BIYAHENG SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE | Don't Panic, It's Organic

SAGADA | 

Sagada, not long after the release of a local movie stole the attention of romanticists, has become an instant resolve for adventurers: happy and sad. It is surprisingly amusing how a faint, antiquated, held in reserve, sheepishly pretty little town has promptly become the “tadhana capital of the Philippines.”

So yet again, we travel hundreds of kilometers to get lucky, either to make a break or bend and mend our own kind of tadhana: past, current or potential.

What is your Sagada story?

What is your tadhana story.

I’d love to hear it, dear.

HOW TO GET HERE |

From Quezon City

** Catch Coda Lines Buses in Cubao that depart nightly at 9 PM; fare is php 720, travel time is 10-12 H. **

and, as always, get lost..

STAY | Budget Accommodation

Due to Sagada’s cold-weather-climate condition, Pension houses, Backpacker’s Inn and almost all types of accommodation are outfitted with hot shower. Room rates are generally standardized from Php 300 – 500/ pax/ night.

Salt & Pepper Lodge Inn | also known as Salt & Pepper Diner, has 2 types of room options: solo/ double and dormitory type which can be shared by 4 people. Private toilet and bath are provided with hot shower, power outlets, a foamed bed, pillows, a wooden table and huge windows overlooking the rich vegetation terrain of Sagada.  No daily supply of toiletries, towels or whatnot, it is pretty much just a basic unit to curl yourself up during a chilly night.

Expected damage: Php 300/pax/night

WHAT TO DO??|

Okay, so everyone has been geotagging this beautiful, intriguing place named Sagada. Majority of your friends or friends of your friends has been dazed and could not stop raving about the whole experience. A good fraction of the population has visited it from the the day that a local movie was aired and made a dramatic homage to anyone who had his fair share of heartbreak. Hugs? eek. So, there's this place that almost everyone has seen except you. Hugs? yes. please.

What to do? 

1. Schedule the trip (short notice always works!)
2. Pack light
3. Have fun

5 | EAT 

~ SALT & PEPPER DINER ~ SAGADA BREW ~ YOUGURT HOUSE SAGADA ~
 ~ MOON HOUSE CAFE ~ CAGE GAIA ~ LEMON PIE HOUSE ~

The freshest greens come from the North, they say. Vegetable and a good assortment of food is best enjoyed with Sagada’s very own version of rice wine: a cup would costs Php 20, Php 150-250/bottle. Etag, a smoked mountain ham, is sold per grams just along the alleys. A few restaurants offer Pinikpikan that is arguably the most popular dish in Cordillera, as it is associated with inhumane killing of the animal prior to cooking. Other than these, interesting restaurants are ample.

Salt & Pepper Diner: Staple Filipino silogs are served daily. They make delicious omelets of many types: ham, mushroom & cheese, tuna and vegetable. Their store opens as early as 8AM and can run as late as 9PM, depending on the number of diners. Smoking area is provided at the balcony.

Expected damage: Php 200/meal

Sagada Brew: Legit fresh vegetables right from their backyard, straightforwardly cooked using basic ingredients, plated in hefty serving and perfectly combined with either a bread or organic rice! You must allow enough time for them to prepare your food, a good 30 minute of waiting time should be enough.

Expected damage: Php 250 - 300/meal

Yougurt House Sagada: Yougurt ehh, should I say more? But, rice and pasta meals are also offered.

Expected damage: Php 150 - 200/ serving

Moon House Café: Moon Café is a hip and extremely out of the ordinary spot that you would normally encounter anywhere in the locale. Having unique intrinsic interiors: slogans, souvenir photos or artistic illustrations in any format are piled up on the wall. Cold beers, tasty pica, warm interaction and blissful conversation as reggae music plays on the signature rhythm of Sagada night – sweet!

Expected damage: Php 250 - 300/meal

Café Gaia: A must try, they say. I skipped, anyway. Let me know your thoughts if you have tried dining here :p

** Lemon Pie House was temporarily closed during the time of visit, which gives me enough reason to plan for a revisit **

4 | CONVERSE WITH NATURE

~ SUMAGUING CAVE  ~ HANGING COFFINS ~ LAKE DANUM ~

~ SUNSET WATCHING ~ KILTEPAN PEAK ~

Several attractions for sightseeing and fun activities to try await travelers. Remember that each tour has a standard rate applicable for solo or batch. Here’s a simple math trick to save a few bucks: try to join other groups to lessen the expense as it will be divided accordingly to the number of pax, big groups with big hearts would even let you join them for free :)

LAMPARA | 

Sumaguing Cave: Deep, dark, slippery and cold – unusual adjectives for a first timer, but it’s all good.

Expected damage: Php 800; inclusive of a guide and transportation service.

Hanging Coffins: Ancestral cemetery of villagers. A few meters of easy hike will get you on top of a hill 

where you could scream at the top of your lungs. Let it out, dear.

Expected damage: Php 200

Lake Danum and Sunset Photo Op: Afternoons are made for lazy strolls, up on a hill and overlooking at amazing setting or trapped within glorious frames. And, just before you could even decide whether you want to win the serenity of a lake or salute the rushing sunset, you’d find yourself resting your peace behind mountains.

Expected damage: Php 400

Mt. Kiltepan: Each morning, Mt. Kiltepan’s view deck becomes an arena of cheerleaders -  

waiting for that perfect moment to cheer for sunrise as it makes a sultry rip after sea of clouds.

Expected damage: Php 500

Pottery: Ceramics of many kinds, tutorial, and a return demo while you are being lectured how it all started in Sagada – for Php 200. If this sounds exciting, do try. A little boring for your liking, ehh? Yeah, you may skip.

Expected damage: Php 100 (lecture and demo); Php 200 (with return demo)

3 | FEEL, FREE, FEED YOUR SOUL

~ EPISPOCAL CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN ~

And the spirituals, just like our physicals, need nourishment too. Whatever the source is, feel it. Free it. Feed it.

2 | WATCH PEOPLE

It’s not every day we get the chance to sit quietly in a corner and let time pass placidly just watching people, observing how they interact and connect with the world. It’s not every day we get to witness how different lives are lived and how it compellingly impact the way we live our own. What are the chances of getting the feels: grateful or inspired, charmed or awakened, spirited or uninterested, or how is it even possible to feel a quarter apiece of each emotion in one moment, in one place, by one person, from another being? Incredible.

1 | ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS

EMBRACE THE MOMENT

CELEBRATE LIFE - THE GOOD, THE BAD AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Just before you even get to finish reading this, I am certain that am still having amazing recalls about Sagada .Unfortunately, I do not feel good enough on adjectives, but the good news is you are probably better at it than me! So, while I still can't seem to find the right words to sum it up myself, I hope you'd land on this place sooner than my adjectives.

Good luck, love.