Sagada
Posted on July 16, 2009 - Filed Under Information, Travel Destination, Travel Tips
Resting peacefully in the middle of the mountains of the Paradise Philippines is the town of Sagada. A bus trip from Baguio City to Sagada takes about 6 hours by bus. And a bus trip from Manila to Baguio takes 5-6 hours. Pretty far, isn’t it?
Nevertheless, a trip to this quiet town in the province of Bontoc is spectacular and marvelous. The town’s main attraction is the hanging coffins. In this particular place, it is traditional to place coffins in cliffs in the belief that this manner will aid the souls of the dead in reaching heaven. This practice is not common nowadays, but it still goes on.
Sagada’s main tourist attraction are the Sumaguing and Lumiang Caves. These caves feature unique, even unusual rock formations, and also tunnels. These rock formations and tunnels were carved ONLY by water – and it is amazing to see what water can do to the rocky surroundings and floors of these caves. The caves can be explored by tourists with the help of the local guides.
There’s two ways to explore the caves. One is the short course. There’s flowing water in the lower parts of the caves, and by choosing the short course, one will go only through the parts of the cave that has shallow water level. The other is the long course. This course is more difficult and more challenging, since one must go thru parts of the cave which has deep water level, where the water can reach up to one’s neck. Also, in this kind of exploration of the cave, one will go through the cave’s tunnel systems. Furthermore, the long course takes more time to do than the short course. And for both of these courses, local guides are a must.
Other places of interest in Sagada are:
- Lake Danum
- Bomod-ok and Bokong Falls.
- The Rice Terraces.
- Echo Valley
- Underground River
- Kiltepan Tower
For accommodations, there are a number of hotels and inns located near the bus stop, and they offer accommodations at a really reasonable rate. Therefore it is not difficult to find a place to rest. Also, the restaurants are just located nearby, ready to serve visitors. A very good example is ‘Yogurt’ Restaurant. But don’t be fooled by the restaurant’s name; the restaurant serves many kinds of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Finally, the town is peaceful, so it’s not that difficult to rest and relax.
All in all, a trip to Sagada is most worthy and is guaranteed to provide an unforgettable and impressive experience among its visitors.
Banaue Rice Terraces
Posted on March 3, 2009 - Filed Under Travel Destination
When one talks of man-made structures and wonders, the first thing that comes to our minds are engineering feats and architectural marvels. Most people would think that these are buildings and structures. But, there’s one engineering marvel that, despite the lack of architectural plans and massive engineering tools, stands majestically. Such a place exists in Paradise Philippines. This place, which can be likened to stairways to the skies, goes by the name Banaue Rice Terraces of Ifugao.
The Rice Terraces can be found at the Ifugao Province of the Paradise Philippines. Similar man-made structures can be found at the provinces of Apayao, Benguet, and the Mountain Province. All of these places are in the northern part of Luzon.
These rice terraces is considered as the “Eight Wonder of the World”, and are 2000 years old. Banaue Rice Terraces are carved manually on the mountains of Ifugao – yes, the ancient Ifugao people built it using only their bare hands. These rice fields are fed through an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests located above the terraces. These strutures were made by the ancient Ifugao as a means of providing themselves a source of food and livelihood in the mountains. However, constant care is needed to preserve the beauty and grandeur of these places, hence the Banaue Rice Terraces were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List of Sites.
The Banaue Rice Terraces offers more than just breathaking scenes and awesome structures. It is a proof of the ingeneuity of the Ifugao people who lived here and made the terraces with their bare hands.
Treasures of Bolinao
Posted on July 18, 2008 - Filed Under Provinces
Long lines of beaches surely abound the Paradise Philippines. An archipelago of 7, 107 islands and islets, it’s not that hard to understand why there are so many beaches in the country. And some of them are more than just beaches – they are works of art. Picturesque, breathtaking and wonderful, these beaches offer not only a place to bathe in the waters of the sea – it provides people a place to relax and unwind, and lets one enjoy the magnificence of Nature as she presents her beauty. There are such beaches scattered in the country, and one of these places can be found in the town of Bolinao, Pangasinan.
Located at the northwestern most tip of the province, the town of Bolinao has a good location, as most of its edges are coastlines, hence the beaches. And its beaches are not just some ordinary beach located along the coast. Cape Bolinao white beach has white sands and crystalline waters. These beaches can be likened to those found in the island of Boracay, known to local and international tourists for its white sands and crystal-clear waters. People going to Bolinao come here to not only to bathe, but to enjoy the scenery and relax as well. This is because Bolinao’s location and beaches makes it a perfect setting to enjoy Nature’s best.
The town also has a resort, the “Treasures of Bolinao” Beach resort, which offers first class accommodations. Its name is derived from the treasures of the town, namely the coral reefs. These are also one of the world’s most beautiful and biggest natural coral reefs. These are the so-called “Treasures of Bolinao”.
