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So I didn't get my usual dose of sun worshipping, but I did trek a WHOLE mountain and back, for a change. We drove up to Sagada for the long weekend and this break around, I saw another side of the Philippines that made me appreciate the P.I. even more. Trading in my bikinis, tank tops and tanning oils for sweaters, pants and scarves, I found myself more mystified with the mountain province than I ever thought myself to be, waking up to 24-degree sunny mornings that smell of pine instead of sea salt and calling it a day when the temperature hits 21 degrees and you're conveniently forced to sip a steamy mug of hot chocolate instead of a bottle of chilled beer.
The quaint and mysterious town of Sagada solicits curiosity and interest from many. Considered as a sacred burial ground for their ancestors, the hanging coffins that jut out of limestone walls and caves cradle the ingenious creators of the infamous rice terraces that contour the mountain sides. It is no wonder, then, that the town officials impose a no-display-of-public-affection-rule, a controlled tone of voice and a 9 pm curfew for locals (9 pm curfews sound more appealing to me then having to walk around a pitch-black burial town with hardly any street lamps) - all to respect their dead.
Two trips, two days and too many hours in the car, I savored as much of the mountain culture as I could. On our first day, we went hiking from the top of the mountain all the way down (and back up again) only to freeze our brains to death as we frolicked in the ice cold water of the town's most famous waterfall. And if that wasn't enough, we trekked down another mountain side the next day to the Lumi-ang Cave where centuries-old tribe members are buried in order to preserve both the coffins and their bodies. Wouldn't it be cool if walls could talk and speak of ancient burial rituals, tribal cultures and sacrificial animals? History sure does get me all the time.
Its funny how Sagada is fast becoming a commercial town as tourists come, go and stay. It has become a fusion (or shall I say confusion) of provincialism and modernization. On one side of town, you have modern American architecture, technology and practices that stick out like thumbs against the culture of respecting the sacredness of the province, the ritual of burying their dead in hanging coffins and just living off basic essentials. Do culture and tradition take the backseat in the name of modernization and "catching up with the times"? Just a thought...
So anyway, there I was on a mountain top for four days and I must say, giving my skin a break from being kissed by the sun wasn't so bad, I didn't think I'd enjoy as much as I did. So the next time I think of being my noisy self in a town like that, I'll be sure to think twice who's spirit/hanging coffin I'm disturbing. :)
The quaint and mysterious town of Sagada solicits curiosity and interest from many. Considered as a sacred burial ground for their ancestors, the hanging coffins that jut out of limestone walls and caves cradle the ingenious creators of the infamous rice terraces that contour the mountain sides. It is no wonder, then, that the town officials impose a no-display-of-public-affection-rule, a controlled tone of voice and a 9 pm curfew for locals (9 pm curfews sound more appealing to me then having to walk around a pitch-black burial town with hardly any street lamps) - all to respect their dead.
Two trips, two days and too many hours in the car, I savored as much of the mountain culture as I could. On our first day, we went hiking from the top of the mountain all the way down (and back up again) only to freeze our brains to death as we frolicked in the ice cold water of the town's most famous waterfall. And if that wasn't enough, we trekked down another mountain side the next day to the Lumi-ang Cave where centuries-old tribe members are buried in order to preserve both the coffins and their bodies. Wouldn't it be cool if walls could talk and speak of ancient burial rituals, tribal cultures and sacrificial animals? History sure does get me all the time.
Its funny how Sagada is fast becoming a commercial town as tourists come, go and stay. It has become a fusion (or shall I say confusion) of provincialism and modernization. On one side of town, you have modern American architecture, technology and practices that stick out like thumbs against the culture of respecting the sacredness of the province, the ritual of burying their dead in hanging coffins and just living off basic essentials. Do culture and tradition take the backseat in the name of modernization and "catching up with the times"? Just a thought...
So anyway, there I was on a mountain top for four days and I must say, giving my skin a break from being kissed by the sun wasn't so bad, I didn't think I'd enjoy as much as I did. So the next time I think of being my noisy self in a town like that, I'll be sure to think twice who's spirit/hanging coffin I'm disturbing. :)
the town plaza
served chilled
Lumi-ang Cave
hanging coffins
uh-oh, what's that?
creative
content