Sagada: Kiltepan - What Happened?

I wrote a short one about Sadaga's Kiltepan sunrise here.

The first time I went to Sagada was back in the early 2000's and have been going back almost every year. Despite that, I never really went to experience Kiltepan until 2012 and I must say it was magical. 

We went with our good friends, Karen & Xy and we had a grand time taking photos and just taking in all the beauty of the sunrise over the mountains and the sea of clouds. There was only one other small group there with us. The other group left early and we also told our jeepney driver to go ahead because we plan to just walk back to town. Para kaming nasa kawalan, yung tipong matatakot ka kahit may araw na kasi walang ibang tao at feeling mo bigla nalang may werewolves na tatalon galing sa mga pine trees.

The following year (2013), we went back with my BIL, SIL and their friends. 

The view is still amazing although there is already a small crowd. 

Then a few days ago I saw some pictures taken in Kiltepan... and I was shocked. 

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Andaming tao, Bes! Nakakaloka! I haven't been to Sagada since I had my son.  Honestly, I really don't know what happened. So I did some reading up and stumbled upon blogs/articles also taking about this. There must be a correlation on the sudden influx of visitors to Kiltepan and the fame of the movie That Thing Called Tadhana. The movie was released in 2014. It's actually nice that movies and local soaps are promoting different places of the country because tourism helps create employment and income for the community. It also encourages the local tourism, you know, 'wag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan. See as much of the Philippines as you can. But there must be some sort of regulation in place and environmental protection should also not be taken for granted.

You can't really blame people for wanting to visit Kiltepan, pictures just can't do justice on how beautiful and serene the experience is, well, at least for us.  I'm wondering how the experience is now that you have to elbow yourself into the crowd so you can get a good spot or a good shot of the view. 

I hope the LGU is doing (or has done) something about it. Regulating the number of visitors and proper waste disposal. And I hope fellow travelers stay responsible enough, too. I hope Kiltepan is still as beautiful and as raw as we've seen it a few years ago. Because, sayang naman. I've seen one of the most beautiful sunrises here, next to the one I've experienced at Mt. Pulag. 

Vigan: Pagburnayan Experience

We didn't really have any itinerary prepared when we went for a quick getaway to Vigan.  I just wanted to see the old churches and just chill in Calle Crisologo.  The side trip to the Pagburnayan was courtesy of our kutsero. 

I was pleasantly surprised when he brought us to the Pagburnayan where I get to experience making a burnay or an earthen ware pot. Entrance is free. 

We were lucky because we got there when there were no other tourists and I got to take my time learning from the workers.  It was difficult putting the right amount of pressure on the clay while at the same time making sure it's wet enough and the wheel doesn't stop turning. Pottery is an art and not an easy one.  

Before we left though, a hoard of tourists arrived and lo, we got to have a picture with Congressman Crisologo, too. 

Ignorant me was hoping to bring the pot that I made but it still needs to be sun dried then baked in an oven before you can even use it. Hahaha. 

Samal Island: Costa Marina Beach Resort

If I am to rank the perks of living here in Davao City, it is the proximity to the beach that will top the list. 

Our go-to resort is Costa Marina Beach Resort, mainly because it is very accessible and also very affordable. There are a lot of other resorts in the island and this is not the best that we've been to but we keep coming back because it is the most convenient especially for families who have two toddlers like we do.  

From our place in Lanang, we just take a 10-minute cab ride to their port in Sasa, we don't have to go all the way to the main Sasa Wharf. They share a port with the more-known Paradise Island Resort.  From their port, it's just a 15-minute boat ride that will cost only P15/person, this boat ride will take you straight to the resort. If there's less than 10 persons in your group, the boat ride will cost P150 for the whole trip. 

Entrance at the resort is only P150 per person and children below one year old are free. 

They allow bringing of food inside the resort and I think only charges for corkage if you're bringing lechon and alcoholic drinks. We always just order from their restaurant only because we always have our hands full with the kids and could not be bothered preparing food ahead of time. Food is decent, pwede na and reasonably-priced naman. 

The beach is clean and safe, hindi biglang lalim. I think they regularly clean the shore of sharp corals, rocks and shells.  The kids always have a grand time playing in the waters and building sand castles. I love it that there are a lot of big trees along the shore that provides shade especially at noon. Service is also good, staff are courteous and helpful. In the afternoon the guard on duty would always go around to remind guests that the last boat trip back to the city is at 5pm. 

They also have accommodations available for those who want to stay overnight but we haven't tried doing so. For those going on a day tour, their shower and dressing rooms are clean, too. I'm sure they offer a lot of other services/amenities but we just go there to unwind and laze around watching the kids play.