Kiltepan Sunrise and
the Sea of Clouds
One of the high points from the stories that the
stokedtraveler read and heard of Sagada was the Kiltepan Sunrise and the sea of
clouds. Pictures of this in the web was simply breathtaking and to experience
it personally would be surreal.
 |
| No sunrise nor a sea of clouds |
The group woke up early and took their pre-arranged van to
bring them to Kiltepan peak which serves as the viewing point for the sunrise. There
were just too many tourists that the van had to drop them off farther than
needed because of the traffic (imagine manila traffic brought to Sagada). They took a 10-15 trek through the dark forest. Remember to bring your own light to
guide your way or else you’ll be at the mercy of the closest person next to you
to mark your path.
 |
| Tourists waiting for the sunrise to come |
It was a hit and miss kind of activity. Some days there
would be too much fog and the sunrise would be blocked by it. It looked so surreal
in other people’s photos that it actually didn’t become a reality that day. Looks
like it wants to be missed so there’s a reason to come back soon!
Breakfast at Misty
Lodge
From the missed sunrise experience at Kiltepan, the group just
decided to have breakfast. They first checked out Rock Inn where the orange picking
was but they learned that breakfast was already running out (a common
theme in Sagada during this year’s festival). They decided to go to Misty Lodge
instead.
Misty Lodge looks like a modest house from the outside. It was very unassuming that what welcomed the stokedtraveler was unexpected judging from the exterior of the lodge. The inside felt like being in an
alpine house complete with all the intricacies of a real one.
The food was also very tasteful and the prices were not at
all expensive (average P150-200). As much the stokedtraveler hates to see this
place be any more commercialized and flocked by diners, do visit this place
during off season to keep their business going.
Orange picking at Rock
Inn
Also on the list for this year’s Sagada visit was to
experience orange picking.
Entrance fee was P50/pax which included splurging on
all the free oranges you can pick and eat while at the plantation. You can also
take home oranges as you go out and just pay P60/kilo. Make sure to pick the
ugly oranges (not the smooth looking ones). Those ugly ones are the sweetest of
the bunch. This is one of those times when you choose
ugly to be happy. J
The stokedtraveler took home about 2 ½ kilos of oranges not counting the ones
he helped pick for a friend.
Indigenous Inn
Due to the difficulty with booking an inn, the group had to
split their stay between two inns. The second night was booked at Indigenous
Inn.
It had a much nicer view of the rice paddies and the
mountain side. It was also situated somewhere in the middle of the long stretch
of restaurants and inns in the area. They are much closer to everything than Shamrock
and cheaper too. Proximity is important especially when you need to walk
through cold weather at night after doing your Sagada adventures. Their family
room was bigger than Shamrock and had two small showers.
What didn’t work well was that they didn’t provide free
drinking water that day. They offered a drink from the faucet but being careful
of drinking tap water is just as important especially when you have a weak
stomach. They also didn’t have an in house diner but it didn’t matter so much
because there were other diners just around the area.
Sagada Brew Lunch
This place stands out from the rest because it is one of the
newest places to dine at in Sagada. They have a more contemporary yet still
uses wood and local accents to design their store. They are also one of those
places which is usually open (although their stock also often runs out). They
run out of stock because they make good food!
The group ordered caldereta and orange chicken for P200/per
order. It tasted great. Just like any meal in Sagada, they also use ‘red rice’
instead of the ‘white rice’ city folks are used to eating. The owner offered
the last remaining ‘Choco Lava Cake’ (P150/cake) for the group to share. It
tasted heavenly! Too bad it was the last one and the stokedtraveler couldn’t
get more that day.
The owner used to work in the field of IT just like the
stokedtraveler. He said he got tired of it and decided to open Sagada Brew. He
was very amiable and talked to his guests just like another fellow tourist
visiting Sagada. The place comes highly recommended by the stokedtraveler too!
Snack time at Yoghurt
House
This is one restaurant that is hard to catch open! They
literally close their doors to guests when they are already low on supplies.
There’s not even the courtesy of leaving it to the guests to decide whether
they wait or choose another place.
Luckily on the second day, the group had a chance to have an
afternoon yoghurt snack. Yoghurt house also offered main dishes and other food
items but the group was still full and just wanted to sample their much
acclaimed yoghurt.
The yoghurt orders can be either P100 or P140. The
stokedtraveler ordered the honey banana strawberry yoghurt with granola. The serving is not too big and
was just right. It had banana slices, honey and some brown sugar to balance the
sour taste of yoghurt. As for the taste, it was just alright. The group already
had yoghurt at Bana’s house the day before and it wasn’t too different than
this. After all, Yoghurt is yoghurt to the average guy’s taste buds. Only a
real connoisseur can tell the difference. The verdict for the stokedtraveler is
that yoghurt is yum and healthy in Sagada because it is freshly made. Whatever
each restaurant does with the plain yoghurt would make them standout.
Sumptuous dinner at Log
Cabin
Another highly recommended dining experience in Sagada! This
place serves buffet dinners every Saturday night at around the same price as
the a la carte orders. They ensure that their guests have a great experience by
only allowing reservations. Ensure that you book your reservation a day before
and place your order in advance.
They have 4 main meal options ranging between P250 to P280
each. They also serve other items including imported wine. Each meal includes a
salad and a main course. The salad consisted of fresh vegetables. Only thing
was that the stokedtraveler would’ve wanted to have more dressing in it. The
salad serving was big enough to be a meal in itself but the dressing wasn’t
that much. The main dish was new to the stokedtraveler’s taste was just
perfect. It was pork tenderloin on some pasta with some special sauce.
Definitely something he’ll be looking out to order again next time he is in
Sagada. Serving time then was a bit slow and the chef did apologize for it. It
was ok though. After all, you can’t be grumpy on a completely satisfied
stomach. Definitely the best food in Sagada during the trip!
They even had their own bon fire just outside the cabin
which was a welcome addition to the Sagada 10-14 degree Celsius temperature
that night.
Day 3. Back to
reality, see you again Sagada
The group had to wake up early to catch the early hourly
buses from Sagada to Baguio to make sure they will be at home before New Year’s
eve. This first time in Sagada was more of a chilly chillax vacation. Next time
it’ll be trekking, spelunking and more adventure-filled activities.
Because the buses leave very early in the morning, they had
to squeeze in their souvenir shopping in between meals on the second day. Some
popular things to buy are: Etag and Sagada strawberries at Masferre, Sagada
woven bags and purses, Scarves, Starwberry jams, Orange marmalade, Fruit wines,
Lemon pies, pure honey and wood carvings.
Note: The bus ride is
uncomfortable because the seats are small and also have middle seats. You’ll be
sitting on it for 6 hours down a winding Cordillera mountain side highway. If
you think the uphill drive was bad, expect worse going down. Best to prepare
yourself properly for the challenge. Take your meds and try not to eat solid
food or too much water if you’re not that used to uncomfortable drives.
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