The Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin was built in the early 20th centurySeveral months ago, I visited a spectacular place called Sagada. When I returned home, I told myself I would definitely go back to the place.

When coworkers started planning a trip to Sagada and asked if I wanted to join them, my answer was a big fat yes!

We arrived at the Victory Liner bus terminal in Cubao around 9:30 p.m. and purchased tickets. Our Baguio-bound bus departed before 12 midnight.

We arrived in Baguio City around 6 a.m. and boarded a taxi to the Dangwa bus terminal. At 9 a.m., our GL Lizardo Transit bus sped off to our target destination, making a stopover in Atok, Benguet at 11:30 a.m. for a quick lunch.

When we arrived in Sagada at past 3 p.m., we went straight to the Sagada Tourist Information Center to pay the environmental registration fee, then checked in at the Alibama Inn on Staunton Road.

We then walked uphill, past some key structures in the Anglican Compound and visited the Sagada Anglican Cemetery.

Afterwards, we walked along the edge of a cliff to Echo Valley, where shouting is allowed and apparently enjoyable. It is also the site of the most popular tourist spot in Mt. Province, the hanging coffins of Sagada.

As we walked back, we passed by the Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin.

Known as the mother church in Sagada and the seat of the Anglican Mission in the north, this church founded by American missionaries in 1904 sits just across St. Joseph’s Inn, a five-minute walk from the Sagada Tourist Information Center.

Next was the Centennial Wheel. This wheel was placed in Sagada in 2001 as a centennial marker for 100 years of mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines.

The wheel was part of a sawmill brought by the Americans to Sagada. When the mill stopped operations, the wheel was discarded and left on the ground for almost a century. It found a second life as a famous Sagada landmark.

The 1921 Centennial Bell, the most photographed church bell in Sagada, can be found behind the Church of St. Mary the Virgin.

The next day, we went to the Sagada Tourist Information Center to rent a van that would take us to Bomod-ok Falls and to other places.

Passing through Bangaan Road, we alighted from our van at an information center, the jumpoff point to the falls, to register and meet our guide.

We started trudging downhill along the Bangaan-Fidelisan Trail. From a distance you can see the Northern Sagada Rice Terraces. In a small village, our guide showed us a dap-ay, a sort of meeting area, in one of the wooden houses. Before leaving, we paid a fee which would be used for maintenance of the village and some routes leading to the falls.

Trekking above the rice terraces via the Bomod-ok Trail was one of the most wonderful experiences I had in Sagada. Ultra breathtaking view at every step!

Next was the highlight of this specific trek, the relaxing Bomodok Falls. A spectacular site worth seeing anew in the future!

Back at the village, some of us rushed to the sari-sari store for some refreshments.

The exit route for trekkers would be the Aguid-Pide-Fidelisan Trail, which provided us with more views of nature. We ended up near Aguid Road, where our van was waiting.

A trip to Sagada would not be complete without viewing the sunrise at Kiltepan.

In order to get a good view, we woke up very early and were there before 5 a.m. After several minutes, loads of other visitors arrived. At 6 a.m., nature opened its curtains to unveil its masterpiece. Simply spectacular!

We hurried back to Alibama Inn to check out and were on the bus to Manila by 7 a.m.

For those planning to visit Sagada, make sure you stay for at least two nights, and that would basically be enough.

Only a few have the “guts” to experience Sagada. Why not be one of them? (Excerpted from http://larga-bista.blogspot.com) (Story/Photos by: Gerbs de Castro)

The spectacular Bomod-ok Falls