Habang papuntang Sagada, lagi naming naririnig sa radyo ng aming van ang salitang Mommy. "Mommy nasa'n ka na?" "Hindi ko marinig si Mommy." "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommyyyyyyyy...!!" Minsan, sumasagot sya. Akala ko, turista lang na pinagkakatuwaan ng mga driver, kaya di ko masyadong pinapansin. Pero nalaman kong isang pambihirang tao pala itong si Mommy.

53 years old na si Mommy. At isa sya sa siyam na drivers na kasama namin sa lakad na ito.

"Buti pinayagan syang makasama sa ganito," komento namin sa aming tour coordinator. Sanay palang magmaneho ng malalayong distansya si Mommy, kaya walang problema sa kanya ang mahahabang lakbaying tulad nito. "Saka gustong-gusto nya yung ginagawa nya," sabi ng tour coordinator.

Bihira at nakakainggit ang ganun, yung makahanap ng trabahong gustong-gusto mo, na kahit gaano katagal o kadalas mo sya gawin, hindi mo mararamdamang kailangan mong mag-effort, kasi nga, ikaw mismo ang may gustong palawigin ito.

Sinabi ko na bang may 30 alagang aso si Mommy...?

PART 4 OF 4

For our last day, we visited St Mary's Church. Have I told you that most of Sagadians are Anglicans? Here, there are more Anglican Churches than Catholic. Missionary work was led by Rev John Staunton Jr and through his vision, Sagada started its journey to modernization.

Below are views of the church building:

You can't miss the solemn quality inside the church

The kaleidoscope-like stained glass at the altar is mesmerizing.

Outside the church, we can find the Centennial Wheel marking 100 years of Anglican missionary work in Sagada.

Of course, a photo opp at the church bell

eating out

Filipino breakfast served at Masferre. Comes with delicious hot choco!

For dessert, you might want something from the Lemon Pie House! (You can't miss the building - it's painted lemon yellow)

At the Rock Inn & Cafe, we get to have lunch, and visit the Orange Orchard (No pics; oranges are not in season. They come out December to January)

Who said you can only have candle-lit meal at night?

souvenirs

Heavy-duty walking stick for trekking?

The most common souvenir are shirts.

Got this from Masferre. This design is exclusive to them.

Own a Masferre! CP# 0918-3416-164 (Grabe na 'to, dapat may free na ako...)
Masferre souvenirs are not limited to shirts, accessories and food items, they also specialize in photography. Sayang I wasn't able to get their set of postcards: black and white photos of Igorots in their native costume depicting everyday life. My advice is, bring all your pocket money with you (I left mine in our lodging so ayun, my funds were insufficient in my time of need. Hindi na kami nakabalik sa souvenir house na ito.)

Hope you enjoyed Sagada

Many thanks to Janice and Shaula; most of the pics here are from their cams.

PART 3 OF 4

It's our second day in Sagada, which started by going to Kiltepan for sunrise viewing.

We were late, and the sun was already rising while we're still hiking to the top.

From where we're standing we can see fog covering the terraces below.

The sun's rays filter through the trees.

Can you tell who says cheese?

After breakfast, we proceeded to a different spot to begin our trek to Bomod-ok Falls.

Look, we're 385 kilometers away from Manila!

We had to give way to approaching vehicles because the roads are narrow.

The first part of the trek involves walking through stone paths which are actually walls of the rice terraces.

Rice terraces are not confined in Banawe; you can see several all over Mountain Province.

We lose the terraces and get grassland as we go further in the mountains.

Our first glimpse of Bomod-ok Falls.

Here's a much closer look.

Tourists and locals alike enjoy bathing in the cool, clear water from the falls.

Local kids eating ice cream while watching a foreign couple rub sunblock on each other... parang nanonood lang ng sine! These kids offer body massage for P20.00

NEXT: ST MARY'S CHURCH & DOWNTOWN

NOTE: Please send me a message if you can't view the pictures. Thanks!