Sagada: Paradise of Mountain Province (Day 2)

June 4, 2006 – Sunday

It was a good weather when we woke up.  Sunrise was at its best.  Fog covers most of the plain.  Today will be our most exciting day at Sagada, our sight-seeing tour.  Our call time was 6am but we woke up around 7:30am.  Meaning we were an hour and a half late on our itinerary.  Our tour guide was already waiting for us outside the inn.  We hurriedly changed clothes and requested him some time so we can have breakfast.  He agreed to meet us around 8:30am at St. Joseph Convent where we will have our 1^st meal of the day.

St. Joseph Convent is located near the bus station and the local hospital.  The convent has a café named Café St. Joe.  They offer mostly Filipino breakfast and dishes.  Since this will be a tough day, we ordered heavy breakfast. 

(Corned beef, scrambled egg with rice and Sausage, egg with rice)  We want something organic so we ordered their local tea for our beverage.  We ordered Sagada tea with basil and Sagada tea with peppermint.  Our breakfast damaged us around php300.00.  It’s your option if you’d like to take your breakfast inside the café or in their garden.  We ate at the garden to breathe some fresh air.  We were surprised when they served us the tea.  We thought it’ll be served in a cup but instead, they served a kettle full of tea.

We were already stuffed so we begin our tour.  First on the list is the Echo Valley since it’s the nearest.  We passed the church and the local cemetery to get there.  On the valley, you can view from afar the famous Hanging Coffins.  It’s the traditional way of the local Sagadians to bury their loved ones.  They mummified the body before hanging them.  Also on the vicinity are the Sugong Coffins.  Of course, the best activity to do at Echo valley is no other than to shout at the top of your lungs while the valley echoed in return whatever words you shouted.  It’s a wonderful experience.  It brings out the child in you.

Next in our itinerary is the Bokong Falls (Twin Falls).  It’s an hour of walking to get there from the Echo Valley, passing through fields.  The sun is shining brightly so it’s advisable to bring bottled water with you to quench your thirst.  Bokong Falls is just a small falls.  There’s a bigger falls (Bomod-Ok Falls) which can be reach by 2 hours of trekking or 15 minute vehicle ride plus 45 minute trekking. This should be part of our itinerary but we were way behind the schedule. It’s almost 11am and we need to start spelunking at Sumaging Cave by 1pm.

On our way back from Bokong Falls is the Underground River.  The underground river is just a stretch of river inside a small cave.  The cave has its entrance and the river is quite dry for it haven’t rain that often. 

After the underground river, we headed back to town to prepare for Sumaging Cave and to have lunch.  We took some pictures of the rice fields we passed.  Our tour guide told us that the view is magnificent when the rice crops were still young and green. 

We went straight to Masferre Restaurant to have a quick lunch.  We don’t have enough time and we need to start our way to Sumaging cave by 1pm.  The spelunking will take around 3-4 hours, depends on how fast we can finish the trek inside the cave.  Caving is no longer allowed after 5pm so we need to get out by that time.  We met our tour guide in front of our hotel.  The road to Sumaging cave is the same road where our hotel is located.

Sumaging Cave is a 30 minute walk from our hotel.  The road was made of concrete and some were still dirt.  On the way to the cave, you can view from a far the Bomod-Ok Falls (Big Falls).  From the cave entrance, you can already imagine how huge the cave was.  There’s a carved stairs from the stones on the entrance.  It was dark inside so we used a lamp to move around.  At the entrance, you can hear the cry of thousands of bats and it’s quite slippery due to bats poo.  As we descend inside, we were able to see those amazing rock formations, stalactites and stalagmites.  The cave was simply beautiful.  Cold water flows everywhere so prepare to get wet.  To conquer the cave, we need to be flexible and strong enough.  There were instances that we need to crawl on holes and climb rock formation to move on and finish the trek.  We finished the trek approximately 3 hours and it was raining outside when we got out.  Bathing at the rain brings a lot of childhood memories.  Outside I noticed that there’s an important message and reminder painted on the wall.  It says,

“These caves are Kabunyans (God) gift for Sagadians and all lovers of beauty and nature.  Remember these wonders are millions of years old.  Man was born only yesterday.  We therefore have no right to destroy these legacies, only our duty to protect and preserve them.”

We arrived at the hotel around 4:30pm, took a quick shower and rest.  Our feet sores due to endless walking.

Exactly 6 pm, we arrived at Log Cabin Café for our scheduled dinner.  Since the café was closed to public on that day, the café appeared like it was reserved for us.  We had our dinner near the fireplace which I found romantic.  The pastas we ordered were mouth watering especially the penne with sausage and wild mushrooms.  It’s fantastic. It overflows with Hungarian sausage, mushrooms and you can actually taste the fresh herb used.  Each order of pasta was actually good for sharing.  To sum it up, in my opinion, Log Cabin is the best restaurant in Sagada in terms of ambiance, price and food. 

We headed back to our hotel and we boozed ourselves with a bottle of beer.  Since we were really tired and have body pain, we didn’t notice that we've fallen asleep.

Sagada : Paradise of Mountain Province (Day 1)

If there is one place that I would like to return to for relaxing, meditating and experience nature at its best, it’s no other than the village of Sagada.  Sagada is a village of Mountain Province located at the northern part of the Philippines. I want to share my experience with you when I first visited the place.  It was June 2006, together with a friend (which is now my girlfriend), when we explore this amazing place.  We have researched a lot about Sagada before we depart because it’s our first time and we are not familiar on how to get there.  This is how it goes.

Sagada is approximately 12-14 hour land trip from the busy Metro Manila.  There are 3 routes from Manila to Sagada.

• Manila via Baguio City – Sagada route
• Manila via Banaue – Sagada route
• Manila via Bontoc – Sagada route

We chose Manila via Baguio City-Sagada route because we were familiar enough around Baguio City.  There are buses that will take you to Baguio from Manila but we preferred Victory liner (Pasay Terminal or Cubao Terminal).  Travel time from Manila to Baguio is around 6-8 hours for regular trip and 4 hours for deluxe trip.  Prior to our departure, I already reserved seats for the 12 midnight deluxe trip.  (Departs at 12 midnight, Saturday morning).  The fare from Manila-Baguio special trip costs php440.00 during that time. (Click the link for updated rate and schedule: http://www.victoryliner.com) We chose this schedule because the 1^st trip from Baguio City to Sagada starts at 5am.  

Mini Bus to Sagada : Dangwa Terminal

We arrived at Baguio around 4:30 in the morning. We stayed at the terminal for 20 minutes to eat then took a cab directly to Dangwa Terminal where the mini buses to Sagada were located.  We arrived at Dangwa Terminal around 5:15am and unfortunately, the 1^st bus departed already so we have no choice but to take the 6am trip.  The mini bus is non-aircon and the fare per pax is php220.00.  According to my research, today the schedule trip from Dangwa Terminal to Sagada starts at 5 am followed by every hour and last trip is at 2pm.

Travel time from Baguio City to Sagada is approximately 7 hours and there is 2 stop overs.  What to expect on this route? Rough road but breath-taking sceneries.  Rice terraces, rivers, mountains were a few sight to behold.  Make sure the batteries for your gadgets are well-charged or better, have some spare batteries with you.  7 hour of travel is long enough just to sleep. Also, bring food and water if you don't want to get starved. 

We arrived at Sagada around 1:30pm and we headed directly to our hotel.  We booked our stay at George Guest House located at Dao-Angan Sagada. The room is good for 4 pax and costs php900.00 per day. It’s a 5 minute walk from Sagada Municipal Hall.  The hotel is simple with the amenities just needed for this trip. Each private room has 2 queen-size bed and hot & cold bath.  No television and no aircon which is fine with us.  The weather is cool in Sagada especially at night time.  Sometimes it’s good to be totally isolated and no contact to the real world.  The rooms are located at the 3^rd and 4^th floor.  They also have a gazebo at the rooftop where you can take your breakfast or do your grill.  They also have a mini grocery store at the ground floor and an internet café.  For updated information on George Guest House, you can click on the following links.

http://sagadageorgeguesthouse-labanet.blogspot.com

http://sagadageorgeinn.bravehost.com

Since it’s already 2pm, we were really hungry.  For our 1^st meal at Sagada, we took our lunch at Masferre.  The ambiance of the restaurant is homey, cultural and a great view of the village and the church.  There were black and white photos posted which is taken by the owner.  One thing that disappointed me was the signage saying "Taking picptures is not allowed".  But of course, I didn’t follow that instruction.  I secretly captured some photos.  Every experience needs to be documented. lol.  The restaurant offers Filipino and American food.  As far as I can recall, we ordered mixed vegetable and grilled fish/pork.  The price was a bit pricy for a simple meal and the taste is just usual.  But we heard that they offer good breakfast which we haven’t tried.

After taking our lunch, we proceed directly at the Sagada Visitors Centre.  According to our hotel owner, we need to register and record our arrival and target date of departure.  This is to ensure that they track tourists coming in and out of Sagada and for record purposes just in case something happened.  This is also where you can book your tour itinerary.  We booked the Sight Seeing Tour (3 spots: Echo Valley, Underground River, Bokkong Falls) and Spelunking at Sumaging Cave.  1 tourist guide is allotted per 4 pax which costs Php800.00.  Since we’re only 2, we paid Php400.00 per head.  For more information on tour sites and rates, you can visit the link below.

http://sagadagenuineguides.blogspot.com

After booking our tour, we headed directly at the famous Log Cabin Café and Restaurant.  We read a lot of good things about this café especially their famous Saturday dinner buffet.  The cafe is owned by a French chef named Aklay which is already an adopted son of Sagada.  The cafe offered French cuisine and the menu varies depending on the availability of raw materials and what the local market can offer.  Aside from the regular   Saturday buffet, they also have a regular menu which you can choose from.  Pastas, salad and meat dishes are also available but you need to inform them since the chef is busy preparing for the buffet.  Reservation here is a must.  We reserved our seats for the nights dinner which starts at 6pm.  The rate varies defending on the menu prepared by the chef.  Ours costs php180.00 per head.

The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin

Since it was still early afternoon, we took a look and explored The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin.  The church is an Episcopal Diocese of Northern Philippines.  It was founded in 1904 by the Rev. John Staunton under Bishop Charles Brent and became a parish in 1962.  The church has a brick floor and wooden ceilings.  At the altar, you can see a beautiful crafted stained glass.  We took some pictures and around 4pm, we decided to return to the hotel.  The weather is already cloudy and it’s about to rain.  Since we were also tired from our trip and we haven’t got a good sleep, we decided to take a nap.

Log Cabin Cafe

We woke-up around 6:30 pm, just in-time for dinner.  We dressed-up and headed directly to Log Cabin, excited about the food prepared by the Chef.  We arrived at the cafe exactly 7pm.  We entered the cafe and the ambiance was calm and cozy. We noticed that customers on that night were foreigners.  We were the only Pinoys.  We went straight to the buffet table to check the food.  When we approach the table, what's left were salad and some bread.  Dinner started at 6pm so it's pretty obvious that we were late. Another lesson learned.  It saddened us because we were really excited about the food.  We talked to the receptionists if we can make a reservation again for tomorrows buffet but there is one problem.  The buffet is only served on Saturdays.  "How about we'll just order what's on the regular menu for Sunday night?"  She replied, "The cafe will be closed tomorrow (Sunday) because Chef Aklay has some errands to do.  His family will be coming from France."  That's just it, no single spark of hope.  We were already leaving Monday and no chance to try the best restaurant in Sagada.  The lady saw how frustrated and sad we were.  She excused herself  but  told us to wait for her.  On our delight, she told us that she talked to Chef Aklay and he agreed to cook dinner for us before he leaves on Sunday afternoon.  We were like children going crazy on what we heard.  We ordered pasta for tomorrows dinner, Penne in Sausages and Wild Mushrooms and Zucchini Linguine pasta. (not really sure about the name of the pasta but this is what I remembered) We were really happy, thanking the lady endlessly for the favor.  So we left Log Cabin and find another resto for supper.

Yoghurt House

On our way to our hotel, we noticed a café named Yoghurt House.  We decided to take our supper there.  The café offers Filipino and American food but their specialty is Yogurt.  We ordered fried chicken and hash with salad in yogurt dressing and sautéed pork and vegetable with rice.  The price was fair, damaged us around php300-350, and the taste was quite ok.  The fried chicken tastes good but the sautéed pork and vegetable was a bit sweet.  We love to try the yogurt for desert but we were already full.  We decided to return before we leave Sagada to try their famous yogurt. 

After dinner, we return back to our hotel since we’re still tired and we need to take a good rest for our tour the following day.  The tour is more on walking and trekking so we need to regain all our strength.  Call time  is at 6am.

We ended our Day 1 happy and off to bed early.  Excited for what’s in store for us once the sun rises.   

National Kidney Month

The month of June was declared by the Philippine government as the National Kidney Month here in the Philippines. This annual celebration highlights the donors and their families.

Different activity has been lined-up in many parts of the country.  Objective of the celebration is to promote awareness of kidney disease, its prevention and promotes the nobility of organ donation. 

Headed by the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, the institution is inviting everyone to participate and join the celebration.  There will be exhibits, art contests, community outreach, conferences and lectures, etc., as part of the celebration.  There will also be free kidney check-up and laboratory tests at the NKTI starting from June 6-24, 2011 (excluding weekends and holiday). 

For the list of activities, you can check the Kidney Month Activity Calendar below.  For more information, please call NKTI and look for  Ms. Cynthia A. Corcino, Public Information Officer at telephone nos. 928-0355 or 924-3601 to 19 local 1008/1014 or visit www.nkti.gov.ph.

For those people who would like to help and be an organ donor, you may contact Human Organ Preservation Effort (HOPE Foundation) at (63) (2) 924-HOPE (4673) or visit their website at http://www.nkti.gov.ph/organ_donation.do.

Sources:

National Kidney and Transplant Insitute

Human Organ Preservation Effort (HOPE Foundation)

               

The Crucible of My Life

Most of young people today are working hard to enjoy, explore, travel, party and do the things that let them experience the essence of being young.  I’m currently 29 and I say I’ve been there and done that.  I had fun but with a big twist. Let me share my story with you to enlighten and educate as well.  Let me begin.

Six years ago, I was 23; I was diagnosed with Chronic Glomerulonephritis.  It is an advanced kidney disorder, resulting in inflammation and slowly worsening destruction of internal kidney structures, resulting for kidney function to deteriorate.  My nephrologist told me that we can prolong the remaining function of my kidney through proper diet and medications but eventually it will lead to an End-Stage Renal Disease (complete failure of the kidneys to function), meaning the two options that I will choose to continue living is by Hemodialysis or Kidney Transplantation.  The doctor says the damage to my kidneys is irreversible.  When I learned about my situation, it’s like a nightmare.  You want to wake up but you can’t because it is real.  I cross a path of depression, self-pity, demotivation, anxiety and all kinds of negative thoughts. Name it, I have it.  But that lasted for some months.  I was enlightened by a homily one time when I attended a Sunday healing mass. He said, “Being sick is like being a sinner.  The first step to be healed is by acceptance.  To accept that you are ill and lifting it all to God.  Like asking God for pardon and forgiveness for all your sins.”  Since that day, I was enlightened.  I accepted it and I am changed.

Let’s talk about the cause of this illness.  Chronic Glomerulonephritis occurs when there is slow, progressive destruction of the glomeruli of the kidney (kidney walls), with progressive loss of kidney function. In some cases, the cause is found to be a specific attack to the body's immune system, but in most cases, the cause is unknown.

In my case, the cause is unknown.  Most patients would undergo biopsy of the kidney. I also didn’t undergo this procedure. My doctor told me that the walls of my kidney are too thin that it may cause complications if they will get a tissue for the biopsy. 

There are several symptoms of Chronic Glomerulonephritis and End Stage Kidney Disease.  To name a few, please see list below.

• Blood in the urine (dark, brown or rust-colored)
• Foamy urine
• Drowsiness
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Muscle cramps and twitching
• Easy Bruising
• Blood in the stool
• High blood Pressure
• Swelling of the feet and hands
• Sleeping problems

If you have these symptoms, consult your doctor immediately. There are tests needed to be done like a Kidney Ultrasound or CT scan, Urinalysis and Chest X-ray.  Blood tests like BUN, Creatinine, Potassium, Phosphorus, Lipid Profile and Uric Acid is also required.

Treatment for this disorder varies from the cause but the primary goal is to control the symptoms especially high blood pressure which is hard to prevent. There will be medications issued to control your blood pressure and as maintenance.  A strict diet will be enforced.  When I say strict, it is really hard to follow.  You have to control everything. Restrictions on salt, protein, fluids, potassium and phosphorus are vital to control the damage to your kidneys.  It is easy to enumerate the restrictions but these five major restrictions hinder you to eat a wide variety of food.  Believe me.  A licensed dietician will give you a diet plan of foods to take and not to take, the amount per serving and the right way of preparing it.

Dialysis Needle

Like I mentioned, Dialysis or Kidney Transplantation may be necessary to control symptoms of kidney failure and to sustain life.  I undergo Hemodialysis for 6 months.  The experience, life is hard on dialysis.  You have to be dialyzed twice or thrice a week.  Every session took four hours. Treatment is a bit tiring specially for the elderly. You will need to have an access to your arm by doing a minor operation. This access is where they insert 2 huge needles every time you have a dialysis treatment.  Oh Lord, at first when I saw those needles, I was really scared.  I haven’t seen huge needles like those. The regular syringe for taking blood in the hospital laboratory has no match. The dialysis needle is the mother of all needles. Hahaha.  It’s an inch long with a circumference like a straw of a tetrapak. Oh well, I got used to it as weeks gone by.

May 4, 2011 was the happiest day of my life. It’s my second birthday, the day of my kidney transplant. Thank God for this day. I got my kidney from a cadaver donor (deceased donor).  A living donor (related or non-related) is advisable but in case of an absence of a living donor, the cadaver donor is the next option. Being transplanted gives a new motivation in life.  Your life will return to normal and eventually you can eat almost everything you want, but of course, this time in moderation.  Two days from now is my 1^st month and I’m still taking a lot of medications and cautious to avoid any infection. I need to stay away from crowd for at least 6 months.  First 6 months is crucial for the healing process. You need to take all types of precautions. Literally, you need to stay at home for that period.

Having this illness is really a pain in everything.  Truly, this is a rich mans illness.  It really costs a lot starting from medical tests and labs, dialysis treatment, medicines and all the way to kidney transplantation.  Kidney Transplantation is still the top option for treatment, though hard on the pocket at first, this procedure will give the best result and guarantees that as months go by, the cost for medicines will eventually drop.   

As the saying goes, “HEALTH IS WEALTH”.  A simple phrase with a very deep meaning.  It is actually one of my favourite mottos today. But seriously, the message that I would like to express is that being young gives us freedom to choose whatever lifestyle we want.  Maybe health is on our last priority thinking we are strong and young.  But we’ll never know.  Every time I visit the hospital and dialysis centre, I noticed that the number of young people suffering from this illness is increasing rapidly.  Today, we may not notice, but Kidney Failure is already one of the top 3 diseases that kills most Filipinos. So I encourage everyone especially the young people to become aware.  Don’t abuse yourself.  We can still enjoy life even in moderation.  Eat healthy, drink a lot of water, exercise regularly, drink moderately(liquor) and if can be avoided, quit smoking.  Act now before it’s too late.