The
storm never bothered us to explore Sagada. At first I was hesitant to
cancel my trip (because my leave wasn't approved and eventually
ratified in a short notice). In the long run, I went crazy. There's a
reason for me to go on, and so my adventures begun.
The
place Sagada was not unfamiliar to me. I mean I've read some blogs
featuring that place even the blockbuster movie "That thing
called tadhana" was not showing. But thanks to this movie, I was
moved not just with story but also with the place.
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| When is the best time to go? "Anytime when it isn't raining so much. " With so much anticipation, we figure to have a hate-and-love relationship with the weather. However we are so lucky enough to experience this fun filled adventure. |
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| The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin. This church is famous for its rose petals stained glass. |
Sumaguing
Cave. Is
arguably the best known attraction of Sagada. Caving is one of the
more exciting and unique experiences that visitors can do in town.
There are various cave systems and routes but Sumaguing gets the most
traffic because of its big chambers and notable rock formations. As
one would expect, it is pitch black in the deeper parts of the cave
(the guide will be carrying a lamp) and you will be heavily reliant
on your guide for directions and the proper foot holds. You may
choose to do the “simple caving” which is a in-and-out course
through Sumaguing. It could take from two to three hours to finish
the entire route.
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| Our tour guide Kuya (I literally forgot his name), who is very serious at first but eventually share his funny side. He asked us some trivia regarding the cave and I was like; are you serious right now? |
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| A multi-chambered cave with awesome stalagmite and stalactite formations, this cave is a topnotch destination for both budding and professional spelunkers. |
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| And yes, we did it!!! Spelunkers. |
Pongas Falls. Pongas Falls is the newest discovered attraction in Sagada. One can choose whether to do the river trekking or use the mountain trail. River trekking takes about 2hours with minor bouldering and rope segments. Mountain trail is much easier.
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| After we did our spelunking activity, we decided to trek in Pongas Falls. It starts with a 5kms travel to the southern part of sagada (SUYO), 1kms hike going to the village and a kilometer more of hike by the river going to the Water falls. Alright, let's go! |
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| Rice Terraces of Ankileng, Southern Sagada. |
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| The trek will pass through this bridge. |
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| I'm the king of the world. Finally, on top!
Mt.
Kiltepan. I
don't mind waking up in the wee hours just to see the beautiful peak
of Mt. Kiltepan. The Kiltepan peak is the best area to await for
the sunrise in Sagada. Giving you a view of the Kiltepan Rice
Terraces from below having standing on a ravine at 1640 meters above
sea level, one can see how the sun rises slowly filling up the skies
with an awesome play of light over the farther mountains of the
Cordilleras while sea of clouds slowly drifts away from caressing the
valley below.
And
again, we are hoping that Mr. Sun will come out but the
rain continuously pouring.
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| Sa hindi inaaasahang Pagtatagpo ng mga mundo May minsan lang na nagdugtong, Damang dama na ang ugong nito. |
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| Di pa ba sapat ang sakit at lahat Na hinding hindi ko ipararanas sa'yo Ibinubunyag ka ng iyong matang Sumisigaw ng pag-sinta. |
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Imagine waking
up to a place where the glorious sunrise radiates above the sea of
clouds and then, the heaven opens up to reveal the details of the
glassy rice terraces below. It may sound so surreal that
this will surely remind you of the “hugot” moment straight from
that “Tadhana” movie, but to tell you honestly, this place
actually exists.
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| Ba't di pa sabihin Ang hindi mo maamin Ipauubaya na lang ba 'to sa hangin 'Wag mo ikatakot Ang bulong ng damdamin mo Naririto ako't nakikinig sa'yo |
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| Our jump shot in Mt. Kiltepan. |
Eco
Valley. The Echo
Valley of Sagada is one of the best place to see hanging coffins in
the Philippines. The location is not too far from the town center and
requires a short hike. It is said that the valley is shaped like a
large megaphone therefore making any sound echoes and vibrate across
the valley thus the name “Echo” valley.
The
easiest approach towards Echo Valley is by passing thru the church
grounds of St. Mary, then continue all the way to the Angelican
Cemetery until you see the hanging coffins across the opposite side
of the valley.
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| Sagada Cemetery |
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| Sad to say we were not able to get a closer look at the Hanging Coffins because it's raining so hard and our tour guide demanded not to go down - it's too steep and dangerous.
The process of putting the
graves up by the cliffs is fairly simple. They make scaffolds first,
drill holes on the rock face then lift up the coffins and place it
there comfortably. Some noticed that the coffins are fairly small,
that is because body is placed in the fetal position. They believe
that people should pass through this world the same way they got in.
Some graves have chairs, these are the “Death Chairs” where the
dead was left sitting for a while before the funeral. People would
not use them so they hang them along with the coffins. As to why they
are placed high on the cliffs? One reason is to avoid animal
scavengers desecrating the body or thieves stealing their belongings.
The other reason is that they believe that the spirits would rise up
easily from there than being buried six feet underground. (via
www.ironwulf.net)
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| Taking a last shot @ Echo Valley before the rain decided to drop. |
ATS
