Happy 3rd Anniversary! <3 <3 <3
Another year full of love! :) This is actually a milestone for both of us since this is the longest relationship for the both of us.
And to celebrate, we went up North and had a Sagada~Baguio~Enchanted Kingdom Escapade!
And to celebrate, we went up North and had a Sagada~Baguio~Enchanted Kingdom Escapade!
We both have been to Baguio before but with different companions.
So we decided to go back, together this time and make new happy memories. ^_^ However, the activities in Baguio can be done in at most 1.5days, so to make most of the trip, we added the Sagada Trip.
Sagada has been getting a lot of publicity lately since the release of the movie "That Thing Called Tadhana" where they showcased the humble and very relaxed town of Sagada. Pluuuuuus, who would miss the #SeaOfClouds for the world?!? :D
Upon arrival at Manila, we immediately went to Victory Liner Terminal in Pasay and rode a bus Baguio bound. But after the 6-hour trip from Manila to Baguio, we need to take another 6-hour bus ride again from Baguio to Sagada. So upon arrival at Baguio, we went to GL Trans Terminal and ate breakfast (luckily, we arrived an hour early so we had ample time).
Tip: Be at the Terminal early because there are a lot of passengers (during that time at least) and the next bus that will depart for Sagada will not be for another 2-hours. Plus, being early means having the opportunity to pick your seat. Trust me, you need good seats for the next 6-hours.
And I cannot stress enough how comfortable you should be. The 6-hour bus ride to Sagada was ROLLER COASTER Ride! You will not only swerve left and right but also up and down!!! I tell you, the road to Sagada is not for those who get motion sickness easily (or drink medicine beforehand). As for me, I just slept the whole way through. :D
Except for the time when we stopped at a Siomai and Noodle Store for food and CR break. There's another stop 4-hours through the ride but we were so tired to de-bus.
Atlast, we arrived at town of Sagada. The first thing that you want to do is visit their Information Center and pay for the Environmental Fee (Php35 per person). Make sure to keep or take a picture of the receipt because in every tour that you do, you need to register and write the receipt number. Also, the Information Center will give you a map around Sagada and the Tour Fees for each activity. I love it because you don't need to worry about being swindled! ;)
After we paid for our Environmental Fee, we went directly to our Inn. I searched the internet for a good room and found Residential Lodge. It has many good reviews and the rooms are really affordable. I booked ahead and got us a room with common CR for only Php500!
AC feel all over town :D
Sagada has been getting a lot of publicity lately since the release of the movie "That Thing Called Tadhana" where they showcased the humble and very relaxed town of Sagada. Pluuuuuus, who would miss the #SeaOfClouds for the world?!? :D
Upon arrival at Manila, we immediately went to Victory Liner Terminal in Pasay and rode a bus Baguio bound. But after the 6-hour trip from Manila to Baguio, we need to take another 6-hour bus ride again from Baguio to Sagada. So upon arrival at Baguio, we went to GL Trans Terminal and ate breakfast (luckily, we arrived an hour early so we had ample time).
Tip: Be at the Terminal early because there are a lot of passengers (during that time at least) and the next bus that will depart for Sagada will not be for another 2-hours. Plus, being early means having the opportunity to pick your seat. Trust me, you need good seats for the next 6-hours.
And I cannot stress enough how comfortable you should be. The 6-hour bus ride to Sagada was ROLLER COASTER Ride! You will not only swerve left and right but also up and down!!! I tell you, the road to Sagada is not for those who get motion sickness easily (or drink medicine beforehand). As for me, I just slept the whole way through. :D
Except for the time when we stopped at a Siomai and Noodle Store for food and CR break. There's another stop 4-hours through the ride but we were so tired to de-bus.
Atlast, we arrived at town of Sagada. The first thing that you want to do is visit their Information Center and pay for the Environmental Fee (Php35 per person). Make sure to keep or take a picture of the receipt because in every tour that you do, you need to register and write the receipt number. Also, the Information Center will give you a map around Sagada and the Tour Fees for each activity. I love it because you don't need to worry about being swindled! ;)
After we paid for our Environmental Fee, we went directly to our Inn. I searched the internet for a good room and found Residential Lodge. It has many good reviews and the rooms are really affordable. I booked ahead and got us a room with common CR for only Php500!
AC feel all over town :D
The bus ride got me looking for a Hot Soup and following our itinerary, we went to Sagada Lemon Pie House. However, that time, they weren't serving lunch. Only their famous Lemon Pie which, sadly, we haven't had the chance to try either. :(
Relying on friends who will come here in the future for this experience, PASALUBONG na lang please! :D
Relying on friends who will come here in the future for this experience, PASALUBONG na lang please! :D
Drew Arellano also explored Sagada for "Byahe Ni Drew" and he did the interview portion on this spot! Ohhhh, I'm such a nerd! HAHAHA
Thankfully, I was able to chance that hot soup in a form of my favorite Sinigang at Sagada Brew.
This whole meal costs Php200 plus a brownie for dessert. Food is quite pricey but almost all restaurants have the same price range.
After filling our tummies, we went to our first adventure, exploring Sumaguing Cave.
...our light inside the cave!🏮"Suu" as what we call it, I've last seen this one when I was a kid and Lolo would light one up during brown outs! ☺️
It gets so dark inside the cave and it can be very dangerous. So please please, never attempt to go inside without a guide. Also, you will not enjoy the experience without a guide because they will explain the different stalactite and stalagmite formations.
Really thankful that we didn't do the cave connection (Sumaguing -Lumiang). The Sumaguing cave was challenging enough for us - enough to get half of our body wet. 😅 It usually takes 2-hours(depending on the pacing) to explore the whole cave but we finished it in 1-hour! 👍🏻💪🏻
After the challenging cave exploration, we were hungry again (no question about that) and decided to go to Yoghurt House for a snack. This is one of the cutest Cafe in Sagada so don't miss it!
Chilling and enjoying the very authentic Yoghurt (supeeeer asiiiim! >_< HAHAHA) and this heavenly Hot Chocolate with this picturesque view!
Later that afternoon, we went to see the famous hanging coffins of Sagada.
It is a really ancient tradition where instead of burying the dead below the ground, they hang the coffins on the cliff-side instead. It is really nice how they value and keep their tradition. The most recent coffin that was hanged there was last 2013.
It is a really ancient tradition where instead of burying the dead below the ground, they hang the coffins on the cliff-side instead. It is really nice how they value and keep their tradition. The most recent coffin that was hanged there was last 2013.
It was getting dark when we went so we have to move fast. We hiked, slipped a little bit in the mud, got to the site, took pictures then went back to the Church.
I didn't even had the chance to take a picture in the Church. :(
I didn't even had the chance to take a picture in the Church. :(
After the mudslides on our way to the Hanging Coffins, we then went to dinner. We chose a restaurant near the Lodge because we were getting kind of hungry. The hike to the Hanging Coffins really took all of our remaining energy!
Actually, it was a really bad thing that we came to the restaurant hungry. As they took the time in serving our order. 1hour, we had to wait for 1hour before we could eat. Imagine how HANGRY we must be! >_<
See, no pictures of the food because we dug in as soon as it came.
After dinner, we went for a little pasalubong shopping, grabbed Crepes and strolled around town for a bit. We didn't stayed out late because we need to be early for the next day's adventure!
The next morning...
See, no pictures of the food because we dug in as soon as it came.
After dinner, we went for a little pasalubong shopping, grabbed Crepes and strolled around town for a bit. We didn't stayed out late because we need to be early for the next day's adventure!
The next morning...
WELCOME to KILTEPAN! :D
The most awaited part of the Sagada trip- the SEA of CLOUDS!
The most awaited part of the Sagada trip- the SEA of CLOUDS!
We woke up around 5am and left for Kiltepan Peak around 5:30. It was only a short 10minutes or so ride to the peak. As it has been raining since the day we arrived at Sagada, we've been praying and hoping that the skies will clear out and Mr. Sun will show itself but sadly, it was foggy all morning. :(
Hindi lahat nang nagpupunta sa Sagada, broken-hearted! Ang iba, puma-PAGIBIG! <3
However, despite the fog, we still took a lot of pictures and enjoyed the chilly air. I hope someday I can go back and witness the magnificent Sea of Clouds.
