Almost all, if not all, people who had their hearts broken know the song Where Do Broken Hearts Go by Whitney Houston. In the Philippines, this was more popularized by the movie That Thing Called Tadhana. So to answer the question, where do broken hearts really go (in the Philippines at least lol)? SAGADA!
Dear readers, as you may have already hinted from my previous posts – I do have a broken (crushed!) heart so my friends and I planned for a trip to Sagada and I can say this is the most fulfilling adventure I’ve had in my life.
My dear friend managed the booking and we were able to get an affordable tour from Zetodeals – check out their Facebook page for available tours, they do offer single tours. We took the Ultimate Sagada Tour priced at PHP 3,088 which has a side trip to Banaue Rice Terraces and Baguio.
DAY 1:
These terraces are considered the Eighth Wonder of the World (there are a lot lol). These terraces were carved into the mountains by the ancient Igorots. It’s my first time to see this place in actual and I found myself in awe as it is truly breathtaking.
After appreciating the beauty of the Banaue Rice Terraces, we headed to our main destination, Sagada, which was around 4-hour-drive away. We stayed at Casa Robina, unfortunately, I was not able to take a photo of the lodge. We rested for a while and went on to our first adventure.
According to our tour guide, this Inatep House consists of 3 floors where natives do their cooking on the first floor.
First on our itinerary was to go on an Adventure trail. Before we went trekking to Echo Valley, we passed by the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. I have this tradition of making wishes during my first visit to any Church and so I did make a wish when I visited this Church ~ hope it comes true 🙂 A cemetery is located near the Church, burial here is via the traditional way wherein coffins are buried under the ground.
We then trekked to Echo Valley where we found the famous Sagada Hanging Coffins. According to our tour guide, their ancestors believe that even at death, they must have a connection to nature thus they do not prefer burying under the ground but prefer hanging the coffins or placing them near cave entrances instead. When we asked why the coffins are hanging, he said that it’s simply to avoid wild animals from picking on the corpses and spread diseases.
DAY 2:
Know that scene in the movie where Mace (Angelica Panganiban) shouted as a way to let go of all the pain she was feeling? The scene was taken in Mt. Kiltepan in Sagada. There’s no need to hike to see the beauty of Mt. Kiltepan’s sunrise and sea of clouds as topload jeepneys will take you straight to the peak; you just have to look for a good area to capture the beauty of the place since it’s packed with tourists.
According to our tour guide, the clouds during our visit were scarce as compared to other days but it’s okay as we can still see the sea of clouds from a distance. The sunrise was breathtaking and the sea of clouds is astonishing. Anthony (JM de Guzman) was right, it was worth the wait.
After being stunned by the beauty of Mt. Kiltepan, we headed to Bomod-ok Falls. Bomod-ok Falls is a 3-hour trek (back and forth) and I am telling you that going there is way easier than going back but thanks to Kuya Ian for patiently waiting for us during our breaks lol. It is situated at the bottom of the mountain and to get there, you’ll have to pass by a small community at the middle of the mountain. The walk seemed unending and the heat was excruciating but as the cliché goes, what is happiness without suffering? What seemed like a never-ending road was all worth it when we reached Bomod-ok Falls; its beauty and the cool breeze there took all our exhaustion away!
The highlight of our tour, at least for me, was Lumiang Burial-Sumaging Cave Connections. This was literally buwis buhay and I’m glad I survived it despite the misfortunes along the way lol. According to our itinerary, it will usually take 3-4 hours to finish the spelunking but it took us 5 hours ~ thanks to me. Haha! This activity was physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding lol. We had to use our entire body to move forward. I won’t dwell on the details, you guys have to try it for your experience ~ just remember to be careful 🙂 Kudos to our tour guides for not giving up on us, so much respect for these guys as they sacrifice their body for the convenience and safety of tourists like us.
DAY 3:
After the challenging Day 2 which included the very challenging Sumaging Cave, we were hesitating if our bodies can still go hiking in Marlboro Hills (1 hour hike) for the sunrise as our minds wanted to hike but we can barely move our body. Our minds won so we woke up early to catch the sunrise. The hike was ALL WORTH IT and I’m glad we didn’t just stay at the lodge to rest. When I reached the peak and saw the sea of clouds, my tears started pouring down because I can’t believe that I was able to go through all the Sagada challenges without him. I can’t believe that I can finally say that I SURVIVED SAGADA and I have my good Lord and good friends to thank for that!
SIDE TRIPS:
This Sagada trip is surely one for the books and it helped me somehow find peace in my mind and in my heart. I’m definitely going back (for those places I wasn’t able to visit)! So much appreciation for my friends who organized the trip and spent time with me during one of my darkest days. I’ll get by, I promise ~ my sunrise will come… someday 🙂
Where to next?
; keep going
AMARANTHINE 
With thanks! Valuable information!
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