Restless Wander

My trip to Sagada is one that has been 20 years in the making.

It all started when my late Auntie Char gave me a Philippines Guidebook back when I was in grade school and I was still too young to grasp the pleasure of travel. I remember the only place I wanted to go to then was Disneyland. The moment I find myself walking around Mickey Mouse’s hometown, I am set for life. (I eventually went and years later I realized the world apparently did not revolve around Disneyland hehe)

Anyway, Auntie Char gave me this guidebook and I lost it before I even got to browse through it. I only saw one page of that green book because she showed it to me personally—it was the rice terraces of Sagada and Banawe. She has always been all about exploring the Philippines. I even remember the trip she organized for my family across Northern Luzon. That was the first and last time I set foot on Ilocos—Tracey take me with you on your next one! hehehe

I haven’t really thought about that memory until last year when I started this blog. I was writing one of my first travel entries (it was about my visit to Siquijor island) and that was when I found myself thinking about it. I needed to go to Sagada. I suppose this was a form of completion with my late Aunt. I didn’t get to do all the things we planned on doing together (Sagada, Cambodia, European tour!) when she was still alive so I guess I’m making it a tribute to her by visiting all these places.

And Sagada is the perfect place to start.

Aside from its magnificent rice terraces (the photos above do not do it justice), what I loved about Sagada is how you can’t help but go back to the basics. The culture and traditions of the people are very much well-preserved and coming from a city as cosmopolitan as Manila, it’s such a refreshing change. Everything here is au naturale–from the food we ate (no preservatives, all herbs freshly picked from the garden!) to how we went about with our daily activities (loads of walking and climbing) and even the place where we stayed–no electric fan nor air condition (unless we wanted to freeze to death). It was just nice to go to a place that’s devoid of pretension.

Anyway, here are some of the must-hit places in Sagada.

Yogurt House.

I’m a big fan of frozen yogurt. I love the ones they serve in Rockwell’s Ice Cream Bar but this one’s even better. It’s made from the most natural ingredients. I think it’s made of fresh goat’s milk. They have various toppings like banana, granola, and strawberry. It’s the perfect afternoon treat

Calvary Hill.

Sagada natives are quite particular as to how they bury their dead. It depends on the manner or status of the deceased. There are different burial sites for mothers who died in childbirth, babies, people unable to marry during their lifetime, and suicides. They bury people who committed suicides in Echo Valley. They take them into the deeper parts of the caves to ensure that these bad spirits do not come back to haunt the ones they left behind…Check out Echo Valley and one of the caves (I think this one’s called Lumiang) where they bury their dead:

Sumaging Cave a.k.a. Big Cave. A lot of people go spelunking here but I was unable to do so during my last visit. Sigh. Next time, when I’m ready to brave the almost 15-hour travel time from Manila to Sagada, I’m going spelunking. And I’ll probably drag my friends with me to keep me distracted from my fear of dark, enclosed spaces. Ehehe.

Ankileng Village. When we went to Ankileng, I felt overwhelmed. I’ve only seen the terraces in photographs but I was actually walking across the fields now. It’s sort of similar to being starstruck. I’ve never seen so many luscious (and I do mean luscious) shades of green! Staring at Ankileng’s rice terraces will definitely inspire anyone to create a masterpiece.

What really surprised me about the village was how everyone was so nice and friendly. Every time we’d come across an Ankileng resident, they’d stop to say hello and welcome us to their home. Here you’ll find the village’s children walking along with you with huge smiles on their faces. We got to talk to one of the Sagada elders as well and they enlightened us about the customs of the people. They’re very big on marriage and widely disapprove of adultery. Once a man has been found cheating on his spouse, he is no longer qualified to become an elder. The elders are the ones who set the “rules” in this society. They are also the ones who will determine where a deceased person is to be buried. When you want to know what Sagada is all about, talk to one of the elders. It’s interesting how they have successfully maintained their age-old customs and traditions.

Hmmm.

I think that’ll be all for now. Will post another Sagada entry soon! We have a lot to cover!

Thanks again, Tracey, for letting me tag along with you! I had the best time

For more information about Alquimista Trails’ upcoming Sagada trips, click here.