Batad - Sagada

The start of non-stop weekend getaways.

And may I reiterate, this post is loooong overdue.

(c) Earl

It started in April. With no plans for the then upcoming Holy Week (except for this option: go to the airport and get a round-trip ticket to first out of country flight and explore), I was nudging bugging, Chabs to say yes to a trip to Sagada where she was invited. Of course, I will be tagging along, since weekends bore me. Especially after having classes on Saturdays for a whole year. That summer, I was bummed out. And I needed the getaway.

So, then, after much prodding, Chabs conceded, albeit reluctantly.

Wednesday.

We got to the bus station early. Like, 2 hours ahead of time. Haha! The first person I met was Ting (yihiii). Who lived nearby, I guess. Then the rest of the gang. "Hey, everybody, here's Tots. Tots, here's everybody." To wit, I was not used to being called Tots by new acquaintances. I was used to telling the name I was given on my birth certificate. "Hi, I'm Princess." And my uber cute pink bag gave an impression right off the bat. "Ang kikay!"

Thursday.

Breakfast in Benguet.

A stopover.

While onboard the jeepney taking us to Batad, Earl asked me, "What are your activities?" While probably thinking, "Let's see how fast her pacing is." Haha. Of course, it was just Chabs putting ideas in my head. But I was told I answered with, "Uh, I played volleyball, but that was way back High School. Teehee" *insert sheepish grin here*

Truth be told, I was not in the least bit prepared. I was wearing crocs for the 30-minute hikes. And I packed tank tops and dresses instead of sweaters and hiking boots! :D

Well. Hooray for Ting for sharing with me a new definition of backpacker. A backpack on wheels! Weee! :D

I might try that on my backpacking abroad. :D

The roads were horrendously unpaved and slippery. We were moving laterally! Yay cheap thrills! And I thought, I needed that mechanism for my lateral parking prowess! Hahaha! :D

11am. The start of THE 30-minute trek.

And after around 2 hours. We arrived at our first stop.

Banaue Rice Terraces

I bought a pair of socks for a hundred bucks from a local store. It was a temporary reprieve, not more than 30minutes after, it was falling all over! Nah, maybe just springing threads along the way. So I had this brilliant and ingenious and very innovative idea. I will use whatever I find in nature to help ease the sore feet from crocs. Bingo! Leaves! Hahaha. I tore off several shiny leaves off their stems. And used them as cushion for my dainty feet. Lol. My feet are anything but dainty. I had to replace them every once in a while but at least they were free. :D

We walked another 30 minutes across an array of rice fields in different levels of wonder, combining brilliant engineering and awesome art. (Read: 30 minutes to locals, 2 hours to newbies, 3 hours to newbies in crocs. LOL. I've learned my lessons. The hardest and the ouchiest ways. :p )

Just around the mountain back side, we saw this hidden falls.

Tappia Waterfalls

Then we started back to where we left our things. And taking a jeepney and a van, we went ahead to Sagada. Checked in 9pm. Coupla beers. A lot of sharing and laughing and sparkling. Snoozed off.

Friday.

The next day was spent spelunking, a cave connection from Lumiang to Sumaging Cave in Sagada. A supposed-3-hour-expedition-turned-5-hour due to the number of people inside. It was worse than a marketplace on a Sunday. But nevertheless, we had a lot of cameras to keep our hands full and kill the friggin time. :D

We were actually waiting for our turn

But we have a lot of "photographers" so there

At Lumiang Cave, a 90 degree assault.
Wrong slip and you end up a pile in the cave's deepest, darkest recesses.
But we were lucky. ;)

A snug fit at Lumiang Cave

The customary group shot.

Picturesque rock formations in Sumaguing Cave

Delving deeper into Sumaguing Cave. Water was waist deep.

And then there was light. :)

End of the Lumiang-Sumaguing Cave Connection

That afternoon, we walked around town a bit.

Echo Valley, Hanging coffins, Sagada Weaving, and the sort, were parts of the sights to see.

This, apparently, is town proper.

Hanging Coffins

Dresses and rocks are actually compatible. :))

I thought the tour around town proper would never end. It did! Yay! :))

Four slabs of Salon Pas to ease the achy breaky muscles

Dinner was at Yoghurt House.

Saturday.

On our last day, we trekked Sagada to Bomod-ok Falls.
We needed the handy-dandy tripod. Especially for these purposes. :)

Group shots!!!

Wavelength and Spark. Both. Haha. Chabs. This must be it. LOL. It's an inside joke, one I prefer not to elaborate. :D

Giddy. Hihihi. Giggles.

The daredevil
To quote: Hindi naman pahabaan ang buhay - Pasiyahan! :)

We left Sagada for Baguio at around 1pm. And arrived 7pm. And left again for Manila at 8pm.

Welcome to Baguio, Chabs! :))
Goodbye, Baguio! -Chabs

Chabs' first Baguio ride

Going back to Manila

An FB-post for the team.

Cave ConnectionI was pretty embarrassed being around these people, what with me and the utterance of senseless profanities. Blame it on the shoes! And errm, the lack of balance. Hah! Excuses. :)
Nevertheless, the party was awesome. The sights, surreal. The pain, ugh [Read: Nothing four slabs of salon pas can't cure] :))
The troop, I will always hold dear. Naks!

Another high! :) It was an awesome and exhilarating experience. Thanks to the Chiyoda people who made it possible.

And the original itinerary c/o Kate:

Estimated Budget: 5,400 Php

Actual Cost: 4,400 Php

Cheap, but frequent travelers. That's what we are. :)