April 1, 2007, 6PM, James arrived at my place. We’re off to do our much-awaited Cordillera road trip. Traffic flow in EDSA, northbound, was fast moving. We were already at the Shell Gas station along NLEX after only 40 minutes. That trip would normally take an hour and a half from Makati. We were supposed to grab a bite but could not fin any decent resto at Shell. I grabbed a road map of the Philippines and of Baguio from the Select store and we were set to go.
We exited at Sta. Rita and used the Nueva Ecija/Vizcaya route to Banaue. We were supposed to stop in Cabanatuan to rest and start traveling again the next day. But we decided to proceed as it was still early. It was only 10PM when we reached Cabanatuan. We arrived at Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya around 1:00 AM and found a relatively decent hotel, forgot the name, where we spent the night. It was cold and windy in Nueva Vizcaya, a refreshing change from the warm and humid climate of Metro Manila. With only five hours of sleep, we drove again and finally arrived in Banaue around 7:45AM. Our game plan was to leave the van and travel by jeepney to Batad junction. We found a safe spot for the van in front of a carinderia where we had coffee. James talked to the owner and asked permission to park the van in front of their store. The owner agreed without asking anything in return but we insisted on giving her a hundred peso. Manang gladly accepted the amount.
Looking for a ride to Batad is a bit of an adventure as most of the drivers we asked said that they’ll have to wait for the jeepney to be filled with passengers before they leave. That would be around 11AM already. We couldn’t wait that long so they suggested that we just hire the jeepney and pay Php 1,000 for the trip. Hmmmm, I knew there was another option. We tried to look for other passengers who would share the rental fee with us but there were no tourists bound for Batad at that time. We went to the tourist information center and there we met Mang Caloy, a man in his sixties who is into running marathon. He is there to check out Batad as he would have guests coming in the next few months. I would say, Mang Caloy is fairly fit for his age. He was also waiting for the regular trip to Batad junction. The lady at the center suggested that we take the tricycle instead. But she warned us that it would be a bumpy one-hour or so ride. We waited for a little while until a driver approached us and offered to bring us to Batad saddle for 100/person. He said he will be picking up some guests from the saddle so he might as well get passengers on his way there. So after almost 30 minutes of waiting at the Tourist Center, we are finally off to Batad.
It was a dusty, bumpy, and scenic one-hour jeepney ride to Batad saddle. It was a good decision not to take the tricycle or we will have to deal with sore butts and head at the end of the ride. Mang Caloy decided to join when we trek to Batad Village. It’s a 45-minute trek to the village. The trek was downward and while walking, I was already worried of our trek back up to the saddle the next day. But I couldn’t just ignore the magnificent view of the mountains and of the green rice terraces. Although the sun was up, the cold breeze kept us going.
We arrived at the village and had the most magnificent view of the rice terraces. I have never seen the terraces like that before. The villagers call it the ampitheater. We registered at the tourist center and made a donation to the Batad Tourist Guides Association. We headed to Rita’s Inn. Nothing really fancy but the modest hut provided us a basic room, and a spotless common toilet and bath for only Php 150/head. We took the room fronting the ampitheater. Veggie rice became our staple and had a taste of the infamous Batad pizza. We trekked to Tappi-yah Falls walking on the rice terraces’s trail and passing by some traditional Ifugao houses. The trip to Batad would have been perfect had James not lost his one-month old Rudy Project shades when he left it at the falls. Our guide, Mang Romy, went back from it only to be told that the guy tending the store there had not seen it. We felt bad but we eventually let go realizing there is really no chance for us of getting it back. We woke up the next day with an amazing view of the terraces. After a hefty breakfast of veggie rice and sardines, we trekked back up to the saddle trying to catch the 9AM jeepney back to Banaue. We made it to the saddle just before the jeepney left.
Mang Caloy hitched a ride with us to Sagada. The road from Banaue to Sagada suffered so much from a number of landslides from recent months. It took us 5 hours and a half to get to Sagada from Banaue. I can’t wait to be in one of my favorite places in the Philippines. Sagada never failed to amaze me. The place, although very basic, has a number of interesting things to offer its visitors. We arrived in Sagada on a Holy Tuesday. We were fortunate to have made a booking at George’s Guest House a month before our scheduled trip. Getting an accommodation could get really tough on a Holy Week. The building is relatively new so the rooms are clean. All rooms have a veranda and a private toilet and bath. The guest house do not have its own restaurant so we really have to walk in order to eat. Good thing Yoghurt House is just a five-minute walk from our place. We were supposed to do the exploration of Sumaguing Cave with our friends but they arrived in Sagada seven hours delayed of their scheduled arrival. They were supposed to arrive at 1PM on a Holy Thursday but due to a long queue of tourists headed for Sagada at the bus terminal in Baguio, our friends arrived at 8PM. They stayed at Gecko Inn, a new place located almost 2 km away from town. They charged higher than George Guest House but you really don’t get value for your money. Aside from it isolated from the main town, they charge you for every single thing you request (i.e. towels, cellphone charging). Our four-day stay in Sagada couldn’t be any better. We were there just before the huge volume of tourists arrived. I would never really recommend going there on a Holy Week.
We headed for Baguio and stayed there for two days. I liked the bed and breakfast place where we stayed at. It’s called PNKY Home. The artsy-fartsy place is operated by the owner of PNKY Collection so we expect it to have a wide array of antique collections on display. The café also offers good gourmet food. The room is big and has one king size and one double bed. Traffic was bad and at that point our only consolation is our escape from the Manila heat wave. Since it was Black Saturday when we drove back, the trip back to Manila was a breeze.
This travelogue is two weeks delayed. And at the time of writing, an unfortunate event occurred in Batad Village. An American member of the US Peace Corps, Julia Campbell, was reported missing since Aprill 8. Her dead body was found on April 19 when a team of volunteers saw a set of female leg sticking out while most of the body was buried with soil. Forensic experts reported that she died of head injuries. I would say that this is an isolated case and should not discourage tourist from visiting Batad. When traveling, I suggest you travel with a companion and should keep your guards up at all times. Read about the place you are visiting and get a certified guide if you are not familiar with the place.
I learned a lot from this trip. James and I got to know each other better and found out that he could be one of my fave travel buddies. The adventures and (mis)adventures we had from this trip only made our relationship stronger.
The magnificent view from above the mountain gave us the natural high. Couldn’t get enough of the fresh air. The culture of the people from the Cordillera is very rich and I am hoping that they preserve it. I pity the old Ifugao folks who dress up in their traditional clothes for the benefit of the tourists’ camera. They should not be regarded as a tourist commodity but we as visitors to their land should accord to them the respect that they deserve.
Living the life as usual, until my next adventure.
(check-out: http://angelfish5877.multiply.com/photos/album/8/Cordillera_Road_Trip for more photos)
Ging Masinda
22 April 2007
Contact numbers:
George’s Guest House, Sagada: (0918) 480406 c/o Ate Dora
PNKY Home bead and Breakfast: Leonard Road, Baguio City
www.pnkyhome.com ; (+6374) 446-7094
(+6374) 444-5418
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