Sagad sa Sagada: Cloudy with a chance of sunrise

Before sunrise at Kiltepan Peak

What better way to start our last day in Sagada than waking up at 4 AM, right?  Surprisingly, we managed to drag ourselves out of bed and got ready in under 30 minutes while still half-asleep (I left the room without a jacket on while Vanie with her Havs on instead of her trusty Tribu sandals HAHA #bangag) all with the hope of catching the breathtaking sunrise at Kiltepan Peak.  Ansabe ng sakit ng katawan that we got from two days full of extreme activities??  As the boys put it, "Bakit kailangan pa mag-sunrise, araw-araw naman sumisikat ang araw?"  Sarap lang batukan, di ba?  Even with the boys' lack of enthusiasm, all the girls (except Rach) were still up for it and as expected, so is Kuya Gareth (Kuya G from now on, ok?).  He greeted us with an energetic and a bit loud "Good morning!!!" when he picked us up from Bagalima to which I responded with a weak smile and a nod.  I doubt if he even saw that but hey, that's the best I could do at 4:30 in the morning!

Front row seats, baby!

It was still dark outside as we made our way to Kiltepan Peak.  The air was chilly and perfect for sleeping in but after eating several pieces of mini mamons, I got my energy back.  When we got to the site, there were some people hanging out and having breakfast around a bonfire.  It seemed like a cool place to set up camp.  A few people were also already gathered by the viewing area but luckily, our tour guide knows his way through and led us to a free spot which I think is the best spot since we got front row seats to catch the sunrise.  We were literally sitting on the ledge of a rock.  I even overheard some tourist say, "Di ba delikado na dyan?" but after 3 days of being with our guides, I've learned to trust them.  Ngayon pa ba ako magdo-doubt?  After all, I owe them my life.

Conquered my fear of heights and sat on a ledge just to marvel at the beauty that await us below.  And for some photo ops, of course.

The clouds were a little thick and Kuya Gareth warned us that we might not get to see the sunrise if the sky doesn't clear up.  There's even one tourist who's been to Sagada four times already who still hasn't seen the sunrise at Kiltepan Peak, so who am I to complain?  Of course, I'd love to see the sunrise because that's what we're there for but honestly, the view alone was breathtaking.  You can see the terraces and the river from where we're sitting and it's so postcard-perfect!  I could only thank God for the beauty I've seen.

Cloudy sunrise at Kiltepan Peak

While passing time, we chit-chatted (more like interviewed Kuya G), took turns having photo ops at our perfect spot, and ate snacks.  This is where my slight obsession for Begnas all started thanks to Kuya G's stories.  Sorry but I was really amazed by the fact that all Igorots have costumes in their closets complete with spears and accessories, I tell you!  My face literally lit up after hearing that.  And who wouldn't be thrilled by that?  As a Disney baby, it seemed so Pocahontas-y to me, I just have to experience it!  Okay, sinong defensive?

We were so high up, there was even a time when we joked about how you could see everything from where we're sitting - like there's a guy swimming at the river below wearing red short shorts and it might be Kuya Kirky (of course, there was no guy, we just made fun of Kuya Kirky's unkabogable red short shorts for the entire trip) when suddenly, someone screamed, "Uy, si Kuya Kirky!"  We all laughed but when we turned around, Kuya Kirky was there indeed!  High-fives were exchanged, and we were all ecstatic so we waved at him while screaming, "HI KUYA KIRKY!!!!"  Joked around with him for a while before we realized how loud we must've been since almost everyone was looking at us.  Oops, sorry.  Kami na ang super na-attach sa tour guides.

At around 6 AM, we decided to give up our hopes of seeing the sunrise and headed to our next destination.  But not without taking more photos at the nearby trees.  And on top of the jeepney.

E yung mas madami pa kami sa puno

And with Kuya Kirky.  HAHA  While his tour group were having their own photo ops, Kuya Kirky stayed with us for a while.  Kahiya lang sa tour group niya.  Hanggang sa pag-akyat ng jeep, he still helped and guided us.  Ang bongga di ba!  Clingy din si kuya!  It turns out, he and his tour group will hitch a ride with us back to the town proper.

With Kuya Kirky

During our photo ops, we met  Raffy the tour dog.  So fluffy!  He was running around, hopping from one tourist group to another asking for pets.  Cute!  Too bad, we weren't able to take pictures of him. :(

So our sunrise-viewing was a fail.  But honestly, I'd gladly wake up at 4 AM again for a chance to see the sunrise at Kiltepan Peak.
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Scream your heart out at Echo Valley

Our yellow jeepney dropped us off at the Episcopal church - the only church in Sagada (if I remember correctly).  Kuya G was sharing with us some really cool facts about Sagada's history when Erin suddenly stepped on some horse (or was it cow?) poo.  HIGHlarious!  Nasira tuloy ang serious tour namin!

From the Episcopal church, we started our mini hike to Echo Valley.  Don't let the sign fool you.  It'll take a while before you actually reach the site.

Don't fret though as you get to catch a glimpse of these beauties while walking around Sagada.  Fun fact: Angel's Trumpet (the pink one) can make you high and give you hallucinations.  Funny how something so pretty and delicate can turn out to be pretty dangerous, eh?

First stop: the Christian cemetery where they have some pretty cool customized tombstones instead of the boring ones we're used to in the city.  Some were really old and some even had Japanese inscriptions on them.  We also learned about Pinag-aapoy or their way of observing All Saint's Day wherein they light up not candles but mini bonfires on each grave (click here to watch a video).  Scary yet I want to see it in person (though I doubt my eyes can stand all that smoke).

Even though some Sagadians prefer to be buried the Christian way, they still make it their own by celebrating Pinag-aapoy.

After a little bit of walking (okay, not really little, but little compared to what we've been through in the past couple of days), we arrived at Echo Valley.  At first, I thought it was Eco Valley as in parang Eco Park. HAHA  True to it's name, whatever you scream out at Echo Valley will, duh, echo and be screamed back at ya.  Since I still haven't regained my voice, I left the screaming to them.  Rach kept on screaming obscenities which was funny but was funnier to Kuya G for some reason.

At Echo Valley's lookout point where you can scream all you want.

The hanging coffins were visible from where we're standing but Kuya G asked us if we wanted to take a closer look which will require us to walk a little more.  We all shrugged and decided to go.  Heck, we're already here so we might as well make the most of it, right?  Kebs kung pagoda na.  After hiking all the way down, we finally reached the site where Kuya G explained to us how the burial ceremonies are done (click here to watch a video).  Q&A na naman ang drama. 

When your guides tell you that you need to walk a little, they actually mean something like this.  Apparently, everything's just "walking distance" in Sagada.

Then came the photo ops, as usual.  In the middle of it all, we realized we we're missing Jeng and Arvin so we asked Kuya G.  He shrugged it off and said they just had to deal with some business.  Being the pakialamera that we are, we kept on asking until Jeng and Arvin appeared.  Alam na.  Teritoryo na ang Echo Valley. HAHA

With the hanging coffins.  Jeng and Arvin, where art thou?  Fun fact: See that chair hanging by Sumbad's coffin?  That's what they call The Dead Man's Chair.  In Sagada, instead of placing the dead body in the coffin during the wake, they sit it upright on a chair.  Scary but pretty cool, right?

The hike back felt a bit more tiring than usual.  I even had to take my knitted sweater off because I was sweating so much.  This caused my friends to freak out after seeing how bad my sunburn (from Pongas) really is. :(

The not-so mini hike back to the church.

Travel date: 7 May 2012 [Day 3]
Photo credits: Eric, Faye and Vanie

Want to visit Sagada?  Head over to the SaGGAs website to better familiarize yourself with what's in store for you.  You can also choose a trusty tour guide in advance from their catalog as long as they're available during your trip.  For more information on Kiltepan Peak and Echo Valley, click here and here respectively.