SAGADA (A second shot)

2nd day of 3D/2N Trip (Dec 20, 2015)

"I left a piece of my heart in this small town called Sagada" That's what I'm always telling my friends when they asked me why do i want to go back to Sagada. And I think going back there before Christmas is a priceless gift for myself. After a day spent in Banaue We head off to Sagada via Bontoc; I can feel all the thrills in me thinking that I'll be able to have a second glimpse of where my heart felt home. It seems like the weather give in to our request and the sun comes out as we travel and got our feet step into Sagada. It was a feeling of Rekindling those days when I'm seeking a peace of mind and this town gives so much of what I need. 

scenic view along the way

the road to Sagada

So much for Hugot feels; First thing we do is to check in at Lodge Labanet. A newly built lodge in Sagada near the Municipal Office. It was a homey and cozy place to stay with good room spaces, hot & cold bath and clean facilities; next thing to do is to fill in our hungry stomach at the lodge's restaurant. It's quite disappointing that it took them an hour or over an hour for some to serve our orders, but the food were of good taste though.

Cordillera's best (Pinikpikan)

view from our room

So much for that coz' were running out of time to enlist all we planned for the day. We moved to our Spelunking activity; We opted not do cave connection since the rain has just stopped and it was late do that one. 4pm when we arrived at Lumiang cave (Burial cave) and as I've seen it 2 years ago it is never a doubt that they maintain the place. Of course short history telling and photo ops then proceed to our next destination which is the famous Sumaguing cave.

trail to Lumiang cave

Burial Cave

view before going to the caves

picturesque scenery

I know for sure that I'll get to appreciate more of this cave coz' I'm not into connection this time, spelunking focused more on the grandeur rock formations. Being in the large group to enter the cave, we were with 3 guides. Story telling, crawling, sliding, lifting, duck walk and dipping with cold flowing waters. This cave never fails to amazed everyone of us. from the beautiful formations to refreshing cold waters. Another reminder for everyone; make sure to follow guides instructions they know the details how to survive with this activity.
It was 7pm when we got out of the cave and there's nothing else to explore since the dark skies take its place. We just take a bath and search for some restaurant to have our dinner.

stairway going down Sumaguing cave

Dipping into cold waters

Elephant?

find the Princess :)

Mandatory group shot

Curtains!

Sagada Brew! that's where we targeted to have our dinner coz we wanted to reward ourselves with the Sagada's brewed coffee and it was indeed a great night of celebrating what we have surpassed for 2 days with a sip of coffee and sumptuous dishes from this restaurant. What makes night more delightful is the friendly people from Sagada. It feels like home away from home; with the entertaining staff from restaurant we never feel bored for waiting for our orders but it doesn't take long for them to serve our foods and that's how our night ended.

Furry baby along the way

looking for the restaurant

Sagada's Brewed Coffee

Sumptuous dish

For our last activity in Sagada and last day of tour we had to wake 4am and get our way to Kiltepan peak for sunrise viewing. I wasn't able to witness the majestic sunrise and sea of clouds the first I went there so I'm hoping that it wasn't the same situation now. It was already 5:45am and all the people there were waiting but the sun didn't show up until 6am. there were sea of clouds but it's not that magical since the gold lining from the sun was not in action but still it's a great view for all of us. Next thing to do is to get breakfast and be ready for another long road trip to Halsema highway down to Baguio City.

My Uncle with my cousin

It's my second time in Sagada but this small town welcomes me like the first time. More and more reason to be excited to what's next to discover, new people to meet and appreciating the simplicity of life by having a peaceful ambiance like this. I haven't seen the most from what this place has to offer and that make me believed that I'm going back. Never a doubt why people who seek silence, soul searching and adventure thriller wants to get there as it offers everything you need without going into luxury kind of travel. This humble small town in Mt. Province will always have a part in my heart and I know for many of its visitors too. This is the real kind of experience of disconnecting from your daily dilemmas and renewing one's soul through energy of nature.



see the last day of our trip next to this post.


Photo credits: Lucille Taperla and Jhudy Abarico