This was my second time around to go to Sagada, right after our trip to Batad Rice Terraces in Banaue we headed straight to Sagada-which is another 3 hour drive from Banaue.
With our body and legs battered by the hike to Tappia Falls we arrived in Sagada at about 11:00 pm, found a nice place called George Inn that gives a wonderful view from its window on our room on the third floor.


The next day we woke up at around 6am, had our breakfast at about 7:00 am at Yoghurt House.


After fueling our gas tanks, still feeling a bit tired from the previous long day at Banaue, we started our cave connection ( Lumiang Cave – Sumaging Cave). On the entrance of the cave, a horde of wooden coffins can be found all humped over another stretching from the bottom of the cave’s mouth up to the rocky ceilings – positioned peacefully and bringing an eerie feeling of unfortunate circumstances once disturbed.

There was a coffin with a hole in it, large enough for a human skull to take a peek. It feels weird looking at it, thinking that it was once a live human being walking and feeding and talking like us, but right now it firmly rests there with its soul in the other world.

Inside the cave, the five of us plus our guide then another group of people are in the cave as well, producing a short queue on the tiny opening at the start where one has to use a rope to get down. While waiting for our turn Don exposes his “chemical gas” that almost rendered our guide unconscious.

Inside the cave was a maze of rocky passageways requiring body contortions, balance and the reliable lamp light, without it, the cave will turn into one pitch black world.



Pools of cold water greets you inside, flowing along rock formations whom the local guides refers to as the king (as it forms like a penis), queen, pig pen, chocolate cake, elephant trunk and so on (you’ll know why when you see it trust me)



We took a dip into one of the cold pools found inside. The cold water meets your skin like needles the first few seconds after you go under it but as time goes and your body adjusts to the cold water it feels like therapy feeding your skin with energy.




After 15 minutes we got back on our trail and were met upon by more cool rock formations and crossed small pools of water again.



And here’s Don when he’s not farting inside the cave.
One by one we climbed up about 6 feet using a rope heading to the exit of Sumaging cave.




We stayed at Sagada until the next day then headed back to Manila, it was a long trip that started friday night to Banaue, went Tappia falls, then to Sagada, went caving, foodtrip, pictures and then back to the maddening real world in the city. Something to look forward to again, because the life on the road forever awaits you.

As i sat on my bus seat during our trip to Sagada from Baguio, my leg starts to cramp the same time my butt started showing signs of numbness. I wondered how long more is the trip. I remember what the ticket seller has told me that it takes “6 to 7 hours” when i asked her how long is the trip to Sagada.


But all of these inconvenience didn't matter as I sat there gleefully directing my sights to the rooftop of the Philippines, represented by white clouds hovering over the green-filled countryside of Benguet and later on the Mountain Province. It was a bumpy ride and sleep would come at me at an intervals of 30 minutes, each time it came i struggled to stay awake so as not to miss the wonderful sights that we are passing by. Sharp curves, zig zag roads, concrete and rough roads, everytime the bus would make a sharp turn i could see the deep ravine just inches from the edge of the road. It was both an exhilarating and frightening sight.


We passed by small towns along the way,people would disembark and others will hop in, these peace loving people from the countryside there’s an aura of harmlessness among them, we stuck out like a tourist would be but i bet it would be so much easier to belong with these people than the ones i left in the big city.


I was delighted and i came to know the purpose of my trip, which was to leave some of my confusions behind and all those bullish thoughts that ramshackle my mind worrying about everything, to leave it all behind as i stare on the road ahead i understand the noble fruition of moving on, its time to move towards a new place and hopefully learn something when i come back.


We arrived at Sagada about a quarter to 4 in the afternoon, the moment i got out of the bus i can smell the clean,cool air and the cold air starts to bite inside my skin. The town proper greets you like a long lost lover, the locals stared at us with smiles on their faces,i feel at ease in an instant, i wont have any problem exploring this town i told myself.


After registering at the Municipal Hall and getting our map we settled in the Green House Inn, it was an old wooden house which according to Lola, who owns the house was a bit older than her. It was painted green at the outside and a warm sky blue color was painted on the inside, our room has a wooden bed and cushion, a side table and enough space to move around, not that small or big but cozy enough as the window gives us a view of the mountains outside and a tree that bores Oranges.


Me and my friend April hurriedly settled ourselves for a brief rest, changed clothing, put on an extra shirt and a jacket and we then explored the nearby surroundings which includes the historic St.Mary’s Church,the sight of World War II bombing by the Americans to try to wipe out remnants of Japanese troops who fled to the Mountain Province countryside towards the end of the war.


Before that we took our long delayed lunch at Yoghurts House which came highly recommended by those who’ve been to Sagada before, I ordered a plate filled of cheese and mushroom pasta and a Strawberry with Banana Yoghurt.


Me and April took pictures, walked along a path with tall pine trees on the side towards St.Mary’s School, which was founded in 1904 by the wife of Rev.Staunton as part of the mission that followed the American occupation of the Philippines in 1898.




As the wind grows colder and the sun starts to set leaving a magnificent trail in the sky, i stood there watching the view overlooking a basketball court, a tennis court and an empty field.I told myself, i should come back again to this place and that was just our first day Sagada and already i was making plans of coming back.