Sagada (village of peace)

Fresh from our Mt. Pulag climb, we proceeded to, supposed to be our main trip, Sagada. Sagada has been one of the tourism spots of Mountain Province. A peaceful place and sanctuary of serene beauty.

From Baguio, we woke up early to catch the first trip to Sagada. We went to Baguio’s Dangwa terminal and secured our bus tickets. We took the GL Trans bus which departed by 6AM.

The ride took at least five hours. There are several bus stops so you can take care of your personal necessities. You’ll witness plenty of cinematographic landscapes while you pass on several cliffs, curves, and bumps on the road.

We reached Sagada town proper by noon. Luckily, there were almost no tourists around for it was no peak season. We directly went to the town hall for registration. Right after, we looked for a place to stay. The roads were not crowded and the shops were open but barely with customers. We found and inn which offers the best deal we can find. We stayed in Sagada Igorot Inn.

After we settled our things, filling our bellies came to our minds first. We went straight to the famous “Pinikpikan Haus of Sagada“.

Pinikpikan is prepared by beating a live chicken with a stick prior to cooking. The beating bruises the chicken’s flesh, bringing blood to its surface, which is said to improve the flavour after cooking.

After having our fill, we went back to the town hall to start our spelunking. All tours and activities are centralized and monitored by the town hall. Each activity has its own rate.

We went to the famous Sumaguing Cave, tried desserts in Yoghurt House, and of course, tried their local home-prepared dishes. That was my first time I appreciate eating vegetables. Their vegetables tastes way better than what I tasted in the cities. They also rarely use salt and other artificial flavorings on their dishes.

We managed to sneak a bottle of rice wine just enough to warm our bodies especially right after shower due to very obvious reason.

The following morning, we took an early breakfast at the place called “Sagada Brew”. The place is clean and cozy and has a warm ambiance. They serve desserts and full meals. Luckily, the server was a “bisaya” which made us feel more welcome.

After our breakfast, we went on to another attraction. We wanted to visit their scenic rice fields, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate much.So we went to another place instead. We went to their Hanging Coffins, Echo Valley, and went for a stroll around town. To fully utilize our time, we bought some souvenirs from their shops.

We left Sagada by noon and got back to Baguio late in the afternoon. We did not get the ride back to Manila right then, instead, we waited for the midnight trip back to Manila. So that when we can just sleep on the bus and save time from paying beds in Manila, since our flight back to Cebu was scheduled noon the following day.

We reached Manila late in the morning and headed straight to the airport to check-in and secure our flight.

All I can say is that Sagada is definitely a place to be if you want to free your mind from the busy environment of the city. The place is also good if you want to go on a solitary travel and soul searching. It really is a sanctuary of peace.