Our Sagada nature encounter was truly a zesty and refreshing experience as it was literally a communion with nature at its finest. The cloud kissing mountains were a spectacle to see, chilly mountain breeze, ubiquitous pine trees and greeneries, and the remnants from its past glory were a treasure to relish and enjoy.
Our vehicle hurtled down to Bontoc at mid afternoon. We have descried the town but didn’t bother to draw close, instead we dropped in at a café to pee and get us some eats to munch. That was all, so we then decided to head straight away to the municipality of Sagada, Mountain Province.
Dom-an, a resident of this dreamy town and a friend since our Ugnalidaritet days, met with us, and prior to our arrival, she suggested an inn, but to our surprise the rooms weren’t enough to accommodate a group of 10 or so. But just a stone’s throw away from us, the Residential lodge solved our small concern. There we settled down at the basement. The rooms were clean, linens fresh and comfy. Our weary bodies found some solace and relief from our long travel. After finding our room, a late afternoon walk transpired doing a side-walk shop-hopping, checking for souvenir items and registering our names at the tourists’ information center.
Before dusk fell, we convinced everyone to visit the nearby Ganduyan Musem, privately owned by the resident curator who toured us around and fed us with a great deal of information about Igorot’s history, literature and culture dating centuries back. The stored treasures at Ganduyan are worthy of accolade and praise for the efforts and interest combined resulted into the inception of this museum for posterity’s sake.
From my Google searches, Bana’s café was a recommended place and it’s just along the same street where our lodge was and where the best cafés and pension houses are situated (I forgot the street’s name). There we sampled their local coffee brew I guess plus the must-try muffins. We occupied a small candle-lit table that exuded a kind of feeling that made our light snacking satisfying.
We walked back to our lodge to get some rest and a much deserved soothing shower.
The night wasn’t over yet. Tomorrow’s time may be demanding, so we won’t let the night pass without dining at Yoghurt House, just a few steps away. We ordered fried chicken and chopseuy for our meal. It was good enough to please our grumbling tummies. But the real treat was the Gandola yoghurt. It’s a delightful dessert that will make you ask for more! A must try!
The night before was sleepless and the day was long. Sleep was all we needed. Zzzzzzzzzz.
At the break of dawn, we all hurried for breakfast and our way to the guide for the Sumaguing cave spelunking activity. The morning was lovely and so was our adrenalin rush to start the day’s tour. Dubbed as a "porn cave" because of the kinky rock formations ranging from a prince’s, princess’s, queen’s and king’s genitals, we were deeply enthralled by the beauty lurking inside. We likewise soaked our body on the icy cold puddles and portions of water both flowing and dripping inside the cave.
After our satisfying spelunking, we proceeded to Eco Valley. We simply darted a look at the Episcopalian St. Mary’s church but no one insisted to get in. We no doubt enjoyed the scenery. We passed through the graves and slowly descended down the limestone rock area where the hanging coffins are found. No one ridded this sacred place where dead bodies are buried.
It was almost high noon when we realized that our Sagada stay was almost over. We returned quickly to our lodge to pick up our ready to tote bags for our mandatory trip going to Baguio City. We were happy not to miss the last bus for the day. The road en route to Baguio was risky but scenic. Bye Sagada! See you again. :)
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