Sagada Love!

For an overdue "away-from-city-life" escape, I went to Sagada with some friends a few weeks ago.  It's not my first time in this shangri-la but in a lot of moment, I'm still left in awe.

Getting There:

• Cable Tour Bus (MLA-Bontoc) - 12 hours, P650/pax, you can find them along E. Rodriguez Ave, QC.  It's quite tricky finding their terminal, it's inside a compound between St. Luke's Hospital and Trinity College.  Ask around, if I didn't I would be able to find it AT ALL.  I love it that the bus is air-conditioned yet I can open the windows so I can take pictures. Buses leave at 830PM daily. Contact them: 09185216790 / 09282305330.

• Jeep (Bontoc - Sagada) - 45mins, P50/pax, ask around where you can find these jeeps as they don't really have a terminal. We wanted to ride topload but the jeep loaded sacks of cement & rice so we decided to stay put in our seats.

Stay:

• George Guesthouse - P200/pax per night - private toilet/shower, hot water, free wifi, tv. Cheap! :) We made reservations prior to our arrival which I highly recommend that you especially if you are going in a big group or during peak season. Contact #: Teodora +639185480405 or Irenius +639206070994. 

Eat: 

• Bana's Cafe - all breakfasts were taken here.  Food is great and we adored their homemade bacon! Average cost per meal - P80-P150.

• The Yoghurt House - I love this restaurant when I first visisted Sagada back in 2004. I wasn't that impressed this time - service was really slow and food was just so-so.  I still love their yoghurt though.  I had the one with banana & muesli, K had strawberries... we mixed them together. I'm a big yoghurt fan, so I'm happy.

• Vincent's Cafe - first thing you'll notice here are the paintings on the door and a mural on the wall.  Those were done by Russel who we were able to share a couple of beers with. Had a very relaxed, fun, and cozy feel.  We met new friends here since the place is very conducive for conversations. We were the only Pinoys when we went there. Very global, we made friends with Russel (Canadian), a British guy and two Aussie girls. Order the fish & chips!

• Lemon Pie House -  hands-down, my favorite! It's very homey, coffee (P30/cup) is good and pies (P25)are cheap yet very yummy.  Free wi-fi and stories from Ate Loida. This place is really love.

  Coming Back:

• Lizardo Bus Line (Sagada-Baguio)  - P220/pax, approx 6-7 hours, last trip leaves Sagada at 1PM.  This part is a blur to me (and to my friends) - reckless driver, highest highway in the Philippines (Halsema Highway), and super thick fog. Such a shame because the view in Halsema was really great but we weren't able to enjoy it since we were busy holding on to our seats. Driver drives really fast, takes the counterflow lane even on blind curves, and ignored our not-so-silent gasps. Hmp. Will not recommend this bus line - at all!  Just take the Sagada-Bontoc-Banaue-MLA route.
• Victory Liner (Baguio-MLA) - P460, 7 hours. Leg room, comfortable seats, deep sleep. 'Nuff sleep. :)

These are just the basics.  Will blog about our activities next time. Sagada is really LOVE. :)

***click on pictures to enlarge