SAGADA!!!

Our Sagada experience is one of the greatest adventures I've ever had, not that I've been to many escapades. It's very memorable because it's the farthest I've been up north (well, it won't be for too long since I'll be climbing Mt. Pulag some time in March). And, it's my first spelunking experience ever.

I was the one who suggested to my friends that we go to Sagada. It's all coz of the stories I've heard about how beautiful and majestic the rock formations inside the caves are. I wasn't really after the adventure of spelunking, initially. I just wanted to take pictures of the stalactites and the stalagmites with me in them, of course. :) And since my birthday was already so near and since my New Year's resolution was to travel more this year, I convinced myself and my friends to go out of town with me for a little adventure. Adventure in a sense that none of us had really gone there, ever.

And what an adventure it was!

It was crazy because the four of us didn't really know what we were getting into. We didn't physically prepare for the spelunking nor for the hiking to the top of the Kiltepan.

While on the bus to Sagada, we were lucky that one of the passengers was also on her way to Mapiya-aw, where we would be staying. We had no idea where it was and would have walked a few hundred meters from the Municipal hall with heavy baggages had we missed the pension house. There are no jeepney rides or any other PUVs around the area. How convenient, right? Anyway, when we got to the corner of the road to Mapiya-aw, we still had to hike a few hundred meters up to the pension house. We weren't even halfway to the house when we all stopped for air. We were already exhausted! Two factors: exercise (or the lack of it) and the altitude. That's how unprepared we were.

We immediately proceeded to the Municipal Hall where we scheduled and planned our trip(s). The tour packages are cheap! Probably one of the best things about being administered by the government. Right after our lunch, we went spelunking.

I cannot even begin to put into words how much I enjoyed the cave connection experience. It was exhausting but definitely worth the exhaustion. The 5-hour spelunking was both creepy and majestic at the same time. The cave is HUGE! It reminds me of The Phantom of the Opera and Batman. It was strangely beautiful.

Anyone who's convinced herself to tour the Philippines has to go to Sagada!

Tour Sagada 101

When we got to Sagada, the first thing we did was head to the Municipal Hall. Even if your trip is unplanned or you and your friends just decided to go to Sagada on a whim, things can never go wrong if you go straight to the Municipal Hall. Everything that you need to know about tour packages (with the guides plus the rides) are there. Sagada is a pretty small place. I cannot really bet my life on my spatial skills but the Sagada town is much smaller than UP. So, it's really easy to navigate your way around the area. The Municipal Hall is hard to miss.

Another thing, there are no easy-access PUVs. It's fine though coz the places are at a "walking distance" from each other anyway. When we were there, everywhere seemed like a 15-minute walk away from wherever. The weather and climate are very much appropriate for walking so sweating will never be an issue.

Tour Packages

The highlighted tour packages are my recommended packages.

• Cave Connection
  Sugong hanging coffins, Lumiang Burial Cave, Sumaging Cave
  P800 for two (2) visitors or less +P400 for each addt'l visitor
  Optional ride: P+400
  
  
• Short Course Caving
  Sugong hanging coffins, Lumiang Burial Cave entrance, Sumaging (Big Cave)
  P500 up to four (4) visitors, P1000 for eight (8), P1500 for twelve (12)
  Optional ride: P+350
  
  
• Cultural Sagada
  Echo-Valley hanging coffins, Underground River entrance, Bokong (Small Falls)
  P400 good for ten (10) visitors
  
  
• Northern Sagada
  Bomod-ok (Big Falls), Fidelisan Rice Terraces, Northern Sagada Villages
  P600 good for ten (10) visitors
  Optional ride: P500
  
  
• Eastern Sagada
  Lamagao Antadao, Marlboro Country, Limestone Formation, Wild Horses
  P600 good for ten (10) visitors
  
  
• Western Sagada
  Ampacao Mountain Trek
  P600 good for ten (10) visitors

• Eastern Sagada
  Kiltepan, Sunrise View, Rice Terraces
  P450 food for ten (10) visitors
  
  
• Western Sagada
  Danum Lake, Sunset View, Pottery Shop
  P5000 good for ten (10) visitors
  
  

Getting to Sagada for Noobs :-)

It was our first time to go to Sagada. We practically didn't have any idea how to get there, what to do there, and what to expect from a Sagada trip coz none of my friends have ever gone there. So my friends and I had to do a little research to pool in the necessary information.

I'm not going to complicate stuff for you, dear noob. So, here goes. I assume that (1) you wanna know how to get there and (2) how much the trip's gonna cost you, at least a ballpark figure. Right?

Cubao to Baguio:
travel time: 7 hours plus/minus 1 hour
fare: PhP 430

I went to Sagada with three of my other friends (J, J, and JF). We left Manila for Baguio on a friday at 11PM via one of the Victory Liner buses in Cubao, Quezon City). A bus leaves the station every 15-30 minutes, probably depends on the demand. Anyway, do get tickets at least five hours before your scheduled trip... Since we were practically clueless, we got at the station at 10PM. Natch, all the tickets for the eve have been booked already and the next trip available was at 3AM (Saturday). Nice... We had no choice but to chance a bus ride. After an hour and six buses later, we finally got seats. The travel from Cubao to Baguio takes about 7 hours plus/minus 1 hour. Oh yeah, the fare is PhP 430.00. If I am not miscounting, I think there were two stops before we finally got to Baguio.

Baguio to Sagada:
travel time: 7 hours plus/minus 1 hour
fare: PhP 220

Don't miss this view from the first bus stop to Sagada.

From the Baguio Victory Liner Bus Station, we took a cab to the Dangwa Bus Station (DBS). I think JF paid for the ride which was around PhP 50.00. Once you get to the DBS just ask the people there where the bus station going to Sagada is (facing the station, it’s on the LEFT side). We took the first trip at 6:15AM. You may want to have some hot spicy noodles while waiting. If I am not mistaken, there's at least one bus per hour that leaves for Sagada until around lunch time. Oh yeah, the fare is PhP 220.00. And, there's a bus stop every two hours along the way. So don't worry about peein in your pants or throwin up. And, BTW, at the first stop, we had Balut! Bagay sa malamig na panahon.

Posing with friends at first bus stop to Sagada.

Sources:
[1] personal experience
[2] this site

UP Fair 2010 - Loverage!

Spent V-day evening with my boys :-) My year wouldn't be complete without a night at the UP Fair, I didn't get a henna tattoo this year though. Oh guano, I'm growin' up! LOL

Broadway Night on KTV! :-)

Meet Anj and Vera -- two of my college best friends. Whenever I think of the tandem I am always reminded of Disney and Broadway musicals... well, music, in general. What better way to catch up than watch the Princess and the Frog and hit a ktv bar?!?

Jess, JD, and Ann

After almost three months...

I love you, guys! Thanks for everything. xoxo

CRIBS

Yesterday is probably one of the happiest and most fulfilling days of my life in recent years. I volunteered. I have always wanted to volunteer but I hadn't really done anything about it. I have always just had the intention but there was never an action. I have always pictured myself volunteering as a teacher and/or reader to really, really young kids. I have a really soft spot for kids.. and babies! Babies, most especially. They're just so innocent, cute, carefree, and adorable! It feels like nothing could ever go wrong when you hangout with them, when you spend time with them. Angels here on Earth!!!

At the beginning of the month, a colleague posted something on his FB wall about a foundation for babies. It's called CRIBS, short for Create Responsive Infants By Sharing. Essentially, you spend around two hours in the nursery taking care of the babies and the toddlers. The post immediately got my attention. And that time, I really felt like that was it. I was really gonna make a go. I tried to invite some friends but none of them was as interested as I was. But I was just so thrilled, I felt like there was a calling of some sort, that I didn't even bother that none of them wanted to go with me. So I just went alone. It felt like this was my journey to take. I looked for a map online and took a cab to get there. Normally, given that level of stress, I wouldn't have really gone, especially not without company. But, there There was something inside that really wanted me to be there. There was a strong want... a need... I don't know how to explain it.

I was so excited and exhilarated to get to CRIBS. The feeling's indescribable. When I got there though, I was mostly welcomed with crying babies (crawlers), around 4-12 mos. olds, if I am not mistaken. It was overwhelming. And then it hit me, "This. Is. Reality." There are babies here who need to be taken care of. And then there was a pang in my heart. I just wanted to get inside as fast as I could and to just start hugging them and embracing them and make them stop crying. I wanted to tell them or at least make them feel that they aren't alone. Seeing them cry just broke my heart. There were about 6-9 babies and only two of us (adults) inside the room... and half of them crying. I didn't know where and how to begin. There was no one there to instruct me what to do and how to do stuff.

I relied on my instinct. And so I paused for a moment to try to get myself together. And it was all so natural. The first baby I tried to pacify was Jillian (I am not sure if I spelled her name correctly). She was already so red from crying; it was as if her vocal chords were already near their elastic limit. At first she wouldn't stop crying when I took her from her crib. I then decided to put her in a rocker... and lo and behold! I managed to get her to sleep! Wow! And then I carried Corazon in my arms as she was also crying... Jillian woke up for a split second and looked like she was gonna start crying again, so I used my clean right foot to swing the rocker to get her back to sleep while carrying Cory in my arms. And then Cedric started crying. Wahhh! I took him also. So I had both Corazon and Cedric in my arms. They stopped crying when I held them in my arms. The feeling is indescribable. It was very fulfilling. And then there was Mika and Sepphoura (not sure of the spelling) and Jeff and Shine... and there were other babies whose names I wasn't able to catch.

The two hours I spent with the babies weren't enough. I didn't feel like leaving them but I had to. They looked so happy to have someone play with them and give them his/her full attention.

**sigh**

I am so thankful to God that He gave them the opportunity to survive in this world. There must be something in store for them. Surely, God has a plan. I pray that He will continue to guide and protect them. I pray that He will provide them with responsible, capable, and kind parents who would love them like they were their own and protect them like their own. Meanwhile, I will continue to do whatever it is that I can to make them feel loved and cared for. xo