Contours of Life

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Contours of life. Photo of mountains in Pangasinan. Courtesy of TRAVEXTRAVELS.COM

I remember the days when I have to draw maps out of different elevations, connect those which have the same data, and draw the contour of a particular location. That’s contour mapping, a way part of the studies offered within surveying (or plotting of land or water bodies). How I imagine if we can also do this in our lives, scrutinize those different events, match the linking similar assets and draw the entirety of your desired future. But that’s easier said than done.

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Three-Day Sagada Itinerary & List of Expenses

Some of the tourist destinations in Sagada ideal for a three-day tour itinerary.

Three days in Sagada may not be enough, but it is already good for a trip packed with lighter activities. Our very own itinerary for a suggested Sagada tour was not like the other lists because our trip was more of nature, food and culture appreciation. We were not limited to a time frame, and even though we did not do the Cave Connection and visited the other tourist spots like Bomod-ok and Pongas Falls, this one might still work for you.

Sagada All Saints Day: Burnt Pine Woods and Thick Black Smoke

Local Sagadans burn pine wood instead of candle to commemorate their dead loved ones on November 1.

November 1 is called the “All Saints Day” and Novemer 2 as the “All Souls Day”. We often commemorate our dead loved ones on November 1. We bring candles, lit them up and pray for them. Some people even bring food (the dead one’s favorite when he/she was still living) as their “atang” (offering). In other parts of the country, some even rejoice, bring their whole family to gather, eat food over the grave, and sing. But it’s a different event when you visit Sagada for this important day.

When They Call It Halo-Halo in Sagada

Sagada version of the popular Pinoy dessert halo-halo

One of the most irresistible Pinoy desserts is “halo-halo” (‘halo’ is a Tagalog word which means “mix”). Halo-Halo is a Pinoy authentic sweet course that is made out of shaved ice with different mixed ingredients like coconut, pearls, banana, sweet potato, jack fruit and the like. Hmm I was thinking of those fruits whenever I hear the word halo-halo, aside from the fact that it was indulged with sweets like leche flan, ice cream and ube jam, and then immersed in milk. Yummy.

Lemony Lunch @ Lemon Pie House in Sagada

Lemon pie slice in Lemon Pie House, Sagada

Enough of the red rice mania in Sagada, this time our very own tour to the Old Village where we saw a home weaving equipment and etag has prompted us to fill in again our stomach with lunch. We chose to eat inside the Lemon Pie House where we heard from other visitors that their lemon pies were just that irresistible. Hmmm. Sounds interesting, lemon pie for lunch, anyone?

A Visit to the Old Village of Sagada: Home Weaving and Etag

Sagada weaving in their respective homes in Sagada, Mt. Province.

Just like any other towns in the country, there is this single area in Sagada where civilization has flourished. This now what they call the “Old Village”, which is a series of old houses of local Sagadans, dap-ays, and some palay-isdaan. The Old Village is not a tourist spot, but if you want to see antique belongings of the people, their homes are not exception. Luckily, I was with a Sagadan friend who let me visit his grandmother’s house in Sagada where I saw the living legend of “Sagada weaving”, “etag” and Sagada version of kakanin.

A Quick Breakfast Inside Dalikan Restaurant, Sagada

Eat the usual carinderia-style ulam in Dalikan Restaurant, Sagada

When you say “dalikan” and you are in Ilocano-speaking areas, you are pertaining to that particular stove where you burn wood to be used for cooking food. Dalikan Restaurant is what you get if you think of the usual cooked food in Sagada—like adobo, menudo, caldereta and bangus. Let’s say it’s a “carinderia” under a restaurant name.

Of Begnas and Sagada Culture

Sagadans on their g-strings for the annual begnas celebration in Sagada, Mountain Province.

After our lost trip to Kiltepan Peak and some wild Sagada berries, we took the road back to the downtown of Sagada. On our way back, we saw several locals who are on their g-strings (or bahag) for their annual begnas or canao due for celebration on the first days of November. People on their local attires dance all the way from the start until the end of their route. The locals dance with the beat of their gongs along the road.

Lost in the Woods: Wild Sagada Berries Over Kiltepan Mountain

Wild Sagada berries on Kiltepan Mountain

Kiltepan Rice Terraces have had enough though we were not able to witness the famous sunrise over the sea of clouds. The Kiltepan Peak is along the way where the orange trees were also found, and not along the road going to Bokong or Bomod-ok Falls. We were supposed to have a quick breakfast inside Rock Inn and see some orange fruit but we did not expect this to happen—we were lost in the woods.

A Story of the Lost Sagada Sunrise, Kiltepan Peak and the Rice Terraces

Though the sunrise and seas of clouds did not show up when I visited Kiltepan Peak, the rice terraces were already enough to cover it.

Not long enough I realized it was already 10 in the evening and I need to wake up early tomorrow for the famed Kiltepan sunrise where I should be able to see the rising sun over the horizon of clouds. After a beer night inside Sagada Pine Café, we ended our hectic Sagada adventure for another one a morning after.

A Night Inside Sagada Pine Café

Sagada Pine Cafe, Sagada, Mt. Province

It was an unforgettable spelunking and dinner combo in Sagada with Sumaguing Cave and PM2D’s Store and Eatery. But this did not stop us to level up our night with a taste of ambient beer evening inside Sagada Pine Café.

A Delightful Sagada Dinner at PM2D’s Eatery

PM2D's Eatery in Sagada

Sagada is a town where you have several choices of restaurants or cafeteria for dinner. For the second night in Sagada, we opted to eat in a restaurant, and I was suggesting my friend to dine inside Kimchi Restaurant. But it was another block away again and since we were already hungry that time, we went inside a canteen/store style house. I did not care to notice the name at first since it was just an eatery. But the time I tasted their meals, I said to myself, “I have to get their name for future dinners in Sagada.” There it says “PM²D’s Eatery”.

Tourism Employs Local Sagadans

Some of the weaved cloth by the Sagadans.

I just finished my lifetime adventurous spelunking inside Sumaguing Cave, but my feet have no excuse to visit a Sagada weaving outlet, PM2D’s Eatery and Sagada Pine Café this night. I was overwhelmed by the fact that tourism employs hundreds or even thousands of local Sagadans who rely solely with work in their town. A good example is that of the popular weaving industry in Sagada.

Spelunking Like Never Before Inside Sagada’s Sumaguing Cave

The most popular rock formation inside Sagada's Sumaguing Cave is what they call the "King's Curtain".

It was already getting dark when I visited Sumaguing (or Sumaging) Cave in Sagada. I asked my friend if it was still okay to go inside the cave and he answered me yes. It was because it doesn’t matter whether you go inside the cave by morning or by dusk. I said to him that it would be dangerous to visit the cave because it should have been darker by now. But he said that it is always dark inside the cave no matter what time you visit it. Okay I said.

Kapay-aw Rice Terraces in Sagada

Kapay-aw Rice Terraces in Sagada

To go to Sumaguing Cave, one has to take the road that also leads to the entrance trail to Lumiang Cave. To reach the “Big Cave”, you also have to pass by the side of the zipline adventure and the Kapay-aw Rice Terraces. It wasn’t the planting season nor the harvest season when we visited Sagada, so Kapay-aw Rice Terraces were not at their best. Well, but at least we saw it.

Amazing Sagada Rock Formations

Sagada limestone rock formation

From the Yellow Inn nearly in front of the Yoghurt House, we decided to check out Sumaguing Cave. The way to Sumaguing Cave and Lumiang will pass by the side of the view deck of the main Sagada rock formations. It was now my second time to see the rock formations again but this time the weather is good and sunny thus photos are bit clearer.

Trail Down to Bokong Falls in Sagada

Bokong Falls in Sagada

After our en route quest to the Underground River of Sagada, we finally headed to the smallest of the three falls—Bokong Falls, which is a few minutes from the rock formation along the way. I, Christian and the two backpackers have gone to the woods to finally see the small falls.

En Route Quest to Sagada Version of Underground River

Sagada Underground River

We were supposed to meet the two backpackers in the rock-formation-turned-into-a-car-park which was just in front of Rock Valley Inn and Café. We bought some lemon pie (not persimmon pie) at Persimon Café to resist our hunger for later adventure to Bokong Falls. We thought they will be fast enough to meet us but then we decided to get the thrill out of ourselves and find the route to the Underground River.