Laiya, San Juan, Batangas

After so many attempts to visit the place, we were in Laiya at last!

By the way, it's Mother's Day today and that's why the family made it a point to go somewhere to celebrate the occasion. Summer is almost over and we have not visited any beach so, this is it.

We did not make any reservation and just opted for a day tour so we were no longer surprised to know when we arrived at one resort that they were not accepting walk-ins. Hmm, we turned around and a guide took us to another resort but the rooms were already booked until lunchtime so we had no choice but to stay in their open hut.

It was low tide and the beach was already full of swimmers, particularly kids accompanied by their parents. The water was relatively clear but the bottom was rough due to dead corals. We were already far from the shore but the water was still waist-deep. We did not bring any baon. Good thing the restaurant cooked fish sinigang and lechon kawali for us.

So this is Laiya. Another wish was granted.

Happy Mother's Day!

Benguet

From Sagada, we took the Halsema Highway and had a quick stop at the highest point in the Philippine Highway System which is 7,400 ft above mean sea level. I just wondered, "Where is the lowest point?"

It took almost six hours to reach the strawberry farms in La Trinidad, Benguet. At lunch, we did not order any drinks and just bought strawberry shakes from the stalls outside the restaurant selling fresh berries. Then, it was shopping time for walis tambo, woven rugs, strawberries, chop suey veggies, peanut brittle, and more pasalubong. Before leaving the place, I savored the strawberry-flavored sorbetes. One thing I missed was the strawberry-flavored taho. Hmmm, full of strawberries...

The next stop was at Burnham Park, Baguio City. I've been to the place several times but I appreciate the recent improvements done to the famous park. As usual, there were more tourists and our family went nowhere but just strolled in the park before our bus departed for Manila.

Sagada, Mt. Province

Sagada, at last! After traveling for more than four hours on the long and winding (and winding and more winding) road including a brief stop at the border in Mt. Polis and a photo-op in front of the Bontoc Museum, we were 5,000 ft above mean sea level surrounded by pine trees and mountain scenery. God's wonderful creation. Our lunch meal consisted of a vegetable salad with fresh strawberries. Perhaps it is a regular offering of the restaurant with the same name. It tasted so good that we ordered another serving.

Our tour in the afternoon started with hiking in the rain to the echo valley where we viewed from a distance the hanging coffins of Sagada.  Then we rode to the burial caves and finally, went on spelunking in Sumaging Cave.  The guides strongly advised us to use our butts and tightly hold on to the rocks as we went down the slippery trail. The experience aroused mixed emotions. So many what-ifs. No one minded getting wet and dirty for safety. It was all worth it as we looked at, touched, and stepped on the chocolatey formations inside the cave. Stalagmites and stalactites.

Yes! We survived the Sumaging Cave adventure and most of all, we conquered our fears. In the end, many of us bought souvenir shirts printed with "Survivor Sagada". I'm proud to have experienced climbing, hiking, and spelunking in Sagada, Philippines.

Banaue, Ifugao

After almost two hours of travel from Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, we reached our lodging house in Banaue, Ifugao. We decided to stay there for lunch because we had to leave early in the afternoon for Bangaan Village.

The must-see destination in the area is the Batad rice terraces but since we only had one afternoon for the tour, we were led to the Bangaan rice terraces. The marker says that the public elementary school is 120 m below the road and the village (3,500 ft above mean sea level) is perhaps 5 m lower and much farther in terms of horizontal distance. Despite the exhausting walk,  it felt good to actually step on the terraced paddy fields, smell the cool breeze, and more importantly, meet the village locals.

It was more exhilarating and breathtaking (more literally, we were gasping for air) as we braved the steps back to the road and our waiting jeepney.

Indeed, "going downstairs and upstairs" is more fun in the Philippines!

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya

This year's "lakbay aral" of our college covered four provinces, namely: Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Mt. Province, and Benguet.

The first stop was at Nueva Vizcaya State University, Bayombong Campus where we were introduced to their major fruit crop which is also the pride of the province - citrus. We also saw the research laboratories and support facilities for the production of citrus seedlings.

Bobby and I got the chance to chat with a fellow scholar during our college days who happens to be a director of the university. After a brief campus tour, we were off to our next destination.