Tag: yoghurt house

Spotted in Sagada

Jan. 26 Places 1 comment

Finally, we made it to Sagada. The same group that was stranded in Baguio last year due to a typhoon, has decided to conquer the mountain paradise once again, only this time there were additions to the gang. Fortunately, the Gods were with them this time, blessing them with a fair weather, enough for a whole weekend of muscle-stretching and gastronomic-satisfying activities.

Our group left for Sagada Friday night via Cable Tours bus. Initially, the plan was to get a trip to Bontoc and then get a ride from there to Sagada but the bus offered a deal to take its passengers directly to Sagada with an additional payment of course. The fare was P750, to Sagada via Ifugao. We left Quezon City at around 10pm for a 12-hour ride (supposedly 8pm but the bus waited for something).

Day 1

It was my first time to go to Sagada via this route and I was more than excited to see the Garden/Rice Terraces of Ifugao. I know the good ones were located in the inner parts of the province, but still, I hoped for a good view as I’ve never been to Ifugao before.

We arrived at Bontoc at around 10am and we had to transfer to another bus that will take us to Sagada. I tried to take a nap but the ride was too bumpy. Once in Sagada, we immediately looked for a place to stay. I wanted to take them to Olahbinan where Karen and I stayed last time but their P250/peson rooms were all full and we find the other rooms expensive so we opted for the homestay-type of inn. And I’m so glad we did because there are more perks of staying at Chad’s Cabin for P250 per person per night. We didn’t reserve in advance because I was so confident we’d have a place to stay no matter what. It was my first time to encounter that many tourists in Sagada. The streets and restaurants were all crowded.

Once settled, we went to get lunch at Salt & Pepper Diner. There are lots of new restaurants in town to accommodate the growing number of tourists that are coming in. I was just here a couple of years back and there are many new stuff in town.

After lunch, we couldn’t start with any activity yet because some of us had to take a rest, but the others (including me) chose to roam around Poblacion. A little later, some kids approached us and asked if we want to go to Echo Valley for P50 each, that is P50 for each of them kids and there’s three of them. My companions find it cheap so we went for it. It’s not child labor! Haha! The kids were persistent! :p

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One of the reasons why I go to Sagada is the food tripping that comes with the travelling. Why, it’s so good to eat in the highlands. Fresh air and good food. And streetfood ang isa sa mga paborito kong kainin pag nasa Sagada, malinis ang hangin so malayong mas malinis kesa sa streetfood sa Manila, hehe. At dito lang ulit ako nakakain ng binatog, one of my favorite foods. Nung una kami lang ni Karen ang kumakain pero nainggit din ang mga kasama namin at eventually nagsibilihan.

After the street snack, we went to Ganduyan Museum, just across the Municipal Hall. I’ve been to Sagada several times but I’ve never been to this place. The museum is maintained by Ms. Christina Aben who owns a vast collection of Cordillera artifacts that are displayed. We went around while she explained about the things in the museum. Fascinating indeed. Lalo lang akong bumilib sa kultura ng Cordillera. Too bad taking photos isn’t allowed. There’s no entrance fee to the museum but they accept donations from visitors for the maintenance of the collections.

Dinner at Yogurt House. We had to wait for at least 30 minutes for a vacant table for all 10 of us. Yogurt House never gets old. Lots of people outside, waiting for their turn to grab a spoonful of the restaurant’s specialty. Personally, it’s one of my favorite places to dine in, too. Since I began living a pseudo-healthy life, all I wanted for a snack is yogurt or fruits, and Sagada is the only place where I get to eat real yogurt.

We didn’t have any more activities that night as the Korean tourists staying at Chad’s Cabin are having a party outside and we just slept off our envy, hehe. Gladly we did because we needed energy for the next day’s activities.

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Get High (in Sagada)

Oct. 21 Places 7 comments

When I learned that there is a tropical storm coming to the Philippines, my initial reaction was to move this Sagada trip to when the weather is already 100% good (I still have two long weekends coming anyway). I frequented DOST PAG-ASA’s website and followed them on Twitter just to be updated with the weather. This, I think, is the right thing to do but is very wrong as well. Kuya Kim’s very specific tweets only added up to my paranoia. You can’t blame me, all my planned out of town trips in the past were rained.

This trip has been talked about long ago, but we didn’t really plan it out for fear that it might not push through like how things always happen. We set it on the last weekend of October so we could finally witness the burning season in Sagada but because we were so darn excited and we wanted to make sure that we’ll make it to Sagada this time, we moved the date earlier. And good heavens, there was this tropical storm.

But then Karen had no second thoughts. As much as I wanted to be sure of a safe and hassle-free vacation, I didn’t want to spoil the semi-planned trip to Sagada. Maybe she really wants to spend her birthday there. Despite all the warning from the weather bureau and from friends as well, Friday night, I was going up and down the stairs, packing my things up. It was already past 11 p.m. and Karen, all the way from work, was already on her way to Victory Liner Pasay.

We left Pasay at 12:30 a.m. and reached Baguio at 6:30 am. The 6:30 trip just left when we arrived at Dangwa Terminal. I was hoping there’d be a 7 a.m. trip to Sagada so we won’t have to waste our time waiting, (we planned to stay in Sagada for just one day and spend another day in La Union). The next trip was 8:30. We saw from the white board that the next trip is 7:30 but he insisted that there is no 7:30 trip so we bought tickets, went up to the bus and left Karen’s jacket to reserve our seat. We had breakfast at the adjacent Good Taste Restaurant.

Thinking we had plenty of time, we lingered in the restaurant for a while and even went to buy toiletries. When we went back, our bus had already left. It was only 7:40. We knew it. Mistake. There really was a 7:30 trip. We had to be transferred to the next trip, which was in another hour.

I was so giddy when the another grueling 6 hour trip to the mountains started. For the first two hours I was wide awake and I thought I would be for the whole trip but good thing I managed to get some sleep. I could use some energy once in Sagada.

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Day 1

We reached the mountain paradise at around 2:30 p.m. Dropped by Ganduyan Inn to get Karen’s jacket where the people jokingly told us to stay there in exchange of the favor but we decided to look for some other inn. Our feet brought us down to Olahbinan Inn. The place seemed empty and we were greeted by a man putting varnish in a wooden bed in a separate room still under construction. We went inside and were greeted by a younger (and good looking) man. He showed us the room and then we decided to stay there since the place has wi-fi.

After freshening up, we didn’t waste any time and started enjoying Sagada by eating the first food we saw -fishballs. My Baguio friends know how much I wanted to eat street food in Sagada. For some reasons, in my past visits, I had no chance to do so.

Then we saw a pamphlet of a Saturday buffet at Log Cabin. I told Karen we go there because it is a nice place. I’ve never really been there, I only used to pass by it during the Youth Alliance Philippines seminar in Sagada. The exterior was no longer as beautiful as it used to. The logs mirrored how much fog and rains they’ve endured. We had coffee at the dap-ay and took a bunch of photos inside and outside the cafe. After the coffee, we went to Yoghurt House, one of the main reasons why we went there.

After the early dinner, Karen wanted to have beer but it was already dark and I was thinking about the curfew (Sagada has curfew, 8pm I think). We headed back to the Inn, and found out some people drinking at the terrace. Some guy asked us to join them. I thought he was also a guest but I later learned that his family owns the inn. I was too lazy to go out and socialize but I always wanted to get myself drunk in Sagada. My friend an I bought ourselves beer and joined them people outside. They were all relatives except for a friend of theirs who is a professor at College of St. Benilde.

Beer over stories of Sagada, mountain adventures, islands, and Norwayden‘s tale. Haha! (Norway is a friend who’s from Sagada. Apparently, the Olahbinan people know Norway’s family.)

I didn’t get myself drunk though, because I had to go to mass the next day. Because mother told me to mass and give special intention for my late sister (who’s supposed to turn 18 that day). They didn’t know I was in Sagada so obliging to her request would be the slightest favor I could do.

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Day 2

I set my phone alarm at 5:15 a.m. but I got out of bed at 5:35. I was panicking at the CR coz I may not be able to make it on time to give my mass intention. If there is one thing I couldn’t really do faster, that’s taking a bath. If only our CR had no hot bath, it would’ve made things faster. 

We made it to the mass and were even the second ones to be at the church. I was a little bit embarrassed when the priest even mentioned about ‘visitors’ attending the mass. It was so obvious he was referring to us when he stared. (Lord forgive, but I think the priest is cute. :p) We hardly understood the multi-lingual sermon. The people were very friendly. After the mass we went to Masferre Country Inn and Restaurant for breakfast.

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We went back to the inn to change clothes and fetch our guide. It was already 9 a.m. and he was still sleeping. The past night, he agreed to take us around so he had no choice but to get up. :p 

We went to Echo Valley, just stayed there for a while. Couldn’t really maximize the place because my throat hurt. I just yelled ‘hello’ which made Karen realized that was already the Echo Valley. We trekked to the underground river. Brilliant me who wore short shorts and flops. Every now and then I’d slipped on the trail and there were blade grass along the way. In the midst of walking in the middle of coffee plantations, Karen jokingly asked our guide where we could see the weeds. LOL Good thing there was a potable water flowing from the mountain because we never thought of bringing something to drink.

The longest hike (or so I thought because it was already too hot) was when we hit Small Falls. Although, this time we took the easier trail unlike last time when we had to walk on unending rice fields. There was a group of young boys enjoying the cool water when we arrived. I really did not want to get wet because I was thinking we would be at the beach later that night anyway.

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We checked out at 11:30 a.m. to catch the last trip of GL Lizardo bus to Baguio which is at 1 p.m. We spared the waiting time strolling around the Poblacion. Leaving sagada always gives me heavy feeling. I wanted to stay some more but the next day was allotted for La Union.

The weather was fair in Sagada but it started to drizzle when we were in Atok, Benguet. Those who we invited to join us in La Union backed out saying it was raining hard in Baguio. We were disappointed, but safety is more important. We resolve that if the weather gets any better the next day, we could still pursue LU. We slept over at my friend G-An’s.

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We woke up to a very cold Baguio morning. After having breakfast and taking a bath (with the icy cold Baguio tap). Karen and I went to Bayanihan to look for some goodies at Wagwagan but most stores are still closed so we went to 50′s diner to have our real and pig-out breakfast. We boarded Genesis bus after lunch. Good thing we did because that afternoon, the storm hit the north. I just saw from the TV how Juan pounded Northern Luzon. It was signal #4 in Cagayan, fortunately, our house is still standing. I also learned from Twitter that Sagada tourism lost 500k because of the storm. My prayers for the north. Sana’y makabangon tayo agad.

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Sagada Take 2

Oct. 19 Places 2 comments

They say an experience is lovelier the second time around. Agreed.

My second Sagada experience was through a 3-day leadership training by the Youth Alliance Philippines up there in the mountains. We went there not as delegates but as marshals to aid the trainers. Our thesis adviser, Ma’am D, required asked me and my thesis partners to go with them since they could really use some help.

We were 7 in the group, my thesis partner V, her girlfriend J, Ate A, Ate R, Ma’am D and a teacher from Sagada. We could’ve joined in the first seminar held in Ifugao few weeks back but then J and I had an exam that coincided with the date of the trip.

Going to Sagada this time was more exciting for me because you see, the first time I went there, terrible things happened –we didn’t really had the chance to explore the place because of the typhoon and we were even stranded for a day. I knew for sure that my second trip would be awesome, even if we weren’t really there as tourists.

Day 1

We took the 6 a.m. trip of Lizardo Trans (located at the terminal at the back of Centermall Baguio). I was seated by the window next to the teacher from Sagada (I’m really bad at remembering names). The weather is fair so I was able to enjoy the scenery along the way which I didn’t have the chance to see last time (because I was seated in the middle part). Plus we have a tour guide, Ma’am D who shares interesting stuff about the things we passed by. She had been to the place numerous times before.

We arrived in Sagada at around 1 p.m. We went to the venue of the seminar right away where we were introduced to the students we’ll be working with and school administrators and were oriented about what we’re going to do. We had lunch at the school canteen and then later started with the seminar.

After the first leg of the training, later that afternoon, we (except the teacher) went to the school principal’s house where we would stay for the duration of the seminar. The house, a typical Sagada house (exterior is covered with galvanized iron so the pine woods in the interior wouldn’t be damaged by moist), is located somewhere at the upper parts of Poblacion. It’s big and beautiful and fully furnished. We’re so lucky to be staying at a real house (with hot and cold shower on the bathrooms) and to have a wonderful foster family! :D They let us stay in one big room, I think it was the principal’s daughters’ room.

We had a sumptuous dinner over intellectual discussion about various topics. Upon serving of the meals: veggie salad, grilled fish and fried chicken, we all ate like construction workers. Well, the food is really good, aside from the fact that we are famished.

Day 2

The next day, we went for an early morning walk to the church and to Echo Valley where we just had to do a reenactment of that scene from Meteor Shower (San Cai shouting Da Ming Zse’s name) and of course that pancit canton commercial. :D It was market day in Poblacion so we were able to buy some stuff. We bought a banana cake from the cooperative store, which we instantly ate. It was muy delicioso! We would’ve preferred to roam around some more but we had to move on with the seminar, this time with more student representatives from other high schools in town.

I immensely enjoyed all the activities that day, especially the part where the delegates shared their drawings the lesser popular but beautiful spots in Sagada. There really is so much to be explored in this town.

Later that day, Ma’am D had to leave for Baguio and we were left in the care of Ate A who took over as head of the seminar team.

In the afternoon, when we were done for the day, we went home to freshen up and then went down and roamed around Poblacion. It was there where I urged them that we go to Yoghurt House. Finally, I got a taste of that infamous yogurt! Indeed it is a place one shouldn’t miss when in Sagada. The yogurt is so yummy! Although J and I weren’t able to consume ours. They give huge servings, one order is enough for two people. We just took our yogurt out. I asked them to try the Lemon Pie Snack house but after walking few meters, we grew impatient and decided to return home for dinner.

Dinner time is something that we really look forward to. Our foster parent’s kasambahays cook really really good food we didn’t bother to eat out (aside from the fact that we don’t have much money to spare). Take note the veggies we eat are from their own backyard. Fresh veggies really taste differently. At one meal, we were served with a stir-fry something. It was delicious and nobody remembered to ask what the vegetable was. We only realized it was bell pepper when we’re almost done eating!

Day 3

The third day was the last day of the training, thus the most heartbreaking moment where we had to say goodbye to the participants. I really had fun during the seminar and regretted not making it to the Ifugao trip.

Day 4

The next morning, we were still sleeping when the principal knocked in and told us that the tour guide is already waiting for us. This was our last day and we were rewarded by Ma’am D with a tour just before we leave.

We immediately prepared, had a quick breakfast and then headed off to meet the guide. Our tour guide is the brother of the teacher we were with in YAP. We had no idea if the tour’s free, nobody informed us about the arrangement. Ma’am D just told us we’ll be toured around the place before we go home.

I wanted to go to the Big Falls but then we were told it will be a long travel and a half day won’t be enough, so we just had to settle with caving since the three had never been to Sumaguing before.

Unlike my first trip to Sagada, this time, we just walked to Sumaguing. I imagined it to be near since it was just a 15-20 minute ride but I was wrong. Good thing our long walk was not boring because from time to time, our guide shares interesting facts about Sagada and the things we passed by such as the reason behind their tradition of hanging their dead in the mountains. According to him, burying the dead under the Earth will only give the dead a burden. “They shouldn’t carry the Earth, let the earth carry them,” he says. At one point, he asked, “Do you want to see Sagada’s golf course?” We were so eager to go nearer the cliff just to be greeted by a vast farmland. :D It was a nice background for picture taking though.

I didn’t want to enter the cave anymore but I had no choice since I was the only one among us who’ve been there. Being the “strongest link”, I was on the tail. It was almost the same experience as my first except that we’re only four in the group and that this time, I was no longer afraid to cross that deep hole. (insert banana_ninja icon) It was still early when we went out so we decided to see one more spot. If we couldn’t go to Bomod-ok, we asked to be accompanies to a more accessible water adventure. We walked our way to Small Falls and along the way, we passed by the Lemon Pie House. We bought two boxes and ate while walking.

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Now this is the real adventure part. From Sumaguing we returned to Poblacion and then walked further, passed by the houses, and then down to the fields, where there is no single sign of waterfalls. J fell on an irrigation. Good thing she’s tall, enough for her feet to reach the ground while she held on to the edge of the dike preventing her to fall. Aside from few scratches, J wasn’t seriously injured. I swear we already wanted to go back as we can’t see/hear any trace of waterfalls in the fields. I was wondering where this falls could be hiding behind the seemingly miles and miles of fields at sight.

When finally, we heard water rustling somewhere in the nearby mountains, signaling the end of our hike. Upon seeing water coming down from the mountains, all the weariness melted away. Small Falls is relatively small compared to the usual falls you see when you pass by the Cordillera mountains. The water coming from the mountains travels down at approximately 15 feet and then gathers into a round pool at the bottom. You really don’t expect to see such work of nature in the mountains before the vast rice fields. Locals and some tourists were swimming and playing by the pool but we were warned that the pool is deep. I saw a bottle of coke floating in a shallow part. Apparently, they were letting it be cooled before drinking.

It was noon and soaking in the water only means refreshing. I suited myself in the shallow parts and enjoyed the sun as I couldn’t swim. After less than an hour, we had to go back to catch the last trip to Baguio.

On our way back, we took the alternate trail, up to the mountains and then down to the concrete road to Poblacion. We were lucky to get hitched by a police patrol car otherwise we wouldn’t make it to the 1 p.m. trip. We had another option of taking a bus going to Bontoc where there are more bus trips to Baguio, luckily, we got seats at Lizardo Trans. We were seated uncomfortably but we still managed to sleep off most of the trip down to the city.

Pagod. But I can say I have enjoyed Sagada more this time. The scenery. The long and winding road. The towering pine trees. The thick fog. The tranquility. The peacefulness. The freshest air. The people. The warm acceptance. The unique culture. The adventures. The food, oh the food! Everything else that only the place nearest the sky could offer.

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Stranded in Sagada

May. 19 Places no comments

I never knew this place exists before I went to study in Baguio. I often hear about it from students going on field trips. Sagada, Mountain Province. They say it’s an amazing place. My blockmates who are from here  and those who’ve been there confirms that Sagada is a must-see. They say its like Baguio 50 years back when the city is less populated and has clean air.

I always thought there could be no place as enchanting as the City of Pines. I’ve never been to Tagaytay City and Davao City, which have their fair share of cold climate and beautiful spots, but I thought no place could equal Baguio. In the first place that’s my main reason of choosing UP Baguio.

During our first days in class, our Professor in Advertising mentioned that we’ll be having a field trip to Sagada where we will look into strategies on how to boost tourism in the place. But then this field trip was never pursued.

My chance to see this Sagada could’ve been my History class. The trip was well planned. Everything was already set. Our class, together with the other classes under our Professor, will go on a three-day tour from Baguio to Banaue and Sagada. But it only left me frustrated when storms hit Cordillera and the university didn’t permit us to push through with the trip.

It was my Orienteering class that finally brought me to the paradise up in Mountain Province. It was my last required PE which I took on the summer of 2008. Together with the Outdoor Recreation class, we went to Sagada for a supposedly two-day field trip where we’re going to hold activities that will serve as our final practicum.

Days before the field trip, the weather had been bad. But since we already hired a bus that will take us there and we could no longer withdraw the transaction, our Instructors decided to pursue the trip.

It was raining when we left Baguio. I didn’t know if there’s a storm or if it’s safe to travel amidst the bad weather. I just put in mind that our Instructors know better and that they wouldn’t do anything to put us in danger. We left Baguio City at around 6 a.m.

Heavy rain and thick fog along the way didn’t stop our bus. On the other hand, we immensely enjoyed the views along the way. I didn’t really get to see everything since I was seated at the last center seat and I was whining all throughout the 6-hour travel. Good thing my co-seniors classmates are funny, yes, they’re not only fun-to-be-with, they’re funny in the sense of the word. They made everything light and we were laughing and chatting all the way if not sleeping.

The undeveloped roads in Benguet and Mountain Province is definitely thrilling. The road is single lane and there are no barricades to at least warn travellers that there is a ravine in a certain part. I bet people who are not used to travelling in such places (like Baguio) would really be frightened. The idea of sleeping became very much appealing to me since I have a wild imagination and I tend to think of negative things.

Nonetheless, wherever you set your eyes, there are amazing things! The mountains, the gardens, the rice terraces, the rock formations and the amazing rock layers, the waterfalls, the trees, the fog; everything is a wonderful craft of nature.

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Day 1

We arrived at Sagada at around 1 p.m. We, the Orienteering class stayed at Sagada Inn, near the public market while the Outdoor Recreation class stayed at Rock Valley Inn, located near Sagada Weaving.

The regular rate per person at Sagada Inn is Php200 per night. I think the owner gave us discount since we’re a group. They have a room for 2, for 4 and for 6 pax. One of my closest girl buds in the class decided we get a room for two while our other buddies stayed at the room for 6 and another room for 2.

We were so famished we (the group of senior students) asked our instructors if we could have a late lunch before we do the first activity which is caving. We decided to have a taste of Sagada food at the restaurant at Sagada Inn, where we waited for 2 hours for our food. That’s how it works, you have to pre-order your food if you don’t wanna wait. There are no fastfood chains in Sagada. But the thing that took our food longer time to be cooked is the fact that the ingredients were only bought and prepared when we ordered them. But we can no longer cancel so we just waited and endure our classmate’s piercing stares at us for being the cause of delay. The food was okay though, for at least P70, they give really huge servings.

It was drizzling when we went caving. The Municipality of Sagada strictly implements its rules and regulations for tourists going to the place. Everyone should register first at the Municipal Hall, located near the public market so they will be assigned a guide before going to the cave. Unless you are with someone who is a native of Sagada, you’re free to go without registering.

In our case, for every 6 persons, we were assigned a guide before going to the 15-20 minute jeep ride to Sumaguing Cave. We stopped at a certain spot to view some hanging coffins. It is a tradition in Sagada to hang the the coffins of their dead on the mountainsides while others were buried in caves.

More rules before going inside Sumaguing Cave. We have to abide by these for our own safety as our guides said. Sumaguing is way down a rock mountain. It is deep and dark inside, of course. The first part was the real challenge. You need to pass by slippery rock stairs that’s wet because of the bats that inhabit the cave. Yah, you need to take your slippers off and crawl down if you’re not used to caving.

I was one of the frontliners because I have the tendency to be impatient and wants to be the one to see the thing first. We were I think 30 so we created a long queue of silhouette with yellow lights in between, from the opening down to where the first guide is.

After passing by the bat area, here now comes the little falls and pools inside the cave. The cold water is refreshing after that tiring and dirty hike. Tourist guides will give you ample time to take a dip and lots of photos before exploring more about Sumaguing. Way down baby. There are a lot more beautiful pools inside.

I remember the part where we need to cross a hole where the water is not clear and you need to grip on a rope to get to the next rock. I didn’t want to cross thinking there might be snakes under (what an imagination). I had to let 3 of my classmates go first because I was so afraid. But then I had to do it. I was almost submerged underwater. Thanks to the rope and to my ever supportive classmate who helped me. There are also holes where you need to crawl to get to the next spot.

There are lots of things to discover inside the cave. The cave has seashell fossils preserved in its walls. There were little live crabs in the water. The rock formations are one of a kind and the stalagmites and stalactites are so white (this observation may be lame because I’ve only been to caves in Cagayan).

Make sure to enjoy the water and everything inside because when you leave, everything will be reversed. I mean you’ll pass by that bat area again which will surely make you dirty and there’ll be no more pool to clean yourself. :)

It was near dark when we got out of the cave so we all went to our respective Inns to clean ourselves and later preceded to Rocky Valley Inn for a bountiful dinner.

Our group (seniors) planned to have a drinking spree at Sagada Inn but our Instructors did not allow us for the reason that curfew in Sagada is 8 p.m. Probably the same reason why we noticed some people are already drinking in the daylight, hehe. And really, when the clock struck 8, the bell at the Municipal Hall rang to tell people it is curfew time and everyone should inside their houses already.

Night in Sagada is way colder than in Baguio; the air fresher and the environment more peaceful. There are no streetlights making the surrounding very dark but my pals and I remain awake until midnight exchanging stories and munching on our baon (chips and cookies) in our on-the-spot pajama party. We didn’t have the slightest idea that something not nice will happen the next day.

Day 2

We woke up to a bad weather. We were supposed to go to Bomod-ok Falls (Big Falls) but due to heavy rain in the morning, our Instructors decided to make the activity optional. Those who wanted to go could go, our Instructors would accompany them but those who prefer to stay could just stay in our Inns or go around the place.

Most of us seniors preferred to just stay (what do you expect mga tamad eh). We spend the day going around the place, to the church, to the souvenir shops and anywhere our feet lead us. We discovered a cozy snack place called Lemon Pie House where we stayed for a while.

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Later that afternoon, when the others arrived from Bomod-ok, the weather worsened. We later learned that Mountain Province is under the storm signal number 2 and that we couldn’t go home any sooner. I felt a bit mad to our Instructors. In the first place why did we even pursue the trip if they knew there is a storm coming? So we were stranded in a beautiful place that we couldn’t fully enjoy because of the rain.

We spent the night playing Mafia and hoped that the weather would calm down the next day.

Day 3

But it didn’t. According to the news, trips going to and from Sagada are all cancelled due to landslides along the way. Sagada has been isolated. We were now stranded. The telecom signals became weak and we couldn’t find any Internet shop in the place. Whine as much as we want but we couldn’t do anything except to just wait for the weather to calm down. Rain fell all day and we had no choice but to just stay inside the Inn.

In the morning while we were killing the time chatting, 2 of our pals secretly went to Yoghurt House. They didn’t tell us since they know some of us had to cut down on expenses because we had to pay for one more night at the Inn. Nonetheless, they say the Yoghurt in the place is far different from that of the commercialized ones. We spent the whole day chitchatting, eating, playing and more photo ops.

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We were forced to wake up extra early the next morning amidst the cold cold weather. The weather seemed fair already. Those who woke up way earlier had the chance to take a bath but most of us just brushed our teeth, took our stuff and off to find a happy place in the bus.

The other class must have been very early for they occupied all the front seats and what was left for us were the center and back seats. De Javu but what could we do. Perhaps they were instructed to wake up really early.

Along the way, we had to stop for some times due to barriers caused by landslides. The roads are evident of the storm. But just like when we are going up, we enjoyed the scenes spared by the storm while going down to Baguio. Thank God we reached the city safe and sound.

Despite the fact that we had been stranded, I must say that our field trip is not traumatic neither boring. Thanks to my funny pals. We were even bonded due to the storm.

The next time I go to Sagada, I’ll make sure there is no weather disturbance to fully enjoy the place. Bomod-ok Falls and other Sagada pride, I’ll see you next time.

* Photos from John Evangelista Jr. and Melisen Taquiqui.

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