i wrote this one for Canned Thoughts some months back, im reposting it because im feeling the sagada itch again. hopefully before this month ends, i’d be able to get my ass back up there…
Every once in a while, we all find ourselves burnt out with all the zig-zaggin hustle of the city life. Your boss dropping another brick on your head, freakin office online connection keeps on crawling like you’re on isp-bonanza prepaid, cab drivers with body odors, a bug loungin in your morning cappuccino, or a boyfriend who’s addicted to milf porn. Sometimes, we all just wanna pack up and get away. May it be for drowning or just ankle-deep reasons, everybody wants to get away…
Where time is inexistent. Where people aint in so much hurry. A place where smog is replaced by a soothing mist. Where the sun is not hidden by the corporate-hungry smoke but by a few white clouds and blankets of towering pine trees. Where you wont feel you’re inside a penitentiary but rather in a holy sanctuary. A natural high, thats what they say. But nah, this aint no bitter pill, man. What im talking about is a better feel.
Pack your things. Ready your ipod and make a playlist of slow lazy tracks. Some trip-hop, acid-jazz or old blues music will do. A liter of C2, packs of cigs and your latest read. Hail a cab and ask the driver to take you to the Autobus station in España. Board a bus bound for Banaue. From there you will have to take another bus that will bring your ass to Bontoc. And after a shorter jeep ride, you will finally reach Sagada. That my friend, is when you’ll realize that the long trip was more than worth it.
You don’t have to bring a suitcase full of cash, a few grand will be alright for a week long stay. One of the best things about this place is the fact that its pocket-friendly. Accommodation, food, tours, etc. come cheap. Locals are very friendly and they’d be happy to assist you in any way that they can without asking for any cash in return. Ask about St. Joseph’s Inn, this is one of the nicest places to stay at in Sagada.
After settling your stuff in your preferred lodge, head out and take a walk. Try their pinikpikan. Get some local yogurt from the famous Yogurt House that is just a few minutes walk down the main street. If you’re up for it, get a guide and after fixing a hardhat in your head, try the Cave-connection adventure that they’ve just recently offered. You will start at the Lumiang cave, a burial site littered with wood coffins and tribal remains, and exit through the more famous Sumaguing cave. This will test your slithering abilities hehehe.
Go to Aguid Falls and bathe in its cool water. Visit the Demang old village, the Underground river, or the hanging coffins in Echo Valley. Climb Mt. Ampacao. There’s alotta stuff you can do and places you can discover in this almost hidden part of Mountain Province. And if you dont wanna do anything, you can just bum around, read a book or do some emo-type soulsearching. There are plenty of spots where you can lie down on soft green grasses, stare at the creeping sun and smiling trees and feel the cool breeze brush your memories off. Float on the Sagada chocolate tide.
Breathe deep and then try real hard to convince yourself that you will still have to leave this place to get back to your concrete jungle. But if you decide to stay there for good, well then I guess I’ll see you there next summer
Useful Numbers:
Florida Bus (manila-banaue) tel#: 3864042
Autobus (manila-banaue) tel#: 7358098
Cable Tours (manila-bontoc) tel#: 0918-5216790
St. Joseph’s Inn tel#: 0918-5595934
Sagada Guesthouse tel#: 0919-3212511
Masferre tel#: 0915-5777550
Faceless 1: nilapitan nya ako, sabi bawal daw magyoutube. okay lang sana kasi company policy, ang kaso, buti sana kung lahat pinapagbawalan nya. yung close friend nya palaging nagyouyoutube di naman nya pinagsabihan nung nilapitan nya ako…
Faceless 2: you know whats even funnier… the other day while i was about to leave, sya mismo nanunuud ng youtube. hehehe.
Detective Mercer: it’s amazing what a dead body can tell you…
Erica: so the dead can talk?
Detective Mercer: oh yeah, everybody talks. most everybody lies. but the dead can’t. then again uhh, lies tell you things too because people tell ‘em for a reason.
i think you almost got everything now. an adventure-filled life. a great career in a prestigious company. a shiny set of wheels. your own house and lot. an amazing smile. a more amazing dance move. good friends. caring family. a gorgeous and loving wife… and now, Gabriel Isaac
sabi ko almost everything lang kasi kulang ka ng pair of cuddly dimples hahaha
CONGRATULATIONS SENYO NI JINKY, MAN
first climb ni gabe mt. pulag kagad pero ambangeg-ambangeg lang muna tayu nun hehehe.
last week, a former teammate from my dellwood days hooked me and our other friends up to this friday’s SMB Oktoberfest grand opening. she got us listed on the VIP tents with aircon and free booze, which was slick. then party-pooperly, something went wrong earlier this week and the list got canceled, deymmm. it wasnt our friend’s fault though. deymmmm beer. hehehe. deym party. now the question is, i wonder how long the line would be tomorrow afternoon on the 120 zone. uhmm no, i dont wanna see third eye blind for 1300.. or is it 1500? didnt even know they still play lol. hmm, to go or not to go….
Hand of fate is moving and the finger points to you
He knocks you to your feet and so what are you gonna do
Your tongue has frozen now you’ve got something to say
The piper at the gates of dawn is calling you his way
You watch the world exploding every single night
Dancing in the sun a newborn in the light
Say goodbye to gravity and say goodbye to death
Hello to eternity and live for every breath
Your time will come, your time will come
Your time will come, your time will come
The ferryman wants his money you ain’t going to give it back
He can push his own boat as you set up off the track
Nothing you can contemplate will ever be the same
Every second is a new spark, sets the universe aflame
You watch the world exploding every single night
Dancing in the sun a newborn in the light
Brothers and their fathers joining hands and to make a chain
The shadow of the Wicker Man is rising up again
Your time will come, your time will come
Your time will come, your time will come
Your time will come, your time will come
Your time will come, your time will come
Your time will come, your time will come
Your time will come, your time will come
yes, that’s jon theodore, mars volta’s former drummer (from tremulant to amputechture) and yes again, that’s big zack of ratm. and they’ve just released an EP. sabi nga ni miss grace slick… feed your head.
dreaming about the ticks you used hold our hands
not questioning the filth of where it’s been.
escaping from what the future say it holds
but like everything else leaving is for last resolve.
grinning like venus on verge of orgasm
we will worship you if you use the other hand.
rub me and tell him and make them all scream
then feed us the filtered, no lard and just lean
my turn is his turn is another’s turn is mine
tell them, tell them, to please step in the line
my turn is his turn is another’s turn is mine
tell them, tell them, because
we’re cumming for you again,
and i dont know any other way to make it end.
we’re cumming for you again,
i feel it burning but i’m enjoying it my friend.
we’re cumming for you, again.
we’re cumming for you, again… again.
blaming water for the rain that wet your skin
he will make it vapor if i can just make you steam.
tasting sweat and your leeches from deep within
we can breathe like this forever or so it seems
my turn is his turn is another’s turn is mine
tell them, tell them, to please step down this line
my turn is his turn is another’s turn is mine
tell them, tell them, and now
we’re cumming for you again,
and we dont care for any other way to burn.
we’re cumming for you again,
i see you gaping and numbing it my friend.
we’re cumming for you, again.
we’re cumming for you, again… again.
running after,
a headless disaster,
tell them, tell them,
to wait in line,
feeding after,
a scent of another,
let them, make them,
open your thighs.
we’re cumming for you again,
and i dont know any other way to make this end.
hahaha
