Up in the Clouds: Our Family Trip to Sagada

I've never seen a place here in the Philippines where the skies kisses the mountains, until today. Our family ventured into another adventure as we braved the 12-hour trip to Mountain Province so we can experience the famous Sagada cold.

It's a wonderful feeling seeing the terraces and the streams flowing as we traverse the side mountains. It was drizzling and foggy when we arrived at dawn in Banaue Viewpoint. We haven't really seen much. But the ascent going to Sagada as the sun rises gave us a magnificent view. The blue skies dotted with pillows of white clouds gave the perfect background to the greens of pine trees and rice terraces.

But it was just a preview of things to come. What we saw and experience were something for the books. We came. We saw. We conquered Sagada.

Tour Provider?
We're a party of 11 - seven adults and four kids. We've done our research and we have commuting as an option. We've made our computations, weighed pros and cons. We arrived at the conclusion that hiring a van is the best choice. It's not just cost efficient, it's also most convenient. We scouted the net and found 8wonders. This is actually the first time that we tapped the services of a tour provider for a trip. Ramir and I shunned the idea of going on tour packages because we don't want the time restraint and the idea of dealing with someone else's tour habits. But since we would go as one group, and all of us are comfortable with each other, we gave it a go. We paid P3290 per person (including children) for a van service, two nights stay at Shamrock Tavern Inn, all tour guides' fees and entrances on the following sites: trip at the mouth of Lumiang Burial Cave, orange picking at Rock Inn, Bokong Falls, Sagada Weaving, Echo Valley and Hanging Coffins, Sagada Pottery, sunset viewing at Lake Danum, sunrise viewing at Kiltepan and  strawberry picking at the Strawberry Farm in Baguio.

How we went there?
8wonder provided us a van for all our transportation needs. We  requested for a pick up at our house and they granted it. It was such an ease. The point-to-point service from our house to Banaue-Sagada-Baguio, back to our house again was the deciding factor. The van rental saved us a lot of time and hassle. Our driver was also accomodating. We discussed the things we want to do and he's ok with them. He even obliged with our request to substitute some points of interests in our itinerary with child-friendlier ones. He also agreed to make us hear mass in Baguio. Only, he drives like a daredevil. He's fast, bordering on reckless. But when we mentioned it to him, he eased up a bit.

Where we stayed?
Shamrock Tavern Inn was chosen by 8wonder for our place to stay. They gave us two options, but this one has a better review at Tripadvisor so we're ok. Our rooms were very basic but clean. It's big enough for a group of 6 and 5. The beds are ok in size. Each one of us have 3 blankets and a pillow. Towels, a roll of tissue and tiny bars of soaps were provided. We have a closet, some chairs and a table. The CR is small but clean. There's also a hot shower option which is very important. The best part is, we have a balcony. We're greeted by the beautiful Sagada morning every day we were there. Wifi was only available at the lobby. It's also at the lobby that a computer with a slow internet connection and a fireplace can be found. From where our rooms are located, we had a direct passageway to the small restaurant downstairs. All in all, we had a good stay.

What did we do?
1. Did the Lumiang - Sumaguing Cave Connection
It was something we didn't expect. We thought they weren't serious when they mentioned that it was a 5-6 hour outing. The terrain was very varied. We had to climb up, then go down, embrace rocks, step on our guide's legs and shoulders, do some rapelling, go through holes. If you're not physically-abled you might have a hard time. But the experience was one of a kind. Don't forget to bring food and energy bars. The Lumiang cave was like a rock climbing adventure while the Sumaguing cave has the wonderful stalactites and stalagmites with streams of water.

Lumiang Cave

Sumaguing Cave

2. Picked and ate oranges at Rock Inn's Orange Orchard
You get to enter an orchard and pick oranges. You can eat all you can while inside. The kids had fun here and the oranges tastes even better because they were cold, like fresh out of the refrigerator.

3. Trekked down to Bokong Falls
The kids wouldn't be able to do the trek going down to the famous Bomod-ok Falls. We decided to go to a less challenging trek. This is a small falls at the end of a sloping terrain. My four year old was able to do it so I guess, it's an easy walk.

4. Stopped over at Sagada Weaving
The weavers were on a lunch break when we dropped by.  We weren't able to see them in action but they were able to give us an overview of what they do and how their 'machines' work. It's a good way to expose kids with the creative work of the Ifugaos.

5. Walked through the burial site of William Henry Scott and shouted out messages at Echo Valley
We walked through a cemetary going to the Echo Valley. This was where we saw the burial place of William Henry Scott. He was an author I encountered in my college days through a book he has written about pre-colonial Philippines. He's an American who had settled in Sagada and had enormous work about the history and culture of the people in the Cordilleras.

The Echo Valley can be accessed through the cemetary. It's a place where you're in between two mountains. You can shout  whatever you want in here and you'll hear it back as an echo. It was like going on a sound experiment.

6. Took photos of the Hanging Coffins and heard stories about the Igorots' burial tradition
Our guide said that Igorots were buried without embalming. They were just wrapped in plain white cloth and carried to the place where they will be buried. And they're not placed on a coffin. The coffin where they would be laid to rest is carried separately. It's believed that the bodily fluids from the dead body gives good luck. Only the Igorots are allowed to 'hang their coffins' on the side of the mountain.

7. Tried our hand in making pots at Sagada Pottery
The lady who did the demo was very patient. The kids all had a hand in trying out their skills in pottery making. And with the lady's help, everyone was able to mold a pot out of clay using the pottery wheel.

8. Watch the glorious Sagada sunset over Lake Danum
We climbed this small hill, joined a group of people who made a bonfire and waited for the sun to set. Honestly, the sun was glorious in Sagada. It's our first time to wait for it to set on a mountain. It did not disappoint, it was like waiting for the curtain call of a very nice performance. It got a standing ovation.

9. Visit and said prayers at St. Mary's Church
The church was closed but from where we were standing, it was pretty inside. Family tradition dictates that we say our prayers and make our wishes since it's our first time here.

10. Attempted to catch the sunrise at Kiltepan Viewpoint
We failed to catch the sunrise since it was very foggy. But it was nice to experience how the light slowly ate up the darkness. We went to Kiltepan at around 5:30am. We left at around 6:45. We knew we wouldn't be able to get to see the sunrise here so we decided to leave and proceed to Baguio. Lo and behold, going down, we saw the magnificent sea of clouds. It was amazing. I couldn't express my delight. It was our first time to be at a place where we were higher than the clouds. We were awe-struck.

11. Strawberry picking and pasalubong shopping 
at La Trinidad's Strawberry Farm
The kids had a grand time picking strawberries while the adults had a field day scouting for pasalubong. The sweet strawberry wine was good. Peanut brittle, lengua de gato, fresh vegetables and strawberry jams were the runaway favorites. Just a tip, if you'll pass by Baguio, do your pasalubong shopping here. It's almost 50% cheaper here compared to Sagada.

What we ate?
1. Pinikpikan at Pinikpikan House 
It's a chicken soup dish where a live chicken is beaten by a stick to encourage bruising. It's believed that bringing the chicken's blood to the surface of its skin, makes it more flavorful. We thought it would taste like tinola but it didn't.  It has that smokey-flavor, a welcome difference.

2. Lemon Pie at the Lemon Pie House
It was a different take on the usual sweet pie. This one has a sweet, soft thin meringue-like top that compliments the sourness of the lemon filling.

3. Chicken Inutom at Salt and Pepper Diner
We liked their Inutom with mushroom gravy. It's a version of the pan-fried chicken. We find it to be too plain though.

4. Strawberry Granola Yoghurt at the Yoghurt House
The best for us are the yoghurts. The one from the Yoghurt House is sweeter that the one from Strawberry Cafe but it tastes good nonetheless.

5. Strawberry and Mango Yoghurts from Strawberry Cafe
Did I say we like the yoghurts? But the best ones for us are from this place. We went back twice for our yoghurt fix. Their strawberry crepe was good too.

What was our itinerary?
Day 0
9:30pm - Left Malabon for Sagada

Day 1
5:30am - Arrival at Banaue Viewpoint
10:30am - Arrival at Sagada, ate brunch at Shamrock Tavern Inn
11:30am - Check In at Shamrock Tavern Inn
12:00nn - Visited Strawberry Cafe
1:30pm - Did the Lumiang Sumaguing Cave Connection
8:00 - Dinner at Shamrock Tavern Inn

Day 2
9:00am - Orange Picking at Rock Inn
10:30am - Went to Bokong Falls
12:30am - Visited Sagada Weaving
1:00pm - Lunch at Pinikpikan House
2:00pm - Visited St. Mary's Church, went to Echo Valley and the Hanging Coffins
3:30pm - Went around the Sagada Market
4:00pm - Had a pottery demo at Sagada Pottery
5:00pm - Prepared for sunset viewing on a hill over Lake Danum
6:00pm - Dinner at Salt and Pepper
8:00pm - Pasalubong shopping

Day 3
5:15am - Check out
5:30am - Went to Kiltepan Viewpoint
6:45am - Start our descent for Baguio
10:45am - Strawberry picking and pasalubong shopping at Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet
12:00nn - Heard Mass at Sacred Heart Chapel in Baguio (Mass was in Ilokano)
1:15pm - Left Baguio
2:30pm - Late lunch in Pangasinan
7:30pm - Arrival in Malabon

How much we spent?
P3290 per person - package price for the whole trip including van, accomodation, entrance fees and tour guide fees

Optional expenses:
P400 per person - Lumiang-Sumaguing cave connection

P60 per kilo - oranges at the Rock Inn

P100 per person - pottery demo