You can tell God was in the mood

I don't understand how some people can be so incredibly, sinfully, frustratingly gorgeous that there should be an entirely different and more superlative word just to cater to such blinding beauty.

I can just picture how God spent so much time during his creation. There must've been a real ruckus up in heaven when Gaspard Ulliel was finally born - deafening trumpets and choirs of seraphims and cherubims, while angels and saints escort this grand masterpiece out into the world. I mean seriously, I'm having trouble digesting the fact that he is real and that he is somewhere on the planet, roaming the earth as I do.

Le sigh.

Summer Somewhere: Travelogue #2 Sagada

Following the great Banaue one-day adventure we've had, we geared up for Sagada first thing the next morning. From Banaue, it was a 2-hour ride to the Bontoc terminal where Sagada-bound jeepneys lie in wait. From Bontoc, it's just less than an hour's ride up more mountains towards the town proper of this quaint sleepy town.

We were up as early as 6AM to catch the 8:30AM ride to Bontoc. Last minute packing were done, taking turns with the bathroom, all while nursing the major body ache born from the previous day's incredible trek. We even debated if we were gonna bring along the walking sticks we used in Batad, and in the end, decided to tag them along. They made for quite a souvenir, actually.

At 8AM, everything was good to go. Since we had little time to spare, we had a quick breakfast at the next-door inn, the Las Vegas Inn. Had scrumptious meals of sinangag, hotdog, tapa, and cups of coffee to load us up for the day (well, for half of the day, at least).

Enjoying our first meal for the day

I can't even remember chewing during that time, we were in such a hurry to catch the jeep! Once done, we rushed out to find our ride still stationed there. Michel and I sat beside the driver for a better view, me with my borrowed Holga cam poised for action. Bok decided to ride on top of the jeep with some of the locals. It was a pretty big jeepney, and there was only a Slovenian couple riding with us. It took a while to fill it up, and at almost 10AM, we finally got a move on.

Riding on top

The view is A-MA-ZING!

We didn't have enough time to go around Bontoc, so once we got off at the terminal, we stayed put to wait for the next Sagada-bound jeep to go. We've already made friends with the Slovenian couple we were on the ride with, Dirina and Yuri (didn't get to take pics with them, though. Big boo.) They were on a Philippine trip for the next three weeks, and the Mt. Province was their first stop. I asked them what made them choose the Philippines, instead of backpacking around the other connected Asian countries instead. They just thought this was a good place to explore (it was actually a toss-up between this or Thailand. I told them they made a good choice). Dirina and Yuri's itinerary also included Bohol and El Nido, Palawan after. How fun is that? I remember thinking why the backpackers never come here. It turns out they DO, they just don't make Manila their stop.

Bontoc-Sagada is a fairly short ride (compared to all the major hours we already banked in just two days). Plus the cool, mountain air was definitely something we don't get everyday, so that helped ease the carsickness despite all the zig zag roads. Before we knew it, we were getting off and lugging our huge beachbags at Sagada's municipal hall. We must've been so excited we even forgot to PAY for the ride! Seriously, how embarassing is that? That must've helped affirm the entire country's 1-2-3 impression of Manila's crazy folks, i.e. running off without paying.

At the Municipal Hall, tourists are required to register and pay the environmental fee of P20/pax. The great thing about this town is the tour packages they offer, which are a LOT. There are dozens of things to see in Sagada - mountains, caves, lakes, waterfalls, basically nature at its best pretty much clutter this province. Most of the locals earn their living as tour guides, which is a must for sight-seeing, especially when going in caves (for obvious reasons). After paying our dues, we headed down the road to find our inn, the Yellow House. It wasn't too far from where we got off, which made it even more convenient for when we were gonna walk to and fro. Another big plus is, it was just a stone's throw away from Yoghurt House, the famed Sagada eatery I've been hearing so much about. So after settling down in our room (we had to share the bathroom with the only other couple who were at the inn with us), we did three cartwheels to Yoghurt for some well-needed lunch.

Bok and I inspect the Sagada map at Yoghurt House

Spaghetti and Fried Rice with Vegetables and Meat. FTW! This is actually good for FIVE people!

It wouldn't be called Yoghurt House unless they specialize in yoghurt, right? Trying out their bestselling Yoghurt with Strawberry, Banana and Granola bits. To die for!

After our lunch, we spent the afternoon walking around town and exploring what we can on our own. With our trusty map in hand and only a short time before night fell, we made our way to the St. Mary the Virgin church. It was absolutely deserted when we came in, so we took it as a chance to snap pictures away. The altar has the most fantastic intricate woodwork I have ever seen, and the whole place felt like it was sleeping soundly, comfortably ensconced in calm and serene silence. Rain started to pour not long after, so we had no choice but to stay put inside the church until it subsided. Tourists started to flock in as well, seeking shelter from the sudden downpour. The air got a little exciting, I swear you can almost hear her wake up with a jolt.

We bumped into these adorable local kids on the road

The ancient church bell, said to have originated from Vigan, Ilocos Sur

St. Mary the Virgin church altar. Pic courtesy of Bro ;)

When the rain let up, we ran out to seek the next place to take shelter in. We chanced upon a museum near the church, so we spent some time looking through some really old artifacts and pictures from the time when Sagada was being developed under the guidance of a certain American, Eduardo Masferre. Before heading back, we stopped by Shamrock Cafe for a hot cup of cocoa to keep warm. With not much to do in a sleepy town such as this, we spent the night playing card games and downing a bottle of Red Horse for a good night's sleep. :)

Checking out Sagada's history

Cups of love for each

The next morning, grey skies and sporadic rain showers greeted us. After a full brunch at Yoghurt House, we trekked up to Lake Danum by ourselves in the rain, stopping by the Sagada Pottery House on our way. We met a nice old woman who showed us a thing or two about the craft, and seeing the beautifully done pots had us buying one in no time. It was going to be the first item at our 'travelers' corner', a shrine we were going to put up at home the moment we got back (together with the Batad walking sticks). Trudging through the rain and the deserted road, we made it to the lake in no time. Even with the murky waters and thick fog due to the downpour, Lake Danum still looked breathtakingly enchanting.

The air up there

Pottery 101

That afternoon, we signed up for a tour of one of the caves, Sumaging. Our trusty guide, Kuya Melchor, is an excellent guy. I have no exact words to describe how majestic Sumaging cave is. Going down the steps towards the mouth of the cave is a bit nerve-racking; you can already see just how pitch black it is inside. I was secretly very nervous about the whole ordeal; very dark places with slippery sharp rocks and a klutz like me don't really make a good match. Plus, the sounds of hundreds of bats overhead was terribly disconcerting, considering their shit is said to be viral when it lands on your head (like it can seep through your brain and can be fatal. So they say). The descent to the cave was steep, so it's really vital to hold on to anything for support. The fact that the only support we had were rocks full of batshit isn't anyone's idea of fun, but once past all that is when the cave starts to become really interesting. The mineral rock formations are some of the most magnificent sights to behold; they are absolutely spell-binding. We tried spelunking, and at some parts of the cave, we had to submerge into waist-deep water, too. It was a total adventure; it'd be a sin to miss out on this while in Sagada.

Ready to be swallowed by Sumaging


Pig's Pen

Turtle's Head

King's Penis. Seriously, that's what they call it.

Chocolate Cake

King's Curtain

Mini Rice Terraces

The camera literally ran out of power. Every rock, every angle of that cave was just picture perfect. The climb out of the cave was so much easier, not even the bats felt dangerous anymore, and we were out in the rain again in no time. On the way back, we stopped by another cave to gaze at the hanging coffins. They were literally lined up at the mouth of the cave, all the way up to the ceiling. You'd really wonder how on earth they even got the bodies all the way up there. I was too tired to ooh and ahh at a bunch of more rocks (with dead bodies this time), and we ran out of camera battery, so there really wasn't much for us to do out there. We finally made it back and called it a day.

A warm shower was the best way to cap it all. We made friends with some of the localscare of our trusty guide Kuya Melchor, and spent the night having dinner, drinks, and playing billiards. The most relaxing of all nights. I've never felt so at ease, despite the heavy beating I've put my body under for the past couple of days. I spent the night talking to my new friend under the light of the bonfire, juxtaposed with the freezing cold. But it wasn't long until I felt like retiring, I was just happily exhausted. The next day was the town's market day, but we wouldn't be around to spend that busy day in town anymore; we were to make our journey back home. We took a six-hour bus to Baguio, and from there, took our final ride going to Manila. Back to the chaos.

This trip is absolutely far from the lounge-on-the-sand-and-do-nothing kind of trip that I've always been accustomed to; in fact, quite the opposite. It was the most intense of workouts I've ever endured! New friends were met; the calm of the night was almost romantic at some point - it's not something you get to experience in the city at all. If anything, what made this trip even more memorable is the fact that I was able to share it with two of my best friends.

Summer Somewhere: Travelogue #1 Banaue-Batad

I haven't had the pleasure of going back to recount how this year's summer went. I should've written them down while they were still fresh on my mind, but I had an inkling that the minute I start unloading these memories, they'd be gone from my head for good too. Or worse, it's like acknowledging the fact that summer is over, my happy days will disappear, never to return for another excruciating ten months. Right now, since this happiest of all seasons is slowly trickling away, I should already dock and park the awesomeness that was my summer somewhere. I want to put as many pictures and words as I can, so I can really encapsulate the escapades I've gone through the past month.

First up is the crazy-ass roadtrip adventure I was fortunate to have with my siblings last April. I have always wanted to go up to Sagada, a sleepy little mountain town about six hours farther up the province of Baguio. So in totality, it's about half a day away from the chaos of Manila = a total ache in the butt. But since it's such a challenge to get to, it makes Sagada so much more enticing. The fact that not a lot of people have been there yet makes it a novelty when it comes to local travel destinations.

Going there, my sister planned the entire itinerary (which was such a relief; I didn't have to worry about a thing anymore except get on the bus and go), and went for the Manila-Banaue-Bontoc-Sagada route. She decided we spend one night in Banaue to explore the Rice Terraces. So at around 10ish PM on Tuesday 14 April, we boarded the Florida Lines bus at Earnshaw in Sampaloc for a good ten-hour drive up to Banaue.

Bok is chillin'. He got this whole 2-seater to himself the entire ride!

We arrived in Banaue at around 7AM, just in time to greet the incoming glorious day. The sun just came up, and the town was just starting to get busy. We didn't waste any time, and decided on a place to stay right away so we can explore what the mountains hide in this part of the world. After walking about a couple of steps from the bus, we stumbled upon a good enough place for a cheap-o price, Wonder Lodge.

The view from outside our room. That's the main road down there.

After we had a little recon in our room (getting all the budget issues out of the way and agreeing on an itinerary), we decided to spend the day touring Batad. This all sounds like a big walk in the park - a couple of minutes' ride here, a few steps there and VOILA! The famed Rice Terraces at our feet! How wrong we were. Utterly, vastly, immensely wrong.

We took about an hour's ride via tricycle to this so-called Junction, a point where we get dropped off and left to fend for ourselves. OK, not entirely true as we had our trusty guide with us (whose name escapes my memory now, but she was a good one), but that didn't make the "walk" any easier. She made it bearable definitely, because I needed someone to blame and curse in my head during the times when I literally felt like I was dying from exhaustion with all the going up and down God-knows-how-many mountains.

One of our stops on the way to the Junction

At some view point

There's our guide at the far right. our tricycle driver on the left, and an adorable little girl (not her baby she's carrying, I hope)

Once off the Junction, we had to walk for an hour up this terrain towards another view point-ish stop (Apparently, this is where the vehicles park, as there are no roads that lead straight to Batad Village). From there, it was yet another hour's walk to Batad Village itself, where the most magnificent manmade amphitheater-like rice terraces stand. But knowing us (or knowing me) it took way much more than an hour to reach the village.

Tired. Taking a breather (we weren't even quarter-way through!)

Will you look at that view?

Although the trek up the mountain felt like it could've easily robbed us of our lives at some point, seeing that most magnificent of views was worth the physical exhaustion. It was like nothing I've ever seen before, and I'm really glad I pushed myself beyond my physical limits to get there (and made it without drama involved i.e., passing out along the way).

But that wasn't the end. There was the Tappia Falls (also known as Batad Falls) which was going to take another hour's walk down the mountain. At this point, I was smart enough to pre-calculate the estimated time by multiplying the hours by at least two, because it seemed that was how long it took for us to reach a destination. My siblings wanted so much to see the falls, whereas I just wanted to lie down and watch myself get swallowed by the ground. But being outnumbered, I had to oblige.

Requisite shot with a real-life Igorot

Now this trek to Tappia Falls I consider the hell of all treks. It started to rain midway through our descent, and naturally this didn't cooperate at all with our chosen footwear i.e. Havaianas (I'm blaming the the tour guide for this; she said it was more convenient to wear slippers if in case it rains, et al. FYI: I wanted to smack anyone by this time). And since we were headed downwards, any slip just meant the end. Kaput. DEAD. Imagine how comforting that must've felt, considering I had two siblings to look after apart from myself. But the troopers that they were, they managed to stay in one piece all throughout, while I couldn't stop picturing how tragically grotesque my remains would be splattered all over the rocky bottom should I pick the best time to be a klutz and decide to slip. Although once again, all my whining was automatically shut and thrown back into the place of no return once we arrived. Just the powerful sound of the waterfalls already commanded respect, and I was in no way going to sway its grandiose presence with my childish wails.

A great way to end a full-body workout

They say going back is half as fast. I would've bought that idea if 'fast' meant a 10-minute helicopter ride back to our lodge. This time, we decided to purchase those wooden walking sticks that were sold along the way (the smartest decision we made the entire day), thereby decreasing our trek time back to starting point by about a third. It just sucked big time that it started raining during the last stretch. Then as if it wasn't creepy enough to be all alone out there, nightfall came, READ: no lights = utter darkness on the road. It could be one of the freakiest things I've gone through (getting stranded on a pitch-black road with no sign of civilization UP IN THE MOUNTAINS), but again, the trusty guide decided to keep slowpoke me some company, while I started to imagine all the horrible things that could possibly happen to anyone who is stuck on a rainy and dark terrain road. Just when I thought we would keep on walking like that for all eternity, we reached our tricycle that has been patiently waiting for the past ten hours (poor trike driver). This time, I stopped calculating the time and just lounged in my seat on the way back (I never thought I could cry from happiness at the sight of a chair after that mother of all walks).

We made it back to the lodge all in one piece. My brother played stranger as he automatically passed out on the bed, never mind that he skipped supper and all that body requirement to keep functioning. As for my sister and I, we didn't want to waste this precious first (and only) night we were having in Banaue, a place that seemed light years away from the city. The cold was most welcome, and we snuggled in our jackets and slipper socks as we made our way to the cafe next door (Green View Lodge) for some light dinner and well-deserved hot chocolate. The adventure wasn't over yet, Sagada was waiting for us the next day. But at that moment, all we could relish was the steaming cup of cocoa, and the onset of the most painful leg muscles in the history of all painful leg muscles.

Hot choco can make everything OK :)

Next up: Travelogue #2 SAGADA