Sagada, Mountain Province

This entry is long overdue. I just realized I need to write this now. With the current state of my deteriorating memory all that will be left is an idea of smiles and tummy ache without any recollection of how it got there. Plus I made a deal with my brain that if I get this done now, it will stop wandering into the often explored depths of my stupidity and allow me to work on my thesis.

The Sagada trip was about two weeks ago. WOW! That is not an acronym. It is a word synonymous to the Sumaging Cave.

The trip unofficially started with the annoying act of lugging around a 4-days worth of clothes in leather shoes and school uniform which it seems, is not even necessary. Read: around 4 hours of waiting for nothing. After the waiting, we made our way outside the school which shall now be known unofficially (nicked from Nikki), “The Flight of the Turtles… or the Tortoises”. Lotsa waiting and secretly blocking the way of the co occupants of the bus so that we get our choice of seats. Oh, and this is where the whining starts. However, a certain Whiney or Whiny shall be the only one to perfect this art.

I’m too lazy for the narrative, so I’ll just outline a few things I learned in Sagada.

1. The jump seat is not a very happy place. Not for me, at least. Although, Eveth says it’s the best sacrifice she’s made this year… Or something to that effect.

2. I said this before, “If you love your ass, the jeepney ride to the Saddle (Batad) is better undertaken inside the jeep not on top of it.” and I say this now, the ride from Banaue to Sagada is not a short ride and is not a smooth ride. You’re lucky if your ass ends up just flat and----ummm, for lack of a better word, not lopsided. :D. I swear the view is beautiful, but your bottom will never be the same again…

3. Make sure that when you ride the coaster to Sagada your hair is dry. Because when you mix mountain air (also known as dust) to wet hair you get clumps of twig-looking hair.

4. Shiny forehead? Need to powder your nose? Stick your face out of the bus.

5. Sagada coffee is good and cheap. (Yay)

6. Yoghurt House, nuff said. (It’s a you-need-to-be-there moment)

7. Water in Sagada is also cold. Especially when you’re bathing while trying to keep an eye on all for corners of the bathroom, afraid that some uninvited entity is joining you.

8. Three bathrooms for 19 people are enough for a short stay provided that the other two do not have McArthur moments.

9. I am lucky at picking a bathroom. I picked the one with no voyeur and no “I shall return” moments.

10. I think I might have the makings of a gambler. (A couple of years ago, we were in Vegas and I had to constantly keep moving around the ‘gambling area’ because I’m not yet allowed to gamble. I wonder now if they were just trying to keep me out because they knew right away I’d be one of those crying at the table having just lost money she doesn’t even have. You know what, I think this belongs to another entry).

Moving on…

11. Jerold shall now be known as Jer-Jer. Hahahaha! (Si Jerold parang mag ggolf lang)

12. Some people need not be drunk to do ‘things’. We all know what happened in that hotel corridor… and I have pictures to prove it (I’m such a blackmailer)

Side note: Digital cameras are one of the best inventions ever. You get to take lasting impressions of momentary lapses of judgement.

13. A brownout shall not deter Pats from achieving a world record: “The most number of trips to the buffet”.

14. Gigs had two stressful moments in the bathroom. One with a brownout and one with a McArthur. :D

15. Special lesson for Nikki, Always close the bathroom door.

16. Special lesson for Nikki again, Wear a belt when wearing loosely fitted shorts. :D

17. Many tried. But alas, they failed. Only one succeeded. Whiney or Whiny has perfected the art of Whining.

18. There’s not much need to pack light for Sagada.

19. Dress code: Casual clothes applicable for trekking and getting wet.

20. The cold mountain air does things to the gasses that come out of your backside.

21. The Pats question: Who’s your idol architect? (asked with a twinkle in his eye)

22. When they order one case of beer and say they’ll ration it… don’t believe them. They can polish it off in say, 3 hrs… :D

23. The sumaging cave is beautiful, a little vulgar at times but beautiful just the same.

24. That muddy looking substance on the rocks… Icky, smelly bat droppings.

25. I shall reiterate the fact that Gollum is a strong hiker and a good spelunker as well. It’s funny when we go to these beautiful places (Read Batad and Sagada) we end up like our ancestors, on all fours…

Batad, Banaue, Ifugao.

I'll get my high, for now, on this.

Things I learned in Batad:

1. Travel light. Nuff said.
2. If you should fall choose mud.
3. Shit happens. If you need to step on one do so. (Of course it’s always better for you and everyone with you, that you avoid doing so).
4. Bring as much water as you can carry if you plan to play poker or in-between because a 20 something bottled water, once it reaches Batad, turns into gold.
5. In-between is a very addictive game
6. Nikka’s waterloo is in-between.
7. Stop complaining that water is gold in Batad, because you can’t drink you’re pocket money when you’re insanely thirsty.
8. It pays to be up early enough to see nothing but fog.
9. Canned goods save you money. But they only taste so good for so long….
10. A walking stick is helpful.
11. Gollum is a strong hiker. He has perfected the art of climbing steep slopes on all fours. It really is not so bad and embarrassing once you’ve started cursing stairs and decided to camp in the mountains, marry a native so that you never have to go up and down and up again to return to Rita’s inn.
12. Mountain breeze and ice cold mountain water is not and never will be a good combination.
13. A panoramic window that catches all the cold mountain air should never be put in a bathroom.
    
14. Never underestimate a .1mor .2m difference in a step’s rise because once you start ascending or descending a .5m step… and see 400 more…
15. Put sunblock on your feet, tan lines from slippers aren’t so nice to look at.
16. It is cold in Banaue. Especially when it’s drizzling and you forgot that you need a jacket outdoors.
17. Learn to walk. Forget that on your left is a stone wall with lots of moss that can’t save your dear life and on your right is a drop that will claim your dear life and on your feet is a 12inch or less protruding rock pretending to be a step that holds your dear life.
18. Mona can run but she can’t fly.
19. If you love your ass, the jeepney ride to the saddle is better undertaken inside the jeep not on top of it.
20. Coffee is cheap in Batad. 4 cups in a day only costs 20 pesos, well you have to bring your own coffee and cup. But coffee is coffee is coffee.
21. There are various stages of drunkenness and home sickness.
22. Beware of an innocent mineral water bottle, it could be gin.
23. Eating eggnog when you’re drained gives a little boost of energy and oreo has never been better once you’ve reached the top.
24. For a traveler, nothing’s cheap.
25. The serious ba to? Are Serious Batos.

If I don't get to lazy, this'll be continued...