Sagada Off The Beaten Path

During WWII, Sagada was full of Japanese soliders. Even General Yamashita spent time here and supposedly fathered many children. At the end of the war, he was caught near by and executed a few days later. His children used various other family names out of fear. It wasn't until many years after the war, that they children revealed themselves to be children of General Yamashita. If you go to the local cemetery, (you will pass through this anyone going to echo valley) notice the names of the tombstones. One of the first ones you come across is for John Yamashita. Japanese war history isn't too publicized in the Philippines, mostly since they are one of the most important trading partners.

• Reserve bus tickets in advance, especially during peak seasons. Autobus has only one daily trip to Banaue, with the bus leaving at 10pm. Ticket costs P462.
• Upon your arrival in Banaue, immediately arrange for your trip to Bontoc. Remember, there is usually only one trip per day. The jeepney leaves at 7-8am, or even earlier. There are, however, 2-3 Bontoc-bound buses from other provinces that pass by Banaue at around 11am-12nn. Ticket costs P100 each.
• Bring along face masks or anything to cover your noses and protect hair from dusts on the way to Bontoc; and
• If you have the luxury to choose your seats, take the seats on the left of the bus/jeep, because the view of the countryside is better on that side.
• Upon your arrival in Sagada, proceed to the Tourist Information Center at the Municipal Hall to register, and pay the fee of P10.
• The daily schedule of jeepneys and buses going to and from Sagada are posted at the TIC. Write them down. The standard rates of tourist guides are also posted there. Write them down too, so you would avoid being victimized by dishonest guides.
• There are various inns and resthouses in Sagada, the most popular are the St. Joseph’s Resthouse, Mapiya-aw Inn, and Sagada Guest House.
• If you stay at St. Joseph’s Inn (or any other inn for that matter), choose a room on the ground floor where water pressure is greater. Guests using the second-floor bathrooms usually have a problem with poor water supply. I’m just not sure if the resthouses located in the lower parts of town (such as Olahbinan and Masferre Inns) have better water supply than those in higher elevations.
• For reservations at St. Joseph’s, call 0918-5595934. There are dormitory-type rooms (sharing a communal bathroom), of different sizes (from 1-person to 6-person capacity). Rate for these rooms is P150/head/night. There are also private rooms with their own comfort rooms, at much higher rates.

This Bontoc house going to Bomod-ok Falls is easy to miss because it is surrounded by GI built houses. But we got a nice shot anyway. Our guide, Noel, told us there's one native house in town ideal for photo op and postcard shots. Though it's located in Poblacion, it's not along the way, and one has to pass a residential area to get there.

On the way to Sumaging cave, there is a shop called Turn Right Souvenir Shop. They have nice funny handpainted shirts.They have videoke machine,my gal friends had so much fun singing and dancing to the tune of "I will survive" .Thank goodness our husbands were not around. We were singing and dancing to the delight (or shock) of the residents....we will never be able to do that back home... so what the heck! We sang till we dropped! It was a great way to end our stay!

For tennis rookies , rackets are indispensable.Tennis court was the first thing we looked for. But the court was bumpy. Too many bad bounces. I got a score of 1 in our singles because of it. Okay , okay, excuses, excuses!hehe

The hanging coffins can be seen from the top of Echo Valley. But for a closer view, go down the valley. There is a footpath enough for one person at a time. From there, there is supposedly a shorter route to the Underground River. But, hey, the route maybe shorter, but it is slippery, muddy and full of shrubs. Nevertheless, you have the place all to yourself.

Also on the way to Sagada, you will have the chance to see the Highest Point or highest highway in the Philippines. It is 4,700 ft. above sea level. And it is very cold and windy up there. You can stop to take a view of the Mountain Terrain, one of the more excellent views you will find in our country.

Well I'll call this off the beaten path as in places there was hardly any path at all!! Directly behind my son into the forest is where the path goes!! If you feel uncomfortable about hiking without much of a path don't go here. Or hire a guide. But it is in a valley and I don't think you could get lost here. Just stay in the valley.