First Time in Sagada - Mountain Province

My first time in Sagada was never a plan but it was exactly the day of my 2012 birthday.  We were just in Bauang, La Union for business - setting up QuickBooks accounting system and training the staff of a Mexican restaurant called La Cantina which was owned by US WWII Veterans.  We decided to go up to Baguio via Naguilian Road and one US veteran friend offered a ride. And from out of the blue, we woke up early the next day, road a bus to Bontoc, stayed the night there then went to Sagada.

Sagada is a neighboring municipality of Bontoc, the provincial capital of Mountain Province. I visited Sagada with my boy friend (I mean gay friend, business partner and partners in crime) on my December 2012 birthday. We arrived in Sagada from Bontoc before noon then checked in at Alapo's View Inn (Ato, Patay, Sagada), had lunch then started our activities right away.

Sea of clouds in Sagada

We went to the Tourist Information Center of the municipal hall where all tourists have to register and pay the P30 Environmental Fee. They offered us a travel package which included the Sumaguing Caves and the use of their L300 van. We first dropped off at the Hanging Coffins view deck to take some pictures then off to Sumaguing Cave.

Hanging coffins view deck

As a first timer to caving activities, the decent to the Sumaguing Cave was so deadly and exhausting.  But it was all worth it because the rock formations were spectacular and the waters were not just refreshingly cold but also nutritious (because of Calcium). After spelunking, we went strolling around town and to Sagada Church.

Descent

Sagada Church

 We had dinner at the Log Cabin Bar and Cafe which is just beside Alapo's Inn. They take orders until 3pm only so they have enough time to prepare the food. They were quite expensive but it's really worth it because it is not just delectable to the buds but the presentation is really pleasing. The manager / waitress of the resto is 50 something Australian lady who also fell in love with Sagada and opted to be there than in her native land. They had a fireplace and they also serve wine. Everything was so perfect for my birthday dinner.

Log Cabin Bar & Cafe

Sagada is quite and calm yet there is access to most basic necessities of a city person's life like Internet (Smart network has good signal), good mobile signal, ATM (one machine inside their rural bank) and restaurants. We were not able to roam much of Sagada since we still have to go to Banaue but I will definitely go back there. I simply love it's serenity, the cool weather, the rice terraces, the pines!

To visit Sagada from Manila you can take the the Victory Liner bus in Pasay or Cubao to Baguio City, total travel time is 6-8 hours. In Baguio, just go to the Dangwa Bus Station and the first trip to Sagada leaves at 6:30am while the second and last trip leaves at 1:00pm. We took the road less taken since we just hitched a ride wto Baguio via Naguilian Road. We stayed overnight in Baguio, left at 1pm for Bontoc. We also stayed overnight in Bontoc then took a jeepney to Sagada at 8am. The uphill travel from to Sagada is really frightening and you get a good glimpse of the Chico River but the views are to die for.

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