Sagada is as different from the rest of the Philippines as Darjeeling is to the rest of India. It’s an oasis of beauty with a slower pace. After an 18-hour journey from Manila to Sagada, I arrived at my guest house and was invited for coffee and cake by some educators. They were in the region for a conference on a curriculum for indigenous children. They were going caving that afternoon and invited me to join them. I jumped at the chance and got changed.

An hour later, we were making our way to the cave opening. There were nine of us and three guides. Most of the folks on the tour were middle-aged, and the caving trip was much more dangerous than anything in the US. I can not imagine finding such an adventurous group of middle-aged people in the US. The cave was amazing. There was some light technical climbing and some water crossings, as well as some climbing with knotted ropes. The guides were excellent and knew exactly what to do to help some of the less in-shape members of our group get up, over, or around obstacles safely. It’s the most fun I have had in a cave. The cost was about $5 US per person, including tip. A trip like this in the US would have required training, lots of safety gear, and a hefty fee.

The next day I went for a hike to the top of a mountain. There are no good maps available of Sagada. I think it is a way to encourage folks to hire a guide. With very rough directions, I started to make my way up the mountain. I missed a turning and ended up climbing up the rice terraces halfway to the summit; then I found the path. About 3/4 of the way up, it dawned on me that no one knew where I was or when I was coming back. If something happened to me up there, I was on my own. I made it to the summit, where three houses were at the top, but no one was around. I took the path on the way down and was glad I took the terraces on the way up. There were turnings off the path on the way up and no way to know which way to turn, so by getting a bit lost on the way up, I saved a bunch of time not taking false paths and had a much better experience.

Ken, Joalalito, Me, Wama and Jayson

I also took a walk to the little falls as the big falls were closed. There is a swimming hole at the little falls, and I had a nice swim with some locals. Four young people that worked at a local guest house invited me to join them at a nearby summit for some drinks and a sunset fire, so I did. They were from different parts of the Philippines and had come to Sagada for work. We had a great time hanging out, talking, taking pictures, and dancing to music from their cell phones.