SAGAD-AGAD

View from George Guesthouse Extension 

Sagada... isa sa mga lugar na pangarap kong puntahan. Ngayon ay hindi na sya pangarap lang dahil sa wakas ay narating ko na sya. 

I-share ko lang ang mabilisang itinerary na ginawa ko para sa trip na ito. Other details of the trip will be posted next.

Sa tulong ng www.visitsagada.com, ito ang nabuong plano ng trip na ito. Pasensya na sa magulong layout!

Nov 29 (Day 1) - nag leave ako para mas mahaba ang bakasyon

1. Manila to Tarlac 

Tarlac ETA - 2pm SM (1:30 pm ako nakarating ng Tarlac, at late si Inong lol (joke) ang aga nya sa SM, grabe ka excited at panay ang text. kala yata iniwan ko sya haha) 

Meet Inong (Si kumonoy ang aking side kick sa lakad na ito, at buti na lang pinayagan sya ng mama nya) 

Merienda at Razon’s (syempre palabok muna - try nyo sobrang sarap) 

2. Tarlac to Baguio 

Tarlac ETD: 3pm -4pm (2:30 pm kami nakaalis, mas maaga ng konti sa inaasahan) 

Baguio ETA: 7pm (Ilang hours ba from Tarlac to Baguio? This is just a rough estimate) Ang galing ko sa guesstimate... nakarating kami ng Baguio around 6:30pm 

3. Baguio 

Hotel Check in (Advance Booking done) 

Quick Tour around Baguio Town Proper 

Dinner at SM City Baguio (Sizzling plate kami kumain ng T-Bone Steak, well done, pero nasobrahan yata sa pagka well done, mukhang sunog yong steak) Nag SB rin kami para makarami ng stickers 

Back to the hotel (rest) 

Sleep Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (pero di ako nakatulog, excited din ako, kaya nakipag tweet na lang kay Sey, na kagagaling din ng Sagada one week earlier.

Nov 30 (Day 2) 

4. Baguio to Sagada 

Early morning wakeup (4:00am)/ breakfast (di namin na-avail breakfast buffet ng hotel dahil 6am pa ang serving - nanghihinayang) 

5:00am leaves the hotel (buti na lang may Mcdo para sa breakfast) 

Take a cab to the Dangwa Bus Station. 

Locate the Lizardo Transit station – facing the station, it’s on the LEFT side. (Pagdating namin sa bus station, ang haba na ng pila para sa first trip)

Schedule: First bus leaves at 5:30AM.

Trip Duration: 6-7 hours (The roads are pretty rough) yeah right! nagmukha akong human wiper dahil sa liko-liko at zig-zag na daan. Sulit naman ang view sa gilid ng bangin!

Stops: The bus makes two stops. There are restrooms and food stalls in the vicinity as well.

Tips: (www.visitsagada.com)

* Be prepared. Take medication for motion sickness if necessary. 

* The buses are not air-conditioned and even if the region is known for cold weather, the sun could prove to be quite an adversary at mid-day. Don’t forget to apply sunblock. (Sa kasamaang palad, wala kaming mabilhan na sunblock sa Baguio, dahil? Hindi uso? Walang beach?)

* The bus conductor will honor student and senior citizen’s discounts! Have your IDs ready for 20% off the ticket cost. 

5. Sagada Proper: 

ETA 12:00 noon (Lunch) 

Check-in upon arrival (as of the moment, no particular inn has been confirmed) whatever is available, marami daw naman pagpipilian. (At buti na lang, maganda ang aming natuluyan. The view from the Terrace was amazing, sa umaga at sa gabi!) 

Settled then rest (Inayos lang muna namin ang mga gamit at naghanap na kami ng makakainan) 

Tour around Small Town of Sagada (Parang Baguio din, paakyat pababa ang mga daan) 

(from www.visitsagada.com)

If still got the strength to do some touring for the afternoon, we may try any of the following by going to the town hall and inquiring at the tourism desk: 

The “sightseeing” package is a medley of three points of interest that are reachable within a few minutes hike of each other. You may choose three places to go to and the tour will probably take 3-4 hours depending on when where you choose to go. Echo Valley is probably among the most popular of these sites. It’s fairly easy to go to and it will surely be a hit for younger travelers. (Nagawa namin to)

Go to the caves! Sagada is famous for its cave system so no one should ever leave the town before checking out Sumaguing cave. It’s a twenty minute walk from the town center it’s a fairly easy hike up the road. You will also see nice views of the Sagada Rice Terraces and traditional village houses called dap-ays along the way. The normal spelunking route takes 2-3 hours to finish. (Second day na namin to napuntahan)

After a day of traveling, most people would probably want to relax. If you’re with me in that regard then I strongly suggest that you visit Bokong Falls (also known as Small Falls). The falls is situated next to rice paddies and though it doesn’t really dazzle you with the way it looks, it sure makes up for it with sheer adrenaline potential. You can jump off the falls’ highest point into a cold deep natural pool below. There’s nothing like a nice cold dip that could rejuvenate your road-weary body, right? (Last minute, our group decided na puntahan na rin namin ito dahil maaga pa naman) 

LESSON #1: DAY ONE HAS A VERY TIGHT TIME WINDOW. DON’T EXPECT TO DO A LOT OF THINGS DURING THIS DAY. (Pero kami ni Inong, Nakaya naming makarami ng pupuntahan lol) 

Then back to the Inn, Dinner and rest

Dec 1 (Day 3) 

6. Sagada Main Attraction: 

In the morning go to Kiltepan for sunrise (5am call time at kailangan naming mag hire ng sasakyan, kung hindi, ma mi- miss namin sunrise) 

Bomod-Ok Falls/ Big Falls (di napuntahan dahil sa ginanap na ritual) (Instead, sunset at Lake Danum ang  pinuntahan namin) 

Cave Connection (If still have time and energy) (Instead, yong shorter course lang pinili ng grupo, Yong Sumaguing Cave lang)

Dec 2 (Day 4) 

7. Leave Sagada 

    SAGADA – BAGUIO (for the way back) 

    Schedule: First bus leaves at 5 AM. Last bus leaves at 1 PM. One bus every hour, on the hours. 

     Baguio – Tarlac – Manila (At bumaba na si Inong sa Tarlac) 

     I shall return Sagada! Maghintay ka lang!

THINGS TO BRING:

1. Light Comfortable Clothing good enough for 4 days 

2. Weather maybe fairly Cold in Sagada so bring sweater or light jacket 

3. Footwear good for outdoor and hiking 

4. ID’s & Ballpen 

5. Positive attitude (we might experience difficulty but if we have this, we can survive anything) 

6. Cameras (Anon and 1000DC will be with me) 

7. Medicine (First Aid) 

8. Ano pa ba? I think yon lang!

Up next...

Inside Sumaguing Cave!

Super Mario inside the cave!