Sunrise and Falls at Sagada

Day 2

April 22, 2012
Sagada, Mt. Province

We woke up early the next day to view the sunrise at  Kiltepan Peak, only to wait for our driver for about 20 minutes. Luckily, we still made it to the view point a few minutes before the sunrise, just enough time to find a spot among the tourists already in there. The view - sunrise over a sea of clouds - was awe-inspiring. I have never seen anything like it before and I wished I could paraglide through it.

After about an hour, long after the sunrise, we went back to inn for breakfast. We went to Bana's Cafe for the kape Alamid or civet cat coffee, which is made of droppings of the Alamid. We changed our minds when we got there as the coffee was made out of poop quite expensive.

After breakfast, we were ready for the 1 hour trek to Bomod-ok falls. It was a very leisurely trek along stoned pathways at the Aguid rice terraces.

We reached the falls at 1030 AM and were surprised that there were only a handful of  people in there.

We left the falls at noon time and went to Rock Inn & Cafe for lunch, as recommended by friends who went there a week before. The restaurant had a nice ambiance and their red chicken was to die for.

We then went to Bokong falls where one can jump off the falls' highest point into the ice-cold pool below. I did jump but only from the lower point and only after contemplating for 10 or 15 minutes, during which time, people at the pool below were cheering me on and a little girl, aged 5 or 6, jumped off twice from where I was at the precipice. I had no choice but to jump.

We ended the day at the Lake Danum where there was supposed to be a view of the sunset. We found out later on, after the sun had set, that we were facing the east side and the sunset view at the west was blocked by some trees. Good thing was that our driver set up a bonfire and brought some marshmallows. It was a nice way to end our Sagada trip.

Estimate Expenses:

  460 PHP - bus fare (Manila to Baguio)

  460 PHP - bus fare (Baguio to Manila)

  400 PHP - accommodation (2 nights)

  900 PHP - food (300 PHP per day)

2100 PHP - van rental for 2 days including round trip to Baguio (14,000 PHP)

  200 PHP - caving - tour guide (500 PHP for 5 persons)

  100 PHP - Bomod-ok Falls - tour guide (600 PHP for 10 persons)

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 4620 PHP

Extreme Caving at Sumaguing

Day 1

April 21, 2012
Sagada, Mt. Province

After many years of wondering what Sagada was all about, I was finally able to convince some friends to come with me to the popular destination. At first, I was actually not sure if they were up for the challenge waiting there so I sent them some caving pictures I found online. They looked difficult and risky and it seemed to me that some level of physical fitness, not to mention courage, was necessary to go through it. I waited for anyone to backout, but they seemed more concerned of the bat poop strewn across the cave.

And so, on April 21 we arrived at Sagada before noon, after 11 hours of travel including 5 hours from Baguio where we met our driver. The original plan was to arrive in time for sunrise but that entailed arriving at the bus terminal 20 minutes before the 7 PM departure (which was indicated, in the smallest font possible, at the back of the tickets I bought earlier that day). We arrived a minute before 7 PM and by then, stand by passengers had already taken our seats. As a result, we had to exchange our tickets to the next available departure at 12 midnight. (Lesson learned: Never buy the 7 PM ticket - any ticket - bus, movie, etc. Nobody leaves the office before 6 PM).

We stayed at Residential Lodge which was highly recommended online. It was nothing fancy - it was clean and homey (for 250 PHP a night, I expected much less) and the owner was extremely nice.

After we have settled in, we left for a quick lunch at Lemon House, known for its lemon pie and egg pie. One thing to note regarding dining out in Sagada was that food were a bit expensive - it was like dining out in Manila.

the popular lemon pie but my friends preferred the egg pie

the gang - Marianne, Susanne, Rissa, Jojo, Chod, John Paul, John2x

After lunch, we finally started spelunking at the Sumaguing cave. Climbing down the cave, we held on to what some us have dreaded coming in - rocks covered with bat poop.  There really was no choice - either hold the rocks or risk falling and rolling in the deep...

After about an hour, we reached the 2nd phase of the adventure. Here, we took of our footwears and had to crawl through small openings...

...cross a pathway by holding tight to a rope (one of the guides had to piggy back one of us across this)...

...wade through ice-cold waist-level water...

.. and hold-on-for-dear-life rock climb.

The 3 hour trek was an adventure of a lifetime and I can't wait to try the cave-connection next time.

For dinner, we went to Salt and Pepper diner where I ordered and enjoyed Inutom (Roasted Chicken in Salt and Pepper). And for desserts, we went to Yoghurt House where we had some yoghurt-based desserts.

yoghurt with strawberry, banana and granola

Camping at Anawangin

March 31, 2012

Anawangin Cove, Zambales

Last March 31, I and some of my office mates and friends went camping in Anawangin cove. I first learned about it from a forwarded email I received a few years ago. It was surprising to see that the place - a picturesque secluded cove of near-white volcanic sand with pine trees reflected in a river bed - is actually in the Philippines and that it is just about 4 hours away from Manila, in San Antonio Zambales to be exact.

We met at Pasay terminal before 5 AM but unfortunately were only able to buy tickets for the 6 AM departure. At past 10 AM, we were at San Antonio and before noon, we were already setting up tents at the camping area. The place was not as crowded as I expected. I heard that it gets really packed during holy week so our timing was just right, even if it rained a little.

Preparing for bonfire

That night, after dinner, we set up a bonfire and cooked tried cooking hotdogs and marshmallows using regular sticks. We either had a very strong bonfire or very short sticks (or both) - it took great amount of effort to just cook burn 1 marshmallow.

The following day, a few of us hiked the nearby mountain for an hour and were rewarded with a  wonderful view of the cove and the semi-dry river bed. The climb, although relatively short, was moderately difficult - 2 of us had to stop midway as the trek became more challenging.

After we got back to the camp site, it was time to pack-up. At around noon time, we commuted our way for about 30 minutes to  Subic bus terminal where we took the bus back to Manila. 

Estimated expenses:

900 PHP - round trip bus fare (Caloocan to San Antonio)

  60 PHP - round trip tricycle fare

100 PHP - Camping fee

200 PHP - round trip boat fare

500 PHP - Food/Water/Grocery

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1,760 PHP 

Back at Delhi

Day 5

March 8, 2012

New Delhi

Of all the weeks available in a year to visit India, Marlon chose this particular week so that we can participate at the Holi festival or Festival of Colors. No doubt he was after the opportunity to capture great photos of the festival, where in people play pranks at each other by hurling colored powder and water. If only we knew better, we would have visited India some other time instead. Most attractions were closed this day (it was disappointing not to see Red fort) and tourists were advised to stay indoor. We actually felt hostaged inside Beaufort Inn as there were kids outside throwing colored stuffs at passers-by. I ended up checking office emails on my vacation.

Photo taken by Marlon

It was already afternoon when we decided to risk getting pranked and went out for lunch (I ran going to the taxi cab and ensured all windows were closed after I got in). We splurged a little as it was our last day. We ate at Fifty9 Radisson Blu Marina at Connaught Place.

Succulent Burrah Kebab

Afterwards, we went to the only attraction open during the holiday - Akshardham, a Hindu temple complex. Completed in 2005 after 5 years, inside the temple are intricately-carved pillars, nine domes, beautiful murals, and grand statues. The place was breathtaking and it was unfortunate that cameras were not allowed in the complex. Not surprisingly, we were done with the complex in less than an hour. No doubt we would have stayed thrice as long if we had cameras with us.

And that concluded our India trip. Later that night, we took the overnight flight back to Kuala Lumpur and we were back in Manila on  Friday night, 30,000 PHP poorer...

Sightseeing at Jaipur

Day 4

March 7, 2012

Jaipur

I have never heard of Jaipur before our trip to India. Apparently, it is part of the so-called golden triangle, along with New Delhi and Agra. We spent the day visiting the attractions around the city, before heading back to New Delhi later in the afternoon.

Our first stop was at Hawa Mahal, a famous landmark in the city built in 1799. It literally means “Palace of the Winds.”  

Afterwards, we went to Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory built between 1727 and 1733. It has a collection of large astronomical instruments that measure time, track stars, and predict eclipses, among others.

Bazaar outside Jantar Mantar

We then spent more than an hour at a local textile store to buy shawls and beddings. It was almost impossible to leave the store without buying anything, even with the steep prices, as the merchant was very accommodating and persuasive. I think he showed us every color and type of shawl there is, from the cheapest to most expensive such as Pashmina.

After shopping, we ate lunch at Royal Treat multi-cuisine restaurant where we ordered Reshami Kebab and stuffed cheese nan. We all loved the food here so I highly recommend this. Judging by the number of tourists in the restaurant, I bet this really is highly recommended by many.

Our last stop was at Amber Palace and Fort, located on a hilltop overlooking an artificial lake. Inside were  palaces, halls, pavilions, temples, and gardens. Built in the 16th century, the palace is a mixture of Hindu and Moghul architecture.

Late in the afternoon, we started the 5-hour journey back to New Delhi, where the Holi festival was to start the next day.