Snippets of Bomod-Ok Falls

Cant believe it took me a week to finish four posts regarding the Sagada trip. I've been very busy trying to think of ways how to make the remaining days of my summer a little more productive. Well, I dont think anyone's bothered with my outdated entries anyway as there aren't really a lot of people reading this blog and this site actually serves more of a personal enjoyment and a rundown to memory lane rather than a pro-blog of sort.

So, our last stop was the Bomod-Ok falls and in order for you to see its beauty, you have to trek 3km down a mountain/Rice Terraces. No pain, No gain as they say. But if you're planning to burn those extra calories of yours (like me!)...well, well, it's gonna be quite worth it for you. 

'

After 1-2 hours of trekking, I really do encourage you to swim or just have a dip in the water. It's extremely cold but it's gonna take all your exhaustion away. 

Hi mom you look very tired :) But hey! as you said - this just proves that you are fit enough and can pass cardio clearance! Proud of you!

Oh yeah! The most important thing you have to bring when going up a mountain is...

NUTELLA! :) A very powerful energy booster :D

*What a senseless blog entry, I'll try to update this once I get the kick to.

Snippets of Sumaguing and Lumiang Caves

Notorious, apalling and daunting yet somehow very intriguing. Everytime I hear the word Sagada, a picture of a haunted house with zombies crawling, walking and chasing after me come out of my imagination. And, the famous tourist spot called the Hanging Coffins doesn't help me with my resentment to visit the place. I'm sorry for the use of the negative words but if you were with me in highschool, you'll know why the word Sagada correlates to something very dangerous. However, my inner urge to travel the Philippines was far more convincing than my fear. Thus, I prepared myself for the trip.

Unlike my other peregrinations of which I was accompanied by either my friends in school or relatives, I went to Sagada with my mom's officemates this time. So, I'm not really part of the plan but I was invited by my mother to tag along (for one reason that I'm supposed to be her 'yaya' - :P) and I took it as an opportunity to see places I have never set my eyes on. 

I am really out of words to what happened to us in Sagada. So here are the pictures ...

A group picture with the entrance to the cave behind us. The entrance itself looks like a habitat of a hideous monster or something :\

A bunch of coffins behind us in the picture. The tour guide said that there used to be hundreds of them way back but an earthquake struck and the coffins fell inside the cave and some cracked open (After hearing this, pictures of people locked up in dungeons with skulls and human bones covering the floor suddenly popped out of my head). You may also have noticed that some of the coffins are small, if you think they're babies, well, you are mistaken. According to the guides, the cadavers were placed inside the coffins in fetal position but I dont quite remember the reason why. On our way to the cave, we passed by some coffins made out of natural tree woods hanging in enormous calcium stones. The origin of this says that suspending the coffins would bring them closer to heaven aided by the forces of nature. This ancient practice is still being done by minority groups and the last coffin hanged was in year 2010.

... I did not dare touch any of those coffins.

The thing that worried me the most while inside the cave wasn't the fact that there are bats inside, that I can fall into a pit of abyss with one wrong step, break my bones, slip and get stuck inside forever...what worried me was the fact that my mom was with us ...'spelunking' - rappelling, entering small holes I never imagined she could pass through and climbing what seemed like a 90 degree slippery wall without any gear or protection. I dont know how many times I've prayed to God everytime she enters a hole or when I see her struggling. Seriously, this spelunking was no joke...the only thing you can hold on to and trust your life with is you faith - nothing more. 

So, here's the thing; When you enter the cave make sure that you're confident and full hearted because once you're in you cannot go back and the only way out is some 3-4 hours of wild and nerve racking adventure.

The tour guide made me step on his right thigh to help me go down that humongous rock!

Just imagine how dark it would be without the latterns and it was so cold down there that I could literally see my breath come out of my mouth,

 I have to say, the tour guides deserve a huge amount of credit for this journey. The guy in the yellow shirt carried all of us, one by one, on his back so that we could enter the hole. Thank you so much! If you're planning to explore the caves please do not forget to say even a simple thank you to the tour guides who'll accompany you because the things they do can take their lives away with a blink of an eye, so be grateful at least :)

With mom! :D I wonder what sort of things bothered her the entire time. 

Post conference. Everyone was asking "why are we doing this?",  "why are we here in the first place?" and "bakit ba natin pinapahirapan ang sarili natin?!"

I was holding a sarong because mom said I might need some extra layer of clothing inside the cave, so no...that sarong is not a fashion statement :))

With my future boss' - thank you for this trip! :D

Most people were amazed with the stalagmite and stalactite formations but those didn't really catch my eye. I remember during first year highschool when we went to Biak na Bato and I saw the most spectacular and out of this world stalagmite - glistening like a huge rock of diamond in the middle of the dark. I saw nothing like that in the caves. But the stories behind the formations in the Lumiang cave was really something worth listening ;)

There was one point inside the cave where we had to immerse ourselves in chest deep water to cross to the other side and the ice cold water felt like I was being bitten by ants. I thought I was going to suffer from frostbite. Hmm, at least I got a little taste of how it feels to die like Jack in Titanic. Fun, nonetheless,

  

 Yey, finally out after 4 hours! WE SURVIVED!

Conquering Sagada felt like I could conquer anything in the world. Everyone should really go and try this adrenaline kicking adventure but make sure you're fit enough to enter. This turned out to be an adventure of a lifetime, I guess. Until now I still cannot fathom how I was able to survive the caves... that was quite a feat! Despite the risks and "I'm gonna pass through that?! are-you-kidding-me?" I absolutely and certainly enjoyed the experience - very redefining actually: I went home as a stronger spirit! The feeling is unexplainable and the only way I can tell you how is if you go to Sagada and experience the caves for yourself!

Tips for spelunking:

1. Wear slippers because there are parts in the cave when you have to remove your footwear. Actually, I gave my slippers to the tour guide and walked on my bare feet the whole time.

2. Bring only yourself and a camera. Don't hesitate to bring your SLR because the tour guides can hold them and protect them from any damage. 

3. Stretch before entering because muscle ache tends to be more painful after without some pre-exercise of some kind.

4. Trust the ropes and trust your tour guides :)

5. Do not hurry while exploring the cave. It's okay to move slow as long as you know you're not going to fall off or slip. 

6. No need for a flashlight. The tour guides' lamps will suffice.

7. You'll also find your hand gloves very useful.

8. Wear anything you're most comfortable with just make sure you can extend both your legs and hands to its maximum with your clothes. Wear leggings if you don't want any scratches on your precious legs :)

9. Oh.. and bring water. Don't worry, you can give them it the tour guides and just ask for it when you get thirsty along the way.

10. Pray before entering that exit the cave alive :) I'm not scaring you or anything. It's just that you really have to pray.  

My mom asked me if i would dare do this again and I was quite puzzled with that question. It's not an easy yes but I guess I will... but not for the next couple of years :P

Snippets of Kiltepan Peak, Sagada

Believe it or not but in my 19 years of existence, I have never witnessed an actual sunrise. I mean, yes I've seen a sun up in the morning but I have never seen the golden disk slowly appearing over the horizon and gracefully uncovering itself from the dark clouds while illumintaing the valley below it. Who would've thought that the MOST BEAUTIFUL scene my eyes have ever laid on (so far) would be in the mountainous province of Sagada? 

Having only 5 hours of sleep and then waking up at 5 in the morning with extreme muscle pain (from spelunking) and without a drop of coffee in my mouth seems like a very bad way of getting up. When our tour guide said that we'd be waking up early to see the sunrise while on the mountain with the clouds below us - I thought 'hey, okay that doesn't seem so beautiful...i mean, it's just the sun and the clouds. What kind of good view can they give us?' But i seemed to have underestimated this place because as we hurried up the steep hill and reached the top...

 ...I saw the most majestic and breathtaking thing EVER.

You know that part in the movie "Despicable me" when agnes said "It's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!" ? That was the reaction I had when I saw the sea of clouds. I also wanted to jump into it so bad...if only clouds weren't visible mass of aerosols.

I couldn't get enough of this place. No matter how much I stare at it I still couldn't get my head to look at another thing. I was overcome by awe. This is somehow a transcendence of a kind because I can't find enough adjectives and words to describe this place. What was unfolding right before my eyes was truly confounding and humbling at the same time and I couldn't be more thankful to Him for giving me an opportunity to witness what appeared to be the most splendid panorama I've ever seen. :)

I promised myself I'm going to visit this place again. 

SOOOOO BLESSED! <3

#1 regret: Why in the world did I not bring the SLR? :((
Pictures from Sir Josh.

Snippets of The Banaue Rice Terraces

Do you remember back in preschool/gradeschool when your teachers ask you to bring postcards of any places in the Philippines and they post the pictures on the classroom wall? They then let you memorize the names of the places and you won't be able to go home unless you can identify the postcard they show you? I can vividly remember back then how I was the first one to go home because I knew what the Rice Terraces looked like. I was very much interested in the Terraces primarily because it was referred to and known worldwide as the 8th wonder of the world. I was also very much fascinated as to how such stairs (as I thought back then) exist and how it was done. According to historical accounts, the rice terraces were made mostly by the hands of the native Ifugaos and it was reckoned that if the Rice Terraces were to be placed end to end flat on ground, it will encircle half of the globe.

Random thought: A year ago, I have learned from my Humanities class that nature cannot be regarded as an art because it is God's creation. Nature is something incomparable to anything that's man made. however, looking at this picture made me ask 'what if nature becomes so marvelous because of man's hands?' Can it now be considered as an artfwork? 

People say that the Terraces is a perfect example of harmony between humans and nature and I absolutely agree. I mean, just look at that...how can you possibly just create something so unreal and unlikely to be shaped just by pure hand work. I kept on staring at the entirety of the Rice Terraces and it's so incomprehensible. It really is a living proof of the genius engineering of the Ifugaos. Unfortunately, this cultural heritage is slowly disintegrating due to climate change, erosion and other several factors. 

With Ma'am Roxy, Eirene, Sir Brian and Ma'am Ivy....and sir Rommel

Locals

Mom :)

With the 'gang' 

If you are a nature lover, like me, this place is a must see. It's truly a perfect escape from Manila's pollution and extreme heat.

Pictures from: Sir Brian, Sir Josh, Ma'am Eireen