MANILA - SAGADA - BAGUIO - MANILA
(Part I)


(This is the beginning, AND conclusion, of my series of posts regarding my trip to Sagada and Baguio. As previously stated, i decided to do a little writing experiment, and wrote the posts in reverse order. So, dear reader, you can read these posts of mine either in conventional Part 1-8 order; or for best results, read them in the order i wrote them. Either way, your comments, violent or non-violent, are all welcome!)






"IS THIS ANY WAY TO RUN A BUS COMPANY?"


Due to the news of heavy rains and landslides caused by a major typhoon in the Cordillera Region area, my friend C. and i were unsure whether to push through with our trip or not, until the very last minute.

In fact, most of the few people i had mentioned our trip to were discouraging. In particular, my fresh-faced friend G. exhorted me to stop being pig-headed, and actually believe in the weather forecasts for once. Being indeed pig-headed, i ignored her well-intentioned advice.

C. and i had chosen to take the Cable Tours bus, leaving at 8:30PM bound for Bontoc, as this was the quickest route. From Bontoc, Sagada was just a 45-minute jeepney ride away.

So it was, C. and i found ourselves searching for the Cable Tours bus station somewhere in E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City. Which we eventually found, with much difficulty. Why? Because save for the Cable Tours signboard (see above pic), there was nothing to indicate that it was a bus terminal! Instead, their bus was parked inside this ill-lit, grassy parking lot, which looked abandoned.

And it was just one bus. Out of curiousity, we questioned the driver. Turns out Cable Tours has a total of 4 buses in its fleet, and plies only the Bontoc-Manila-Bontoc route. Nothing else.

After waiting for an additional 30 minutes before finally pushing off at 9PM, our air-conditioned bus had a grand total of six passengers, C. and i included. Six!

Doesn't exactly inspire confidence, does it?

C. and i drew up a rough income statement for Cable Tours, based on information from our driver:

Revenues (ticket sales):

Yesterday's trip Bontoc-Manila PHP 6,000 (PHP600 X 10 passengers)
Tonight's trip Manila-Bontoc PHP 3,600 (PHP600 X 6 passengers)

Expenses:

Gasoline PHP10,000 (PHP5,000 per one-way trip X 2)
Salaries ?
Miscellaneous ?
____________
Net Income (Loss) (PHP )



Hmm. . . . one can only hope they have more passengers taking the bus during other times of the year. Otherwise. . . .

We questioned our driver regarding road conditions, etc. He merely shrugged, and mumbled that the road was still passable "despite the landslides". Not totally reassuring, but we'll settle for it.

Finally, we are off!!!



(The Cable Tours bus station, err parking lot, is located along E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City, facing Trinity College and right beside a couple of fast-food restos beside St. Luke's Hospital.

Daily 8:30PM departures bound for Bontoc, except during the low season, during which trips are only on M-W-F evenings. Total travel time is estimated at 12 hours, with 3 rest stops along the way. Fare is PHP600.00 per person.

Contact them at 0918 5216790)

MANILA - SAGADA - BAGUIO - MANILA
(Part II)


SUMAGING CAVE


Despite all our initial apprehensions, the overnight 12-hour bus ride to Bontoc was smooth and trouble-free. And the weather? Quite nice and balmy, rather windy with a touch of cloud. One would be hard-pressed to believe it was raining real hard just a day or two ago.

In fact, the only hitch was that we had to change a flat tire somewhere in San Miguel, Bulacan.
The bus driver did tell us that there were some portions of the highway which were partially closed, due to landslides; and the clearance was just enough for our bus to pass through.

After alighting at the Cable Tours station in Bontoc, we walked over to where the jeepney bound for Sagada was waiting. Tired and weary from the overnight bus trip, we were impatient to get moving.

Good thing that while waiting for the jeep to fill up with passengers, we were entertained by this Manila girl who kept on yakking on her cellphone. Among other things, she had been in Baguio / Sagada for 2 weeks; she had a mountain of bills to pay (Citibank credit card, Globe cellphone bill, company loan, etc.); and she was looking for a new job. Tsk, tsk. . . .



Finally, we arrived in Sagada just around lunch time. First order of business was to drop by the Municipal Hall and register. This is required of every tourist, i'm not quite sure why, though. Maybe it's so that they can organize a search party for you, in case you're knuckle-headed enough to explore caves on your own, etc.

Speaking of which, C. and i decided to do some spelunking this afternoon. We dropped by the Tourist Information Center to hire a guide. There were actually two caves to choose from: Sumaging ("Big") Cave, which takes around 2 hours; and Lumiang Cave, which has these burial coffins strewn around near its entrance.

Or you could do both. The guides were offering this "Cave Connection" tour, wherein you enter Lumiang Cave and exit through Sumaging. This, they said, would take around 3 hours.

Pretty intriguing, huh? I was ready to say "go sago", but C. pointed out that 3 hours was way too much time to be spending inside tight, dank, claustrophobic caves. So, we settled for Sumaging Cave only.

Our guide this afternoon was this wiry, muscular local named George, who proved to be quite reticent. I don't know about you, but i like my tour guides to be chatty, with lots of war stories. The only story George narrated was about this female guide, who brought along a troop of 3 tourists into Sumaging Cave, at the height of a typhoon around 5 or 6 years ago. Surprise, surprise, they all died, except for one of the female tourists, who had to spend the entire night inside the cave, shivering from the cold, with no food and no light, until she was rescued the next day.

Not exactly a cheerful ending, i must say. But i bit my tongue, as George was bringing along the kerosene lamp, which would serve as our light source inside the cave. So no sense antagonizing him with some smart-alecky comments, diba?



To the batcave!


The above picture shows the steps leading down into the entrance of Sumaging Cave proper. It looks deceivingly easy; but from beyond this point onwards, the steps had muddy puddles from the recent heavy rains. In fact, George mentioned that the water levels inside the cave might be higher than normal.

Uh oh, how high exactly? I wondered aloud. George just shrugged, and gave a diffident half-smile.

The mouth of the cave entrance looked forbidding. George mentioned that we would be going down up to 120 meters below ground level. Sounds awesome, no?

We scrambled amongst the rocks, George going in front with his kerosene lamp, C. behind him, and myself bringing up the rear and carrying our backpack. Man, these rocks are really slippery! In fact, i slipped and fell on my butt twice.

And the reason why the rocks were slippery? Ahh....bat guano.

Yup, in some instances, the guano was quite moist and fresh, with that distinct pungent odor and mushy consistency. Almost like freshly-made ube jam, except darker in color. Hmm. . . must have been discharged from the source only a few minutes ago, eh?

Thankfully, after much more scrambling, we reached the portion of the cave with ice-cold crystal-clear water flowing from the rocks (see picture below). These rocks were grainier in texture; and thus, had more grip. Water was at knee-deep level.



Fantastic rock formations, with refreshing ice-cold water pouring forth.



Another rock formation.


At this point, the trek inside the cave became more challenging; and the best option was to take off one's shoes and go barefoot.

We had to rapel down a smooth rock wall, maybe 50 - 55 degrees. George made it look so easy. Actually, it looked more difficult than it really was. Of course, it was also easier said than done. C. was cool about it, even posing for pics; but i hung on for dear life.

Okay! What's next? This turned out to be nothing compared to what came ahead. As George led us into the inner recesses of the cave, we had to squeeze ourselves in between some narrow rock walls. The cold water was waist-deep by now, and i had to make sure our backpack didn't get submerged.

Uh oh, are you sure we can do this? I asked him at one point. He nodded, taciturn as usual.

Now, facing us was this pool of water which we had to cross. It looked and felt deep. How deep? Ordinarily, the water would be around chest-level, but with the recent rains, definitely higher. Uh oh.

Thankfully, we made it through. The soil we were stepping on was quite soft though, much like quicksand. At this point, i was literally grasping at the rock walls as though my life depended on it, just to get better traction and prevent myself from slipping into the water.




Your intrepid adventurers taking a moment to catch their breath.


As we made our way back to the entrance of the cave, we stopped for a while to catch our breath and snap some souvenir pics. Suddenly, George came alive and displayed heretofore undiscovered dexterity with C.'s digital camera. Not only was he familiar with all the settings, he waxed rhapsodically that he preferred Canon cameras over other brands, etc. He was about to get into a technical discussion about shutter speeds, etc., when we decided it was time to get moving again.



"And God said, "Let there be light"; and it was so."


In the end, i sustained bruises on both knees; scratches on both elbows, my right hand and right foot; and enough scary moments to last me a lifetime.

Truth be told, inside the cave, i was tempted to tap C. on the shoulder and tell him that we should just turn back, instead of proceeding further, a few times; but in the end, i was grateful that we pressed on and took in the entire experience.

When we neared the cave entrance and saw the open outdoors (see above pic), you couldn't imagine how relieved i felt, to be able to see the sky again.

And most of all, thank God we didn't choose the "Cave Connection" tour!!!



(Some tips: Guide fee for Sumaging Cave is PHP400.00 for one guide [for 1 - 4 pax]. Getting a guide is an absolute must.

As much as possible, do not bring any personal belongings [wallet, cellphone, etc.] inside, as you will need both hands free. If you really have to, bring a small backpack, and make sure to line its interior with a waterproof [Ziplock] plastic bag)

MANILA - SAGADA - BAGUIO - MANILA
(Part III)


"KISS THE RAIN"



Fog blanketing the Sagada sky.


Our surprising good luck with the weather ended today.

C. and i were planning to do a morning trek to the Bomod-ok ("Big") Waterfalls, and we expected to be back at our room at the Sagada Igorot Inn by early or middle afternoon.

Unfortunately, the strong, driving rains just kept on pouring and pouring, thereby cancelling the day's activities. There was literally nothing to do at all, except "play tong-its [a card game]" as the guy at the Tourist Information Center half-jokingly suggested.

This was fine with C., who has long mastered the art of taking long naps and generally doing nothing. On the other hand, i like to believe i remained non-plussed by the turn of events. C. would beg to disagree, as he noted i was already becoming fidgety after only ten minutes of enforced idleness.



Rain and fog make for a gloomy day.


To make matters worse, the streets were virtually deserted and most shops (including the few internet cafes) remained closed. The one and only newsstand in Sagada normally receives the daily newspapers from Manila around 2:00 PM; today, it was more like 3:30 PM.

To kill time, we decide to play a game: name all the songs you know with the word "rain" in the title.

Me : "Here Comes the Rain Again" by the Eurythmics
C : "Rain" by Madonna
Me : "Rhythm of the Rain" by the Cascades
C : "Ulan" by Rivermaya (well, sige na nga)
Me : "It's Raining Men" by Geri Halliwell
C : "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" by . . . .???
Me : "Kiss the Rain" by Billie Myers


But this took all of 46 seconds. . .arrgghhh, what else to do??!?!

Oh yeah, we did some walking around and checked out some of the other inns nearby. St. Joseph's Resthouse was the place where VIPs and showbiz people stayed in, but we felt it was overpriced at PHP1,200.00/night. George's Guesthouse is the new kid on the block; a double room goes for something like PHP400.00/night, PHP500.00/night if you want to have a TV in your room.



Walking past St. Mary's Episcopal Church.


We also availed of Igorot Inn's in-room massage service, and dropped by the coop canteen to order a carrot cake for C.'s friend. Aside from this, it was more aimless walking around for us.

I thought to myself, Sagada can be so quiet and too laid-back that i'd go crazy if we stay here for one more day.

But despite all my whining, i eventually felt that this day wasn't totally wasted. I realized that sometimes, when travelling, we get too preoccupied with the things to do, sights to see (and take photos of), restos to dine in, etc. that we forget to just savor the fact that we are somewhere new and different from our regular lives.

I have been guilty of this 'by-the-numbers' approach to travelling in the past, and i'm sure i will be guilty of it in the future.

I guess there is something about the relaxed, unhurried, "whatever happens, happens" pace of Sagada life that makes you accept that things can be unpredictable; and like it or not, you just have to go with the flow.

This realization made the slacker in me quite happy. Yey! :-D

MANILA - SAGADA - BAGUIO - MANILA
(Part IV)

GOOD EATS IN SAGADA


Initially, i was apprehensive that there would be a lack of good eating spots in this quiet, remote part of the country. However, in the course of doing research for the trip (mainly long private reading of Lonely Planet and other guidebooks at Fully Booked), i was pleasantly surprised to find out that i needn't be worried.


1. YOGHURT HOUSE




C. had previously eaten here, and heartily recommended it. "We must absolutely eat here" were his exact words.

The name Yoghurt House is actually a misnomer, since this resto also serves a fair range of sandwiches, rice dishes, pastas and the like. It is quite small, comprised of six tables. During peak season, you have to be here before 6:00 PM to ensure a table.

We had a couple of meals here, and i whole-heartedly agree with his sentiment.



Cozy interiors. You can browse through their book collection while waiting for your food.


Below are pics of some of the dishes we ordered:




Fried Rice with Meat and Vegetables (above) - simply superb, and they didn't scrimp on the meat. PHP110.00.




Roast Chicken with Cheese Pasta and Bread - looks yummy, tastes even yummier! PHP160.00.

Other dishes getting our thumbs up were their Pasta with Tuna and Cheese, which was unexpectedly spicy (PHP120.00); Pasta with Mushroom and Cheese (PHP120.00); and Farmhouse Sandwich (egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, at PHP60.00). The pasta dishes, in particular, were quite filling, as the portions were good for 2 persons.

Of course, let's not forget the yogurt. I ordered the Banana Yogurt (below). It was presented quite simply (too plain-looking, in my opinion), but the portion was generous; and the tartness of the yogurt was just right, balanced by the sliced banana chunks. Simply great! And only PHP65.00.




All in all, if i were a Michelin inspector, i'd give this place two stars: "Excellent cooking and worth a detour".


2. MASFERRE INN




Particularly interesting are the black & white photos on the walls, depicting the native populace. Taken by the late famed photographer, Eduardo Masferre, a native son of Sagada.

To find out more about him, please click here.





In general, their food was not as good as Yoghurt House, although they have a much more extensive menu.

The Lemon Chicken (pictured above) was above average. Not a bad deal at PHP160.00.

MANILA - SAGADA - BAGUIO - MANILA
(Part V)

THE HIGHWAY FROM HELL


Woke up quite early today, as we hoped to make the 7:30 AM GL Lizardo bus bound for Baguio.

It wasn't a good morning, that's for sure. First, it was still raining continuously, and the sky was overcast. Second, came a brownout, so i had to take a shower in the dark AND using ice-cold water. Third, we couldn't find anywhere to eat, as all restos were closed, including our beloved Yoghurt House (even though the proprietress clearly told us last night that they open every day at 7:00 AM!)

Then, the final blow. Due to the non-stop rains yesterday, there was a landslide in one portion of the Halsema Highway. Thus, the buses plying the Baguio-Sagada route and vice-versa would not be able to make their daily trips today.

After some discussion with C., we thought of skipping the Baguio leg of the trip altogether and head back to Manila. I called Cable Tours, only to find out their bus bound for Manila from Bontoc will leave only by tomorrow 3:00 PM.

Uh-oh, we seem stuck here in Sagada for another day.

But friendly locals proferred an alternative solution: we could take the Sagada-Bontoc jeepney, which would travel up to the landslid portion of the highway. Then we would transfer to where the GL Lizardo bus was waiting for Baguio-bound passengers.

YESSS!!!



Around forty minutes later, we disembarked from the jeepney. A fairly long line of vehicles were parked on the side of the road, waiting for the fallen rubble and dirt to be cleared. Among others, there were delivery vans, a convoy of cars promoting this Oktoberfest battle of folk bands, etc.



That's C. checking out the landslide up close. Note his heavy back pack and box of carrot cake he is carrying.


I stopped to take photos of the scenery below. Beautiful, isn't it?





We had to take a detour through a small path, in order to reach our Baguio-bound bus waiting somewhere below. This seemed quite easy at first. True, we were carrying heavy luggage; but the weather was cool, and no hurry naman, right?



Along the narrow path onwards to our Baguio-bound bus.


Unfortunately, this was as good as our detour path got. From this smooth paved portion, it eventually turned into a steep, muddy, slippery path. Not only was it difficult maintaining one's foothold (lest one fell into the shallow ravines below) ; there was hardly anything one could grasp to steady oneself, save for some anemic-looking tree branches.

Fortunately, both of us did not take a tumble like Humpty Dumpty. Then it was a ten-minute trek along the highway to reach the makeshift bus stop. At this point, we were both sweaty, and huffing and puffing, from the exertion (and uttering curses under our breath at the weather).



After some waiting, our GL Lizardo bus finally was on its way to the City of Pines! Okay, okay, no need to get excited, i told myself, since it was a six- or seven-hour trip under the best of weather conditions.

As a backgrounder, Halsema Highway is 2255 meters at its highest point, the highest in the entire Philippine highway system. Believe it or not, despite being opened all the way back in 1931 (NO, THIS IS NOT A TYPO), it is literally not yet finished. It is alternately concreted (in short sections) and muddy and pot-holed (in much longer sections).

And did i mention that it consists only of ONE lane? So if two vehicles come upon each other head-on, one has to back up and make way. Incredible, isn't it?

From my window seat, i could see that our bus barely had enough room in several instances to navigate the highway. The tires were just a matter of inches from the edge of the road (okay, okay, i'm doing my damnest not to think of the sheer drop below!!!!)

The ride has been called "hell on your butt"; ass-numbing; teeth-rattling; mind-bending; whatever, it lives up to its reputation. As the Lonely Planet guidebook put it, "whizzing around hairspin turns with barely an arm's length to spare, it produces either amazement in the driver's skill or terrible anxiety."



Fog. . . .



and more fog.


Compounding our woes was the persistent rain and the cold wind. I am normally not susceptible to cold weather, but this time, i was shivering and had to close the window.

Oh, and the fog! As we went into higher and higher altitude, the fog blanketed not only the breath-taking mountain scenery; the mini-rice terraces amongst which galvanized iron-roofed houses nestled below us; etc, it also obscured what was in front of us.

Forward visibility was reduced to 10 - 12 feet, at best. From my vantage point, everything seemed enveloped in a gauzy, translucent white haze.

I imagined, just one wrong turn of the steering wheel or one mis-timed press on the brake pedal, we could be hurtling down the ravine below to Kingdom come.

Not exactly a comforting thought to have in your mind for seven hours.

MANILA - SAGADA - BAGUIO - MANILA
(Part VI)


"ANG MAHIWAGANG CARROT CAKE . . . BOW"
(C. and the Hapless Carrot Cake)


My friend and traveling companion, C., is one of those amiable, happy-go-lucky chaps who seem not to mind any favor(s) you ask of them, no matter how inconvenient.

So it was that during our time in Sagada, we were kept occupied looking for the ff. items a friend of his had asked him to buy:

1. Local red rice
2. Chili powder
3. Carrot cake

Alas, items no. 1 and 2 could simply not be found. Helpful store owners advised us to drop by the Saturday morning market, which we did. No luck though.

I did call my Baguio-based friend, S., whom we were scheduled to meet later on in our trip. She quipped that the local Mountain Province rice is actually BROWN, and becomes red in color only once cooked. While this factoid was interesting and all, it was NO help at all in locating the rice!



Weekend market scene in Sagada, with C. doing his search.



Fruits and veggies everywhere, but no red rice and chili powder.


Good thing we had more success with item no. 3, the carrot cake. C.'s friend specified that it should come from the Sagada Cooperative Canteen, located just beside the fire station and some fifteen steps away from St. Mary's Episcopal Church.

The coop is actually nothing more than a small, tin-roofed shack with a few wooden tables. Aside from the carrot cake, they also serve lemon meringue pie (which i tried; it tasted kinda horrible), custard cake (looked yummy), chocolate cake (looked yummy AND too sweet), etc. They do have PHP15.00 hamburgers, which seemed such an absolute bargain that C. bought one and ate it on the spot. His verdict? Well, let's just say you really do get what you pay for.

Anyways, back to the carrot cake. Turns out it has to be ordered one day in advance, and it has to be kept refrigerated, AND it lasts only 3 days before spoiling.

Undeterred, C. reasoned that the cool weather in Sagada and Baguio would act as natural refrigerators, and the bus we would be taking from Baguio to Manila would be airconditioned anyway. Hmm. . . not exactly Einstein-esque, but i couldn't fault his logic.

Thus, the carrot cake was duly ordered, and its carton box bound by thin nylon string picked up the following day, and patiently lugged by C. during our circuitous route down the steep dirt path to get to our Baguio-bound bus. I'm sure he was tempted once or twice to just fling the box to the ground, curse and stomp at it with all his might, but hey, the guy's a saint.

***********************************************************


Finally, finally, finally, a warm shower after our 7-hour nail-biting bus ride ordeal from Sagada via the infamous Halsema Highway. This Microtel Inn Baguio isn't so bad at all, it actually looks the same as in the brochures!

I was happily soaking in the warm jets of water when my cellphone suddenly rang. C. (who had decided to take a stroll along Session Road) was calling. The ensuing conversation below:


Me : "Yeah?"
C : (with panic in his voice) "Peter, the cake, the cake!!!"
Me : "What cake?"
C : (snarling) "The carrot cake, you dimwit!"
Me : "Oh yeah. What about it?"
C : "My friend just called. She says it can't be put in the freezer, it has to be in the ref only!"
Me : "Well, we deposited it with the Microtel front desk, diba? And they said they will put it in their fridge."
C : (shrilly, with annoyance in his voice) "Yes, but they also said they might not have space in the fridge and may just put it in their freezer instead!!"
Me : "Really now?"
C : (now ready to kill me) "YES, REALLY!! Can you please go over and check?"
Me : (now in a bad mood) "Huh?! What difference does it make anyway? Eh diba freezing is just like refrigerating, only 10X faster and more powerful? It might actually do wonders for your cake!"
C : (throwing up his hands in exasperation) "Nonsense!! If it's frozen kasi, once it's taken out, it will become moist and watery!"
Me : (reverting into normal smart-ass mode) "Oh, you mean, the gross differential between ambient temperature and normal sub-zero temperature inside the fridge has deleterious effects on the cake's molecular structure, by causing precipitation, thereby afflicting acute gastro-intestinal distress on the end-user?"
C : (buying a broomstick from a vendor with the intent to stick it up my ass) "JUST GET TO IT, okay???!!?"
Me : (meekly and resignedly) "No problemo, you just have to ask, you know."


27 seconds later, at the hotel front desk. . . .


Me : (with panic in my voice) "The cake, the cake!!"
Staff : "What cake, sir?"
Me : "The carrot cake, you dimwit!"
Staff : (staring at this wild-eyed, overweight guest dripping water all over the tiled floor) "Ah, do you have the deposit receipt?"
Me : (handing over the soggy deposit receipt) "Hurry! The cake! It shouldn't be kept in the freezer, only in the refrigerator!!!"
Staff : (squinting to decipher the blurred writing on the receipt) "Err. . .i have to check first, sir. But freezing is just like. . . ."
Me : (cutting him off) "NO!! You have to take it out of the freezer!!! It will become soggy if not!!"
Staff : (hesitating, not remembering what the employee guidebook mentioned about carrot cakes) "Ahh. . .err. . .hmm. . ."
Me : (doing my best Jack Nicholson scowl) "Are we clear?"
Staff : (in a tiny voice) "Ahh. . .yess. . ."
Me : (getting the hang of my pseudo-Jack Nicholson scowl) "I said, are we clear??"
Staff : (resignedly) "Sir, yes. Crystal."


46 seconds later, the staffer returns. . . .


Staff : "Sir, we confirm that your cake was placed on the third level of our ref, not in the freezer."
Me : "Oh? Are you sure?"
Staff : (smiling smugly) "Yes, sir."
Me : (in a demanding tone) "Can i see it?"
Staff : (ready to press the red button to call Security) "No."
Me : "Ow."


Two hours later, i asked C. if the carrot cake was really as good as advertised. After all, his friend had heaped all sorts of superlative praises on it, short of calling it the greatest thing since sliced bread.

C. just shrugged. It turns out he hates the taste of carrot cake!