Our plan was to dress up for the shoot. By 4:00 AM, our guide was late and was still on his way. We got restless and decided to walk our way from our Lodging House to the peak. It was still dark, but the passing van full of people pressured us on reaching the site early to secure ourselves a spot that's not blocked by other tourist. After a few minutes walk, a motorcycle offered to bring us there. He took both of us, but left me on the road, since he can only carry one passenger at a time on the dirt road.
While waiting for my turn, our van arrived, and brought me to the site. We're surprised to find a sea of heads, more than that of the clouds. Finding a good vantage point was a challenge. I also couldn't find my friend from the flock of tourist.
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| Sea of Clouds at Kiltepan Peak |
Nevertheless, the view was breathtaking! Even more, as the horizon gets brighter. Were fortunate to be at a good spot when the sun peeked out of the mountains.
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| Sun peeking through the mountains at Kiltepan peak. |
It was getting warmer as the morning progress. We're also hungry that we decided to have breakfast at Rock Inn. The orders take longer because of the number of people at the restaurant. We opted to do the orange picking while they prepare our meals.
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| Orange Picking at Rock Inn. You can actually eat as many oranges as you like. |
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| Beef Tapa at Rock Inn. Tasted more like Bistek! |
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| Me and my BFF, with our loot of Oranges! |
We did not waste time after breakfast to visit Bomod-ok falls. We were told that the tour could take up to 4 hours and my friend need to catch the 3PM departing bus back to Manila.
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| Crossing the Rice Terraces. We were told that, its even more beautiful, just before the harvest season. |
Here, you need to hire another guide, and pay a separate entrance fee. It's a continuous descent passing through local communities and rice terraces. After an hour, we were greeted by the sight of the towering falls.
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| The towering Bomod-ok falls |
You may opt to swim, but since we were in a hurry, we just took photos of falls and slowly trekked back to the jump off. The climb back was harder. We would rest on the strategically located sheds to catch our breath.
We got reunited with our driver at the jump off, we asked him to take us back to the lodge so that my friend can freshen up and check out. While waiting for the scheduled departure, we decided to have lunch at Yoghurt House.
The place is packed during meal time, especially on holidays like this one. Luckily, my friend was still able to finish his roast pork just in time for his trip.
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| Our Roast Pork at Yoghurt House |
By this time, I'm now left on my own to explore the rest of what the town has to offer. I decided to look for a spa, to recover from the long trek to the falls. I found one, tucked on one of the alleys after Yoghurt house going towards the Lemon Pie House.
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| Just be on the lookout for their small signage along the road. |
Before going back to the Lodge, which was a bit far from town, I decided to sample Sagada's night life. I went to drink at Bamboo Bar. It was a quaint little shack filled with travellers notes, and memorabilia. They only serve alcohol paired with Kropek, Fries or Peanuts. Should you want meals, Kimchi Bar next door offers Korean Dishes.
I like the laid back vibe of the place. I managed to get my self tipsy after 3 bottles of Red Horse. I would love to stay longer, but they have a curfew, and I still have to walk 700 meters to where I was staying.
Alone, I managed to ignore the dogs who greeted me on the road. I only have my cellphone flash light to guide me. I was relieved to finally step on the lighted path to Misty Lodge. I got home safe.
With nothing to do for the rest of the evening, I decided to splurge on food, and a bottle of wine by myself.
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| This pizza at Misty Lodge is enough to bring me back to Sagada! |
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| My Dinner at Misty Lodge! |
I woke up late the next morning. I was awakened by the conversations of the guests at the restaurant. Little did I know, that it was the group of Lorna Tolentino (a famous local celebrity) that was having their breakfast there.
I decided to have lunch back in town. I settled my bill and started walking my way. The owners of Misty Lodge caught me on the side of the road and offered a ride.
I had lunch at Bana's Cafe and Restaurant. Like all establishment that time, it was full of people. I was one of the last person who managed to get seated and accommodated. With a few more hours to spare before my departure, I went to buy things to bring home at Masferre Inn. I got myself their Mint Tea, and Local Coffee. I also bought their vegetable sticks, that got me through the long bus ride. The Lemon Loaf was dry.
I was supposed to check out Ganduyan Museum, but I could hear from downstairs, that a few people has already started with the guide. I don't want to interrupt them. Instead, I went back to the now empty church.
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| Prayed for a safe trip back home. |
The bus left Sagada as scheduled around 3PM. We made the same stops that included Bontoc, Banaue, and Nueva Viscaya, before finally reaching Manila around 3AM the next day.
Sagada is a memorable place because of the different challenging activities you can do in the area. I guess our photos are enough to encourage you to visit the place soon.
Our suggested compressed itinerary:
Friday:
9:00 PM Depart for Sagada
Saturday:
6:00 AM Banaue Rice Terraces Stopover
9:00 AM ETA Sagada
Register at the Municipal Tourist Center just a few steps away from the terminal
9:30 AM Breakfast at Masferre Inn
10:00 AM Book a Guide and Van for Tour
If the place your staying is far from the downtown, you can ask your driver to drop you off and wait for you to change before proceeding with the tour.
Hanging Coffins
Lumiang Cave
Sumaguing Cave
2:00 PM Late Lunch at Lemon Pie Cafe
St. Mary Church
Echo Valley
Gandungan Museum
Sagada Weaving
6:00 PM Dinner at Misty Lodge
7:00 PM Beer at Bamboo Bar
9:00 PM Back to Lodge or Inn
Sunday:
4:00 AM Sunrise at Kiltepan, or at Marlboro Country if you want to avoid the Crowd
7:00 AM Breakfast at Rock Inn
8:00 AM Orange Picking also at Rock Inn
9:00 AM Bomok-od Falls
12:00 NN Check-out
1:00 PM Lunch at Youghurt House
2:00 PM Pasalubong Shopping
3:00 PM ETD from Sagada
Monday:
3:00 AM ETA Manila
Full packed pa din lately no. Inaantay ko lang na kumunti tao kasi I'm not a fan of travelling with lots of people. Introvert ang peg ko. Makes me appreciate the place more.
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