned something... yung mga kasama naming X-Men ang tawag sa mga kasama nilang babae ay 'petchay'. Some interesting term, no? Haha. Hi Petchay! Haha.

With that, I want to thank the following:

* Kath, the Couch Potato Extraordinaire... for taking some time to see the world beyond the area around her TV (and for the love of course, I love you too... ahahay, cheeesy!)

* Mex, Gloria, Nanay Mely, and Dennis! The people of Discover Asia Travel and Tours... for setting up (AGAIN!) the whole Sagada experience and make me enjoy the whole thing (AGAIN!).

* Koya Oscar and Papa Dom (Koya Zandy). The guides of SAGGAS. The best people to look for to better enjoy Sagada. Malamang next year nasa itinerary na ang bisitahin ang tourist attraction na si Papa Dom! Haha.

* Ang mga Petchay na kasama namin. Sila 'Te' Precious, Bebs, Pinay, and the 'R' sisters. Wala ako natandaang pangalan kundi Bebs, Te, at Pinay. But that's me being the forgetful me. Normal yan.

* The Man upstairs. Great is the Lord God Almighty!