Sagada: A mountain hamlet

Remember those days in the 90s when RPG games in Playstation1 or 2 were hip? The protagonist will wake up somewhere in a remote town, either in the mountains, fields, or forest? Somehow this trip reminds me of an adventure taken by those coming-of-age heroes that follow a storyline of exploration, battles and self-realization. (Seriously.... If it's possible to project yourself inside an RPG game, i've done it long before iPod was invented.)

The quaint town of Sagada: View from the Echo Valley Peak  

I have no idea where Sagada is until the time we actually set foot on the place. All I know is that it is located somewhere in the rugged mountains up north, much farther away from Baguio.

Upon arriving the night before, we immediately took our time to have dinner at yogurt house and rest our topload-beaten bodies. I took time to take photos whenever I can amidst the tight itinerary, so most of the photos are taken at different times. 

Most of the structures are probably tourist accommodations. One thing I'm concerned about is the eclectic and kitsch style of houses being built every now and then, considering the fact that you can't own a property here if you aren't of local genealogy. Nevertheless, the town still possess that rustic charm just like the smell of good Sagada coffeebeans.

Narrow road to the caves

I "still" can't sense outright commercialization in this place, and that's a good thing, given that the prices of commodities are competitive and a bit "tourist-y". On a side note, if you feel like going to the attractions, SAGGAS, one of the group of locals with the qualified skills and knowledge of their town, provides tour packages at a reasonable price, and it is recommended that you take tours with them especially in the caves.  For more information; you can find their website here: [SAGGAS]

Due to some unexpected circumstances, this trip was cut into just two days, leaving me no choice but to savor and take in all the frustration of a fucked-up itinerary by eating. Most of my expenses went to food, by the way. Hahaha.. haha.. ha. :(

At George Guest House, our accommodation

The locals are generally friendly and approachable, in contrast to the faces captured by my camera.  Don't get me wrong! The owner of our accommodation even gave us a free ride from the main building to their annex ( parang hotel transfer lang, haha!). I don't know if it's part of our payment, them, being nice... But oh well...

An interesting fact that I learned while having a walk in the towncenter is that the established church in Sagada is protestantism. Making it the only Philippine town that is predominantly Protestant with almost 95% baptized into the Episcopal Church. Pretty neat, huh?

But still, their pagan traditions are alive as my companions witnessed it, in their Begnas Festival. 

The Protestant Church

Taking time to take photos...

 I pretty messed up this shot hence the double/triple exposure.

And lastly, the cemetery, strategically located in the sloping terrain overlooking the town... My greatest frustration during the trip came from the incapability to witness the Panag-Apoy festival which happened a day after we left (October 31). With that being said, it gave me more reasons to come back and visit this place again.

Coming up! Cave connection, Kiltepan peak, Echo Valley, and the Foodtrip:
For comprehensive information about our trip, here are the links:

http://www.ivanlakwatsero.com/search/label/Sagada
http://www.balintataw.org/search/label/sagada