On December 28, 29, 30, and 31, 2007 my French colleagues and I visited Sagada in Mountain Province, Philippines.
Sagada is a small tourist town north of Luzon. This was my third time to be in Sagada (my first was in 1987 and my second was in 1997).
From Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila we took a Victory Liner bus going to Baguio City (in Benguet Province) at 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 28. The trip from Quezon City to Baguio City was around 6 hours. From Baguio City we took another bus (in Dangwa terminal) to Sagada, and the trip was about 7 hours.
In Sagada, we stayed at St. Joseph's Resthouse Cottages (a very nice place owned by the Episcopalian Church).
There are many things to see and do in Sagada. On Dec. 29, our group went trekking along rice paddies going to Bokong waterfalls. On the way back to Sagada town center, we passed by Masferre Photographs gallery, Sagada Weaving Center, St. Theodore's Hospital, and St. Mary's Episcopal Church. From the church, we went to the town cemetery and proceeded to the Echo Valley where we saw big rock formation and hanging coffins.
On Dec. 30, we visited Lumiang and Sumaging caves. In Lumiang cave we saw hundreds of traditional coffins stacked one after another. Some coffins are 200 years old.
Sumaging is a big cave. Exploring Sumaging cave is a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience. It has big rock formation and water pool. There are also plenty of fossils. We were told that thousands of years ago, the mountain town of Sagada (which is about 1,500 meters above sea level) was once submerged under the sea.
Exploring the caves of Sagada was very exhausting for me. My French colleagues proceeded on a trekking trip to Lake Danom (more than one hour from Sagada town proper) while I got to St. Joseph's Resthouse Cottages.
Cheers,
Raffy
Sagada is a small tourist town north of Luzon. This was my third time to be in Sagada (my first was in 1987 and my second was in 1997).
From Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila we took a Victory Liner bus going to Baguio City (in Benguet Province) at 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 28. The trip from Quezon City to Baguio City was around 6 hours. From Baguio City we took another bus (in Dangwa terminal) to Sagada, and the trip was about 7 hours.
In Sagada, we stayed at St. Joseph's Resthouse Cottages (a very nice place owned by the Episcopalian Church).
There are many things to see and do in Sagada. On Dec. 29, our group went trekking along rice paddies going to Bokong waterfalls. On the way back to Sagada town center, we passed by Masferre Photographs gallery, Sagada Weaving Center, St. Theodore's Hospital, and St. Mary's Episcopal Church. From the church, we went to the town cemetery and proceeded to the Echo Valley where we saw big rock formation and hanging coffins.
On Dec. 30, we visited Lumiang and Sumaging caves. In Lumiang cave we saw hundreds of traditional coffins stacked one after another. Some coffins are 200 years old.
Sumaging is a big cave. Exploring Sumaging cave is a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience. It has big rock formation and water pool. There are also plenty of fossils. We were told that thousands of years ago, the mountain town of Sagada (which is about 1,500 meters above sea level) was once submerged under the sea.
Exploring the caves of Sagada was very exhausting for me. My French colleagues proceeded on a trekking trip to Lake Danom (more than one hour from Sagada town proper) while I got to St. Joseph's Resthouse Cottages.
Cheers,
Raffy
Photo Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagada
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1 comment:
I've always wanted to go to the Lumiang Cave and Lake Danom but everytime I go up to Sagada, I'm always with a different set of friends. And they prefer the usual sites: Sumaguing, Big Falls, Echo Valley. I'll visit Lumiang next time, this I swear to myself.
:)
St. Joseph is a great place to stay. I slept there twice and had a delicious lunch of chicken and fresh vegetables at their restaurant. I intend to stay there the next chance I get.
I'm glad, sir, that your French friends seemed to had a great time at Sagada. Kudos to you for introducing the place to your foreign buddies.
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