Of Rice Terraces, Hanging Coffins, Waterfalls and Perfect Breakfasts...

I can officially cross out backpacking to the Mountain Province from my list of Things to Do... and I had fun doing it, okay not everything was fun (more than 24 hours on a bus isn't something I'd classify as fun). But most of it was really fun and adventure-packed. A friend once told me that I should visit the Mountain Province and experience spelunking (what?) hmmm...the official definition from Merriam-Webster dictionary is the hobby or practice of exploring caves, I wasn't too crazy about it, but hey I ended up liking it!

But of course this post isn't just about the sights of Sagada, which is the town we explored but more importantly the food. Sagada is still a sleepy mountain village with yet-unspoiled sights and the air was really cold, like 15 degrees colder than Manila. So instead of the usual shorts-shirts-bathing suit we had to pack jackets and scarves. I think the cold weather made us hungrier than usual, and we found a perfect place to hang out. The food was delicious, the waitstaff and the family who owned it were very nice and the price was not bad. Oh and did I mention they served perfect breakfasts?

Look how gorgeous and perfectly cooked the fried egg was! This is LONGSILOG which stands for Longganisa-Sinangag-Itlog (Homemade sausage-Fried rice-Egg). We ate all our breakfasts on their terrace with the morning sun warming us from the cold air while the town wakes up.
This was my first breakfast, Banana Pancakes...so delicious and filling. Perfect with a steaming mug of freshly brewed coffee...yum!
So what else did we do in Sagada aside from exploring the caves (spelunking)? We also visited the famed Hanging Coffins. We walked to Echo Valley, shouted to our hearts content and walked some more. We visited about two more burial caves and then we hiked until I thought my lungs were going to burst...and my legs were about to give way.

We hiked to see the Bomod-ok Falls which was hidden by mountains. We had to hike to a village and then through the Sagada Rice Terraces...who knew this things were so huge. I thought they were just steps...and then we crossed a river, my thought bubble was this better be worth it.

When we finally arrived at our destination, it was awe-inspiring to say the least. It was huge and the water was so strong, it felt like it was raining. But we didn't stay too long because it started to rain, and we got worried that we might get stuck so we hiked all the way back across the river, through the rice terraces and the village again.

Sagada was a pleasant surprise for me but I don't think I would go back right away, not until they find a way to make the trip shorter. But it was a welcome breather from work and the heat and smog of city life. It's not hard to fall for the charms of Sagada...