These male devotees during the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila are awaiting the carroza of the Christ to come out from the church. When that happens, all hell breaks loose as every devotee (more like fanatics) wants to come near the image to touch it.
A detailed account was posted before under the topic Quiapo - The Black Nazarene Feast.
Mention Sagada and images of waterfalls, cool and wet caves, hanging coffins, mountains and wonderful sceneries just floods in.
Bomod-ok Falls. One of two waterfalls in the area, it takes a long trek to go to this place, down the scenic village of Fidelisan with fantasic views of the valley below, rice terraces, cliffs and a gold mine. Water is quite chilly here and the trek back is arduous.
Rice terraces, Fidelisan.
A constant site in many places in the Cordilleras, the terraces attests to the agricultural heritage of the mountain tribes, transforming the mountains into green steps to the heavens.
Misty morning view
The scent of pine trees and great vistas just fills the senses.
Saturday is market day in Sagada and the resident French chef, Phillipe Heyer of Log Cabin Cafe, Bar and Restuarant prepared a sumptuous buffet dinner at P250 per person. The menu for that night:
Pork leg cooked in beer with apples, celery and spring onions
Baked potatoes with spring onions
Roast tomato
Tomato soup
Broccoli and millet wheat bread with almonds, garlic and rosemary cheese spread
choco and strawberry cake
choco, pinipig (rice crispies) and strawberry cake
And how the food tasted! Really heavenly. Except for the cake which I found to be dry, I saw myself coming back for the wheat bread and cheese spread.
A trip to Sagada is never complete without a dine at this place.
If your going to Sagada, be prepared to forego your diet. Just imagine:
Plain yoghurt with honey at Ganduyan Inn
Big servings of vegetable soup on a bowl, hot and tasty that effectively warms you up and a plateful of spaghetti with meat sauce at Alfredo’s Inn and Restaurant.
Delicious home made yoghurt topped with granola, fruits, honey and brown sugar and
creamy spinach fettuccine carbonara with broccoli that just fills and satiates and pancakes with either banana or cheese (Cheese Lovers Pancake) at the Yoghurt House.
Home brewed native coffee (arabica that was introduced by the American missionaries at the start of the past century) that’s great to start the morning with paired by a sumptuous breakfast of garlic rice, native longganisa (sausage, in this case, have a semblance to those in Ilocos that is not sweet but garlicky but very delicious and heavenly) on a bed of green and crisp lettuce leaves, sunny side up eggs and dessert of red plump strawberries at Masferre Cafe.
CHILI con carne ( as in really hot) with strips of ginger and bits of meat with rice or french fries and salad of tomatoes and lettuce at Shamrock Cafe.
And, just great food at the Log Cabin.
Streetfood fare of day old chicks fried to a crisp.
Better late than never.
About a month ago, I was at Sagada with some special friends for a few days off. Its two years since I’ve first come to this place and this time, I was able to visit more spots and do more activities than before. Whereas the weather back then was not as great with days usually overcast and just boring, this time, it was hot and sunny during the day and chilly in the evening. There is now an internet and computer café. P60 per hour but at that time, there was satellite transmission problems that I was not able to use it. Globe has already its own cellsite but mobile and temporary (located near the cemetery, but only serves around Sagada town proper because of its location and antenna tower height) to compete with Smart (already present since a few years back, on top of a hill with good signal and location with service reaching other villages and municipalities, like Besao, other than Sagada).
At the Baguio bus terminal for buses bound for Sagada and Besao.
We rode the 0930H bus bound for Besao via Sagada (last bus is 1300H) and a couple of minutes later was meandering the back of the Cordilleras via the Halsema Highway. Whereas the scenery was good, better still if you ride the 0630H bus and enjoy mist covered mountains and nippy air sans the squid like smell of chicken dung (used as fertilizer for the various vegetable farms that is a common sight) that just ruins your ride at various points of the highway. One major improvement since I traveled through this highway was that from Baguio to Bauko, only small portions were left uncemented whereas from Bauko to Sagada its still dusty and bumpy.
The bell at St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal church in Sagada
We stayed at Ganduyan Inn (cell number: +639206378274) since St. Joseph Inn was fully booked that time. But if you can’t bear the morning noise, especially at market day, Saturday, and buses starting early morning (these are just outside the inn), its advisable to find another place (same situation at Sagada Pension and Alfredo’s Inn and Restaurant that is within the perimeters of the main town center).
A common site in Cordillera not only in Sagada.
One thing that I’ve observed in Sagada, and in other places along Halsema Highway and Banaue is that houses have currogated sheets for walls. It’s a sight and a break from the usual. Our guide to Bomod-ok Falls told us that these walls are double layered: iron sheet in the outside, wooden planks in the inside.
Souviner shop at Sagada
As Sagada is a tourist’s haven, expect to see various souviner shops selling almost the same things that you can find in Baguio and Banaue. From native weaves to the ubiquitous bul-ol . But there are Sagada specific t-shirts and if you check the various shops, you can find postcards, bottles of rice wines, peach and strawberry jams (yes, they have peach as well as orange, apple and persimmon trees locally grown, October availability for the latter), mountain honey that are produced here. If you want better price, check RJ Souvenirs. Its cheaper than the one beside Ganduyan Inn. I bought a neck scarf for P100 at the latter but a better alternative was available at RJ for just P75. They also have various audio CDs and cassettes on local songs. For a copy of Masferre: A Tribute to the Cordilleras highlighting the works of Eduardo Masferre, you can get as well as view photos at the Masferre Café and Restaurant.
Saturday is market day
Come Saturday morning and the central square at the town proper starts to be busy with people selling wares from the mountains and other places in the Cordilleras. There are fresh fish from as far as Isabela province, a Boholano woman who now resides near Sagada selling native rice cakes and sweets, vegetables and fruits from other villages as well as plastic ware and toys, slippers and shoes, wag-wag (used clothing) and what have you.
Sagada at night.
2100H and Sagada starts to close its shops. People go back to their homes and the few tourists who are still lingering in the cafes will leave and go back to their inns.
Langyaw EstanCabigas.com blog Simbahan
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