Itinerary: Banaue-Sagada 2007

March 01-03, 2007
Tourism 113 (UP Diliman) Field Trip under Professor Felipe De Leon Jr.
Cost: P3,500 per person (all in, food included)

March 01
Leave for Banaue (meeting: 9pm @ UPD) via bus

March 02
Halfway Lodge (accommodation) - breakfast
To-Tam-An Village (near Banaue Hotel)
Lunch at Pine Forest Resort
Banaue Ethnic Village/ Apar A Ngo
Banaue Rice Terraces
NFA-Aguian View Deck
Sleep at Halfway Lodge

March 03
Travel from Banaue to Sagada by bus/ jeep
Breakfast at Masferre Inn and Restaurant
Spelunking at Sumaging Cave (about 2 hours)
Lunch and Wash Up
Sagada Mission Compound: St. Mary's Church
Sagada Mission Compound: Calvary Hill Cemetery
Echo Valley
Sagada Weaving Center

CONTACTS:
Halfway Lodge (accommodation in Banaue)
(+6374)3864082/ (+63919)6142266/ (+63921)4524843 - look for Ms. Jane Buyao or Mr. Florence Viloria
Room Rates range from P200-P1,800 depending on the size and whether it's common or private, with or without hot shower. We slept in a common room and it wasn't bad at all! Sure, we had to share the bathroom with everyone but it was clean (the one on the second floor at least). Also, we had a nice view of Banaue from our room -- we had a huge window and we could see small terraces from the bed.:) Oh and yeah, you don't need aircon in Banaue. :)

HELPFUL LINKS:
www.visitbanaue.com
www.sagada-igorot.com

HOW TO GET TO BANAUE
Manila-Banaue Route

1. From Manila, take Florida Lines (P500 with CR) or Auto Bus (P462) to Banaue.
2. When you get to Banaue, several jeepneys and tricycles are waiting at the bus stop. Make sure you know where you want to go first to save on money.

Manila-Baguio-Banaue Route

1. Take a Victory Liner bus to Baguio.
2. Take Ohayami Bus to Banaue.

HOW TO GET TO SAGADA
Manila-Banaue route aka the USUAL ROUTE

1. Take Autobus (from Sampaloc, Manila) or Florida Lines to Banaue (about P462-P500)
2. From Banaue, you can ride a public van with a flat rate of P3,300. You can wait for people to fill it up to save on money.

Manila-Baguio-Sagada route aka the SCENIC (but the longest) ROUTE

1. From Manila, take Victory Liner Bus to Baguio. (P385-P550 depending on the bus type)
2. From Baguio, go to Dangwa Terminal (at the back of Plaza Fair) and take Lizardo Bus to Sagada.

Manila-Bontoc aka FASTEST ROUTE (about 12 hours and 45 minutes)

1. Hop on Cable Tours (P500) from E. Rodriguez, Q.C. or Kalisen Transport to Bontoc.
2. From Bontoc, take a jeepney (about 45 minutes) to Sagada

SCHEDULE OF BUSES:

CABLE TOURS (from E. Rodriguez, QC)
Manila-Bontoc 8pm DAILY
Bontoc-Manila 3pm DAILY
COST: P500/ one way

KALISEN TRANSPORT
Manila-Bontoc 9pm DAILY
Bontoc-Manila 4pm DAILY
COST: P500/ one way

AUTO BUS
Manila-Banaue 10pm DAILY
Banaue-Manila 5:30pm DAILY
COST: P462/ one way

LIZARDO BUS
Baguio-Sagada 6am first trip, 11am last trip (leaves per hour) DAILY
Sagada-Baguio 5am first trip, 1pm last trip (leaves per hour) DAILY
COST: P220/ one way

OHAYAMI
Baguio-Banaue 6:30am, 3pm DAILY
Banaue-Baguio 6:30am, 4pm DAILY
COST: 360/ one way

TRANSPORTATION CONTACTS:
Auto Bus (+632)7362831, (+632)7358096
Florida Lines (+632)3864042/ (+63918)5225049
Cable Tours (+6374)6021068/ (+63918)5216790/ (+63919)3862159 (Mang Bert)
Kalisen Transport (+63917)8629574/ (+63916)3603483
Victory Liner: click on this for their website or call them at (+632)8330219

NOTE: Please call them first even though the schedule's posted here because they might change their schedule anytime.

To-Tam-An Village, Banaue

WHERE: Banaue, Ifugao

DATE OF TRAVEL: March 02, 2007

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:
Because it will only take you about 300 steps from Banaue Hotel to experience traditional life in Banaue and meet some of the people's ancestors.;)



DESCRIPTION:
To-Tam-An Village is a typical Ifugao village in Banaue. It is probably the most visited because of its proximity and accessibility. This village showcases the typical life of the Ifugao people. One will see the native houses and small rice terraces as well. Woodcarving and Weaving are also done here and sold at their souvenir shop and sold at reasonable prices.

SOUVENIR BOUGHT: Woodern Ifugao Chair (foldable), P700


HOW TO GET THERE:
1. For detailed Manila-Banaue routes and schedule, click on this.
2. Once in Banaue, get off at Banaue Hotel.
3. From there, walk downhill towards To-Tam-An Village and Souvenir Shop. You can ask the staff of Banaue Hotel for help if you don't see the sign but the village should just be at the back of the hotel. :) It's about 300 steps from Banaue Hotel's swimming pool.

Sagada Mission Compound: Calvary Hill Cemetery

WHERE: Sagada, Mountain Province

DATE OF TRAVEL: March 03, 2007

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:
1) Because this is where most locals bury their dead and they are buried non-randomly, according to their type of death.
2) Because this cemetery also houses Sagada’s adopted son and historian, Dr. William Henry Scott. Try to look for his tombstone!:)
3) Because this is the only cemetery we saw where a family of cattle (or more!!) just roam around and bask in the sun while lying down on the tombstones.:P


DESCRIPTION:
Calvary Hill is the newer version of the Sagadans' burial site. For about a thousand years or more, burial sites were not six feet underground but rather high up on the cliffs of caves because of the belief that it would be easier to leave your coffin and reach "heaven" by being placed there. These were called Hanging Coffins and may still be seen today. While it is claimed that the last coffin to be hanged was just in 2003, Calvary Hill Cemetery also started becoming an option way before that time. However, while at first glance it looks like just a typical cemetery, it is unusual in the sense that people are buried not according to the "lot" bought beforehand but according to their type of death. Sagadans believe that the spirits of their deceased are the highest forms of the supernatural. Therefore, they are very particular where they bury them. There are different sites for different kinds of death such as childbirth, suicide, dying unmarried, children, etc. Those who died from suicide for example are buried within the deepest parts of Echo Valley (very near Calvary Hill) to keep them from coming out of their coffins and haunting those they have left behind.

It is also here that Sagada's "adopted son" Dr. William Henry Scott is buried. Dr. Scott was an anthropologist slash historian who spent most of his scholar life studying the people of the Cordillera and uncovering facts about Prehispanic Philippines. He wrote books like A Sagada Reader, Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society, Discovery of the Igorots, Chips, Who are you Filipino Youth?, Ilocano Responses to American Aggression, Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino and Slavery in the Spanish Philippines. He is most popular for debunking the Kalantiaw legend in his dissertation Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History in 1968. Prior to his dissertation, Kalantiaw was thought to be actual history. Because of his work, the invented Kalantiaw legend is no longer part of standards history texts in the Philippines. His tombstone, as you can see from our picture, is nothing spectacular nor outstanding so it might be a little difficult finding him.

HOW TO GET THERE:
For details on Manila-Sagada routes and schedule, kindly click on this.

Sagada Mission Compound: St. Mary’s Church

WHERE: Sagada, Mountain Province

DATE OF TRAVEL: March 03, 2007

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:
Because this Episcopalian church is where most Sagadans go to worship and because the whole compound will just give you a sense of serenity and peace.


DESCRIPTION:
The Mission of St. Mary the Virgin in Sagada was founded in 1904 by American Missionary John Staunton. The church is Episcopalian and the school (St. Mary's School) was part of their project to Christianize the Non-Christian Northern Groups. You can find the oldest and the first bell in Sagada upon entering the church yard. This church will lead you to the school, the cemetery (Calvary Hill) and Echo Valley.

HOW TO GET THERE: For Manila-Sagada route and schedule, kindly click on this.

Sagada Weaving Center

WHERE: Sagada, Mountain Province

DATE OF TRAVEL: March 03, 2007

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:
It offers one of the best handwoven souvenirs in the country. You may also visit the weaving looms to see how intricate their work really is!

ADDRESS: (from wikitravel)
Nangonogan, Poblacion, Sagada
10 minutes walk from the center of the town towards the direction of St. Theodore's Hospital

Echo Valley, Sagada

WHERE: Sagada, Mountain Province

DATE OF TRAVEL: March 03, 2007

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:
Because you will have a view of a burial practice that lasted for about 2,000 years – the practice of hanging coffins! These coffins were carved by the people inside them themselves. The Sagada Elders used to carve their coffins before they died.

NOTE:

Do not forget to shout your hellos and hear them echo all over the valley.:P



DESCRIPTION:
Echo Valley is righly called so because one's shout echoes throughout the valley. It is said that most of the places you walk on in Echo Valley have remains of the Sagada people underneath. Moreover, this is also the location of what Sagada is known for: the Hanging Coffins. This practice lasted for about 2,000 years. The newer ones (those buried between the 1980's to the 1990's) are in the cave but no longer hanging (Some say, however, that the last recorded burial there was just in 2003!!!). It is said that the burial ceremony starts at 6am when the living walk the dead towards to cave while holding torches. At 1pm, the dead is covered with blanket and everyone in the ceremony tries to get the body because there's a belief that the departed's blood will bring luck. The Sagadans chose this way to burial because of the belief that it would be easier to "leave" the coffin from up there or from the cave from 6 feet underground.

EXTRA NOTE:
If you want to get closer to the coffins, you need to take a hike down to the cave and see human bones scattered along the way because their coffins have already been destroyed. This would have been okay if nobody bothered them. The problem is that a lot have been stolen.:(

HOW TO GET THERE:
For Manila-Sagada schedule and routes, kindly click on this.

Sumaging Cave, Sagada

WHERE: Sagada, Mountain Province

DATE OF TRAVEL: March 03, 2007

DURATION OF SPELUNKING: about 2 hours

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:
1) Because it has an unusual display of stalactites and stalagmites.
2) Because it served as a hiding place for Filipino Guerillas and Soldiers during WW2.
3) Because it served as burial grounds for the Indigenous People of the Cordillera.

NOTE:
Although it is accessible and popular, do not expect it to be very easy. It can get slippery and you will get wet (underground river can get ice cold!). If you choose to bring your camera, make sure you have something waterproof (like ziplock or waterproof bag) to cover it when needed. Do not go without a guide and bring your own headlamp to help you see through the cave because the guides’ lamps might not be bright enough.





DESCRIPTION:
Sumaging Cave or Big Cave was created by water erosion. It is a popular cave in Sagada due to its unusual display of stalactites and stalagmites. For this reason, it is very accessible. The cave is also popular for its deep water (sometimes chest deep, sometimes even deeper!). The ice-cold water you have to swim to get to the other side is definitely an experience! The "caving" experience usually takes about 2 hours but you can take longer routes if you wish. No one is allowed to enter the cave without registering at the Municipal Hall and getting a guide. A foreigner is said to have died inside because he traveled alone and couldn't find his way out. Sumaging Cave can do that to you because it is enormous in size!

FEE:

P250 per person for guide (guide can only accommodate 4-5 persons) and P50 for extra lamp

HOW TO GET THERE:

For Manila-Sagada routes, kindly click on this.

Once in Sagada, go to the Municipal Building for registration and to get a guide. :) There are hardly any public transportations in Sagada, so if you won't want to walk long and far, you may rent vans for about P1,400 a day.

Banaue Rice Terraces

WHERE: Banaue, Ifugao

DATE OF TRAVEL: March 02, 2007

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:
1) Because it is considered as the 8th wonder of the world.
2) Because it really is a stairway to heaven. Legend has it that Kabunyan/ Lumaig, an Ifugao God, used these steps to visit his people on earth.
3) Because it is amazing how the Ifugaos actually built this. It is not only beautiful but scientifically sound (and advanced!) as well. The Rice Terraces were built to maximize farm space and prevent erosion. Moreover, the Ifugao people did this for themselves and not as a product of slave labor!:)
4) Because unlike many "world wonders", the Rice Terraces is still in use according to its original function.

NOTE:
It is slowly degrading and the younger generation no longer want to farm (some say it's because there's no money there so as soon as they find work, they leave). Instead, they want to become tour guides because of the tourist influx in their area. What they overlook is that when no one does the farming anymore and the rice terraces continue to die, they will lose the "8th wonder of the world" –and the tourists along with it.




DESCRIPTION:
Banaue Rice Terraces is usually claimed as the eighth wonder of the world, or one of them at least. These terraces were carved by the Ifugao people some 2,000-3,000 years ago without the help of any machinery. In 1995, the Rice Terraces was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


Banaue Rice Terraces look like stepping stones to the sky, thus, it is also called the Stairway to Heaven. It is said that Kabunyan or Lumaig, an Ifugao God, used these steps to visit his people on Earth. The terraces reach an altitude of about 1,500 meters or 4,920 feet. Given this and the time when it was made, then add the fact that no machinery helped the Ifugao people build this at all, no wonder it is considered as one of mankind's greatest display of engineering skills! There are many rice terraces all over Asia but nothing beats this. It is even said that if the terraces were laid horizontally instead, they would stretch halfway around the world!

HOW TO GET THERE: (commute from Manila)
Take Florida Lines or Auto Bus which leave at around 10:00pm daily. For schedule and contact numbers, kindly click on this.

FEE:
If you decide to view the terraces on your own (ex: from NFA-Aguian View Deck), viewing is free. However, you can also take hiking trails and tour guide usually costs about P200-250.

NFA- Aguian View Deck, Banaue

WHERE: Banaue, Ifugao

DATE OF TRAVEL: March 02, 2007

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:
Because this is where the Banaue Rice Terraces picture you see from your 1,000-peso bill was taken! Don’t forget to bring your blue paper and compare it to the real deal.:)


DESCRIPTION:
Just a short ride away from the road going to Bontoc, this view point must not be missed! It offers a spectacular view of the rice terraces and right beside it are small souvenir shops where you can buy t-shirts and products from Banaue.

FEE: Free

SOUVENIR BOUGHT: Banaue T-Shirt, P180 each

HOW TO GET THERE: For Manila-Banaue Routes and Schedule, kindly click on this.

Banaue Ethnic Village and Pine Forest Resort

WHERE: Banaue, Ifugao

DATE OF TRAVEL: March 02,2007

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:
Because this village and resort which sit on top of hills and are surrounded by pine trees showcase the evolution of Native Ifugao Houses complete with artifacts and description. It's a great place to rest, read and relax. If you choose to stay for the night, you can either sleep in Ifugao native huts or bring your tent and camp-out.







OTHER DETAILS:
Address: Aparnga-O, Viewpoint 3601 Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines
Contact Person: Andres Dunuan or Florence Viloria
Phone Numbers: (+63919)6142266/ (+63920)3493259/ (+63906)7748491

Culural Shows and Ifugao Rituals Performance may be done by appointment. Make sure to give them a call.:)

For Manila-Banaue routes and details, kindly click on this.