Cherished Travel

The Road to Sagada

Posted on January 17th, 2007 by Temujin.
Categories: My Philippines, Sagada.

Last October 2004 while the rest of the nation were preparing for the celebration of All Saint’s Day my friends and I opted to take the a long journey north. We took a bus from Cubao going to Baguio. We arrived there around 5am after seven hours of journey. It was still dark.

As we unboarded the bus we were immediately greeted by people offering lodging. I have never been to Baguio. I would have loved to explore its noteworthy places but we were just passing through.

At 7am we went to the Dangwa bus station. We took a non-aircon bus going to Sagada. Our journey began smoothly at first. Then the road began to curve. We were offered beautiful views of the mountain ranges and cliffs as we zigzaged along. We were so high that the houses below were almost like dots. I also saw a bus carefully traversing the edge of the mountain just seventy or a hundred feet below us.

As we went further away from Baguio the more the road began to curve sharper and the more the road became smaller. The driver has to make a sharp turn every three or four seconds. He could not afford to rest for there is a several hundred feet drop on the side. Our path alternated between concrete to dirt road. There were parts of the journey where the road would be enough just to fit one bus. Still it was amazing how the drivers managed the path. There were times when we would meet another bus going the opposite direction and it was amazing how they managed to avoid each other.

I always thought that Manilenos were one of the best drivers in the world. We all know how rough it is to drive in Manila. But right then I realized that the best drivers were up in the Cordilleras.

The Highlights of Our Journey

About four hours during our journey the bus stopped. We all unboarded the bus. There was a long traffic on the road below us. The driver was thinking if we would take an alternative road to Sagada or push through.

We eventually found out that there was a landslide up ahead.

A few moments later the driver decided to push through. We came to the site and I saw part of the road had fallen off due to soil erosion.

The cliff and the eroded part was on the right side and to the left is the mountain wall. I watched a bus ahead of us go. I could swear that one of its wheels has already fallen over the edge and the bus would surely fall to the right. But the driver was able to recover by making a sharp left and the bus passed through successfully.

Next it was our turn. Our driver imitated what the first driver did and we were also able to pass through successfully.

If you are fond of rollercoasters then you should take the road from Baguio to Sagada. At the end of the journey I’m sure you would swear that it is the best rollercoaster ride ever.

The road from Baguio to Sagada is a scary ride but the sights and the sceneries are beautiful. All in all a wonderful experience.

5 comments.

Adventure or nothing

Posted on January 11th, 2007 by seaciel.
Categories: My Philippines, Sagada, Interesting Travel Quotes.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

– Helen Keller

Sagada underground river and cave

2 comments.

Our FBI Guide

Posted on November 11th, 2004 by seaciel.
Categories: My Philippines, Sagada.

This post is dedicated to Edwin, our tour guide,
a good-looking FBI (Full-blood Igorot) who instanly became Jen’s, one of the ‘excess
baggage’ girls, Mr. Dreamboy

Unfortunately, I can’t show you his face.
He loves to pose, but he shrinks back when the camera clicks.

He speaks english. In one of his stories,he said strangers are not allowed to live or own a land in Sagada,unless you marry a local, and when there is a wedding, everyonein town is invited.

When we were inside the cave, we depended on him.
His thigh, legs (uy flawless), hands became our ropes, poles, pillars and floors. In all our walks, he leadeth us. In still waters to the raging waterfalls, to green pastures up to the mountains, to pitch dark caves.
We were restored. Changed.
Thanks to the hermit who unravelled to us the beauty and wonders of Sagada.

6 comments.

How Will You Define SAGADA?

Posted on November 10th, 2004 by seaciel.
Categories: My Philippines, Sagada.

Solemn, a place for deep reflection

Attractive, her beauty is alluring

God’s wonder, truly one of His great gifts for us.

Amazing experience for adventurers

Distinct, there is something in the place that will keep you coming back

Antidote for boredom, from the overland trip till you get to Sagada, there’s no room for dullness.

1 comment.

Sumaguing Cave

Posted on November 10th, 2004 by seaciel.
Categories: My Philippines, Sagada.

To The Big Cave!

Sumaguing cave is Sagada’s most popular tourist attraction, it is said to be the largest among all connecting caves in town. And so there we were, the ‘excess baggage’ (Itoy,Haree,Jen,Cates & Ciel) at the starting point looking at a manmade stone sign that reads the ‘Caving Rules’.

As we made our way down the narrow stairs to the mouth of the cave, I heard some whistling. Birds I thought, but its Edwin ‘the hermit’, our tour guide. It’s his way of telling the cave that there are visitors coming in.From the mouth of the cave, we descended a few meters more. Clambering up and down the big slippery rocks filled with bat dung. I tried avoiding the droppings but i realized it’s part of the adventure. That moment, I converged with the bats by laying hands on their dung.

Igghh…

Sometimes, nature satiates my wander lust in a slimy way.

Inside the Cavern

The hermit stopped, lighted his gas lamp and gave more instructions.
He said to take off our sandals and leave them behind.
I realized we just passed through the cave’s esophagus, now we’re entering Sumaguing’s stomach. Darker, colder, slimier.

We said our prayers before we continue the journey.

Two artificial lights illuminate our journey, one from the gas lamp of hermit and the other one was from Itoy’s big flashlight. Thank God there is Light, we were able to see, in the midst of darkness.

Awesome Experience
You’ve got to have stamina to endure the climbing up and down using ropes or bare hands, plunging into the cold waters and crawling narrow passages. It’s really back-breaking, but once you get a gaze on the stalactite and stalagmite’s magnificent formations, they will charm away your exhaustion.
We got awed with what we saw, the massive build-up that formed fancy shapes that probably centuries old. Among these are the “king’s curtain,”, “pregnant woman”, “dancing hall.”, “nativity”, and “rice terraces”. We also noticed other shapes like the alligator’s head that was strangely formed in the water pool, reindeers head, pig, and so on.

The hermit even started a guessing game but for the boys only, I wonder why.
He asked them to look closely and touch a certain rock and guess the shape.
The hermit’s game was a success.

Sacrificial Lamb
I was sitting and preparing to get across the other side by using a rope when I accidentally got soaked into the ice-cold water. I immediately pulled myself up but its too late for my digital camera. Luckily, the memory card wasn’t damaged. I prayed hard for my camera to work again but it didn’t, it made me sad realizing I would no longer take photos of our next destination. At least I still have my photos intact in the memory card, my video cam, and Jen’s camera

Wonder Wall

we made our final final climb up a rock wall with just a rope for support. Even if our legs hurt,we enjoyed that part. We then made our way back by going around one side and ending up at the place where we left our sandals.

The wealth of wonders inside the Sumaguing Cave are the things that you should not miss when you visit Sagada. They are just there magnificently growing, waiting for you to appreciate the beauty under the surface.

0 comments.