Will I survive Sagada?

 It’s been a while since I last traveled. Last time was when we traveled to Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte with my family. It’s been almost 4 months since the last trip and now the travel bug has bitten me once more and I feel the need of traveling again. That is where Sagada comes in. Together with Rachel and Mina, my former office mates ( yes, just the three of us ), we will be conquering Sagada. 

Sagada Rice Terraces. Photo not mine.

Why Sagada? Sagada was really not the plan. A friend told me that the place is boring. While some reactions were " SAGADA? Saan yan? Sa Pilipinas ba yan?" Its actually off the beaten path compared to the famous Baguio City. My first glimpse of Sagada was through the Piolo and Juday movie "Don’t Give Up On Us”. In a most unexpected place, love finds its way... But will it survive the journey? Oh ha, ansaveh ng tag line. Haha. Maybe it’s a nice place to fall in love or fall out of love. CHOST! Haha.  I’ve learn some infos about the place from the blogs I’ve read before and I was kinda intrigue on why people would travel more than 12 hours just to be on that place. Maybe there is really something special with Sagada, aside from the cool weather of course. Thanks to my sister too who suggested that Sagada is a must visit place if you’re into hiking, caving and nature tripping. I am not a fan of hiking and long walks but for the love of Sagada, then go lang ng go.

Sagada is a 5^th class municipality in the Mountain province. There are no direct trips from Manila to Sagada. Its either you take the 6 hour bus to Baguio then take another 5 hour bus ride to Sagada. In our case, we will be taking the 9 hour Manila- Banaue bus trip because we wanted to make a side trip to Banaue and at the same time, see the world famous Philippine landmark, the Banaue Rice Terraces. From there, we can catch a 3 hour jeep ride to Bontoc, and then transfer to another 45 minute jeep ride to to Sagada. Ini- imagine ko pa lang parang nakaka haggard na ang trip. But then again, I know it will be a different kind of journey. As what others always say, it’s the journey and not the destination that matters. 

Hanging coffins of Sagada. Photo not mine.

Here are my to do list that I should accomplish ( or maybe TRY to accomplish ) for this Sagada trip:

1. See the famous Banaue Rice Terraces
2. Topload the jeepney.
3. Go caving and spelunking in Sagada’s famous Lumiang and Sumaguing caves
4. See the majestic Bomod-ok or Pongas falls. Either of the one will do.
5. Witness the sunrise at Kiltepan.
6. Food tripping in Sagada ( Lemon Pie and Yoghurt house )
7. Meet locals and new friends ( or meet someone to fall in love with ) Hahaha
8. Experience EXTREME hiking and see the hanging coffins and the echo valley. Take note: EXTREME hiking. Ihanda na ang body pain relievers. Haha
9. Reflect, contemplate and learn something new about myself. ( EMOTERO ) Haha
10. And lastly, the toughest of them all: Spend not more than P4000 for this backpacking trip. Yes, this is a budget trip that is why I will do all my best not to exceed my P4000 budget.

I can’t wait for next week to come. I know this will be another great experience. I hope that I will be able to accomplish everything on my list ( or maybe at least half of it ) so that will all pride, I can say that “I SURVIVED SAGADA!”

Bomod-ok Falls aka The Big Falls. Photo not mine.

Hundred Islands of Alaminos, Pangasinan

Date of Travel: March 2011

Hundred Islands- BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!

After arriving in Clark together with my travel buddy Joey from our 2-day trip in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia, we still have like a day and a half to spare before my flight back to Davao. Since we were unable to check the beaches in Borneo due to the fact that we always end up staying longer in bed after waking up, we have to make up to it and at least we would be able to plunge in one of our beaches in the country. And Hundred Islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan was our destination to be.

The Hundred Islands National Park is a national park in the Philippines. The protected area is located in the city of Alaminos, in the province of Pangasinan. he islands, totaling 124 at low tide and 123 at high tide, are scattered in Lingayen Gulf covering an area of 16.76 square kilometres. Only three of them have been developed for tourism: Governor Island, Quezon Island, and Children's Island.

From Clark, we took a bus going back to Manila to meet our friend Rachel and at the same time leave some of our things in her place para less hassle na carrying our bags ( baggage counter lang ang peg ). We had dinner in SM Megamall and just killed the time while waiting for our bus to Alaminos via Victory Liner.

Catching the last bus to Alaminos in Victory Liner Cubao terminal

We went to Victory Liner’s Cubao bus terminal by 10pm to catch the last trip to Alaminos, Pangasinan. Fare will not cost more than P400.00 for a 5 hour bus ride. We took the last air-conditioned bus trip to Alaminos at 11:30 pm which is scheduled to arrive in Alaminos by 5am. At least we have some ample time to sleep and take a short rest. Pero ang ending, no rest pa rin. Bus has wifi connection so avail sa free internet. Haha. It was a smooth trip, and we arrived earlier than we expected. I woke up and manong conductor told us “ Alaminos na po! “ Hay naku, ambilis lang. kulang pa sa tulog. Haggardness pa. The bus terminal in Alaminos is a small and old one, more like a tricycle terminal. It was just near the market. Since its still 4am and still dark, we had no choice but to stay and sleep in the terminal’s benches. Wag nang arte arte. “ Let’s just wait till 6 am or until sumikat na ang araw”. While we were there trying to have our quick rest, some drivers are already asking us if we were going to Hundred Islands and some of them were offering transport to Lucap Wharf and boat tours too. “No kuya, NO! May inaantay kami! Di kami pupunta dun”  I don’t mean to be rude but at that time, I just want to take a nap.

Welcome sign in Lucap wharf, Alaminos, Pangasinan.

As sunlight came, we just strolled around downtown Alaminos, looking for a place to eat and looking for some drinking water and food for us to bring in our island hopping. And of course there’s Jollibee. We ate breakfast and bought some food as our baon. We thought “ Baka mahal ang food dun, wala na tayong pera. Jollibee na, delicious na, afforda-licious pa”.Haha. Then we saw manong  trike driver outside Jollibee waiting for some passengers. I asked if he can take us to Lucap wharf which is the starting point of the tour. He seems nice and friendly naman and he offered a reasonable price of P60/ ride so we took his trike.  He know some boat operators too and he can give discount since its just the two of us and its still not the peak season. For a price of  P1200 for the whole day island tour is not bad. And the fact that I am so keen to hit the beach already, then it’s a go. So we started the  tour and wasted no time.

Lucap wharf- island hopping's starting point

Here are some of the islands that we visited for the whole day island hopping:

Governor's Island- home of the PBB house in Pangasinan, the amazing view deck and pristine, secluded white sand beach. 

The PBB house in Alaminos found in Governors Island.

Force evictees sa bahay ni kuya. Haha

Amazing veiw at the Governors Island view deck. 

Spelunking, Alaminos style.

Children's Island- known for its very shallow, knee deep waters

Acting like a kid in Childrens Island. Chost.

Quezon Island- most developed island among all. This is where we took our lunch and spent most of our time. There are accommodations available in the island if you opt to stay overnight. Sari- sari stores and some small eateries are also available. Perfect for snorkeling and a quick swim. 

Mandatory selfie shot. Haha

Snorkeling around Quezon Island

Pathway going to several huts in the island.

Marcos Island- this is my favorite among all the island. Still a white sand secluded beach but what made it special is that there is a cave that is also a dive/ jump spot for thrill seekers. Jumping that 10 feet high cliff was such an achievement. James Franco aka 127 hours ang peg! Haha

Marcos Island's secluded part of the beach. Beauty, isn't it?

Above the Marcos Island, on our way to the cave.

Tempting yet nerve cracking. Look at how high the cliff we have to jump.

Still alive after the jump. Haha

WHOOAAAHHHH!!!!! Best experience ever!

Thanks M/V Sherwin for the amazing island hopping experience.

By 3:30 in the afternoon, were already heading back to Lucap wharf to cap off our Hundred Islands experience. Overall, I had fun. It is indeed one of the most visited tourist attractions in North Luzon and in the Philippines as well. I only heard about it before during my elementary days on how it was made, all those alamat thingy in my Filipino subject and stuff. It is a wonder on its own. Now I was able to experience it personally. It is one place that should not be missed especially if you’re a beach junkie. One thing I can assure you for sure, there are more than a hundred reasons to enjoy the Hundred Islands of Pangasinan.

My own piece of paradise.

Till the next time Pangasinan.