What an experince I had the 2003 Summer vacation...

My Sagada Experience!

I've never expected that I will be able to see this beautiful place of Sagada andBanawe Rice Terraces (8th Wonder of the World) this holy week! I saw Carla one timebrowsing a map of the Sagada. I decided to go out with them kahit di nila ako barkada coz I really want to get away with the heat in Manila this long holy vacation.Below are the bits and pieces I've written through SMS (i texted the message while Im at Sagada and I compiled the Emailed-SMS today);

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im going to sagada tomorrow ---This msg was sent thru txt by +639202612660, Sent: 2003-04-15/17:23:56--PregiSMS/sms2email(Cannot be replied via email yet)
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At 230pm, we left cubao via Saulog Bus. Trip was quite slow. We were ambushd by d vry expensive stop ovr dinnr at Rick's Cafe in Sison, Pangasinan.2003-04-17 06:59:22 639202612660
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We stayed in a beautiful, wooden modern inspired house - great furniture, clean and hotel-like bathroom. Its probbly d best place 2 pas d nyt b4 goin 2 SAGADA. 2003-04-17 07:03:44 639202612660
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At 630am abord an ordnary bus we headd 4 a 6-hour trip 2 Sagada. M0rning breeze stil pentrates my sweat shrt and bonnet but its geting warmr wen d sun shows up.2003-04-17 07:09:15 639202612660
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Nature at its splendid mystical beauty! A place w, vry peaceful & hospitable & simple disciplined people. Sagada-the sacred city of the mountain prvince!2003-04-18 17:32:07 639202612660
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Daoas family cordialy aceptd us in dir beatiful house 2 stay w, rest of our sagada advnture. Atty. Daoas is d fathr of Mia. D group im w, is a friend of Mia.2003-04-18 17:35:50 639202612660
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After eating eel and wild boar when we arrived at Daoas residence, we proceeded at about 2PMto the Falls passing through the rice terraces. They say the falls base can't be reached by any diver.Its an abyss as would describe it, and i didn't swim there.
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The next morning we went to the Cave. The entrance was so large just like the entrance of largebuildings or malls. But you will have to hike down up to at least 2KM to reachthe cave's base. 10 of us went into a cave accompanied by two tour guides with petromaxand flashlights as our to-brings. At the entrance you will be amazed by how large is thecave's entrance. The rocky and steep way down is so smelly with bat's urines. Withthe so many people entering and going out of the cave, it's such a traffic inside.At the entrance, the ceiling was very high and you can see the bats so noisy.Below, is really dark and you can already see the different limestone formations of the cave.Sliding at the steep limestone formation while holding to a rope is one of the challengingadventures after the entrance. Below is a pool with a hidden hole so you must watch your step.Further below we took several pictures as we see the famous sites like the "King's Curtain".I thought it's just as easy as entering a big cave with very high ceilings. But, Im wrong!We then started a more challenging face as we entered a very small hall going to the base ofthe cave. You have to roll and crawl like a worm into a small rocky entrance withsome water flowing in the way to the base. It was so dark and scary but I was the firstto enter that small hole. Once, you have passed through the small passages, you willsee even more beautiful stalagmites and stalagtites. So its worth it naman! Next stepis to rapel through the walls of the cave through a rope down below the large pool.The way contains pools that are deep so you'll have to climb in the walls as if you arewall climbing. Traversing to the other side of the pool was so scary. The other group following us as screaming!!! I ran faster through the half-body depth water to the other side.Oh my God... our trip at the base of the cave doesn't end there. We passed through differentpassages like a maze. You'll get lost without a guide here. On our way going out, wepassed a very steep limestone formation. There is no other way out but to climb througha rope as if you are mountain climbing! Its the most challenging part of all! If you fall,you're dead! After this, we're beginning to feel exhausted! But we fell we're near tothe cave's entrance again eventhough I know it's really quite far and we'll have to climbthe steep rocks we've hike down before. All Im thinking as I hurriedly find the way outis that "Kailangan ko na talaga makakita ng Liwanag!". To make myself at ease I just sayanything to make the group laugh despite of exhaustedness and gutom (no lunch).One unusual thing that happened in the cave is that I met my cousin Anton in the cave.I thought he's not my cousin coz he just passed by me and didn't recognize me until I approached him. One thing I noticed is that when you go out you will have no memory of where you've entered! It looks a different way but it's the same way we got into the cave.As we see other adventurers especially local, Koreans, Americans among others, we can'thelp but smile and appreciate the adventures we had at the cave.After the caving adventures, we went to the Hanging Coffins site. There you will see thecoffins of the dead ancient pagans of Sagada. You will see many coffins piled witheach other near the entrnace of the caves and even hanged in the trees or places wherepeople don't usually reach. Its kinda scary to see the coffins and skeletons of thoseold Sagada people. This ancient way of burying (hanging coffins of dead) is no longerbeing practiced nowadays since they already have a public cemetery. All I realize isthat "Life is the most precious gift God has given us. When we die, our bodies are nolonger of importance just like those coffins just piled up and never burried."
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Kuya Anton had his boss' Honda CRV going to Manila so I hitched with him passing through the most beautiful terraces I 've seen... the Banaue Rice Terraces! After observing and takingpictures at the viewpoint we ate buffet breakfast at the world class Banaue Hotel!
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What an experince I had the 2003 Summer vacation... first the ASTI-CED wen to Benguet...then I went to Bicol to be a guest speaker at my high school alma mater... then I went to Sagada passing through Baguio... then I passed by at Banaue Rice Terraces whileriding in a Honda CRV with my cousin... plus other unforgettable experiences and adventures!!!The lessons I've learned during this summer adventure is that:1. We will only live in this world once coz God only gave us one Life.2. God is the most powerful of all for He owns this kingdom we call Earth which we must enjoy and appreciate allthings God has made. Truly God man can't go as high as God's power. God is the highest and wemust recognize Him as our Creator.3. All of us are sinners... but sins can even help us realize our true nature and ourrelationships with our fellow creatures and with God above.

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