Nov 2 – 3 : Banaue –> Bontoc –> Sagada
I was up early the next day. I was wide awake ways before the alarm went on. I was excited for breakfast and see if the sun rises in the mountains. It was already past six when the restaurant opened and there was no dramatic sunrise. We quickly had breakfast and then checked out of Hillside Inn and then went our way up to saddle. Suddenly, the trail seemed farther now that we're hiking up. :p This was the same trail I trekked down with my chucks. We were trying to make it fast to catch the jeepney bound to Banaue.
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| You see that small dent in the middle? That's our destination. |
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| Getting nearer. |
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| The little white part in the right is Batad. |
As it turned out, we had a plenty of idle time once we reach the saddle.
The jeepney driver was probably waiting for something or someone or he
just really wants to fill up the vehicle up. We were told that there's
only one trip to Banaue and that was it. So if you missed it, you will
have to rent a jeep or tricycle for maybe 10x more. Fare was P150, but we haggled and were given lower rate. Thanks to the combined effort of my Ilocano speaking and Kuya Bodjie telling how he only paid this much lower amount win his part visits to the place.
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| Without the 'D'? Chos. (Photo by Karen Nono) |
At around 8:30 a.m., Lian has texted and tried to call to ask where we are and if she could join us to Sagada
since she just arrived in Banaue. I only received the
messages at Saddle Point because there was no signal down in Batad. The
jeepney driver, upon learning that we're going to Sagada suggested a
ride, his cousin's van. The price was standard (P150 to Bontoc; P200 to
Sagada) so we took it.
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| (Photo by Karen Nono) |
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| What we looked forward to during the whole trip to Banaue. (Photo by Karen Nono) |
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| Resembles La Trininad. (Photo by Karen Nono) |
We were back in Banaue before 11. There was just a small scuffle when the drivers of the vehicles bound to Sagada tried to win us over, kasi may pila pala. We chose the van for the two-hour trip. There were four other passengers with us but that didn't stop us from treating the trip like our own barkada road trip.
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| That pool over there was where the Red Bull wakeskating video was shot. (Photo by Karen Nono) |
However, the driver did not bring us all the way to Sagada which is understandable because the van's only half-filled. So from Bontoc, we took a jeep to Sagada (P50). The trip was supposed to take only 30 minutes but the jeep broke down before reaching inner Sagada and had to be fixed for over 30 minutes. Apparently, hindi uso sa kanila yung i-transfer ang mga pasahero sa ibang sasakyan. It wasn't boring at all because there's this kid that found a way to kill time by trying to scare us by tossing a dead snake on us several times. Karen got bored bordering to being annoyed of our situation. I tried to keep it cool by keeping in my mind that it was probably just two kilometers to go before Poblacion. :)
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| This couple will turn out to be our new friends. |
Straight from the trip, we went to look for a place to stay. Kuya
Bodjie had met
olds friends (an artsy couple) in the jeepney, so all in all, we were a
pack of seven. The couple mentioned a certain Barry who owns a
restaurant in Sagada and I asked if it was the same Barry of Olahbinan
Inn, but they weren't sure. During my
2010 trip to Sagada
with Karen, we met the owners of the inn we're staying at and one of
them even volunteered to take us around, his name was Barry as I can
remember. To make sure we're referring to the same Barry, we went to
Olahbinan. When Kuya Bodjie saw the stickers in a window, he was sure
the mountaineer Barry they knew and the Barry from Olahbinan was the
same. Unfortunately, the rooms available at the inn was out of our
budget so we went looking for another.
We finally settled for Residential Inn at
P200/person/night on a shared room. (This building has been making an impression on me
since my first time in Sagada because of its baby blue tint.) Kuya
Bodjie has stayed there before and says he liked it there because of the
free unlimited brewed coffee.
Above anything else, all I
really wanted was to put my bag down and get a nice meal. We haven't had
a meal since breakfast. All I ate on the way to Bontoc were the candies
and chocolates from my loot bags from my company's Halloween Party and a
piece of lumpiang gulay from a stop-over in Ifugao.
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| La Buena Familia at Pinikpikan Haus. (Photo by Karen Nono) |
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| (Photo by Karen Nono) |
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| (Photo by Karen Nono) |
After sending off the kids, Ryan and Lian, with the couple for an afternoon stroll, Karen, Kuya Bodjie and I went for late lunch. Lian would choose food anytime of the day, but we forced her to go along with our new friends since we're only staying in town overnight. It was Ryan and Lian's first time in town so we're supposed to take them around, that's why I was really thankful the couple took them with them. :D
We ate at Pinikpikan Haus, which serves good pinikpikan. (Not that I have a point of comparison because I've never eaten pinikpikan anywhere else in Sagada. :p)
After that big meal, we continued walking down to Lemon Pie House, where we had brewed coffee and lemon pie. Just as we were going out of the restaurant, our companions arrived and were starved, so we went back in. Good thing they serve meals. Even before ordering food, they started telling us about their adventures. In one of their photos taken infront of the old convent, there was an image (of a person) that registered at the back of the window. Of course, they also did their research, and learned that the place used to house the former priest. I was a little bit envious when I heard this. What, it was November 2! Just the perfect day to experience paranormal occurrences! :p
Ryan and Lian have already started eating their big-size meals, when we figured Gaia, a new vegan restaurant, where the couple could eat, because they're vegans. It was still a few meters walk (it was located near Sumaguing), but they had no other choice. Karen and I also wanted to check that out so we agreed to follow afterwards.
It started to rain, but we went on with the plan. We just waited for the rain to stop and started walking through the dark highway. Considering its location and the time (it was almost 7 p.m.), there was pretty much a crowd at Gaia when we got there. The couple was still there, in-expecting of our arrival because of the rain, and hasn't eaten yet.
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| Gaia Cafe & Crafts. The effect would've translated better with a better camera. |
Gaia Cafe & Crafts was still under construction the last time I was here. I wanted to check it out when I learned it was owned/co-owned by Kuya Andrei's sister. Not that I know her, but Kuya Andrei was also an orgmate (Pagta) back in UPB. :p I just felt the place would be artsy, cool, or something.
Even in the dark, the place looked nice. The cafe/shop was shaped like a traditional Igorot hut, the extensions being the restaurant itself. Inside was the shop and a mini-library. Most of the good sold are organic. I bought rice coffee and sugarless peanut butter.
We left shortly after seven, and were the last customers to leave. (The sign outside says they are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
On our way out of the restaurant, I saw a familiar face, and at the same time, Karen was telling me to look at someone. I thought she was referring to the guy leaning in the banister (whom I think was cute ;)), but apparently, she was referring to Kuya Andrei's sister's husband. And the familiar face I saw was Kuya Rex brother. It was a very confusing two seconds of my life. :p
Then the walking began, amidst the dark (no street lights), cold air, and wet pavement. Along the way, we heard/saw a canao in a distant. If it wasn't far, we probably went and crashed the event, chos.
It's a good thing the inn has hot shower – my first shower of the day. (I'm gross.)
Afterwards, we all headed for some drinks at Sagada Pine Cafe, a bar that's very laid back and filled with random stuff, making it come off as artsy. It was full when we got there, but the staff made arrangements so we could be seated in no time. No wonder, Sagada is no Baguio. There's not a lot of bars around. This was actually the first time I went out at nighttime here, I mean, after 8 p.m.. I remember during our field trip in 2008, my classmates wanted to go out for drinks, but didn't really know where to go, then we learned that we actually couldn't because there was an 8 p.m. curfew. Although, our teacher hinted that if we had told about it earlier, we could've bought something and just drink at the place we're staying. LOL
I think not so much has changed. When the 9 p.m. curfew hit, the staff of the restaurant/bar closed the door and asked the customers to tone down their noise. Still, our pseudo-night out was fun. We didn't stay long and were supposed to continue the 'party' at the inn, but the people that were drinking outside when we left were no longer there, and the inn was already closed. Buti may gising pa, or siguro hinintay talaga kami.
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| The gang, Karen took the photo. |
The after-party didn't happen because our neighbors kept telling us to shut the noise. Natulog na lang kami. Still, it was a good day altogether. :)
