SAGADA adventure

It was another fine morning

to travel for another episode

of the San Mig Light 6Packers

TV Series. With me were the

first batch of winners of the

San Mig Light 6Packers Raffle

Promo, a two-month

nationwide offering that

rewards lucky San Mig Light

drinkers with adventure trips in various choice

destinations, such as Boracay, Hidden Valley,

Palawan and Sagada. We were all going to Sagada

for an adventure in caving (also known as

spelunking). The active itinerary went perfectly with

San Mig Light, the only low-calories beer in the

country.

Sagada is located up North in the Mountain Province. It is

well-known for its strong traditional culture with many

rituals associated with rice planting, harvest, wedding

and even wakes. Aside from these, tourists like ourselves

flock to Sagada, braving the 13-hour drive from Manila,

for its numerous caves.

The rugged mountains, pine forests, and comfortably cool

climate were a refreshing change for the 6Packers as

they were used to the beaches of their hometown –

Dumaguete. They have never even experienced a

harrowing 10-hour bus ride before. But with their wacky

antics,the hours passed by quickly.

After an overnight stopover in Banaue, and a three-hour

jeepney ride (two hours of which we spent on the jeep’s

roof), we finally made it to Sagada.

We all got to stay in the popular Sagada Igorot Inn,

where thank God, there was hot water waiting for all of

us! After getting some much needed R&R, we all had a

sumptuous meal at nearby Alfredo’s. The potato and corn

soup was excellent, and a stay in Sagada won’t be

complete until you’ve tried their hot brewed coffee and

delicious mountain tea.

Getting ready for some caving action, the courageous

6Packers and I, together with the entire Lakbay TV crew

hiked, for about an hour. We got to see breathtaking

views of clouds spilling over mountain tops, lush rice

terraces, friendly Sagada children, rows upon rows of

sunflowers and the mysterious Echo Valley. It was a

tiring hike but with the excellent view and surroundings,

it just seemed like a simple warm-up for all of us. Before

we knew it, we were at the famous “Sumaging” cave.

There was a sense of foreboding as we approached the

huge cave. It was known as a “flow” cave, probably due

to the fact that it was like a funnel where water from the

mountain creeks would “flow” into. And due to the

non-stop flow of water, the rock formations were

unusually smooth, some even had a weird pore-like

texture to them, making the trek down even more exiting

for us.

We enjoyed every minute of the experience. A flashlight

would not be enough to light the beauty of this huge

cave, so with experienced guides and a couple of gas

lamps we started our descent into “Sumaging”.

The first part of the cave was already pretty challenging.

With all the mud and grime, it was pretty tricky to get a

grip or even a foot-hold while trekking. Also, there were

distinctive clicking sounds. As the guides focused the gas

lamps overhead, a breathing and pulsating black mass

was made visible – bats! There were hundreds, even

thousands of them nested at the cave’s ceiling.

The deeper we went, the colder and darker it got. We

had to cross several pools of clear, icy water. But these

difficulties were small compared to the beauty of the

cave which got more magnificent as we went deeper.

The gas lamps illuminated the walls, turning them into

kaleidoscope that made the pools sparkle.

The spelunking got even more challenging. Continuing on,

we came upon a difficult portion which could only be

traversed by hanging onto a rope with our bare, cold

hands, plunging into chest-high freezing cold water with

only a glimmer of light to guide you, and squeezing

through tight, claustrophobic spaces. Some of these

places were so dark and tight that if you didn’t catch up

to the ground, you could be stuck there forever!

Sounds like fun? For the 6Packers, you bet! Before we

knew it, we’ve reached the main pool. All in all, we had

reached a depth of around 600 feet underground. It had

taken us an hour and a half to reach that point.

The main pool proved to be a worthy objective. It was

totally captivating as it sparkled and reflected the light

from the gas lamps, a photo opportunity that we couldn’t

miss. As our cameras clicked and flashed, we could help

but be awed by our amazing adventure into a land that

was both alien and beautiful to everyone of us.

That same day was our last day in Sagada. And our

6Packers from Dumaguete couldn’t help but get

emotional.... yes, even 6Packers get soft-hearted too.

[ Sagada Wiki ]