---Ally---
Short for the names of 3 barangays - Kilong, Tetepan and Antadao. The Kiltepan Peak is where supposedly a cinematic sunrise can be witnessed. But, luck wasn't on our side. The fog was so thick that the barangays and the Kiltepan terraces below could hardly be viewed. At times, the sea of clouds would clear up a bit and emerging sun rays will give you a glimpse of what may truly be breathtaking. I had to do with the little that nature had to offer that morning but that little thing was still a sight to behold.
We left Kanip-Aw Lodge at 5 in the morning via a rented van and arrived at the peak a few minutes after. Several viewers were already there hoping to see the sunrise. I am pretty sure, like us, their expectations weren't so high as it rained the night before . For the sunrise to be viewed in full spectacle would be short of a miracle. Nonetheless, sights at the peak reminded me of Christmas. We may have missed the sun's glory but Christmas seems just around the corner at the peak. For Herb the whole viewing thing must have meant a lifetime of waiting. Repeatedly he'd tell me that the sun isn't going to show up, short of saying, "let's go and have breakfast!" Of course, I wasn't ready to give up, not just yet. Sun or no sun, Im going to take photos!
Herb patiently waited for me to finally call it a morning at Kiltepan. Off to Echo Valley. He was actually expecting a flat spacious area where cows might be grazing. After all, he did think that Echo Valley is Eco Valley. Since the highlight of this site are the Hanging Coffins, we were guided to the viewpoint from which what we saw where cliffs with old and newer coffins tacked on them.
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| New Coffins |
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| Old Coffins |
Then there was the urge to get closer to the coffins. Why? I have no idea. Maybe I just had to use my new lens. The older coffins were not accessible for a closer view, only the newer ones. Disturb them no further. There are several versions as to why these coffins are hung on a cliff. Says some, it brings the dead closer to heaven while others say these are the people who once lived and made significant contributions to the community, in other words, VIPs.
That morning, I don't know if our guide was actually being an idiot or just plain lazy, as I did notice he was still beat. We met a Singaporean when we trekked down for a closer view of the coffins ( and did I say, the trek was a bit of a challenge with high, narrow and at places slippery steps? Baby Batad in my humble opinion ). The foreigner asked about the reason behind this practice of hanging coffins. Somewhat indifferent to the Singaporean our guide replied with saying it was to keep the dogs from scavenging the remains. My brows must have hit the peak. While it may be er, sound, it simply is difficult to fathom that the Igorots will go through all that precarious tacking of coffins on cliffs for dogs. Cremation might have been a better option. No remains. No dogs. Herb felt a bit apologetic to the foreigner and mentioned to him a few of the reasons which were say, more profound. And the Singaporean was happy.
 I was actually proud of Herb. He himself wasn't really up to it, i mean the whole getting up early to view a sunrise and coffins. Then again, he knew it mattered to me being eager to practice whatever photo taking skills I have. He managed to drag himself out of the bed ( with a little help from my nagging ) and keep me company while i clicked the shutter here, there and everywhere. Herb's got ADHD ( lol ). Conquering his issues with inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity and see to it that i extract from him tons of patience for my photo taking sessions to be over is something i truly appreciate. That is, in the many times that I could ignore initial complaints and whining. Seriously, thanks, man!
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A final view of Sagada from the Echo Valley
Good-bye coffins! we're going up now...
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| Passing by the cemetery just behind St. Mary's Church at Echo Valley |
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| Peaceful rest at Echo Valley |
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| Wild strawberries at Echo Valley |
A trip to Echo Valley is inevitably a trip to the
The Episcopal Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Sagada, a chance for Christians to re-connect to spirituality and remember to say "thank you" for the opportunity to find respite in beautiful Sagada.
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| The Episcopal Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Sagada |
---Herb---
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| Ally's disappearing sunrise st Kiltepan |
On our last day, Ally and I woke up really early to get to a
place where we’d get a perfect view of the sunrise. I seriously don’t know what
the fuss is about a sunrise, but at least I went with a female this time. The last sunrise I saw was at Angkor Wat with a tour guide, a small guy named Thai.
Needless to say, I hurried the f*** out of there. So if you think about it,
this is a step up, in spite me disliking sunrises. Ally on the other hand
seemed to enjoy herself. In spite the foggy weather she still did manage to
get great photos , so I guess it wasn’t that bad. Ally patiently waited
for the sun to come out as I went on ahead and sat on a bench which seemed to
be where bonfires were lit.
On the bright side I was alone and I relished it. It
beats waiting with Ally for the sun to come out while the tourists from Manila
mindlessly gobble like turkeys about how the fog reminded them of Twilight the movie. Two
things I can’t stand, noisy tourists and Twilight. the movie. I swear if one of them tried
to imitate the part were Edward rips his shirt and glitters, I would’ve kicked
him over the mountain. Sometimes, people from the city can be very
inconsiderate. I remember waiting for the sunrise at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap,
Cambodia. Hundreds of people sat quietly. Meanwhile at Sagada, a handful of tourists from the city wait for the sunrise bringing along a marching band with them.
 |
| Again, the one at the bottom remind me of Ally's duffel |
After the attempted sunrise viewing, we went straight for the Echo valley to finally see what the Hanging Coffins looked like. Ally however
felt like she needed to get a closer look. The reluctance in a our tour guide's
face was so obvious, it pissed me off. As we slowly crept downwards the hill, I
could sense Ally’s frustration towards our tour guide. She literally had to
raise her voice and demand to be assisted. Poor judgment on
his part, that uncooperative behavior cost him his tip. He’d be walking home
without any extra money. Comparing him to Nelson, our guide at Batad, he doesn’t
even come close.
When we finally got up close to the hanging coffins, what seemed
to be interesting from afar, felt wrong up close. There’s something about taking
pictures and viewing people’s final resting places that doesn’t rub me well.
The idea of the hanging coffins on a spiritual level however does intrigue me;
to be hung on a cliff to be closer to God does make a lot of sense, while
others claim that only those who have contributed a lot to the community have
earned the right to be nestled on a cliff like their ancestors. Either
explanation makes perfect sense. Unlike that of our tour guide's, whose
explanation was so that dogs don’t dig up the bones? What a dumbass. I highly
doubt the people of Sagada would go through all that trouble of burial rites,
just for the prevention of canine grave robbers. I mean, wouldn’t it just be
easier to dig deeper? Say 6 feet? If Sagada lacked one thing, it would be that
their tour guides seem to lack the knowledge of their own history. Believe it or
not, some people actually want to know more about the place than just to
spelunk in caves or take a dip in falls, or view a sunrise. Ally and I for
one, take in everything a place has to offer, from the scenery to history.
They say all good things must come to an end. By one in the
afternoon we boarded the last bus out of Sagada and were headed straight
for Baguio City to take another bus bound for Manila. There’s really nothing
much to say about the trip to Manila. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a city boy and I
love the city, but sometimes the best things happen to you when you’re out of
your comfort zone. Perhaps you’ll think of going to Sagada after reading this?
Or perhaps you’ll even try your luck with Batad? Maybe not? But if you finally do make
up your mind and get the courage to see both or either, then I incline you to
stack up on pain killers. Believe me you’ll need them.
We left Kanip-Aw Lodge at 5 in the morning via a rented van and arrived at the peak a few minutes after. Several viewers were already there hoping to see the sunrise. I am pretty sure, like us, their expectations weren't so high as it rained the night before . For the sunrise to be viewed in full spectacle would be short of a miracle. Nonetheless, sights at the peak reminded me of Christmas. We may have missed the sun's glory but Christmas seems just around the corner at the peak. For Herb the whole viewing thing must have meant a lifetime of waiting. Repeatedly he'd tell me that the sun isn't going to show up, short of saying, "let's go and have breakfast!" Of course, I wasn't ready to give up, not just yet. Sun or no sun, Im going to take photos!
That morning, I don't know if our guide was actually being an idiot or just plain lazy, as I did notice he was still beat. We met a Singaporean when we trekked down for a closer view of the coffins ( and did I say, the trek was a bit of a challenge with high, narrow and at places slippery steps? Baby Batad in my humble opinion ). The foreigner asked about the reason behind this practice of hanging coffins. Somewhat indifferent to the Singaporean our guide replied with saying it was to keep the dogs from scavenging the remains. My brows must have hit the peak. While it may be er, sound, it simply is difficult to fathom that the Igorots will go through all that precarious tacking of coffins on cliffs for dogs. Cremation might have been a better option. No remains. No dogs. Herb felt a bit apologetic to the foreigner and mentioned to him a few of the reasons which were say, more profound. And the Singaporean was happy. 
I was actually proud of Herb. He himself wasn't really up to it, i mean the whole getting up early to view a sunrise and coffins. Then again, he knew it mattered to me being eager to practice whatever photo taking skills I have. He managed to drag himself out of the bed ( with a little help from my nagging ) and keep me company while i clicked the shutter here, there and everywhere. Herb's got ADHD ( lol ). Conquering his issues with inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity and see to it that i extract from him tons of patience for my photo taking sessions to be over is something i truly appreciate. That is, in the many times that I could ignore initial complaints and whining. Seriously, thanks, man!
When we finally got up close to the hanging coffins, what seemed
to be interesting from afar, felt wrong up close. There’s something about taking
pictures and viewing people’s final resting places that doesn’t rub me well.
The idea of the hanging coffins on a spiritual level however does intrigue me;
to be hung on a cliff to be closer to God does make a lot of sense, while
others claim that only those who have contributed a lot to the community have
earned the right to be nestled on a cliff like their ancestors. Either
explanation makes perfect sense. Unlike that of our tour guide's, whose
explanation was so that dogs don’t dig up the bones? What a dumbass. I highly
doubt the people of Sagada would go through all that trouble of burial rites,
just for the prevention of canine grave robbers. I mean, wouldn’t it just be
easier to dig deeper? Say 6 feet? If Sagada lacked one thing, it would be that
their tour guides seem to lack the knowledge of their own history. Believe it or
not, some people actually want to know more about the place than just to
spelunk in caves or take a dip in falls, or view a sunrise. Ally and I for
one, take in everything a place has to offer, from the scenery to history.
They say all good things must come to an end. By one in the
afternoon we boarded the last bus out of Sagada and were headed straight
for Baguio City to take another bus bound for Manila. There’s really nothing
much to say about the trip to Manila. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a city boy and I
love the city, but sometimes the best things happen to you when you’re out of
your comfort zone. Perhaps you’ll think of going to Sagada after reading this?
Or perhaps you’ll even try your luck with Batad? Maybe not? But if you finally do make
up your mind and get the courage to see both or either, then I incline you to
stack up on pain killers. Believe me you’ll need them. 
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