Sagad sa Sagada: The Climb

Sagada Challenge #2: Pongas Waterfalls

It might seem impossible to wake up at 6:30 AM after yesterday's spelunking adventure but surprisingly, all of us were able to get out of bed in time to grab some power breakfast at Yoghurt House.  Actually, I was up by 4 AM thanks to our neighbor whom I overheard talking loudly about how late it already was and how it was almost 7 AM. =.=  That woke me up pretty well.  Siya na ang late at 4 AM!

Power breakfast at Yoghurt House.  Sinong naka-racerback & board shorts at 7AM?  Blame it on the Hot Mountain Chocolate!

Due to the huge servings in Sagada, Erin and I decided to share our food.  We ordered one of their bestsellers, Hiker's Delight, which consists of a banana-filled crepe, toast, eggs and yoghurt with strawberries.  Some of them tried the Mountain Tea while I tried the Hot Mountain Chocolate.  Hiker's Delight was indeed delightful and really filling!  The Hot Mountain Chocolate drink, however, was bit of a downer.  At least for me.  I took a couple of sips and that was it.  That was enough to make me take my cardigan off!  They weren't kidding when they said it was extra hot.  Gumuguhit e, parang may alcohol!

Surprisingly, my favorite among our orders was Mabel's Tuna and Cheese Omelet.  It was soooooo good!  I wanted to finish the whole plate if I wasn't already full and if Mabel wasn't looking at me so threateningly.  Tip #14: Load up on carbs before doing any activity in Sagada.  You'll need it.

Sagad sa Sagada: All about facing your fears

Afraid of the dark?  Yep.  Terrified of heights?  Oh, yeah.  Claustrophobic?  You have no idea.  OC?  Definitely.  Control freak?  Absolutely.  So why in the world did I even sign up for cave connection?  Well, I'd like to believe my love for traveling and thirst for adventure are greater than my fears.  Or I don't know, maybe I'm just crazy and a certified kaladkarin.  Go lang ng go!

Caving vs Spelunking.  According to Kuya Gareth (Kuya G from now on just because it's easier to type) aka our resident Kuya Kim, both terms refer to exploring caves but the difference is: caving is done by professionals while spelunking is more like a hobby which is done by amateurs.  Like us.

Sagada Challenge #1: Cave Connection (Lumiang and Sumaging Caves)

May the odds be ever in our favor!  Fun fact: Several coffins have lizards engraved on them which symbolize long life and good fortune.

For cave connection, the starting point would be at Lumiang Cave and the exit point will be at Sumaging Cave.  The whole activity usually takes 4-6 hours depending on how many times you stop for photo ops.  Chos!  Seriously though, photo ops did take a lot of our time.  The usual ratio of guides to spelunkers is 1:4.  Since there are 12 of us in the group, I expected us to have 3-4 guides.  We were all surprised when we had 6 guides with us so that's 1:2.

You've been warned.

I finally finished my lengthy blog posts about our recent Sagada trip so this serves as a warning.  Promise, I tried to cut it down but the storyteller in me just won't shut up.  The upcoming posts are definitely tl;dr* worthy but hey, it's for documentation purposes so cut me some slack.  This blog serves as an extra page for me to write everything that won't fit in my teeny, tiny Filed planner.

To give this post a little more sense of purpose than just a warning, here's a teaser to my Sagad sa Sagada series which is a realization I've had saved in my e-mail drafts for quite a while:

So I just saw some photos from SaGGAs of their rescue operation of a spelunker who slipped in Sumaging Cave and suffered from hypothermia.  It sent chills down my spine (no pun intended) as I remembered my fall.  That FB post was enough for me to realize the gravity of the situation and how well our guides handled it.  It was another near-death experience for me right there.  Thank goodness, Kuya Kelvin acted quick enough and grabbed me by the hand before I crashed into the boulders waiting below.  Understandably, I will be forever grateful to him for saving my life.  And to God for always watching over me and for giving me another chance at life.  I hope the spelunker gets well soon.  Props to the guides of SaGGAs for being well-equipped and well-trained!

There you go.  Enjoy and brace yourselves for the upcoming flood!  Of blog posts that is.

*too long; didn't read