Langyaw: Finding Home in the Mist of Sagada

Pathway beside the church leading to the cemetery and
to Echo Valley

I wouldn't say I was soul-searching when I went on this trip to the north. I was really just sick of my couch at home. No, really. It was light brown when I first got it, but now, no matter how hard I try to clean it up, it's gotten so dark. I needed to be thinking about something else or my obsessive-compulsive behavior would finally get the better of me. So, I took off and got inked.

After getting my traditional tattoo from Bang-od in Buscalan (read Buscalan story here), I headed for Sagada (see travel notes below). The thought of hiking again in this misty town had seemed inviting. The cool fresh air was what I needed. This was going to be my third time here, but would be my first hiking around alone.

I decided to stay at Ganduyan lodge again. Convenience ruled over anything else, being that everything is accessible from this lodge. Ganduyan is just across from the municipal hall, very near the tourism office and the shopping center where one could get fake The North Face bags (not that it matters) . Having stayed there the second time, it felt like home.

A park near the church

The day before I arrived in Sagada, tourists had been swarming in town to see the famous bonfire at the cemetery. People in Sagada commemorate All Saint's Day by creating bonfires beside their dead's graves. It would seem like the entire hill is on fire, then. I arrived a day late for that, but Beugnas festival was still ongoing. I wanted to go have a look, but I was tired, and didn't have anyone there to help me find where it was held. Besides, I already attended the ritual the last time I was there. I could not remember whether this was some sort of thanksgiving for a good harvest or to pray for a good one. I should ask the next time I am there. So, Sunday, most of the tourists had left, and I was glad that Sagada was again a quiet town.

At the Cemetery

After settling in at the hotel and taking a really cold shower (after what seemed to be days of avoiding water), I went to Echo Valley. It has become customary to visit this spot every time I am there. Why pass up a chance of letting it all go by screaming the nastiest of cuss-words, so I screamed, "Woooo!". Very orignal, yes, and nobody cared.

I did not do much during my stay in Sagada this time. All I did was hike, read, and write a little. Pretty much anything to keep me from thinking about my sofa. I wanted to do some more writing, but hiking got me more interested. On my second day, I went to Kiltepan to see the view. This was about 3 kilometers from the town center, and a good spot to see a beautiful sunrise. But I wasn't there for the sunrise, since the entire week had been very cloudy in Sagada. I just wanted to hike and see the view for myself. It didn't take long to get there, just an hour of leisurely walk through a forest of pines (I took the short way that passes besides Mapya-ao lodge thanks to a local who showed me the way).

View from Kiltepan

As vacation period is over, Kiltepan was empty. Even the coffee shop I was excited to see there was, too. The good part was there was no one around waiting on me to have a chance at having their pics taken. I dangled my legs at a rock overlooking the rice terraces of Kilong (one of the three Barangays that bound Kiltepan. Others, Tetep-An and Antadao, hence, Kiltepan). It was another cloudy day and the mist had not completely left the mountain yet, so once in while I would have all the whiteness in front of me. I would have wanted to stay longer, but it was difficult to stand the wind. Sagada is already cold and Kiltepan's mountain breeze made it even colder.

At Kiltepan

Afternoon of the same day, I hiked to Lake Danum (3.5 kilometers from the town center). I followed the road going north (opposite direction from that going to Kiltepan, which is the direction going to Bontoc). On the way, I saw the pottery and a pretty restaurant called Cellar Door. I was the only one on the road except for occasional trucks and jeepneys. If I hadn't imagined getting lost, it should have just taken me 1 hour and 15 minutes. I had already given up looking when I met a couple of tourists hiking to the lake on my way back to the town center. I followed them and found Lake Danum.

I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but that was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the lake. When I got there, my reaction was, "How could you possibly see a stunning sunset with all the mountains and trees around?" It was still amazing to see the lake, though. I hadn't expected to see such a big body of water in mountainous Sagada. It is an ideal picnic ground and I could imagine myself flying kites there. I did not stay for the sunset anymore. Sundown would not happen until another 2 hours later, and Sagada's evenings are too dark to be walking around for 3kms. I made friends with the tourists I followed, and we all went back to town and had dinner together.

Lake Danum

I spent my third day drinking as much Sagada coffee as I could. I read some and wrote some, too. In the morning, I met a local who owns a house whose rooms he rents out to people who plan to stay there for a month or longer. A month in Sagada would be great if I wanted to do more writing or even just to relax. Some day, I would do that. This day was uneventful if not for the thick mist that covered the town almost the entire day. It was almost difficult to be outside and read.

But that's Sagada. I went there for the misty mornings and afternoons, and for the seemingly slow motion life takes. In Sagada, it's easy to find a tree and sit down under its shade and read for hours. I would only get up when it gets terribly cold, then it's time for brewed coffee. I would walk around and go places without worries. I would check out quaint diners or cafes and read on. I would check out vegetables at the market and fabric I wouldn't buy. Time ceases to exist there, and the only thing that reminds me of bed is the town's very dark and painfully chilly evenings.

I went back home after 8 days in the Cordilleras. If there's one thing I learned, it is that I enjoy traveling alone. Not in the kind that makes me want to make all my travels like that, but that it is an option that I could now easily take. I had to ask for directions, which I don't normally do and I realized it is not such a bad thing. I would talk to strangers and befriended some of them, and found that it is rewarding. People have ideas and experience that open your views about the world a bit wider. In effect, I did not just forget about my sofa back home that has taken on a darker shade of brown. I also discovered some good things about myself that I never thought I possessed. I also learned no one can dictate how a community decides to face its future; that culture and traditions can never be preserved in the way that we would like them frozen in time. In the words of a documentary photographer I met, they could only be sustained. After all, who would not want progress, the promise of convenience. More importantly, I learned that to find myself, I need to get lost.

Travel Notes:

This is for when you are coming from Buscalan, but if you are coming from Manila, refer to the travel notes here.

How to get there

Buscalan to Bontoc

Terminal: Turning Point (be there early before 9am or better yet, ask what time the Jeepney would be there.)
Fare: 100
Travel Time: 1hr and 15 mins

Bontoc to Sagada

Terminal: Ask where the jeepneys going to Sagada are
Fare: Php 80
Travel Time: 40 mins

Where to stay
Ganduyan (Php 200/person; common bathroom)

Sagada to Manila

Fare: Php 220 (Sagada to Baguio), Php 650 (Baguio to Manila; Victory Liner)
Travel Time: 6 hours (Sagada to Baguio), 6 hours (Baguio to Manila)

Activities:

- Caving, Hiking, Trekking, etc. (for more information, refer to this post here).
- You could go to the tourist spots on your own. I asked information from the tourism center what spots I could go alone and which ones require a guide. The following could be done without a guide:
* Echo Valley tour (it's very near the town center, just go past the church, then ask around for the trail going there).
* Kiltepan Sunrise view
- hike on the highway going to Bontoc for 3km, you would know you are there when you see a gas station that's got a signage saying, Kiltepan rice terraces view. There is a shorter way to get there. The trail is beside Mapya-ao lodge. You may ask around for directions.
* Lake Danum
- Hike northward (opposite the direction you took for Kiltepan) for 3.5 km. You know you are there, when you see a narrow concrete road on the left. You cannot miss it. You are almost there when you see a gated house.
* The Falls (some of them are far, and you might need to hire transportation)

- There's a zip line.
- You could attend traditional weddings if you get lucky.