My Trip to Sagada – Mountain Province

30/07/2013 
Hire Vehicle – Public Toilets – Mt. Pinatubo – Road Discipline – Cordillera – Roads to Sagada – Stress

Ian, Dai, Ralph and I, at the start of our journey to Sagada

Today began our four-day excursion with two of Ralph’s friends, Dai and Ian, to Sagada, a Mountain Province in the North Philippines.  Initially, I believed these four days would be too long for us, however, I didn’t realise at the time that the journey there and back would take a day each way, only giving us two days to explore our destination.

We were collected from Eastwood at 7.30am in a hired Sedan.   I must admit, I was surprised at how small the car was, knowing the extent of our journey ahead.  Still, I did not realise at the time HOW integral this would be to our experience.  Please, if you are considering this journey in the future, hire a larger vehicle; preferably a 4X4 or one with off-road capabilities.

Dai, horrified after her experience in the Portaloo

Ralph, taking a photo of Ian, Dai and I in the Sedan

Although Ian drove the first 30 minutes of our journey, during a petrol break we agreed to swap as I was more proficient in driving a manual car.   Initially, it took some time to adjust to a right-hand gear stick, but soon I was driving as fluently as in the UK.

It wasn’t long before Ralph and Dai were nagging to use the toilet, and after observing a road-sign directing its reader to a public toilet, we were shocked to discover a ‘Portaloo’ on the side of the road.   I arrived in a spit of giggles, but left in fits of hysteria from the gruelling and horrific faces pulled by Ralph and Dai as they left the toilet.

Initially, the proposal was to visit Mount Pinatubo on the way North, however due to heavy rains the night before we were unable to access the Volcano.  Instead, we took a slight detour to the foot of the mountain to a very rural part of the Philippines.

Me, showing some young boys a video of themselves

Here, I witnessed lots of Native people who clearly have very little communication with westerners.  From afar, I noticed three naked boys riding a Carabao (a type of Water Buffalo)… they quickly dressed when they saw us approaching, and soon all of us were laughing aloud as I showed them a video of themselves, jumping around with the Carabao.  It was clear to me that they had very little experience with modern technology, but it was brilliant to see them joyful and exuberant.

As we continued to drive north, I became desperate for the toilet myself.  Seriously, if you are planning on long journeys in the Philippines, you will need to bring your own toilet paper.  Usually, toilets will have no tissue at all, and instead will have a ‘Tabo’, which is a bucket of water used to clean yourself.  Normally, the toilets do not have a flush either and you need to use the bucket to pour down the pan to dispose of your waste.  In order to clean yourself afterwards, you will most likely need wet wipes as very few public toilets have washbasins.

Image of a Tabo in a Filipino Toilet

Be prepared to slum it in disgusting and dirty toilets, otherwise you’ll either wet yourself or have to pee in the river (which I had seen one Filipino man do).  I would never say this is a negative aspect; it’s simply something you have to be prepared for… I only want readers of this blog to have the best possible experience.

Our lunch including Fish Row at Rustica, Tarlac

After all, the Philippines is a developing country, and often such public amenities are not funded by the government and instead rely on locals to maintain (who are often far below the poverty line themselves).

Prior to continuing our journey, we enjoyed lunch at a restaurant called Rustica, in the city of Tarlac.  I had the opportunity to taste ‘Fish Roe’ (Fish egg).

Road discipline does not exist in the far corners of the Philippines; I was forced to realise this very early on in our trip.  In fact, we would have died several times over had I not realised that driving was basically a free-for-all.  On several occasions, massive lorries were overtaking other vehicles towards oncoming traffic, and as seen from this video, a driver irresponsibly allowed his trailer to wobble backwards and forwards in front of us.

As we drove through the Cordillera (Mountain Range) leading to our destination, we were faced with views so incredibly beautiful.  This was such an amazing drive, even though the long and winding roads were treacherous with such sheer drops either side.  We even drove past an over-turned lorry that had somehow taken the bend too sharp.  As you can see from the short video, we were even overtaken by a man riding a motorbike with 5 children on it (2 on the handlebars and 3 behind).

I would advise anyone driving here to be extra vigilant at all times – there are signs identifying the area as being Landslide Prone and often other drivers speed erratically.

Tupig, bought from a Street Seller

Whilst stuck in traffic, I had the opportunity to purchase ‘Tupig’ from a street seller, which is sticky-rice mixed with coconut cream and served in a banana leaf… it was actually very tasty.

As we continued our journey North, the sun began to set and the drive became terrifying.  Ian, who has been to Sagada a few times before, was the only one who was relatively calm.  We had hoped to reach the region called Banaue during the light as it boasts some of the best views in the Philippines, however that would have to be for the journey home.  Instead, all we could see either side of us was darkness and certain death if our car was to lose-control.

What intrigues me the most is how civilisations still exist here… we were driving in-and-above the clouds, through thunderstorms and thick descending fog, yet occasionally homes were visible along the edge of the road or actually built in to the cliff edge.  It concerns me how little access to health care the people must have here.

Anyway, needless to say that with thunder-storms, sheer drops, thick fog and darkness, both Ralph, Dai and I were incredibly tense (Ian was driving at this point as he knew the roads far better than I).

We arrived at a town called Samoki, which in the dark appeared to us like Rivendell from Lord of the Rings, with glimmering lights all scattered at various heights and depths, but built deep in to the mountain.  I cannot fathom how such a large area exists here.  How on earth construction and delivery of materials arrived here I will never know.

The Welcome to Sagada sign

All of us were incredibly happy to arrive, believing that our dangerous journey was over for now… little did we know that Sagada was yet another 30 minute drive from here.   As we ascended even further, our regret for not hiring an off-road car became evident.  Much of the road was not completed yet, having to navigate through dirt roads and mud.  Unfortunately, our Sedan lumbered to a standstill due to its low suspension and we were stuck for a short time.

Ian, playing music on his Guitar to relax us

I took over driving from this point, as we would need my experience at driving a manual car on steep terrain.  Luckily, I managed to escape the mud but our anxiety would get the best of us.  As we continued our drive, two men were walking towards us in a way that I can only describe as like Zombies.  Although Dai had screamed out loud and insisted I run them over, I avoided them and continued the journey… in hindsight, it was incredibly scary.  They were covered in dirt and mud, and must have been unbelievably drunk due to the way they were walking.

Soon after, a vehicle caught up behind us… having flagged them down and requesting their advice, we followed them to accommodation in Sagada that they had suggested.  With everything that had happened, this did make me feel a little uneasy, but hey, after 14 hours of travelling we simply needed somewhere to stay for the night.

Although we didn’t realise it at the time, we decided to stay at that accommodation for the remainder of our stay in Sagada because it was incredibly cheap and local to everything we would need.  Thankfully, Ian relaxed us with some sooth music from his guitar before we retired to sleep.

 

31/07/2013 

Sagada Beauty – Yoghurt House – Hanging Coffins – Echo Valley – Church – Lake – Log House

The view of Sagada from the hotel balcony

After what would be a terrible nights sleep due to dogs barking and fighting with one another, I awoke with a lot more optimism and positivity… everything always seems so much better in the morning.

Which reminds me, if you have a serious fear of dogs I am not sure that the rural areas are for you.  There are a lot of wild, roaming dogs scavenging for food… and although the majority are not aggressive, some can be overly desperate for food.  Locals tend not to feed them because many have little access to food themselves, which is understandable, but there is no service in place to impound wild dogs.

Sagada is definitely a beautiful place – the climate is very similar to what I am used to in the UK as it is at an altitude of 5,000 feet above sea level.  The Filipino’s in the party (aside from Ralph who has lived in the UK for two years) found it incredibly cold… me… I found it comfortable compared to the heat and humidity of Manila.

Some of the houses in Sagada

Interestingly, there is a 9PM curfew in place, restricting your activities beyond this time (e.g. Bars and Restaurants close and talking is not allowed outside of your room).  I found this a little strange considering the main source of revenue here is tourism… and we know what tourists like to do after 9pm – Drink and talk!  However, it is understandable that the locals want to appreciate the peace and serenity… plus, I admire that they care so much for their town.

We had breakfast in the Yoghurt House, a very popular café/bar/restaurant in Sagada… where, I must admit, I ate the best breakfast omelette that I have ever tasted.

Echo Valley

Their most popular dish, not surprisingly, is a yoghurt-based dessert served with locally sourced fruits and chocolate.

Our first experience would be a hike to Echo Valley, a memorial cliff where the famous Hanging Coffins are located.   Perhaps one of the most famous sights in Sagada, the Hanging Coffins is a long-time tradition for the locals.  They believe that burying their departed underground will isolate them from the natural world, and that the higher the bodies are, the closer they are to heaven.

Some Hanging Coffins in the distance (middle of the picture)

Upon inquiry, you will learn that not all locals are treated in this way: only ‘real’ natives who have been born and raised there, and have eventually had children and grandchildren deserve the honour.

From our viewpoint in Echo Valley, it is difficult to see them up close.  We traversed the upper and opposite section of the valley, however there is an option to hike deeper and get up close and personal with them.  Dai wasn’t too keen on this idea, so we took pictures from afar.  Even from this position, there are still some risky climbs so I would advise bringing hiking boots with you.

Outside of the Church

From here, we walked up and over the hill, descending back towards Sagada town and The Episcopal Church of Saint Mary the Virgin.

Inside the Church

This is a very beautiful church, considering how rural Sagada is and I was totally amazed that it exists in the first place.  It was a little surreal that when inside the church, we realised that there was an open-coffin wake where people were free to pay their respects to the deceased lady at the alter.  I can’t say this eased our tension in Sagada, but it was a new experience nonetheless.

Afterwards, we took a very bumpy ride in a private Jeep to the lake in Sagada.  I was a little disappointed because after all of the hype, it really was just a saturated area of land and not quite the lake I was expecting (we have such beautiful lakes and reservoirs near to where I live in the UK).  This location would not have been our first choice of destination, however due to the bad weather we were quite restricted (the water-falls were inaccessible after such heavy rain).

Sagada Lake

Our first day in Sagada concluded with a meal at the Log House, another popular restaurant.  Be mindful that if you want to have one of their signature meals, you have to order it when you reserve a table at least a day before as they source the ingredients especially for that dish.  Plus, some of the meals require lengthy cooking times… unfortunately we were restricted to the lesser foods.

One thing I’ve noticed is that Filipinos are not afraid to be fussy when it comes to ordering at restaurants… yet, whilst in the UK, waiters and waitresses can get very uptight when a complaint is made, the Filipinos are so eager to please and simply want to make your experience as positive as possible.

 

 

01/08/2013 
Lemon Pie House – Caving – Tourist Death – Underground Pool

Ian, Dai and Ralph walking in Sagada

Today, we ate breakfast at the famous ‘Lemon Pie House’, and enjoyed yet another brilliant breakfast omelette. We each shared a portion of their popular Lemon Pie, which was an enjoyable experience as I have such a sweet tooth. Thankfully, the weather was very sunny today – Sagada looks absolutely postcard perfect with blue skies.

I noticed that there is a heavy Reggae influence here in Sagada, and soon discovered that they grow cannabis here… that explains why so many tourists with dreadlocks and ‘chilled’ personas are so prevalent (not to be stereotypical).

Ian had persuaded us to experience caving here in Sagada, one of the most popular tourist attractions. There are three opportunities on offer; the 2 hour (beginner), 4 hour (intermediate) and 8 hour (expert) caves. The beginner option is a quick descend and ascend of the exit point of the intermediate option.

Hanging Coffins at the entrance to the Cave

I must warn you, and please heed this: People die here. As I’m writing this (two weeks after my own visit), a group of tourists were trapped (in the same cave that I completed) for days due to a Typhoon that had hit. One person has still yet to be found weeks after and is presumed dead.

You can view an article here of how weeks on, the body of the deceased tourist has still yet to be found:

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/08/26/1137021/sagada-cave-still-closed-body-tourist-remains-missing

What really shocks me in hindsight is that we could have died… my fears during the entire experience could actually have materialised. Many of the rocks above us were simply held there by friction, and knowing the potential of earthquakes in the Philippines, I was concerned throughout. Also, they didn’t provide us with any helmets or safety gear and there were no checks before entering as to whether we were wearing appropriate clothes and shoes (which we weren’t).

Descending in the Cave

The tour guides themselves navigated the caves with gas lamps, and we had no way to illuminate our own paths… many of the descents I made were in very dim conditions.

In some areas, there were ropes wedged in to the rock to climb up or down, but this was achieved with no harness. We traversed sheer drops with only our hands and feet and panned very narrow gaps. You had no choice but to wade through very cold water on one occasion (chest height for me at 6ft), although this was quite a great experience, in hindsight it would have been prudent to warn us before hand.

We climbed down waterfalls on slippery surfaces, where the only way to survive was to shift our body weight on to the knees or feet of the guides (who also were not wearing any protection… in fact, they were wearing flip-flops on their feet).

Beautiful Structures underground

If you suffer from claustrophobia this is not the experience for you. Being tall, I had the benefit of stretching my legs far, allowing easy transition for some parts, however I had extreme difficulty sliding through the frequent narrow gaps. In addition to this, I also had back pain for at least the first hour, as I was required to bend down most of the time due to the walls above me. If you do attempt this cave, please be very careful of the rocks above – luckily I had my wits about me, as otherwise, helmetless, I could have injured myself if I had moved upwards too quickly.

One brilliant experience was swimming in a pool of water, about 3 quarters of the way through the cave. Understandably, the water was very cold but incredibly refreshing. If you don’t want to suffer from hypothermia, I would advise only swimming there for a short period of time.

The beautiful sight at the exit

Once we had descended to the deepest part of the cave, we then climbed towards our exit route. You achieve this whilst Bats screech from heights above. Initially, I thought that whilst climbing with bare hands and feet I was slipping on mud. I later discovered that it was not mud, but instead thick quantities of Bat poo… rather disgustingly, I was covered from head-to-toe in it: I hope it is good for the skin.

Pig, being prepared for Slaughter

We left the cave to beautiful blue skies and sunshine, paid to have a shower at a building there, and subsequently paid for a Jeepney to drive us back to the main town of Sagada (it would otherwise have been a 30 – 45 minute walk).

Later that evening, we enjoyed Dinner at the Yoghurt House again as the food was so good before. The average meal costs around P150, but I splashed out on a tasty Chicken curry, rice and vegetables for P200 (£3). The Coffee, which was the nicest that I have ever had, only costs P60 – £0.90p)… in fact, I bought a whole bag of coffee from Sagada to bring home.

Prior to bed, we witnessed a massive pig being slaughtered in the back of a van. I did find this quite a shock as the screams of the pig were incredibly intense and loud, but they do have some of the best tasting pork there.

By the way, the curfew is definitely in place as we were told off for talking at 9.15pm.

 

02/08/2013 
Driving – Banaue – Kamayan Sa Palaisdaan Resort – Jollibee

Drive down the mountain

On reflection, although our hotel was grubby and far below my usual snobby expectations… it was worth the price (P200 a night [£3]).  When travelling on a limited budget you have to be prepared to slum it a little.  There is better accommodation there but we were far keener to spend our money on activities than a room that we would only see for a few hours at morning and night.

I requested to drive the first and dangerous leg of the journey, as my control-freak nature couldn’t deal with the lack of control.  Although a little nerve-racking and shaky at first, we descended the first leg of the mountain with ease compared to the ascent only a few days previous.

Small section of the Banaue Rice Terraces

Prior to the drive through Banaue, we stopped off at a marketplace 6,000ft above sea level, where often many of the foods from Manila are sourced.  Prices were much cheaper and the products were fresher; Dai bought quite a lot.

A photograph with some Natives of Banaue

In hindsight, I heavily regret not spending more time in Banaue.  The views were simply breath-taking; rice-terraces etched in to the hillsides, enveloping the mountain in pure and lush green.  I could have spent hours at the various view-points, taking pictures and enjoying the surroundings.   After having a few photographs with some natives in traditional dress, we continued with our journey south.

Kamayan Sa Palaisdaan resort and restaurant in Tayabas City

Dai and Ian suggested we have lunch at a hotel resort called ‘Kamayan Sa Palaisdaan’ in Tayabas City.  The restaurant is situated in a beautiful location, completely surrounded by ponds and gardens.  The ponds are teeming with fish, some very large, and you can even catch your own to eat.

An hour from Manila, we stopped at a massive service station for food at ‘Jollibee’, the biggest fast-food chain in the Philippines.  Jollibbee is certainly a family favourite, attracting a wide range of people… and the prices are incredibly appealing.  You can purchase a hot dog, coke and ice cream for the equivalent of 75p, whilst spaghetti meatballs, a burger and coke costs the equivalent of £1.17.