Digressions: Quaint Sagada

I was not in any particular hurry to write about the Holy Week trip to Sagada, because I am quite confident that even without the written account, I will not easily forget the place.

My current state of mind makes me remember with magnified fondness that tiny municipality of far-away Mountain Province. I am on a long respite from work. A long overdue one, I think. And it takes every ounce of my sensibilities to keep myself from taking the next bus way up north and experience Sagada all over again.

Avoiding Crossfire

The Holy Week trip was supposed to be a trek through the Bontoc Circuit Trail. But upon reaching Bontoc, we were advised by the tourism officer that a military operation has just concluded around the area, just in time for the rebel army's anniversary.

Nobody wanted to risk it. To be honest, I was quite relieved that the three-day hike was not pushed through. The load was not very appealing to carry for kilometers' worth of trek. I packed very few clothes, and even opted to leave my tripod. It was the food load for the next few days that weighed a lot. And we got a little carried away with rice and butane supply. Bringing four kilos of rice and nine - yes, nine - butane cassettes. One would think we were going to cook for the community.

And it begins

So we arrived in Sagada on Holy Wednesday, three days earlier than planned. We arranged lodgings in the house of a nice local family, the Abeyas, where we occupied three of their bedrooms. The view from our window is to die for: rolling green hills, path walk, drifting clouds. A distinct difference from the grimy buildings of Shaw Blvd as seen from our apartment window.

It rained every single afternoon while we were in Sagada. And I got to shower in the rainfall. I was still a kid when I last deliberately stayed out in the rain. We'd ask permission from Mama if it's ok to play when it rained heavily and she'd let us, but only if we took a bath right after and we don't go traipsing in the middle of the street where we could get run over by passing cars.

Rain is always a special thing for me. It is one of my favorite things in the world. But admittedly, on the second day when we found ourselves frantically searching awnings for shelter, I didn't like rain that much. We had our cameras with us, Gary and I. And it was pouring really hard. I just wanted to find a roof, a dry place to check whether my camera was ok. I wonder if this is how parents feel when they're protecting their kids. Maybe a tiny, tiny fraction of it.

And here's the part where I'm hoping the Australian bag company Crumpler will give me some advertising recompense. When we finally got to the house, I opened the five-million-dollar-home bag (that's the bag model, not the price) to find my camera safe and dry. Gary's Lowepro did a pretty good job, too. So Crumpler, Lowepro - if you need any endorsers, leave a message. *wink, wink*

Kiltepan Sunrise View

The first stop for Maundy Thursday was the Kiltepan sunrise view. Caring enough to reach this distance above sea level affords you the majestic luxury of witnessing sunrises through an ocean of clouds. Sunrays radiating slowly through the scenery. It's amazing, it almost makes you hear soundtrack of angelic orchestra. The only other place that I experienced this was in Mount Pulag's summit.

Bomod-ok Falls, Echo Valley, Hanging Coffins

We headed to trek to Bomod-ok Falls afterwards. We had to descend through concrete steps that traversed through rice terraces. Sun's out. The fields are green. Skies are so clear. It was a pleasant trek, despite the fact that I could not stop myself from worrying that I have to ascend the same steps and despite the fact that I neglected to put on my knee support.

During this trek as I skidded and slipped through some of the stones, Gary gave this insight: when I'm raising my kids, he said, and they ask me to buy them expensive shoes, I can convincingly tell them, "Mga anak, maniwala kayo sa akin, di nakakatulong ang mahal na sapatos. Kung lampa ka, lampa ka talaga. May pagmamanahan ka pa naman."

I was wearing my new trekking shoes. I have never spent that much on any footwear in my whole entire life. Actually, they were a good bargain already in comparison to other brands, but it's me. Believe me, I'm a cheapskate when it comes to buying things for myself.

The falls was really worth the trek. It was probably 150 feet high and has texture, character. We had brunch at the rocks at the base of the falls, which was really cool, I think. Made me feel that we were really roughing it.

That same day, we also went to see Echo Valley and the hanging coffins. The valley was not much to see. What's interesting is how the local tribe's view the afterlife. They "bury" their dead high on the cliffs. They also tie chairs to their coffins. A friend surmised, for something to sit on while waiting to cross to the other side.

Manang's Halo-halo and Avocado Shake

We ended the day of outdoors activity at the municipal plaza where the charming Anglican Church was situated. Just outside the gate, a sidewalk vendor sold Halo-halo made of fresh fruits, among them - avocado. Jay came up with the brilliant idea of requesting avocado shake - shaved ice, milk, sugar, and slices of fresh avocados. Delightful. Absolute soul food.

Sagada Weaving

On Good Friday, we opted to acquaint ourselves with the town. Just the visit to Sagada weaving was well worth it. In the shop, we somewhat found the product prices steep. But when we went inside to see the actual weaving in the building just behind the shop, we changed our minds. Those weaving are priceless! The workers use the traditional weaving machines- with wooden gears and pedals and endless, colorful, meticulously-lined threads. Their movements were so fluid the way they add layer after layer of thread to painstakingly create fabric. Jaw-dropping amazing.

If I were allowed to try weaving, I bet it would take less than a few seconds and I would have managed to knot all those threads in a hopeless jumble. Without effort.

Cave People

Along our aimless walking, we came across a cave restaurant/cafe/burger-joint/bar. We're not really sure what it is. It was another one of those afternoon showers and we went in for temporary shelter. The interiors of the place was straight out of a macabre movie. Cave stone for walls and ceilings. Old books (including an Italian version of a Ludlum paperback), curios and other knickknacks strewn about. Driftwood-type furniture for chairs and tables. Very interesting.

We had a kick out of taking group pictures. By the way, their melon smoothie was also very good for something that just costs P20.

Dinner and Documentary

We had dinner reservations at a restaurant run by a French chef. It was a buffet dinner. The food was good. The chili sauce with the warning that it was 300x spicy was really spicy. You have to take my word for it. I am known for my tolerance of heat. The best part was dessert. Chocolate. Strawberries. *sigh*

Oh, I take that back. Best part of dinner was when Gary taught me about second curtain option of flash settings. That was way cool. Good job, Gary, and to your kumpareng Scott Kelby.

There was a Nat Geo documentary that we wanted to see - Jesus Revealed. So after dinner, we rushed back to the house to catch it. What retained to me in the two-hour docu was how much pain Christ went through during the crucifixion. Unfathomable pain. The nail on His feet was actually struck on His ankle. How does one choose between placing pressure on the palms or the feet? I cannot imagine it. I thought about my mother and the pain she went through. And how she started from shots of paracetamol, to demerol, and finally to morphine until the very end. The undeniable pain. I cannot imagine it.

Sorry, I digress.

Food Trip on Market Day

Black Saturday found Miss Sheng and I browsing through the sidewalk market of Sagada. We had fun buying potatoes, watermelons, wild blueberries, and other vegetables. When Miss Sheng bought five sili, the kid who sold them just asked her to take them and not bother paying. I thought that was so amusing. That sort of thing is not likely to happen in the city.

I decided not to join the cave connection and just spent idle hours of the afternoon food-tripping. Lemon pie and egg pie at Salt and Pepper. Strawberry yoghurt and carbonara at Yoghurt House. I helped prepare dinner of pochero and the creamy avocado dessert. I talked with Jay about our thoughts on corruption and of college days. With Dennis, of books and American Idol.

That night, most of them grilled Adah on her personal life. For the record, Adah, I don't think you should ever be pressured to be anything or do anything. Don't let them make you believe that you are incomplete because you're single. :)

Sunday in Banaue

Easter morning, after a quick breakfast of Maling luncheon meat and other leftover camp food, we bade goodbye to Mrs. Abeya and her family. I had the chance to apologize for the glass I broke while washing dishes. No surprise there, I would imagine.

During the trip to Banaue, we passed through valleys of cottony-white clouds forming u-shaped basins. Later on, the jeep drove through the white mist and we practically breathed in clouds.

Of course when we reached rice terraces, it was also awesome. That's the view from the one thousand peso bill! Three elderly Igorot women in traditional costume were also in the viewing deck. They were very nice and accommodating, but I'm sorry I did not post any portraits of them, just of their hands and feet. It didn't feel right, somehow.

While waiting for our afternoon bus, we played the card game in-between. Miss Sheng won at least P600 at the end of the game. She couldn't sit still on the last deal as she bet the whole pot. If she lost that hand, she would've owed a cool grand upon going back to Manila. Good job. :)

We had enough time to hear Easter Sunday mass at the Immaculate Conception church in Banaue. The bus left at 630 pm and we arrived in Manila at 3 am.

Acknowledgement

My thanks to my trip companions: Miss Sheng, Adah, Jay, April, Junar, Sir Ed, Acoy, Dennis, and of course,Gary. To the Abeya family, to Sir Joel, our jeepney and travel guide, to Glenn our trek guide - good luck in SLU, and to the other guides.

Miss Sheng, I'm glad that we got the chance to bond during this trip. To Adah and April - thenkyaw, too. I'm thankful for the easy companionship. So sorry I am boring when it comes to girl talk. Hehe...

Jay, thanks for the invitation to this trip. Sagada is so unforgettable. And yes, I promise to deliver a eulogy for you if you go ahead of me.

Junar, Dennis, Acoy, and Sir Ed - thanks po. For the record, I am not the 'matampuhin' type. That's just false propaganda. And there are meals I skip just because.

Gary, I realized that I unknowingly sought you whenever I found a slope daunting, a rock slippery, a dog's bark menacing, grief unbearable. It's your sleeve I clutch to, your hand I reach for, your shoulder I lean on. Thanks for letting me.

Post script

Everything about Sagada drew me in: the cool temperature, the green trees, the mountain sceneries, the skies above. The best part about it is its unhurried pace. Time seemed to crawl its way in Sagada.

I recall Alan Lightman's "Einstein's Dreams" and all its concepts of time. Sagada is one of those places where time flows languidly, without tension nor panic. And there are other places like Manila, where you can't even find the time to catch your breath or else you'd find yourself half an hour late or worse, stuck in traffic.

This is Sagada's magic for me. I had the chance to breathe in and savor the moments of the day and let the surreal beauty of the place pervade through me.

Digressions

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Quaint Sagada

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