Bontoc – Sagada – Banaue Trip

The view from Teng-Ab Retreat House

Last October 22-25, we had the chance to visit Bontoc, Sagada, and Banaue for our community outing.

I think, Banaue and Sagada are worth exploring separately. Last year, we went to Sagada and stayed with the relatives of our classmate in LST. We payed a minimal amount for the accomodation and breakfast. There are many simple hotels in Sagada. It’s meant usually for backpackers. For our meals, Sagada has a lot of interesting restaurants; there are also lots of activities to do – you may visit the hanging coffins and go inside the caves, have a swim near the waterfalls, etc. Sagada has a curfew, as part of the culture of the locals, so establishments close at around 9pm or earlier.

We have visited Banaue several times but we haven’t experienced staying overnight there. Like Sagada, there are also many hotels in Banaue area, you may choose from Banaue Hotel (the finest) to a village inn, where you will experience staying in a native hut, in the midst of a rice field. The rice terraces near the town proper is just one of the terraces in the area, Batad rice terraces (quite far from Banaue proper) is one of the well-preserved. It is like a big ampitheater of rice fields. To go there, you have to walk for more than an hour but it is all worth the trip.

The majestic Banaue Rice Terraces

If you want to have a quick experience of Sagada and Banaue, just like what we recently did, stay in Bontoc. It is halfway through Banaue and Sagada. We stayed in Teng-Ab retreat house, owned by the Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc Lagawe. The staff members of the retreat house will take care of your group, even with your desired itinerary. They also serve very good food. We rented their vehicle plus they provided us with a guide and a driver. For our expenses, we shelled out more or less, 35,000 – good for 6 persons, inclusive of 3 nights and 4 days accommodation, and round trip tickets to Manila-Bontoc, all-inclusive!

To go there, there is a bus that goes directly to Bontoc (Cable Bus Tours, located near St. Luke’s Hospital and Trinity University) but I suggest that you take Victory Liner to Baguio instead and from there, take a bus that goes to Bontoc.

Our contact person in Teng-Ab retreat house is Val. He will be of great help in your stay there. Here’s their website:http://www.teng-ab.com/ – and by the way, Teng-Ab is primarily a retreat house. If you wish to have your soul refreshed by the beauty of nature and the Spirit of the Lord, I highly recommend that you go to this place and allow yourself to be in the great mountains’ embrace!

in awe of Sagada’s beauty

Happy Childhood Memories

 

In storylane.com, somebody asked me: “What from your childhood are you most thankful for?” Below is my answer to that question.

A beauty-pageant-type question deserves a beauty-pageant-patty answer, I guess. So let me be your contestant number 1 😉

I am thankful to my parents and relatives for giving me countless happy childhood memories. Life is very simple then, but it allowed me to appreciate life as I grow older. The close family ties we have made me somehow ready to face the world of grown-ups. I guess, my attitude towards problems and my optimism even in the midst of disappointments were the results of the love, acceptance, and care my family and relatives gave me.

We never had cellular phones back then, but we learned how to express what’s in our mind.
We never had e-books, but we loved to flip through pages of books.
We never owned a Wii video game console, but we played to our hearts content running through fields, discovering the woods and creeks, and playing hide and seek when the moon is full.
We never had the luxury of a fast internet connection, but we learned values such as patience.
Indeed, growing up, we never owned high tech gadgets, but we learned the importance of reaching out to real people around us. Reality for us then was not virtual but something which we can grasp and enjoyed by the senses.

I thank you. 🙂