The (holy) week that was ::Part 4:: (A Good Friday AM)

Note: This is a continuation of Part 3

“Mas mataas pa tayo sa clouds! (We’re higher than the clouds!)”

Excited voices woke me up at 6 am on Good Friday.  Apparently, my fellow travelers staying in the other dorm rooms at Alapo Inn were already up and about; thrilled about whatever they’re seeing outside. I got up, too, went to the window, and this is what I saw:

A Sagada morning (above): Are these clouds or just a foggy morning? Being lowlanders all of our lives, we couldn’t tell (hehe, that’s how we are–we even get easily excited at the sight of a mere pine tree).  Whatever it was, it made me want to shower and dress up quickly.  No time to waste… there’s a long and bustling day ahead!

Breakfast awaits (at left): Included in the organized tour that we availed of were daily breakfast meals at the nearby St. Jo’s Café. We were served skinless longganisa, omelette and native fried rice, plus ‘bottomless’ Sagada brew. A perfect hearty meal to face a grueling day. Carbo-loading ito!

Then we were off to our activities for the day–nature trekking, cave exploring, and more (!) picture-taking and eating (^o^)丿だー:

Grab on!: this is what they call ‘top load’ traveling (literally meaning, riding on top of jeepneys while traversing across rough terrains). Only for the fit and super-adventurous. And that doesn’t include me. No freakin’ way.

Into the woods: We passed different kinds of pine trees along the way to our destination. I heard that 10 years ago, there were not enough modes of transportation to help you go around the place–one had to just walk and hike. Now, vans and jeepneys can be rented for around a thousand pesos (including the driver’s fee).  The roads are still rugged but that’s just part of what this place is all about.

Care to take a dip?: Wha-? Brown water at Lake Danum? They said it’s usually blue but since it rained the previous day, it turned brown.  Oh, well. We took pics of it, anyway.

The view during the hike on the way to the falls.

The rice field terraces up close: young green rice plants. So this is what they look like…

We trekked across the fields and muddy trails.  Since I was afraid of slipping, falling and landing on my butt, I grabbed at whatever sturdy branches and leaves as much as I can.  I was able to manage much to my relief.

At last, we reached a small waterfalls. Whew! The water was so cold, almost icy to the touch.  It was tempting to take a dip or explore the area a bit more but we still had places to go to:

Next, we visited a viewing point that took our breath away:

Wow! Now this was more like it!: “Profile Pic! Profile Pic!” we exclaimed when we reached the viewing point. There was another magnificent view at Mt. Ampucao but going there would require a lot of huffing and puffing since it was higher in altitude.  This one may not be as high in altitude but all the same, we were immensely ecstatic about it.

Umaga pa lang yan pero ang dami na… at meron pa…

To be continued….Part 5 (A Good Friday PM)

 

the (holy) week that was ::Part 3:: (sagada, at last!)

Note: this is a continuation of Part 2

By 2 pm, we finally reached the municipality of Sagada.  It was cold, of course, and as soon as we settled in our gear at Alapo Inn, it rained.  We were supposed to start touring the place but because of the rain, we had to postpone it.  So instead, we showered and freshened up.

The first thing we checked out is food, siempre naman(!) ★(*^-ﾟ)⌒☆Wink!:

After the rain: traversing a Sagada street on our way in search of an afternoon snack.

Sagada yogurt with strawberries, banana and granola from the much-talked about Yoghurt House. There were a lot of customers that some would opt to eat outside.  Since there were too many orders, the yogurt we got tasted too sour; not enough time to let the cream ferment before it was served.

Next, we went to the Municipal Hall and registered as tourists.

Travel Tip 1: first thing to do also is to buy a map of Sagada. One can be bought from any of the souvenir stores that dot along the streets.

We strolled around admiring the landscape and pine trees.  We also milled about in the market, checking out wares and stuff (mountain tea sold for 10 pesos; cinnamon bread for P17) and before we know it, it was already dark.

EmJ was craving for hot arroz caldo (rice porridge) and so was I but we couldn’t find any. So we settled for Shamrock Cafe. I ordered garden salad and cheese omelette (left) which were superb and satisfying nevertheless. It was also my first time to try out Sagada brewed coffee.

For desert, we wanted to try lemon pie at Lemon Pie (where else?) but we gave up because we had to hurry back to our inn before the curfew comes into effect at 9 pm. We slept early (with socks and mittens on to combat the cold cold night) because we had to rest and be ready to take on the next day’s adventures…

To be continued… Part 4