Paradise in The Philippines
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 to get 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 curriculum for indigenous children. They were going caving that afternoon and invited me to join them. I jumped at the chance and got changed.
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.
On The Road in Manila
Prior to World War II, Manila was known as the “Pearl of the Orient,” now it is just an over crowded asian city with as much smog as Beijing and the smell of Calcutta. I did not find much about Manila to make me like it. It’s worth maybe a day or two at most perhaps a few days longer if you use it as a base for day trips. I’ve ruled it out as a place I might want to live in. I did encounter the best scam I’ve ever come across there, perhaps I’ll write about that later.
Prior to World War II, Manila was known as the “Pearl of the Orient,” now, it is just an overcrowded asian city with as much smog as Beijing and the smell of Calcutta. I did not find much about Manila to make me like it. It’s worth maybe a day or two at most, perhaps a few days longer if you use it as a base for day trips. I’ve ruled it out as a place I might want to live in. I did encounter the best scam I’ve ever come across there. Perhaps I’ll write about that later.
There were about 10 people at the guest house in Manila that would hang out from time to time for dinner and adventures. One of them had a friend of a friend in Manila, and she invited some of us to a friend’s house for drinks. For 5 hours, we drank Philippines style. One person had a glass, ice, and the beer and would serve it round-robin to the rest of us. Our hostess, who was pregnant, was not drinking. It was a great way to drink, and it was more social. I’ve seldom drank for so long without getting drunk.
My timing in Manila was almost always wrong. I’d either get lousy information about when something started or would just happen to be there when things were closed. Intramuros the old part of the city, was not as beautiful as I’d hoped. The cathedral was closed for repairs, and the monastery was closed for lunch. A bunch of us went over to China Town the day after Chinese New Year’s. We were given wrong info on which day was the big day, but we had a nice dinner.
On my last day in Manila, three of us went on a day trip to the Taal Volcano, which took about 3 hours of transport each way. There is a lake inside the volcano, which itself is in a lake which is in a huge volcano. It was fun climbing up to the top and enjoying the view. To get there, it’s a 2-hour bus ride, a half-hour on a tricycle, and a half-hour boat ride.
The food. There is nothing wrong with the food in the Philippines. There is also nothing to get excited about. I’ve not seen a single dish that makes my taste buds stand up and shout. The best thing about this country is its people. They are outgoing, happy, friendly, and courteous. I’ve never met and interacted with so many locals before.
