Sagada

Last time I was in Sagada was sometime in the late 90’s, last Dec. 26-29 I had the chance to revisit this Magical place.

On any regular day most of the visitors of Sagada are foreigners who don’t mind traveling 12 hours from Manila to Sagada. Filipinos in general would be content to stay in Baguio since it’s already a 6 hour drive. Sadly, like the rest of the Philippines it is foreign backpackers who end up discovering and enjoying the many beautiful and hidden places the Philippines has to offer.

I would describe Sagada as Baguio less all the cars, establishment and people. Maybe Baguio in the 1940’s. The allure of Sagada is its tranquil atmosphere, walking around being surrounded by lush forests and pine trees. Sagada in itself is a retreat from the madness of the metropolis, closing time for all establishments is 9pm.

Getting to this tranquil paradise though is a different story, shielded from the mainstream public by numerous mountains; the trip from Baguio is a six hour journey through zigzag roads. Lucky for us that now 90 percent of the road is already paved.

During my Sagada trip, I stayed at Mapyaw Inn. It’s very charming pace that I would recommend to people as long as you don’t mind walking 20 min to get to town. There are many places of interest in Sagada, to see most of them I would recommend staying about 4 days.

A must see though is the Sumaging cave. The highlight of my trip though was the cave connection between Lumiang and Sumaging cave. Imagine spending 3 hours underground, it kind of reminded me of the caves of Moria in LOR! If you’re going to sagada, do make sure you experience this. It will make the six hour trip from Baguio worth it!

Trip costs:
Accommodations- P250 per night per pax
Transpo- P220 one way Bus Baguio- Sagada
Food- 100-200 per meal
Tours- Sumaging cave P400 for group of 4, cave connection P400 per pax. There are many more tours to take
For more info on Sagada visit http://www.visitsagada.com/

2010 Travel targets

My Lakbayan grade is C+!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

2010 will be a year devoted to traveling to new places for me. Ever since I started working it was always chasing the long weekends. Now that I have more free time, I’ve made a list of places to go to this year. Hope to be able to tick them of my bucket list.

Local:
1. Anawangin, Zambales
2. Calaguas, Camarines Norte
3. Caramoan, Camarines Sure
4. CWC
5. Baler
6. Bais Iloilo
7. Guimaras
8. Siquijor
9. Batanes
10. Surigao

Intrenational:
1. South east Asia 2 month backpacking trip 3rd quarter 2010, SG, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam

Mt. Pulag

Mt. Pulag

Ever since I saw pictures of Mt. Pulag on the net, I promised myself that one day I to shall have my picture taken with a backdrop of a sea of clouds. Last Dec. I finally convinced my friends to climb this mountain with me.

Mt. Pulag is the 2nd highest mountain in the Philippines (second only to Mt. Apo by 110ft or so). Take note as of the climb I have had no real physical exercise for the past year or two! I was able to arrange the climb with a travel group that fixed everything for us. They provide the transportation, tents, food and guide.

If you’re interested in climbing Mt. Pulag, here’s our itinerary and cost breakdown. Ill also include some useful contact info. You can climb Pulag on a weekend trip if your time constrained but I suggest you make it’s a 3-4 day trip with layovers in Baguio to rest. I and my friends opted to make it a 3 day trip leaving for Baguio early afternoon so that we could rest that night.

Itinerary

Day 0, Dec 4
14:00 ETD Manila-Baguio
20:00 ETA Baguio, rest for the night

Day 1, Dec 5
04:00 wake up and meet up with travel group
05:00 Breakfast
06:00 ETD Baguio to Ranger Station
10:30 ETA Ranger Station, Lunch
12:00 Trekking Proper
03:30 ETA Campsite, Dinner, Overnight

Day 2, Dec 6
03:00 Wake-up Call
03:30 Summit Assault
05:00 ETA Summit
08:00 Breakfast
12:00 ETD Ranger Station, Lunch, Wash-up
19:00 ETA Ranger Station to Baguio, Dinner
21:00 ETD Baguio-Manila

Day 3, Dec 7
03:00 ETA Manila
(Special Thanks to Travel Factor for arranging the trip!)

The Baguio- Ranger station part of the trip makes used of a modified jeep for transportation, I don’t think that your car or SUV will be able to survive the rough road part without taking a very bad beating! I highly suggest that you take bonamin for the trip. At this part of the trip the landscape is already beautiful, lush surroundings and breath taking views await you. You will have to take a brief lecture for 20 min. at the DENR station, about an hour and a half from the ranger station on the do’s and don’ts on the mountain, likewise register and pay the climbing fees.

The trek from ranger station to camp site is relatively easy; you’ll be walking mostly uphill on a path for about 3 hours. No ropes are needed but since it’s an uphill trek expect to be tired when you reach the camp site; I guess this is relative to the level of fitness you’re in.




While at the camp, temperatures reached -5 degrees, please be advised that you will need layers of clothes!!! Please be guided accordingly. I was wearing 3 pairs of socks that night, cotton leggings under jogging pants, 1 short sleeve shirt, 2 long sleeves shirts, a think hooded cotton/polyester jacket, one wind breaker jacket and a bonnet and I was still freaking cold!!!

The summit assault starts at 3 am the next day (it takes about 2-2.5 hours) to be able to be at the summit for sunrise. I suggest you get a head lamp (P300 at ace hardware) instead of a hand held flashlight for the trip since it’s more convenient. When you reach the summit, the view will make all the pains of the trip worth it! It’s a lifetime experience being surrounded by a sea of cloud.



Total cost for the trip

P3100 without Manila – Baguio transpo. This includes all permit fees, guide, and transpo. ( Baguio-Pulag-Baguio), day 1 lunch, dinner and day two breakfast and loch, tent accommodations. This is through a tour group.

You can get in touch with the DENR Park Superintendent for the Mt. Pulag National Park, Ma'am Emerita Tamiray. She may be reached at +639196315402. For help arranging for guides and transportation to pulag if you want to DIY. For a group of 10 you’ll spend about 1,300 per pax but you’ll have to fix your own food, etc. Or go through a tour group if you want everything set up already at P3100.

Blog post # 1

January 1, 2010

Blog post no.1…. 2009 was an eventful year for me, I finally got out of the rat race last April 09 and ventured out on my own. Spent the next 6 months setting up my business and making sure it was running smoothly.

Leaving the corporate life was a big gamble, medical benefits, car plan, profit sharing, incentives… nothing beats having a pay check every 15 and 30th of the month to fall back on. Yet it makes you think, I worked for multinational financial institutions for the better part of my corporate life, earning shiny pennies in the process but too tired to spend it when you work an ave. of 12 hours a day. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the hunt! Working with great minds, competitive atmosphere and always pushing yourself to be the best at all times. But I guess after a time of burning the candle at both ends, you tend to stop and think… is it all worth it? How many people at their death bed wished that they spent more time at the office and exceeded company targets?

So here I am I may not be earning as much as I was but I have a lot of time on my hands. Now that my little business is somewhat stable, it’s time to travel! Started it of already last December, have a lot more places to see this 2010… to infinity and beyond!