It was a pleasant 2-hour van ride from Banaue to Sagada. The view along the zigzag road was so picturesque that I did not even have the chance to take a nap. We had a quick chat with a Dutch couple who just graduated from college and was going on a holiday for six months before starting to work. The woman was a college basketball player. She asked how to get PBA tickets because she's heard that Philippine basketball games can be exciting. Before long, I started to see a familiar road with rows of pine trees and the lodging places that I saw in our last visit started to appear one by one.
We arrived at the town proper at 11:00am when the sun was high up. We checked in really quick and walked around town for an ocular of the other hostels. The town was so quiet with very few people walking by. This is typical because all of the tourists are out on tour and would not be back before late afternoon. The town looked the same, as if frozen in time, except for the construction of new lodging housed here and there.
Because I wanted to try so many old and new restaurants in Sagada, we had a hard time choosing where to eat first. We decided to try a new one that is highly recommended by the local guides - Salt and Pepper Diner where we had ...
Lemon iced tea (Php30.00)
The glass of iced tea was served with a bottle of honey so customers can adjust the sweetness to their liking. I did not like how it tasted, but I could not really put a finger on what I did not like about it. Maybe I had an idea of what iced tea should taste like and this one probably used the native tea leaves and lemon so it tasted different. I will probably give it another try the next time I'm in town.
Classic inutom with pasta(Php195.00)
The chicken leg quarter was not small. It was a normal sized chicken leg quarter that looked small because the pasta portion "on the side" was so huge! The chicken was pan fried and topped with a creamy sauce. I loved how perfectly seasoned it was. The pasta on the side was just ok but it can be quite a filling meal for tourists after a long day of trekking, spelunking and walking all day.
Pork dinakiw with potato (Php180.00)
It was served hot on a sizzling plate. I could taste that the pork was marinated in soy sauce and pan fried with a lot of caramelized onions. The potatoes were roughly mashed and mixed with fresh chopped tarragon which was a pleasant surprise for me. It could have been fine without any sauce but the mushroom gravy made it even more delicious.
The food took a while to be served so it was a good thing that we were the first ones there. This is not unusual for Sagada and many other remote provinces in the Philippines. The way I look at it is, you're there and are supposed to be on a vacation so better leave your city pace and enjoy the slower pace of life even just for a couple of days. Just order your food 30 minutes before you're hungry. What I loved the most about our meal was that the food were made to order and were served hot.
After our meal, we napped for a couple of hours and went on a trek to Pongas falls which is a relatively new addition to the Sagada tour itinerary.
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| My trusty pair ready for another trek |
From the jumpoff point 25 minutes from the town by van, we walked towards the baranggay to register and pay a fee. We then proceeded to walk among houses, each with their own pig and chicken pets and vegetable gardens. Sweet potato was a common plant in most gardens. According to our guide when they were young, they'd always eat sweet potatoes with their meals. I just loved passing by tomato plots with huge fruits on the vine.
Whenever we passed by the locals, they would hospitably smile and greet us and we would greet them back.
It was a very easy 30-minute walk with some steep trails. The only challenge is to balance yourself and be careful not to trip or slip along some of the cemented paths which were only a foot wide.
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| Hanging bridge to Pongas falls |
We got to the falls on a perfect time. On a cool late afternoon with no other tourists on site. We stayed there for about an hour. There was no phone signal and the water was so cold that it was such a relief to wash my face with it after a hot trek.
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End of the road    |
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| No phone cignal, no noise, clean fresh air and just us. A rare treat! |
By the time we were back to our jumpoff point, the three of us were carrying two plastic bags each filled with rubbish. A sensible person would think, if they can bring the bottles and food full up the falls, Why can't they bring it down empty?
It was already dark when we got back to the town. We greeted James and Gawani at the church while they were doing preparations and went to Yoghurt House. I was puzzled to see that the place was not packed. The last time we went there in 2009 at 5:30pm, we had to wait for 30 minutes to get in. Maybe it was because a lot of other restaurants have opened so there are a lot more to choose from. Now, it has to be said that it was my favorite restaurant when I last came. But I was disappointed with our meal that night that I won't even elaborate on it. I don't really like to write about a negative feedback on restaurants so others will still give them a chance. The dishes were okay, just not as good as the ones I had before. The dishes were plated well though.
What I still liked about this restaurant was their very friendly and accommodating staff and the still very cozy interiors.
A very relaxing hilot massage for a couple of hours after dinner and we were on deep snooze.
The next day we were on a wedding until around 3:00pm. I will write about this in my next post.
After the wedding, we decided to walk to our hostel. It took us around 20 minutes of leisurely walk. By this time, some of the tourists were starting to arrive and most were looking at us funny because we were walking in Sagada wearing formal clothes while everyone else is wearing hiking gears.
We stopped by the The Sagada Lemon Pie House and ordered a slice each of Lemon pie and Egg pie for Php50.00 each. I wanted to get a slice of their blueberry pie but it was not in season. It was ofcourse delicious, I think mainly because it is made fresh everyday.
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| The Sagada Lemon Pie House |
It is amazing how a simple smile and a "Hello" can start long conversations and friendships. While walking on the main road, we saw an old bearded man wearing faded jeans and his souvenir shirt. We said hello and smiled and he started asking us about our day and our names. He is a retired electrician Mormon missionary who has fallen in love with the Philippines. Many years before, his young daughter went to the Philippines and had so much good things to say about it that the moment he and his wife retired, they went on a mission trip to educate the kids from remote villages. He's been to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and their next stop is in Batangas. Our chat lasted for an hour at least.
As we walked uphill, we saw our friends Max and Camille who had just arrived in Sagada from traversing across the Banaue rice terraces. They were looking for a place to stay and when they found the perfect one for them, we agreed to meet up for dinner.
It was a cold 10 degrees by 7:00pm. We met with our friends to have a buffet dinner at The Log Cabin. They had just come from the mountains and were very hungry for good food. Entering The Log Cabin transported me to my childhood when we would go on occasional vacations to Baguio. The restaurant is very much reminiscent of the old log cabins in Baguio with its delicate curtains, home lamps, fireplaces and very soft yellow lighting.
The buffet was not yet open so we had a few Red horse bottles for starters as we shared stories of their trip, the wedding and anything and everything. To me, nothing makes conversations even more fun than bottles of beer - especially my favorite Red horse. To add to that we were in the company of two French friends, whose people are known to savour life at its best!
The spread was filling and the food was good. It was perfect for slow eating and great conversation. Ofcourse, not to compare it with the buffet in Manila that makes you eat much too much! And at Php390.00 per person, they definitely give you value for your money. Max and Camille said it had the typical food that you'll get when dining in France and in Europe. This is no surprise because the chef and owner is European!
In 2009 I promised to come back to Sagada someday and it promised to put a smile on my face. Promises fulfilled!
