Sagada Thread 4

[gulaysk]

Mukhang malabo na magawa namin ang Big Falls on a morning, no? If worse comes to worst at bumigay ang katawan namin, we might consider letting go of the Ampacao-Danum tour. Tingin ko ganun na nga rin ang mangyayari. Hehe.

Got your pm sis. I might opt for the residential lodge you're recommending. Cheaper kasi than Kanip-aw's which is P300/night. Thanks! : )

[gulaysk]

^Nakakatempt naman magpamasahe pagkatapos ng caving at trekking.

[chocochips_31]

^Hehe, sa kinuwento mong sakit ng katawan na inabot niyo, may pakiramdam ako na hindi rin masusunod ang itinerary na plano namin. Mukhang aayaw yata ang mga katawan namin.

hehe.. wala kasing exercise kaya siguro na-shock mga katawan namin. kahit my 2 friends ha sumakit katawan nila kahit lagi silang nag-mountain hiking. bumigay din yung dalawa nung Day 2 namin. drama pa nga ng isa kong friend, "i came here to relax." hehe so pinagbigyan namin. worth it naman kasi nalibot namin buong town proper ng sagada.   buti nga ok lang din kay kuya sotero ng saggas na nagbago schedule namin sa second day ^^. kung sanay naman katawan mo sa mga extreme adventures, kakayanin mo yan. btw, ayon sa saggas, level of difficulty ng cave connection is "very hard" kaya ganun, sumakit talaga katawan namin. buwis buhay din! instead na cave connection, you may try sumaguing cave nalang. crystal cave connection ang pinaka-extreme sa lahat ng cave sabi ng saggas.

[chocochips_31]

^Nakakatempt naman magpamasahe pagkatapos ng caving at trekking.

nakakatempt talaga after the cave connection!

[queens]

drama pa nga ng isa kong friend, "i came here to relax."

quoted this line. tama ang friend mo kaya huwag ubusin ang lakas sa isang araw na activity para may lakas pa for the next two days di man mapuntahan ang lahat at least you still have a reason to go back and enjoi the place.

@ gulaysk - si perry ba magiging guide nyo? kapit bahay lang sila ni kanip-aw hahaha sa baba si perry sa taas si kanip-aw 300 per night very clean place with private c.r. and you have a great view facing the mountain valley 

[gulaysk]

^Yep sis, si Perry nga. We'll be staying in Kanip-aw. So excited to see the mountain view. Tamang tama rin pala na sa Kanip-aw kami, malapit lang si Perry. : )

Ngayong gabi na nga pala alis namin. Baka mag Cable Tours nalang kami since sa E. Rod lang siya at QC lang din kami manggagaling. Ohayami sana kami kaya lang ang layo ng terminal, sa Sampaloc pa.

Thanks for all your tips/feedback/kwento. Will definitely be sharing mine when I get back. : )

[ginger01]

i survived sagada! been there last may 6 and 7. we had cave connections on our first day then on the 2nd day, kiltepan, pongas falls, echo valley and bonfire at lake danum. a short trip but i enjoyed!

[gulaysk]

I'm back from Sagada. : )

As promised, here's my kwento:

Day 1- We arrived in Sagada at lunch time kaya dumiretso na sa Yoghurt House then headed to Kanip-aw for check-in. Yung room pala namin sa Kanip-aw ay corner room kaya sakto sa view ng Mt. Kanip-aw. Good for 3 persons ang kwarto (1 double bed, 1 single bed) kaya siguro P600/night din ang rate. Room was very clean at may hot shower. Kuya Oscar and his wife were so warm and accommodating, masarap makipagchikahan sa kanila.

We texted Perry about our plan to do the Echo Valley/Hanging Coffins tour in the afternoon pero hindi na kami natuloy dahil biglang bumuhos na ang ulan. For dinner, sa Lucky's Shanghai Haus kami and had pork kaldereta. Sarap! Lumpiang shanghai sana pero naubusan daw sila ng wrapper.

Day 2- We catched the Kiltepan sunrise noong early morning. Swerte nga at nagpakita ang sunrise. Panalo ang view. Medyo worried lang ako na ma-loser kami sa Kiltepan kasi nga ang lakas ng ulan the day before.

After breakfast, sinundo na kami ni Perry para sa hike to Marlboro Mt. Nilakad lang namin papunta. Yung mismong hike namin sa peak ng Marlboro was about an hour, give or take. While hiking, may mga wild strawberries kaming napitas. Marami rin sa mismong peak na. Sayang nga raw at walang wild mushrooms sabi ni Perry. Pababa naman ng Marlboro, around 1 hour din. Lalakarin din namin dapat pabalik pero nakihitch na kami sa kakilala ni Perry na pabalik ng town.

After lunch naman ang cave connection. Medyo praning ako the first 30 mins sa loob ng cave pero after some time, nagconcentrate nalang ako sa pagtapak at pagkapit sa mga bato. Totoo nga ang sabi ng iba na medyo buwis buhay ang experience. Hehe. On the way to Sumaguing, nadulas si hubby sa isang bato. Muntik nang tumama ang ulo niya sa malaking tipak ng bato and about a foot away, bangin na pala yun. Kaya muntik na rin siyang mahulog.

Day 3- Pagkagising, ramdam ko na ang sakit ng mga balikat at braso ko. Buti nalang at nawarm up ang mga binti sa hike to Marlboro kaya hindi masyadong sumakit.

Hapon na kami pumunta sa Bomod-ok Falls. We rented a van c/o Perry. Sasama na rin dapat sya sa Big Falls kaya lang may nakasabay din kaming another couple staying in Kanip-aw at may kasama na rin silang guide from SAGGAs kaya hindi na siya sumama. Our guide from NOSIGA was Ate Gloria Macogay. Highly recommended si Ate Gloria, very motherly at masarap kakuwentuhan. Enjoy kami sa mga kwento niya tungkol sa customs/practices ng mga taga North.

Pagdating sa Bomod-ok, malakas ang agos ng tubig kaya diniscourage kami na magswim sa gitna. Dahil ako si ms. lamigin, hindi na ako nagswim kahit sa gilid kaya nagchikahan nalang kami ni Ate Gloria. Tinanong ko siya tungkol sa NOSIGA at kung bakit hindi na pinapayagan ang SAGGAs at SEGA na magguide sa Bomod-ok nang walang guide galing sa kanila. She didn't speak ill at all about the two groups. Sabi lang niya, may mga nilabag daw kasi sila sa kasunduan between those two groups at ng NOSIGA (concerning the Northerners' customs/practices, mostly).

Pabalik, tama nga ang sabi ng iba na ang pauwi from Bomod-ok Falls ang parusa dahil ito na yung paakyat. Pero napaka scenic lang ng trail pauwi, yung papunta na ng Aguid. Pagkauwi namin sa lodge, ramdam ko na na wasak na ang katawan ko. Palibhasa hindi masyadong nakakapag exercise. Napatawag tuloy sa home service massaga nang di oras. Hehe.

Day 4- Echo Valley, Hanging coffins and pasalubong shopping (Mountain Tea P20/pack, Bana's Coffee medium dark roast P150/pack, Gabay blueberry and mulberry jam P150/jam, box of lemon pie from Lemon Pie House which we forgot to claim)

Pauwi, we missed the last trip going to Bontoc. 1pm dapat yun, we got to the terminal minutes early pero sabi ay nakaalis na raw. Basta pala puno na ang jeep ay bibiyahe na ito. Kaya for those planning to catch the last trip, better get there early.

Dahil 1pm na nun at 3pm ang trip ng Cable Tours to Manila, medyo doubtful na kami kung may makakabiyahe pa-Manila that day. Hindi na rin namin naabutan ang Sagada-Baguio bus. Yung mga manang sa tapat ng bus terminal ang tumulong sa amin at nagpayo na maki-hitch sa mga private vehicles na bibiyahe papuntang Bontoc. Swerte naman at may nagpasakay sa amin. Binigyan namin ng P100, halos parehong bayad kung sasakay ng jeep pa-Bontoc. 230pm na kami nakarating ng Bontoc at sinwerte ulit na may vacant seats pa sa Cable Tours.

So, ang masasabi ko lang to sum up my Sagada experience ay: I'll definitely be back! : )

[queens]

wow glad to hear your story it seems everything went well welcome back girl

[gulaysk]

Thanks to you too, queens and to all the girls in this thread for the tips. : )

[gulaysk]

^No, sis e. Mas gusto kasi namin ni hubby na female ang therapist. Nadiyadiyahe kami pag lalaki. Hehe. We called Pal's Massage. We saw the advertisement in Lemon Pie House. So-so lang ang massage for us, baka depende rin talaga sa matatapat sa'yong therapist.

[gulaysk]

Nakapikita talaga? Hehe. I can imagine na masarap siya magmasahe bilang yoga instructor siya. Nadiyahe lang talaga kami. Lol!

[gulaysk]

Oh by the way, banggitin ko lang ang mga cafes/restos na nasubukan namin while in Sagada:

Yoghurt House- I liked their roasted eggplant basil pasta. Big serving! Hubby didn't like his baked chicken though

Lemon Pie House- Hubby is addicted to their lemon pie. I liked it too. We also loved their mountain tea w/ milk. Their meals though leave a lot to be desired. We tried their breakfast and their dinner meals. Not good.

Bana's Cafe and Resto- Now this cafe, we really liked. We went here for breakfast and enjoyed our meals. Good coffee too. I would've loved to try their sandwiches (nainggit ako sa katabi naming foreigner na ganun ang order). Next time nalang, sa pagbalik.

Ganduyan Cafe- Barely edible. We saw their errand boy run out to the nearby store to buy the bacon and bread we ordered for breakfast. Always a bad sign.

Kimchi- We had their japchae. Big serving (menu says its good for 2 but it can actually be shared by 3 people) but not good!

Lucky's Shanghai House- We were supposed to order their shanghai the first time we ate there but it wasn't available. Nauwi kami sa pork kaldereta. Hindi naman kami nagsisi kasi masarap! Mura pa. We were finally able to try their shanghai on our last day. Masarap din. Sayang lang at hindi nakagawa si Ms. Lily ng special sauce niya kaya ordinary sweet and sour ang ginamit.

Marami pa kaming restos na hindi nasubukan. Next time, Log Cabin, Masferre and Cafe Bodega are on the top of our list of restos to try.

[gulaysk]

Nakalimutan ko pala banggitin, must visit din ang Ganduyan Musuem. Panalo ang collection ni Mrs. Aben ng mga artifacts ng mga sinaunang Kankana-ey. Maraming matutunan sa kanya about their history and culture. So humbling also to see the owner's passion and dedication to documenting their culture albeit having zero support from their LGU. Sayang din talaga.

[foruiz]

true nagenjoy kami sa ganduyan museum.may option na di magpakuwento pero it is always best to know the story behind the collections.donation lang naman ang ibibigay.a small price to pay for the additional knowledge learned.

[ycka29]

We went there nung weekend. And share ko lang panget na na-experience namen dun..

1. Bana's coffee staff were NOT ACCOMMODATING! Nagpunta kami dun nung 1st day lunch namen... Tapos, nung tinanong kami bago kami paupuin kung ilan kami,we said 14 kami. Sabi ng 1 babae dun. "Ay hindi namen kayo masseserve lahat.wala kaming cook ngayon" she said it sa tone na galit! Which is a bit disappointing ha! To think na customer kami. Then yung 1 kasama namen tried to ask if may coffee ba (kasi alam namen dun sila famous) biglang sumagot yung babae inher loud galit voice na"wala! Kahit kape wala" duh?! Inthe first place baket kayo bukas? At baket nagtanong pa kayo kung ilan kami bago sabihin nawala kayong cook? Sana nagsara nalang kayo!

Btw, nagtry pa din kami nung last day namen nung coffee  and breakfast... Nothing special sa alamid.  At yung meal, err.. Di naman masarap. Parang rubber.

2. nagpunta kami sa hanging coffins. Since yung isang kasama namen, pang 2nd na niya yun... Siya nalang ang nag guide samen... Nung andun na kami sa hanging coffins, he explained the story samen why nakahang, sino, etc. based on sa story na sinabi din ng tourguide niya nung nagpunta siya before at alam niya. And then in the middle of his story/explanation, nagulat kami may biglang nakisabat na mama.. Sabi niya in a galit tone ha "hindi yan tama. Pantay pantay lang yung mga tao jan." napatingin kami sakanya. Then, sabi ng kasama ko, "ahhh talaga po, baleano po yung tama?" we thought hewould answer, butin a rude voice, he said "you have to pay! These people pay to know it." tinuturo yung mga foreigners na gina-guide niya. Nagulat kami, parang ambastos naman. Nito! Kung yun yung reason niya talaga, sana he said it nicely or kahit parangnagjjoke, ok lang naman samen na hindi malaman. Pero the way he said it, pagalit talaga! We were very disappointed. Dahil nainis yung iba samen, talagang hindi namen napigilan magsalita... "sana naman hindi kayo ganyan, parepareho lang tayong pilipino dito. Andito kami para matutunan din yung kultura naten. Pera pera lang pala usapan dito e." very disaapointing. At nakakhiya din sa foreigner tourist na kasama niya no. Pinakita niya din na some pinoys are rude at mukang pera! Grabe!

Meron naman talaga kami tour guide, but we decided na kami nalang magpunta sa coffins bec. One of my friend already knew yung daan etc.


Dahil sa experiences na yun, tumatak na sa isip ko na yung sagada ay hindi pa gano tourist-friendly. Nakaklungkot lang talaga.

Lastly pala, meron pa kami isang experience which i think is a bit sensitive na to post here.. Hope the local gov't would do something about it.

[ycka29]

^to be fair naman, sagada is a place for adventure-seekers talaga. Okay yung trekking and spelunking. A diff kind of experience for me talaga.

Not all people naman there are rude ha. Im not saying that. Bec. Ok naman din yung mga tour guides namen. Really helpful

[YaZiLove]

^sis, kalungkot naman na-experience nyo, esp with the resto and the tourguide sa hanging. im shocked! anlayo sa na-experienced namin. we we're treated kasi na parang alam mo un, bisita, na alaga kami talaga. hindi ganyan. saang guide kaya yan?

1 not so good lang na comment ko when we were there is yung sa mga restos... yung, walang greeting (but not so major issue naman, medyo nag-expect lang hehe) yung response time... ska medyo din sa service. medyo kulang sila sa ganun part (well of course bka lang kako kino-compare ko naman sa manila/makati restos... pero siguro kung mai-improve nila that side... e ok na ok na.
1-2 restos ganun, the rest is ok  naman.

hmmm... may hindi kami na-try huh... Bana's, sk un Museum, it was closed ata nung pumunta kami.
mga sis, wag nyo palagpasin si Log Cabin - heheh...

haaay, i miss Sagada!

[ycka29]

^yes sis, super nalungkot talaga kami. partly kasi siguro we were expecting din na it's the same with other tourist spots na napuntahan namen dito sa pilipinas. very hospitable mga tao, kahit saan ka magpunta sa lugar na yun.

[stunning_anne]

i miss sagada so much! gusto ko bumalik this year!