#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Philippine Forum >  >  Sagada Adventure 2016

## katie23

Hi again! Last weekend, a friend and I went to the town of Sagada in Mountain Province. It's been on my bucket list for some time, so when a friend told me that she was going to Sagada, I jumped at the opportunity. I thought I was done with traveling for this summer season (because of the recent KL-Laos-Th-Myanmar trip - which was a bit costly too), but I figured that Sagada is local & we would be backpacking, it wouldn't cost me too much. 

In my opinion, Sagada is one of those places that one should go to while young, because the adventures may not be doable anymore for people of a more advanced age - due to size, fitness level or heart conditions.  Of course, there are many "seasoned" individuals who are still very fit, but sometimes they are more of the exception, than the norm.  

From wikipedia: Sagada is a 5th class municipality, with a population of 11,244 people.  It is located 275 km (171 mi) north of Manila and 140 km (87 mi) from Baguio, a major city in the north of the Philippines.

I'll still continue with the Myanmar thread, but since my Boracay thread, it has been one of my goals to show places in the Philippines and somehow promote tourism.  So I'll post this thread and update the Myanmar thread, depending on my mood on which stories to tell (as well as time & internet concerns).

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## katie23

This Sagada trip was a DIY trip, like most of my trips. My friend/colleague and I went to the Victory Liner (Cubao branch) station directly from the office. We arrived there at 10 pm and wanted to get the 11pm bus to Baguio City, but all seats were taken already. The earliest trip that we got was the 1am bus, which left at 1:30am. We arrived at the Baguio bus station ~7:30 am, so 6 hours of travel on the night bus.  Last time I went to Baguio, it took ~5 h from Cubao. 

From the station, we took a taxi to Center Mall (?) which is near the bus station for Sagada-bound buses. Fortunately, we were able to get seats for the 8:30 am bus (2nd to the last row!).  It took us ~6h to reach Sagada from Baguio. 

Here's a map for better visualization.


The trip to Sagada took around the same number of hours as that of Cubao to Baguio because of long & winding mountainous roads.  My friend went to Sagada in 2009 and back then she said that it took 8-9 hours to reach Sagada from Baguio, because of rough roads.

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## katie23

From wikipedia: Sagada is famous for its hanging coffins. This is a traditional way of burying people that is still utilized. (note - according to my guide, they don't allow this anymore. The last person allowed to have a hanging coffin was in Dec. 2010).

Still from wiki: Popular activities include trekking, exploring both caves and waterfalls, spelunking, bonfires, picnics, rapelling, exploring historical sites, nature hikes and participating in tribal celebrations.  

Note: for the outdoor activities, one must have a guide. They don't allow trekking to places on a DIY basis anymore, for safety reasons. Sagada is becoming popular among the backpacking circuit (local and international) and the local government is trying to regulate tourism, as well as care for the safety of tourists.

Note: my friend and I did the Echo Valley nature trail (trekking), as well as the Cave Connection. In the Cave Connection, you enter through one cave (Lumiang Cave) and exit through another (Sumaguing Cave). I would classify the Cave Connection as "difficult", since in some places, you have to contort yourself to fit into the crevices in the rocks, or use a rope to hoist yourself up or go down the rocks, or else you'll fall into a dark abyss. Some places are very slippery too, so they need careful maneuvering. For an "easy to moderate" cave experience, they recommend going to Sumaguing cave only (same entry and exit point).  On the way out, we saw some senior citizens doing the Sumaguing cave trail. 

On our last day, we woke up very early to see the sunrise at Mt. Kiltepan. There was a sea of clouds. The view was breathtaking and the experience was magical.

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## beerlaodrinker

Great stuff as usual Katie. Looking forward to more, I think the Philippines is highly under rated as a tourist destination personally, plenty of things to see and do once you get out in the province, I'm not big on Manila and usually get out of there as soon as possible, a day or nights enough for me, I'm not a big  city guy.

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## katie23

Sagada is part of the CAR or Cordillera Administrative Region. It consists of five provinces, namely Benguet (where Baguio City is located), Mountain Province (where Sagada is located), Ifugao, Abra and Kalinga Apayao. It's a very mountainous region and it is home to several indigenous tribes.  In the olden days, these tribes would wage wars against each other. 

According to C, my friend's friend, who is a native of Kalinga, natives of the Cordilleras are all called Igorot. There are many sub-tribes, like Ifugao, Kalinga, etc. Many of them speak Ilocano, which is spoken in the north (Ilocos Region, Region I), but some also speak their tribal dialects. The guides can speak in English or Filipino (Tagalog) and they also usually can speak in Ilocano.

Here's a map (that I saw painted on a wall) of the Cordillera Administrative Region. 



The last time that I went to Baguio city was >10 years ago. Baguio and Sagada are high up in the mountains and we sometimes call people from that area "highlanders".  I'm a lowlander.  :Smile:

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## Baas Babelaas

Nice one Kate. I was just reading up on incoming tourist stats, and they predict about 5-6 mil. this year. They (the tourist board) reckon it's difficult to get European and American tourist in, for a variety of reasons, so they are going to focus on getting in Asian tourists (please not Chinese).

Not nearly as many as Thailand, but I like it that way. I go to the Philippines to get away from chaotic tourist crowds (and why I don't visit Thailand anymore, amongst other reasons).

Going to get some pics up?

I'll be in your lovely country next month, for two weeks, perhaps we can meet up this time?

EDIT: I know you're crazy busy with work and stuff, but you need to start working on a travel blog/book/e-book.

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## Bettyboo

Nice, Katie, but where are the Sagada goat bikini pics?

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## katie23

As stated earlier, from the Victory Liner station in Baguio City, we took a taxi to the station for Sagada-bound buses.  Taxis in Baguio use the meter and they don't have aircon - but they don't need A/C since it's naturally cool there. When I was there, temps were prolly 22-26 C during daytime. During Dec-Jan, temps sometimes reach 5-6 C.  

The Cubao-Baguio bus was airconditioned, 4 seats in a row (regular aircon). There are also deluxe buses, 3 seats in a row (aircon, reclining seats).  

The Sagada-bound buses are non-airconditioned, 4 seats per row.  Here are some pics of the station for Sagada-bound buses.

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## beerlaodrinker

In 1996 I was working for an exploration company In the cordillera. We had a copper project that got stalled for a couple of Years due to the fact that someone took some pot shots at the helicopter that we had commissioned to fly in some potential investors resulting in 1 Canadian dead , we asked all the questions to the PNP and it was blamed on the new people's army. The truth was it was a 16 year old ifugao who stole  the rifle of the cafgue( spelling!) we were paying the NPA  there " progressional tax" and never had a problem with them., quite a wild place really but that said I don't think tourists would have a problem.

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## katie23

@BLD - yeah, even I don't like Manila, and I'm a local. It's hot, noisy, trafficky, polluted, during rainy season, it becomes flooded, etc. Some provinces are very nice (and underrated, I agree). Having traveled a bit around SEA, I can see that the Phils lacks so much in terms of infrastructure - airports, seaports, highways, public toilets, etc. There's still a lot of room for improvement.  What I can say in the positive is that mostly, customer service is good (I think some will agree with me). With the new president, there's talk of changing the constitution to a federal form of government. I haven't read so much about it, but for now, I would agree to the switch to federalism, so that resources won't be all centralized & concentrated in the Manila area & surrounds.  I've seen the Cordilleras, as well as Western Visayas recently (Christmas break), and many areas in those regions are still very much underdeveloped. 

@baas - yeah, will put up more pics. As to the Chinese tourists, mixed feelings. Sure, they'll bring in money, but they'll bring in their loudness and trashy ways. (some areas have a lot of trash already, they don't need to add to that) Re: meet-up, PM or email me. 

@betty - sorry, no sexy goat pics. Didn't see a single mountain goat during my trip.  There are some gurl yuppies in shorts, though, so watch out.  :Wink:

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## katie23

@BLD - it was CAFGU (Citizens Armed Forces Guerrilla Unit - if I'm not mistaken). I don't hear of much activity in the north re: the NPA nowadays. They're prolly still there but not very active.  They're more active in the Visayas and Mindanao. Plus, Mindanao has other problematic units, like the Abu Sayaff and other groups. <sigh> As for tourist safety, as long as they don't stray from the tourist path (and they have a guide), then they should be okay. On our last day, we wanted to go to a waterfalls (Bomod-ok), but there was an advisory from the municipal government that it was closed for several days. I think it's because it had rained the past days and the trail might be slippery or dangerous for tourists.

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## katie23

You'll have to buy tickets from the counter/window.







If you don't want a DIY trip, there are many travel agencies offering tours to Sagada. They use minivans and usually leave on a Thurs or Fri night, then leave Sagada on Sunday, after breakfast, so that people are back in Manila by the afternoon or evening of Sunday.

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## beerlaodrinker

Yeah that was it, I Cafgu. Anyway that 1 armed ifugao caused a lot of shit, apparently was already a local bad ass,Heard he got " salvaged"  pissed of his ifugao bros to. Anamists different gods , different devils?

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## katie23

In the recent months (or is it years?), there has been buzz about Whang Od, the tattoo master from Buscalan in Kalinga Apayao.  I read about Whang Od from a travel article (forgot if it's CNN or BBC). Last Feb., when I did the Mt. Pinatubo trek, one of the Spanish backpackers I went trekking with said that after Pinatubo, they would go to Baguio, then on to Kalinga to see Whang Od. One of them wanted to get a tattoo from her.  

My friend R, who was my travel buddy for the Sagada trip, said that she heard about Whang Od from a (white) friend of hers, then upon hearing from her foreign friend, that's when she turned to google. Seems that Whang Od is more famous among foreign backpackers than among Filipinos.  However, nowadays due to social media, Whang Od is becoming famous among the younger crowd here too. 

My friend and I joked that we should go to Kalinga and get a tattoo from Whang Od! Well, we didn't have enough time (and I don't want a tattoo). But I do want to see Whang Od! Maybe in my next adventure...  :Smile: 

Anyway, here are some blogs about Whang Od and Buscalan. 
Whang Od Tribal Tattoo - The Broke Backpacker
Travel Guide: Buscalan (Tinglayan) | Lakwatsero

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## katie23

Some pics of Baguio from the bus. IMO, Baguio is ugly now. Full of houses, less trees. I first went to Baguio when I was ~7 y.o. My mom attended a seminar/conference and employees were allowed to bring their kids. We stayed in the dorm of a University. Back then, there were more trees and less people. It was a lovely time (or maybe my memories are also biased because everything seems magical when you're a kid).

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## katie23

After Baguio, we passed by the town of La Trinidad, which is the capital of Benguet province. Baguio and La Trinidad are famous for strawberries and strawberry jams, due to the cooler climate. Many farmers from neighboring towns bring their produce to La Trinidad and Baguio, like cabbages, carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli & other cold climate veggies, which then get distributed to other provinces & cities, including Manila.

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## katie23

@BLD - yeah, some of the tribes up north are animists, not Christian. They have different practices and beliefs.  If I were a social scientist or anthropologist, it would be a good project to write down, video & document their traditions and beliefs, as most are rapidly changing due to modernization (as with all countries with hill tribes or indigenous peoples). 

At last, the mountains!  :Smile: 



Had a pit stop here


There's more to the Phils than Manila, Angeles City or Subic.  :Smile:

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## katie23

These photos were taken during the 6h bus ride to Sagada. Some of those hours were spent sleeping.  :Smile:  We went on the night bus to Baguio then went directly to Sagada, so by this time we've been traveling for 12+ hours (including waiting time).

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## katie23

Another pit stop in the town of Atok, Benguet. 



Saw a couple of backpackers. I think they're on their way back to Baguio.

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## katie23



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## Dillinger

> It's been on my bucket list


But youre only 30 :Smile:

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## katie23

On with the show... saw some rice terraces too. These were taken from a moving bus, so they may not be the best of shots.

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## katie23

@dillinger - I think everyone has a bucket list, whether they're in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and so on.  :Smile: 

Anyway, it was nice to see that there are power lines in the mountains.

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## Baas Babelaas

Awesome pics. You seem to have that camera planted in your hand, at the right time.

I have a good impression of the PI, though only having only spent two nights in Manila, 7 days in Palawan, 7 in Boracay, 10 in Puerto Galera. 

Touch wood, no bad stuff has happened to me, unlike Thailand (drugged and robbed, phone lifted, money lifted - three different occasions).

Will be taking down some small gifts for people I met in PG last time.

The beauty of it all is I can hop on a boat and head to another island if I want to (though Oriental Mindoro suits me just fine for a short break).

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## katie23

As I was searching for food in my backpack (we didn't stop for a real, sit-down breakfast), I saw this - the pack was fully distended. I remembered my Chemistry lessons. Boyle's law at work: higher elevation, lower air pressure, larger volume.  :Smile:

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## katie23

Time for another pit stop (it was 6h & people needed kidney breaks). 
I'm glad the Hulk was there to welcome us.  :Very Happy: 


Spidey was there too  :Very Happy:

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## katie23

Since posting on TD, I've become a voyeur, I think. I now like taking photos of people taking photos.  :Razz: 



But actually, I went near the ledge to take a pic of this.

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## Dillinger

I must say your photos are far improved from your earlier threads Katie. Veey nice

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## Baas Babelaas

Good one!

Basic question - how are you loading these piccies onto TD? And are you setting them to a lower resolution?

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## katie23

Spidey and Hulk were neighbors of a Caltex station.


My friend R said that in 2009, this part of the road was still a dirt road. Now it's paved (thank goodness!). She said that back then, the ride was really bumpy.  You couldn't sleep in the bus because of constantly being jostled around.

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## katie23

@Dillinger - wow, someone noticed. Thanks!  :Smile:  Maybe I'm also better at taking photos?! I dunno. But I do think I am now better at taking *stealthy* photos. Lol! For this trip, I used a small Sony point & shoot camera. I also used it in my Korea thread.  I bought the camera last year, but didn't bring it to Boracay, since I didn't want to expose it to the sea air. For the Boracay thread (as well as Bali & Kota Kinabalu), I used my low-end Android phone. 

@baas - I upload them to Photobucket as I can't understand the TD gallery! I resize them before uploading to PB. This time, I also used the "auto sharpen/contrast" as I resized them. I haven't downloaded the bulk resizer that you mentioned before, so I resized them individually.

Since posting on TD, I've tried to copy Terry's or BLDs threads (without the curses, lol). What I mean is, I now take photos of streets & people doing their everyday stuff. Before, I didn't really care about those things - just photographed the monuments & other touristy stuff.  But what I've appreciated in the 2 Aussie guys' threads is that they take photos of street stuff - sometimes mundane, sometimes quirky or funny.  I don't aspire to reach the level of Bobcock or Phuketrichard in photography, because I don't like taking photos of artsy-fartsy stuff.  :Razz:  Btw, I've met both members, and both were very nice and gentlemanly in my presence. Terry was with his "handbag" & he didn't utter a single cuss word.  :Smile:  I think Terry is now vacationing & fishing in Australia.

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## katie23

By the time that we reached Sagada, it was 2:30pm already, and we were very hungry! Time for a late lunch! 

This was lunch - bangus (milkfish) sinigang (broth cooked with tamarind) + red rice


We ate at this simple eatery which was at the basement level of the Centrum.

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## katie23

After lunch, time for a toilet break too! Toilet was clean, I'm glad to say. 



There are English translations too! (hey, I used the ladies' room, ok?!) 
I just took this pic bcos the cleaning lady was nearer to the ladies' room sign and she would've found it weird that I was taking photos of this.  :Very Happy:

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## katie23

This was the Centrum, which is very near the tourism office and bus stop.



This is the town center of Sagada. When we arrived, it was drizzling, so things looked a bit depressing. However, it was blessedly cool - 20+ degrees Celsius, which was a nice change from the 35+ degrees in the lowlands.

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## katie23

My friend had arranged for our lodgings at a homestay place.  Problem was, she didn't know exactly where it was. So we walked up this hill in search for our lodgings.

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## katie23

Saw these along the way

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## katie23

My friend said that way back in 2009, there were only a few houses and no tall buildings. 
Now, there are lots of 3 or 4-story inns and houses already.

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## katie23

Turned out that we went the wrong way (we went north, when we should've gone south), so we backtracked.

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## katie23

to be continued...

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## pseudolus

> I must say your photos are far improved from your earlier threads Katie. Veey nice


You're a smoooooth dawg, Dilli. 




> 


Nice - Popo is poop then? Just out of interest is it an honour based system or do they check up on you? Also if you pee and popo at the same time, is that 12 Peso, or do they give you a discount to 10 peso? 


Wonder how much a fart is?

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## fishlocker

Thanks for taking the time to post. The snack bag bloating bit cracked me up. You are a sharp cookie. 

 Louis Pascal would be proud of you, I was impressed. Keep up the good work.

I often veiw "The girrrltraveler " on YouTube.  People make money traveling.  Just sayen.  fish.

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## fishlocker

Pseudolus it's P1:V1= P2:V2. A fart is a fraction, just bring your own paper. And a pencil. 
And to think I bought this phone for its majical mathicial apps. 
P=? Poo=7. Pee=5. I'm so confused. 
Sorry, I've lost myself.  Safe travels Katie.  

Save the fish.         For the deep fryer.

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## crocman

> As I was searching for food in my backpack (we didn't stop for a real, sit-down breakfast), I saw this - the pack was fully distended. I remembered my Chemistry lessons. Boyle's law at work: higher elevation, lower air pressure, larger volume.


Take a bag of something similar when diving to show the effects of pressure at depths, it works in reverse.

Top thread as usual Katie keep up the good work. 

The Dragonlady and I are sitting in rainy, cold old Melbourne looking at our pics of Bohol and Panay wishing we were there now.

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## reddog

Katie, good thread,am impressed that there is bugger all litter around as well.

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## katie23

thanks for all the lurv & the greens  :Smile: 

@reddog: yes, the place was very clean. When you register at the tourism office, you'll be given a map, as well as some "house rules" of the place. One of which is to be eco-friendly - bring your own reusable bag & mind your trash. Most of the natives there come from local tribes & they didn't use plastic stuff for centuries. As for the tourists, most were young people in their 20s & 30s, who are adventurous & usually eco-friendly. They also are usually middle class or have good jobs (college-educated), since it's a bit costly to do this trip if one comes from Manila or surrounds. There were a few middle-aged tourists & familes w/ children, but they were more of the exception.  There were also some white backpackers, ~20 of them, usually couples. (Re: litter, at the Mt. Pinatubo crater, it was also very clean. See my Pinatubo thread if interested.)

@crocman: cheers! I don't scuba dive, so you'll have to come up with a similar pic when you do so!  :Smile:  I'd like to go back to the Visayan islands too - lots of islands that I haven't been to.

@fishlocker: P1V1 = P2V2, Boyle's Law. Thanks for the laugh. Cheers!

@pseudolus: toilet fees are based on honor system. The cleaning lady won't sneak up on you to see if you did No. 1 or No. 2, or both. If you do both, be honest and don't scrooge on the 2-peso difference! lol  :ourrules: 

As far as I know, farts are free.  :Very Happy: 

Re: toilet fees, 5 & 7-peso fees are cheap, IMO. In one place I've been to recently, pee = P10, while poop = P20. (It doesn't get discounted to P25 if you do both, lol)

Re: popo, it's actually pupu (pronounced as poo-poo), but I've noticed that the Igorot pronounce the O like a short U sound (or "oo"). Kinda like NZealanders pronouncing short E as the short I sound.

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## katie23

Lots of inns or small hotels. I'm sure BLD would say that it was vastly different in the 90s.  Even my friend (who went in 2009), said that the place has changed a lot. My friend and I hope that Sagada won't become like Baguio, wherein you can't see the mountains anymore because they're all covered by houses. Or like Boracay, which is overrun with tourists and has a trash problem now. 



Walking downhill and looking for our homestay place. That's my friend.

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## katie23

Lots of souvenir shops too. Crime rate is low (it's a small town & the locals usually know each other). There's no night life though. No bars or clubs, but with a few cafes & restos which serve beer. People don't go to Sagada for the nightlife; they come for the nature trails, mountains & adventure.  If you want a bit of nightlife (bars, live bands), there are some (or lots?) in Baguio.

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## katie23



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## katie23

I don't usually see these plants in the lowlands

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## katie23

It's good that the local weaving industry has diversified its product line. They now produce bags of all sorts: coin purses, handbags, sling bags, backpacks, duffel bags, etc. Before, they just used the woven material for clothes, and most people don't use traditional clothes anymore (just for ceremonies). Now, people (lowlanders) are buying the bags, which is good for the industry.

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## katie23



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## katie23

I'm glad there are no big hotels, commercial establishments or franchises; just mostly local businesses. 


You can get guides from here. For the nature hikes & caves, you must have a guide.

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## katie23

My friend said that in 2009, they didn't allow vehicles to pass through this road. Now, they do.


This minivan is most likely from a tour group.

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## katie23



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## katie23



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## Bettyboo

Excellent pictures, Katie. Green owned when I've reloaded.

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## phunphin

love a good photo thread, have one of my greens.

you can have one too betty ....oops.555

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## grasshopper

Nice thread Katie. Visited Baguio about ten years ago. Trip up was nice but glad to get the hell out.Due to the bowl effect in the centre it was a monumental carbon monoxide gassing experience. Jeepneys and trikes basically immobile so the passengers copped it large. Never again!

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## katie23

Thanks for all the lurv & the greens. Will update this thread w/ pics when I've got more time. I've only release ~1/4 of the pics. I've only shown the town proper. There's still the trek, the caving & the sunrise on top of Mt. Kiltepan. 

@grasshopper: yeah, Baguio can really get trafficky & polluted. It's becoming a Manila but at higher elevation. On the way back frm Sagada, the traffic started at La Trinidad then on to Baguio. 

Thnx too to phunphin & aunt betty

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## katie23

Baguio is still good for a weekend getaway, especially if you want cooler climes. However, for nature and mountains, Sagada is much better, IMO. 

On with the show... this was our room at the homestay. We used the (shared) bathroom of the family, which was downstairs.  The room was on the 2nd floor of the house (or 1/F for the Brits, which I've always found weird. 1/F is different from the ground floor, while in the American system, 1/F is the grd flr). For those who've seen my other threads, that's my trusted backpack & handbag. We've been to many places together.  :Smile:  The room is made of pine wood, I think.

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## katie23

After we had checked into our room, it rained a bit, so we rested and waited for the rain to stop. After that, we went to a tour agency office to arrange for our adventures the next day.  Then we went for a feed. This was dinner.

Yoghurt with strawberry preserve & bran flakes


Friend and I shared a serving of pasta


Dinner was at Yoghurt House, thus the yoghurt. 


Food was good, but a bit pricey. We noticed that generally in Sagada, food was sold at tourist prices (higher than prices in the lowlands) but what the heck, we're tourists and the place comes alive during weekends only, so by buying, we're contributing to the local economy. All good.  :Smile: 

After dinner, it was off to dreamland as we were tired from the 20+ hours of travel.

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## katie23

We got our guide from Saggas Tour Guides office. The office was still closed when we passed by. Our guide arrived a few minutes later.


The tour office was near this.

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## katie23

The homestay was along an alley, not on the main road. These are some scenes from the walk to the main road.


I saw lots of ongoing construction. It would be interesting to revisit in the next 5 years. 
I hope that Sagada doesn't become overcrowded like Baguio.

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## katie23

It was Saturday, so market day. These pigs were off to the slaughter house.


It's good that we were deep in the valley by the time these pigs were slaughtered. 
I eat pork but I don't like to hear their cries as they get killed.  :Sad:  
My family reared some pigs when I was a kid. All part of the food chain, but still....

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## katie23

This was our guide, P. We walked uphill to go to the town center. Those are some yuppie tourists. As I've said before, most of the tourists that I saw were local tourists and mostly young professionals.

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## katie23

Aunt Betty, if you're still seeing this, as I've said, I didn't see any goat. But I hope these pics will suffice.  :Wink: 


This is for the shifters.  :Very Happy:

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## katie23

Along the way to the Echo Valley nature trail, we passed by the dry goods section of the market.

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## katie23

This was the bellfry of the Episcopal Church. The original was destroyed by an earthquake (I think the 1990 mag. 8 e.q.), so they made a new, smaller one.


Saw a couple of female foreign backpackers

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## katie23

This is the Church of St. Mary, an Episcopal church. According to our guide, it was the first church built by American missionaries in this region.



There's an UK-flag waving emoticon, why isn't there a US-flag emoticon? 
I would've liked to use a US-flag emoticon in this case.  :Smile:

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## katie23

Some pics of the church and its surrounds

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## Davis Knowlton

^^There are. When you type your post, click on "more smiles' in the upper left hand corner just above the emoticons.

 ::usaflag1::  :Usa2:  :Usa:  :fire: .

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## katie23

Since it's an Episcopal church, there's no statue of saints and whatnot, only JC


This wheel was part of the wheelbarrow which hauled the rocks to build the church
(according to our guide)


Very good weather that morning - blue, blue skies. Got nice pics bcos of that.

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## Bettyboo

Nice pictures, Katie - everyone loves a photothread. &, don't worry, a goat will turn up when you least expect one, they always do...

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## Davis Knowlton

> This is the Church of St. Mary, an Episcopal church. According to our guide, it was the first church built by American missionaries in this region.


  Those Yanks should dig in the collection plate and touch up their sign.

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## katie23

On with the walking tour... this signifies that a cemetery is near


There's also a mini golf course

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## katie23

This marks the start of the Echo Valley nature trail. For every tourist attraction, you'll see these tents. They'll check if your group has a guide. No guide, no tour. They're very strict re: that. I think that's good, because some of the trails are dangerous or far-off, and tourists might get lost if they don't have a guide. Then they'll be a problem of the local gov't bcos search parties have to be organized if someone gets lost. It can also cause bad publicity if something happens to tourists. So IMO, it's good to regulate these things. They'll also check your receipt - if you have paid the environmental fee at the tourism office.  :Very Happy:

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## katie23

@davis - wow, thanks! Learn something new everyday. I specially like the one with the blazing guns. lol  Re: the Igorot, I noticed that some of them have "tall" noses. History says that it's due to some American missionaries interbreeding with the locals in the 1900s.   :Usa2: 

@betty - I saw a goat in my neighborhood, it was black & white and had pretty eyes. I tried to take a pic but it was shy. Turned around and showed me her behind, as if to say, "kiss my a**". lol, Sorry, no goat pic at the moment.

----------


## katie23

This is the way to Echo Valley & Hanging Coffins.


We started the hike at ~6:30 am, so the sun was still rising.

----------


## katie23

This was a relatively easy trail and can be done by people who don't have very high fitness levels. My friend doesn't exercise regularly and she was a bit winded from the walk, especially on the stairs (pics of the stairs/steps later). 



Blue skies and a sea of clouds

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## katie23

Trail leading to the cemetery

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## katie23

Here's another one of those stone markers denoting the presence of a cemetery


More steps going up

to be continued...

----------


## billy the kid

> showed me her behind, as if to say, "kiss my a**".



But but betty will be     :tantrum:  upset now.

----------


## katie23

@billy - Lol. Aunt Betty will have to learn to contain *her* disappointment.  :Smile: 

More pics... the cemetery was picturesque. Blue skies and all.
That's the grave of a WWII veteran, so was given due respect.

----------


## katie23



----------


## katie23

This was the grave of PO3 (police officer 3) Noel Golocan. He was among the 44 SAF (special action force) killed during the Mamasapano incident in Jan. 2015.  He was only 32 y.o. RIP. (I didn't know that one of the SAF44 was from the Cordilleras.)

----------


## katie23

A bit of history: The Mamasapano Incident/Massacre happened in Jan. 2015. Forty-four members of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the police (all young men, special forces) were killed by muslim insurgents in an operation gone wrong. I searched for pics from the net re: Noel Golocan & SAF44.

For those interested
SAF 44 massacre saved nation from dismemberment | The Manila Times Online

There are many articles and videos (quite gory) on the net. Just google Mamasapano incident. 

Here's PO3 Noel Golocan


Here's when the bodies of the SAF44 arrived at Villamor Air Base (in Pasay City, adjacent to Manila). 
The bodies were flown in from Mindanao. 


When I heard about the news last year about Mamasapano, it was all a bit abstract. 
But now that I've seen the grave of one of them, and seen/explored his hometown, it hits more to the heart. 
RIP SAF44 & PO3 Golocan.

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## katie23

This area is called Echo Valley, because when you shout, you'll hear an echo. It was featured in a recent movie, wherein the heroine shouted her angst to the world. So now, people come here to shout their angst. (I did too, lol.)


Then you'll have to go down some steps

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## katie23

These ladies had some difficulty in climbing the steps


This was our guide, P. He was good at pointing out the sights


Sights such as those limestone rocks. Those mountains were under the sea centuries before, as they found fossils of sea shells. Plate movements pushed them up to form mountains.

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## katie23

More steps


And more blue skies

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## katie23

Saw these tourists on their way up. They're quite early birds!



Those who don't exercise regularly may have difficulty climbing up (like my friend - she was winded).  
I didn't find these steps difficult, but I found the caves very challenging!

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## katie23

Once you're down, a few steps more and you'll see the Hanging Coffins of Sagada.
There was a group already when we arrived.


This is sacred burial ground for the Igorot. It's their traditional/tribal way of (burying) their dead.  They don't allow hanging coffins anymore because of lack of space (and they have a cemetery already). Only old people (with grandchildren) are allowed to have hanging coffins. According to our guide, they hang the coffins so that the spirit of the dead is nearer to the sky & the afterlife (and the dead won't have to pass through the ground to reach the sky).  

The last coffin placed there was in Dec. 2010. It's the one in the middle, below the Bomit-og coffin. The chairs are for the dead people to sit on.  They place the dead in a sitting position before rigor mortis sets in.  Then they place the body in the coffin. The coffins look small (not because they contain children) but because the dead are placed in a fetal position.  

I was very curious about these things and asked several questions. One was if they embalmed the dead (put formaline or other preservatives). Answer was no, they didn't. Instead, they smoked the body. They also bury the body immediately, so that it won't smell.  They also don't remove the intestines from the dead person.

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## katie23

Some pics taken in the vicinity of the Hanging Coffins

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## katie23

This was the Globe Telecoms tower. Most of the locals had Globe as their provider, since the signal was strong.  In some areas in the mountains, there's no cell signal. Globe Telecom is owned by the Ayala group, a Spanish-Filipino family with holdings in real estate, malls, etc. 


The Smart Telecoms tower was located on another mountain, thus the signal was weak. Smart Telecoms is owned by the Lopez group. The Lopez group owns a TV network (ABS-CBN), Meralco (electricity), etc.

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## katie23

To go back to the town center, you'll have to retrace your steps. 
On the way back, I saw these ferns, which are not commonly seen in the lowlands.

The Chapstick is for scale, as I didn't have a ruler or a pen.  :Very Happy:

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## katie23

Dry goods market again

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## katie23

This is again for the shifters.  :Very Happy: 
I think these tourists have just arrived from the lowlands. They prolly traveled during the night.


Heading back to the town center

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## katie23

Since it was Saturday, market day, there were lots of people in the town center.


Sidewalk vendors


I noticed that the Igorot have a typical "look" or appearance - they all look similar (probably because they're cousins in one way or another) and they look a bit different from lowlanders. Notice the lady above, our guide, and PO3 Golocan - they have similar features, especially around the eyes. They have small eyes, which slant a bit downward. IMO, they look similar to the people of Mongolia. I don't know if it's due to the high elevation that people develop similar features? My friend noticed it too - that there's a typical Igorot "look".

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## katie23

After the short trek, it was time for breakfast!  :Smile: 
(The Echo Valley Trek is 1-1.5 hours, depending on your speed.) 
This is bangsilog: bangus (milkfish), rice & egg. (log for itlog = egg)

Silog meals are typically served during breakfasts (but can be available whole day in some places). They come in many variants, like hamsilog (ham), cornsilog (corned beef), spamsilog, chicksilog, tapsilog (tapa, or cured beef), tocilog (tocino, or cured pork).  For more silog meals, see the last few pages of my Boracay thread.  :Razz:

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## katie23

Since we haven't registered at the office (because it was still closed when we passed by), we were reminded by our guide that we should register and pay the environmental fee. So off to the tourism office we went!



You'll have to pay the fee at this window. They'll also give you a map, which contains a list of guesthouses and inns, as well as the "house rules" of the town.

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## katie23



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## katie23

Tourists registering at the counter


More tourists/yuppies  :Wink: 


To be continued. Caving adventures to follow...

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## sabang

Excellent thread Katie, cheers. Never made it to Sagada or the northern Fil's in general, but a backpacker mate did and considered it a highlight.

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## katie23

Thanks for the greens and the lurv.  :Wink: 

@sabang: Thanks for the note.  :Smile:  Yes, I think that Sagada would appeal more to backpackers than the mongering crowd.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):   :Very Happy:   I know that most of the members here are past the backpacking stage, so probably won't be interested in the adventures that Sagada has to offer.  Besides, it takes a lot of travel time to go to Sagada, and if a person has limited time, then going hiking or caving might not be on his/her list of things to do on a holiday.  Still, I'm posting these pics in case a random person is interested in Sagada and he/she will have an idea of what's in store. 

I accidentally deleted a pic, so here's the pic again of the blue skies & sea of clouds.

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## katie23

After having breakfast and registering at the Tourism Office, we went back to the Saggas Tour Guides office to wait for our guide.  This is the map of the places of interest in Sagada, and their relative locations.  The junction of the T is the city center.  My friend and I had just finished the Echo Valley trek (small ellipse on the east) and we were about to embark on the Cave Connection adventure, which is the larger ellipse on the south.  There are still many places to explore in Sagada, so I'd like to return there soon, while I'm young and have the strength & energy!  :Smile:

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## katie23

Some pics along the way to the caves.. still near the town center


Saw this backpacker couple


Selfie time for this local couple! Yoghurt House was where we had dinner previously.

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## katie23

Office of Saggas Tour Guides plus Salt & Pepper Diner/Inn


Saw this silver fox (I think he was the only foreign silver fox that I saw), plus a solo backpacker guy. His backpack was in front, which I found a bit weird. However, he was walking uphill, so maybe he found it easier to walk w/ the heavy backpack in front.

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## katie23

More pics of the town. The silver fox is on the left and that's our guide on the right. Most of the young Igorot that I've seen have short, compact & wiry bodies. Then they also have similar facial features (probably their gene pool is less diverse than those of lowlanders, where there's more mixing of genes).

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## katie23

As I've mentioned previously, lots of construction along the way.


Shamrock Tavern & Inn

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## katie23

Cute kids  :Smile:

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## katie23

Hidden Hill Inn (it was certainly hidden!). There are many inns & guesthouses available now, so one doesn't have to bring a tent. Besides, tents are not allowed anymore, I think.  My friend said that in 2009, there was an area uphill where the local gov't allowed tents to be put up.

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## katie23

This is a beautiful viewpoint and a nice place stop & to have your photos taken. You can see the limestone rocks in the distance.


There are hanging coffins among the limestone (lower right). Here's a closer view. I used a small P&S camera, so this is the maximum zoom already. If I had a DSLR, the zoom would be better (but IMO it would be impractical to go caving with a DSLR, but there were some people who did!)

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## katie23

In the area below the limestone rocks, this land was planted with vegetables.


Moving forward... glad that we're on the right track.

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## katie23

More mountains... 


Our guide spoke with some locals. We didn't understand since they spoke a different dialect.  That's a typical sari-sari (mix-mix) or mom&pop store. They sold woven backpacks too!

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## katie23

More signs


This was off the main road already

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## katie23

We asked the guide about the holes on the road. He said the road is to be widened (which is good!)


This part of the road was not paved, just had gravel.

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## katie23

There are small stores in case you need to buy some stuff before you descend to the caves


In case you need fruits or flip-flops  :Very Happy:  The walk from the Saggas Office to this point was ~30 min.

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## katie23

At this store, our guide filled up his lamp with kerosene.

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## katie23

Entrance to the Lumiang Burial Cave.

A few reminders:
Lumiang Cave is a burial ground. Thus, it is a sacred place. Its mouth is full of ancient coffins. Most are placed inside hollowed trunks of pine wood and stacked one after the other on the cave walls and floor. Respect the sanctity of the place. Leave nothing, take nothing. Thank you for your cooperation and support. 

As mentioned before, the Igorot have different tribal customs and beliefs. When asked, our guide said that he preferred to have a hanging coffin than to be buried beneath the ground, when that time came. For me, it's important to respect other peoples' customs or traditions (as long as they are not unjust or insane).

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## katie23

Time to descend to the caves!


I liked the contrast of his red jacket with the green trees. His presence also gives a sense of scale to the surroundings.

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## katie23

Another good spot to stop & take photos


More steps going down. For those with knee problems, it might be a bit bad...

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## katie23

At last, the entrance to Lumiang Cave! 


As it was a Saturday and end of May (summer, peak season), there were a lot of tourists there before us. This was prolly ~10 am.

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## katie23

At this point, we could see that some people were having difficulty in maneuvering the rocks


Came across this foreign silver fox and his gf/wife (local), they were part of a larger group. They gave up and didn't attempt to enter the caves anymore, once they saw what's in store (more rocks & more difficulty!).

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## katie23

You could look down through a hole and see more people inside.


Our guide lit up his kerosene lamp at this stage. I noticed that all other guides had kerosene lamps as well.

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## katie23

There was this coffin at the entrance, with a gecko engraved on the lid. The gecko is to honor the departed person, who was a village elder.  The coffins may seem small; it's because the departed are placed in a fetal position (same as the hanging coffins).

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## katie23

These are the coffins stacked on the cave walls and floors. That's my fugly face.  :Razz: 

For caving adventures, I found it best to dress in leggings and covered arms, as one may get scratched from the rocks.  (I also advised this to some friends/colleagues who plan to go to Sagada soon.)

Please do not copy or quote this post. If you must refer to it, refer to the post number. Thnx!

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## katie23

View from the inside, looking out


At this point, we were wondering how those people got down there

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## katie23

The people don't go down vertically, they went through a crevice at the side.


This was a guy from another group. He had this headlamp - it's more useful than a hand-held flashlight, since it's best to have both hands free to be able to maneuver the rocks. However, you don't really need a headlamp or flashlight, since the guide has a kerosene lamp for illumination.

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## katie23

My friend and I did the Cave Connection, wherein one enters through Lumiang cave then exits through Sumaguing Cave. It's physically challenging and takes 3-5 hours, depending on your speed, agility and number of people around. More people, more traffic, longer time.  

As I've stated in my Myanmar thread, the Cave Connection is not for the faint of heart, since there are parts wherein you'll have to use a rope to hoist yourself up or to descend the rocks, else you'll fall into a dark abyss. It's also not for very large mammals, since some of the crevices are small and you'll have to contort yourself to pass through (note: foreign backpackers in their 20s are able to do this, the guide said).  It's also not for people who have claustrophobia, asthma or heart disease. 

For an easier cave experience, the guides recommend doing Sumaguing Cave only. The trail is easier, and it takes 1.5-2 hours, and you don't have to wade in chest-deep water.  

This is me, passing through. Again, pls do not copy or quote this post.

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## katie23

I took this photo of people going down. I was at the bottom already.


This was our guide maneuvering the rocks via a rope. You'll have to use the rope to get to the top.

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## katie23

Our guide said that among the guides, there are levels (in terms of experience).  Those who are more experienced are assigned to the difficult tasks (like the Cave Connection), while the newbies are assigned to easier tasks like the Echo Valley trek. Our guide was very good and was very helpful. When we arrived at the difficult parts, like the rope and cliffs, he would instruct us carefully where next to put our hands, feet, etc. (Put your right foot in that hole, then use your left arm to pull yourself up, etc.) 

The Cave Connection was physically exhausting, for an office girl like me. lol The day after, I walked very slowly, like an old woman, with sore arms & legs.  I jog a little, but it wasn't enough to prepare for the caves. Next time, I'll jog uphill or up the stairs and do push-ups or pull-ups to prepare for the caves. There are still many places in Sagada that I haven't been to. 

It was tricky to go down these rocks.


The guide pointed out rocks which had peculiar formations. He called this the Rice Terraces.

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## katie23

My friend and I at the "rice terraces" rocks, so that you get a sense of scale.
My friend wore flip-flops & she removed them as it was easier for her to go barefoot.
Again, pls do not copy, repost or quote this post.

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## katie23

At this point, you'll have to either wade in chest-deep water or pass via the side (wherein the rocks are slippery). We chose to wade in the water.  The water was cold! (Pls do not urinate in the water!)

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## katie23

At this point, it was very slippery so the guide advised me to go barefoot.
Again, pls do not copy, repost or quote this post.


Water again!


After this point, we were a bit exhausted already. So we asked the guide if there were more ropes (difficult part) or more water. He said yes. Then we said, arrgh!  :Razz:

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## katie23

There were some other rock formations which were called the rabbit, the chicken, baby & mommy elephant, etc.  There was also a portion with bats (sorry, no pic).  This was the "mushroom" rock.  

Again, pls do not copy, repost or quote this post.

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## Davis Knowlton

Great effort. Think I'll be passing on this one!

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## katie23

This was taken near the exit point, which was Sumaguing Cave. It kinda reminds me of scenes from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. 


It's best to place your stuff in ziploc/airtight bags so as to prevent them from getting wet (esp. electronics).

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## katie23

> Great effort. Think I'll be passing on this one!


Spoilsport.  :Razz:  I think your kids would enjoy this adventure, Davis. You should bring them before they leave for the US.  You could always do the "easy" caving, which is Sumaguing cave only. You can do a 3D/2N trip, like mine. Easy-peasy.  :Smile:

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## katie23

More rocks! (sigh) Sometimes it's easier to maneuver the rocks in a sitting position, because it's very slippery.

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## katie23

At last, there's light at the end of the tunnel - literally!
It was a coincidence that my friend and I both wore red shirts. lol
Again, pls do not copy, repost or quote this post.

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## katie23

After the rocks, there were still 265(?) steps to conquer, accdg to the guide.
This was taken at the top of the steps already (the end is near!).


By this time, the battery on my cam had run out, so I used my low-end phone. 
I found this tourist prayer amusing.  :Smile:

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## katie23

There's this tent at the exit point (or Sumaguing Cave entrance).  The ppl there will check your receipt, so it's best to bring it always. 


No spitting of "moma" - "moma" is the betel plant. The Igorot chew betel leaves.

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## katie23

Some signs. Good for photo ops.  :Smile: 


Some reminders. Best to follow them.  :Smile:

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## katie23

My friend and I did the Cave Connection in 3.5h (plus 0.5h for the hike to the cave). Other groups do it in more time, esp. if it's a large group.  Our guide sometimes overtook the large groups, since we were only 2 in our group.

It was also physically exhausting for the guide, as sometimes he would instruct us to put our feet on his thigh or shoulder, in order to maneuver the rocks.  At one point, I stood on both his shoulders (while he squatted), then he stood up to gain more height.  Then I had to reach the rope and hoist myself up.  That part was a bit scary, since there was a cliff nearby.  The guides charge this tour per person, so it doesn't matter if you're only one or many in your group, in terms of cost.

Anyway, at the top, there's a Cafe where people can chill or wait for other people in their group.

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## katie23

Some scenes from the walk back to the town center.  It was cloudy by the time we exited the caves.  These pics were taken using a low-end phone, so not too sharp.

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## katie23

More scenes from the walk back. It's a different route from the one earlier. For those in tour groups, the minivans bring them to an area near the cave entrance. Since we were a DIY group, we didn't have a vehicle, so we walked & saw these beautiful scenes.


This part of the road was under construction. There was a bulldozer nearby.

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## katie23

Saw more limestone rocks and a few houses


By this time, our guide had removed his red jacket.

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## katie23

We passed by this Cafe & souvenir shop. This has become famous to the yuppie crowd, since it was used as a location for a recent movie.  The protagonists in the movie had coffee here.  When we looked, the place was full. All in all, good for tourism & business.  :Smile:   We stopped for some photo ops. lol

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## katie23

At some point on the walk back, our guide was able to hitch a ride from his friend. So we all hopped on the back of an old pick-up truck. This was a welcome relief since we were already tired from our cave adventure.

Upon arrival at the town center, we went for a feed. This was lunch - the 2pc chicken & veggie set meal (there were other meals offered but I chose this one for the veggies). There was a foreign couple who chose the french fries, chicken & lettuce salad meal. 


After lunch, we headed to our guesthouse for a shower and some well-needed rest!

To be continued...

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## beerlaodrinker

Awesome, love your trip reports, really making me miss the philippines  now,  unfortunately I'm in the large mammal category so the caving thing ain't gonna happen now, should of done it when I was there and a smaller mammal

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## fishlocker

Thanks for the cave tour, looks like fun. Did you ever make it to the convicts houses lol. It was mentioned in the prayer. 

Again thanks for sharing. Looks like you had a blast and have some fond memories with your travel companions. I'm glad you didn't pee in the water.  Peace out fish.

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## katie23

@BLD - cheers! People who aren't at the peak of fitness can still do the caves, but I would recommend Sumaguing cave only (~2 hrs) and not the Cave Connection (~4 hrs).  I've been to other caves, but so far, the Cave Connection in Sagada has been the most challenging. 

@fishlocker - no, unfortunately there wasn't any convicts house there. lol

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## katie23

Time to update this thread a bit. Was very busy the past week.

So after lunch and a short rest after the caves, we took a walk to Sagada Pottery, which is on the NW part of the town. Saw these scenes along the way.



Km 0 marker is at Rizal Park in Manila, so this area is 396 km from Manila.

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## katie23

Passed by a school


and a souvenir shop

Bawal magtapon ng basura dito = throwing of trash is prohibited
No spitting of "momma" = momma/moma is the betel nut

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## katie23

Passed by a waste segregation area


These are glass bottles. It's good that they segregate & take the trash issue seriously.

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## misskit

Great thread.

Katie, I love it that you make travel a priority in your life. Keep at it, woman!

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## katie23

Passed by a retreat house, the House of Soledad


House is nestled in the woods. My friend said it wasn't there in 2009.

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## katie23

@misskit - thanks for the luv. Good to see some girlpower here.  :Smile: 
I travel when I can, because I can. 
Who knows, I may even visit you in CM! (I haven't been there)
I travel now because I may not be able to do caves or mountains when I'm 60!  :Smile: 
Cheers!

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## katie23

This was our destination for the afternoon, Sagada Pottery.
We wanted to go to Lake Danum for the sunset, but it was cloudy so no good.
So we looked at pots instead.


This lady demonstrated how the pots were made. She spoke in English.
Some Igorots speak English better than than Tagalog, since Tagalog is not their mother tongue. Both English and Tagalog are learned in school, but they usually use Ilocano or other tribal dialects for their mother tongue.

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## Davis Knowlton

^Love places like that!

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## katie23

These are the "raw" pots

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## katie23

These are the "finished" pots, in another room. Both the raw & finished pots are for sale.

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## katie23

After viewing the pots, we walked back down the road. We were a bit worried about the weather, since we heard thunder while we walked. Fortunately, we were able to hitch a ride on an old minivan which dropped off a passenger along that road. The enterprising minivan driver asked us if we had seen the Mt. Kiltepan sunrise already. We replied that we hadn't, but had signed up at the municipal office to join in a ride share. So he offered us his services, as he was also taking another tourist up there the next morning. Win-win for both parties! Great!  :Smile: 

So after the pots, we had an early dinner. We wanted to taste the lemon pie from Sagada Lemon Pie House, as it seemed to be famous. Unfortunately, the pies were all sold out. The resto was also full that night. Lots of yuppies.

----------


## katie23

So we left that resto and ate here instead.


More yuppies

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## katie23

They didn't sell pies by slice, but by the box. Since we wanted to eat pie badly (lol), my friend and I bought a box. We took home the leftovers.


It as a meringue type of pie. It was good, not too sweet (which I liked).  


This was my dinner, sizzling beef.

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## katie23

@davis - cheers! It was a great demo. 

One of the highlights of a Sagada trip is to see the sunrise at Mt. Kiltepan. We got up VERY early (ugh!) just to see the sunrise. The driver said that he would pick us up at 4:30 am, so we had to wake up earlier than that. It was ~30 min drive from the GH to the sunrise viewpoint. Along the way, we saw some people walking. The walk must be 1 or 1.5 hours (on cemented road).  When I saw them walking, my thought was, it's good that we had a ride! lol 

When we got to the viewpoint, it was ~5am and there were lots of ppl already. Lots of selfie sticks too.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):   :Very Happy: 



Here's a pic without those pesky selfie sticks. lol

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## katie23

I haven't explored all the functions of my digicam, so my dim light pics aren't too nice. This came out blurred.

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## katie23

We arrived at the viewpoint ~5am and there were lots of ppl already


At times I felt like we were in a concert, lol.

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## katie23

More ppl


We found a place where there's less ppl, and the view was breathtaking. Sunrise and a sea of clouds...

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## katie23

More sunrise pics. My pics don't do them justice since I'm not that good of a photographer.

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## katie23

It was a good hair day for katie.  :Very Happy: 

to be continued...

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## misskit

> Who knows, I may even visit you in CM! (I haven't been there)


Give me a shout when up in this area of the world.





> I travel now because I may not be able to do caves or mountains when I'm 60!


That's right. Do your rough travel while you can. When you are 60, you'll be perusing the cruise brochures!

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## Davis Knowlton

> That's right. Do your rough travel while you can. When you are 60, you'll be perusing the cruise brochures!


I don't know about cruises, but I do know I'm not teetering through those caves.

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## katie23

^^yup, will do, if ever. 

Ya, when my friend and I were walking like old ladies the day after the cave tour, we said - we will not be able to do this when we're senior citizens, so it's good that we did it now! (the cave tour) lol Prolly when that time comes, I'll take cruises, or just look at castles or temples and do easy-walking city tours.  :Very Happy:  Cheers, misskit! 

My friend is also well-traveled, and has gone to the US (for a training). She's also been to many parts of SEA and PI.  We're not hi-so, we're just young professionals who like to travel. It's good that more young people (esp SE Asians) are traveling now because of blogs, sites like Tripadvisor & wikitravel, social media and cheaper airfares. In my SEA travels, I've met mostly white backpackers, but there are more & more independent Asian travelers too.  All good, and I've met lots of great people with interesting stories.

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## Bettyboo

Nice pics, Katie - that lemon meringue pie looks very nice!  :Smile:

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