Sagada Part I

I’ve been going through old photos from my archive. But the problem with writing at a later date is that a big chunk of information gets lost and forgotten. Unfortunately, I have a very poor memory, so I rely on photos to remember.

Sagada wasn’t what I expected it to be. It was even better. My friends decided our first trip together should be somewhere outside Cebu, so it was determined that we start with Sagada, a little town up the mountains of Luzon.

We rode a bus from Manila to Baguio, and slept for a good eight hours, before arriving in Baguio at dawn. From there, we took another bus to Sagada once again sleeping in very cramped, uncomfortable seats.

I was suddenly awakened by the glow of the sun gleaming outside the bus. I’m a pretty light sleeper so any change in the environment can trigger me to wake up. Feeling a little grumpy, I shifted my sight towards the window.

The scene beyond blew my mind completely. I suddenly felt alive and lost interest in sleep. I stared outside for what seemed like hours watching the mist move through the mountains.

During a stopover, I went down to grab some food. Jeremie looked like a sleeping kid, and I couldn’t help but smile. He loves his sleep.

He wasn’t the only one still deep in sleep.

I debated with myself whether what I saw was real or just a dream. The whole ride, though a bit uncomfortable, was such a treat for the eyes!

The town was surprisingly easy to navigate. They gave us a cute little map to help us explore on our own. We found our way to our guest house where we were met with confused stares as soon as we told them that we had reservations. It turned out that they gave our room to someone else.

We were confused and very, very hangry.

Thankfully, they told us they had another place where we could stay. We accepted the offer not wanting to go through all the trouble of looking for another guesthouse. It was quite a walk (about 15 minutes) and we thought they were fooling with us, but we ended up in a nice private house a few meters from the main road.

The whole house was literally made of wood. The mistake suddenly turned into an advantage. We had the cozy cabin to ourselves. And instead of sleeping in one room, it had three beds plus our own kitchen and a living room.

Shoes off! The floors were too clean for shoes. So we left ours by the door.

After taking a shower, we headed out for lunch to a popular cafe called The Lemon Pie House.

I ordered warm milk tea. It tasted so good and fresh.

They had pies for sale. The prices were a bit steep (close to Manila rates), but I suppose it’s because there are many tourists.

We went without a guide though it was a stupid decision because we almost got lost in the woods. We were saved by a few hikers who had a guide. We found our way around by following them.

Dead end. This is what happens when you venture into unfamiliar land without a guide or a map.

We followed the guide and his group back to the main road. We had dinner and the night ended in a series of conversations and very little alcohol.