Sagada, here we come

Noooooo. I did not go to Sagada because of that Tagalog movie called “That Thing Called Tadhana”. Please. Sagada isn’t about a movie. It’s about slowing down to the pace of a simple town, discovering practices and traditions, exploring caves and other natural attractions, enjoying gustatory delights in the cold mountain air, and finding out things about oneself and one’s family that you would otherwise miss in the hectic pace of urban Manila.

It took us almost three hours to drive some 66 kilometers from Banaue to Sagada using this route:

Nature's Mist in Banaue to Masferre Country Inn in Sagada

Our muscles still aching from the walk to and from Batad Rice Terraces the day before, I was rather dismayed yet amused to find that the initial part of the drive to Sagada was dotted with view decks for tadadah … the Banaue rice terraces. 







Park the car. Get down. Take in the view. Take photos. That simple. My husband and sister-in-law, God bless them, said nothing.

Rock Inn and Cafe is some distance from
the town proper so it's a quiet, relaxing place.

Lunch found us at Café Bodega at the Rock Inn and Café in Sagada, where we had hoped to do some orange-picking. Alas, orange-picking happens from November to February so after a good meal, we set off for the town proper.




Our accommodations

I must admit that Masferre Country Inn and Restaurant was not my first choice but by the time we finalized our travel plans, it was about the only place we considered resting our heads. There are many, many lodging choices in Sagada, but not all of them are on Agoda.com.

We just walked to the hanging coffins.

Still, it turned out to be a good choice, even if it was more expensive than the prevailing rate in Sagada. It is a stone’s throw from the municipal tourism information center, where we booked our tours, and within walking distance of almost everything. 

The food is great at Masferre Country Inn.

And the food. Great food and even better bread, available at the bakeshop beside the inn.

We were happy that we were given a room
with a terrace.

The room was adequate. It had its own CR/shower equipped with a water heater that fluctuated between hot and cold. We were pleased to be given C-3, a quadruple room with its own terrace. My only complaint is that the walls are too thin or maybe, everything just echoes in Sagada.


Notices posted on walls to keep the noise down go unnoticed or are ignored. I woke up at around 4 a.m. to the sound of knocking on the neighboring room’s door with “Liliw, mahal. Gising na (Liliw dear, wake up).” Then a young voice says, “Mommy, I want to wear shorts but it’s too cold.” I know this group is up early to see the sun go up over the clouds in Mt. Kiltepan, but they did not have to advertise it to their neighbors.

Also, the dogs (and there are many of them in Sagada) do not follow the 9 p.m. curfew (haha). Their barking kept me up late into the night, as well as the sound of merriment from a group that obviously did not fear the police doing the rounds. In Sagada, policemen do not carry guns. Fact.

Next: Braving Sumaguing Cave