Postcards from the edge: Dauis, Bohol

One thing I really miss from my childhood were the times I spent up a tree. In primary school, I remember spending a lot of time up the Kalachuchi tree (Plumeria Acuminata, Temple Flower) while waiting for my parents to pick me up after school (the branches are brittle, not like the guava tree, my mom would always tell me. At home, my favorite was the Balimbing tree (Starfruit). I would bring a book and read it while perched on one of the branches of that tree. Whenever I see an imposing, magnificent tree, my instinct is to climb it, find a nook for myself.

So when I saw this tree, it instantly became a favorite. I may not be able to climb it now, at this age, but I can certainly lounge around under its shade. It is the perfect accent to this coffee shop (Cafe Lawis) in Dauis, Bohol (it's beside the church). It is on the right side when you cross the bridge connecting Tagbilaran and Panglao. I love spending afternoons here, sipping coffee while taking in the view. Dinners here are also romantic, even if you are on your own.

The winds of March that make the heart a dancer

Horoscope for March: This month will be filled with all sorts of things to do and places to go. Travel is a very real possibility now, especially in early to mid-March, and to places not too far away. You may decide to go for any reason - for enjoying romance or to complete a deal at work. If you can go, do, as being in a new setting will refresh you, and when you return you will be energized and more motivated to tackle other projects.

So on the very 1st day of March, very close to midnight, I got on a van with 4 other friends and started to travel as my March horoscope foretold. All 12 hours of driving through 400 kilometers up long and winding mountain roads and at some point through roads that are 5000 feet above sea level.

It may be sooooo far but Sagada attracts a good number of foreign and local tourists. It is a small town and it can easily be overwhelmed by tourists. Most shops cater to tourists- restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops. During the peak season (April, May, December), there are so many people that it’s hard to find a place to eat, and a place to park.


It is so easy to lose sight of this town’s charm, what with the droves of tourists all over. I have found an effective remedy when I find myself in a town like this; I try to find that space where I can shut off all the tourist chatter so I can hear the town speak to me. I usually find that space and time very early in the morning, long before weary tourists wake up or before the next batch of tourists arrive. So at 630 am, we took a walk from St Joseph’s Inn to the Anglican Church, sat and watched the churchgoers arrive for the first mass, mostly old ladies slowly making their way through the fog. Our walk took us past the cemetery to Echo valley, a popular spot because it has a view of the hanging coffins. It is better seen that early in the morning, when there are no tourists shouting their lungs off just to check out why it’s called echo valley.



From there, we went to Masferres Inn to have breakfast. It has charming window-side tables where you can sip hot decent coffee while enjoying the cool & fresh breeze wafting in from the open windows. I’d go back there for the bread.



I think the best way to enjoy Sagada is to take it slow. But because it already takes practically two whole days to get there and back from Manila, most visitors have barely a day or two to spend here that there is that frantic dash to see and go everywhere. And you completely miss the point of Sagada if you do that.

So aside from that walk, my favourite part was that lazy afternoon back at the cottage. I opened the window of the attic where my bed was and I could see the trees outside. I propped my legs up the headboard and started reading my book. I loved how quiet it was, how far away I was from my world, but close enough to be with my friends. I could stay that way for hours and hours.


It was a Saturday when we were there so we went to Sagada Log Cabin for their dinner buffet. Charming place and really good food. The roast pork was to die for. After dinner, we went back to the cottage, opened a bottle of wine that I brought in from the city and talked about everything and nothing. Oh, how I loved those long and easy conversations among friends at night over wine.

Sagada is about taking leisurely walks; it’s about lingering over coffee, or taking 5, or 10 minutes, or an hour more of time under the covers. It’s about taking time out to smell the flowers, literally and figuratively. As for me, I love the smell of pine cones more. It permeates the air in Sagada.



BUT do not discount the travel going there and back because it is just a magical experience as the destination itself. From Manila, we decided to take the Nueva Vizcaya route, with a short stop-over in Banaue. We arrived there at 7am. It was a brief stop, just enough to quickly take in the splendour of the Rice Terraces from the Viewpoint. Although, on the way up to Sagada, you pass through many versions of these rice terraces. It’s a very scenic drive, once you enter the Ifugao province. It’s actually exciting to be driving along the cloud-capped top of the mountains. On the way back to manila, we took the Sagada-Baguio route. If you have to sleep during the trip, do so on the Baguio to Manila leg because the view from Sagada to Baguio is spectacular, spectacular (4-5 hours from Sagada to Baguio and an additional 5 hours from Baguio to Manila). You actually go through the highest point in the Philippine Highway system (7400 feet above sea level).



So yes, the winds of March brought travel. And as for romance part, that’s another story that has yet to be written. What I know for certain is that I will have this on-going love affair with Sagada. When things get crazy, it will be the place in my mind that I can retreat to, and I will imagine the smell of pine cones, the cool weather, the walks, and that fresh air and silence at night that the city could no longer give.

Tips:
Transportation: We rented a van for four days (PhP16,000 inclusive of drivers’ fees, gas, toll, drivers’ accommodations and food). The cost was split among five people and our individual share was only 1thou more than what we would have paid if we had taken the bus. The convenience was worth the added cost. Prepare a playlist. You don’t want to leave it to the driver to choose your music for 24 hours’ drive (back and forth).

Hotel: St. Joseph Inn. We got a charming little cottage. It had two rooms and an attic. 4 double beds. A toilet with a heater that sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. It has a table with 4 chairs and a double-seater sofa. . All furniture and the cottage itself were made from pinewood. It was clean and I’d go back there again. Heaps better than being in those other inns where you are in a concrete box. If they could add an electric pot to boil water, coffee cups and teaspoon so guests can just make their own coffee.

The Sumaguing Cave: This is what a non-hiker has to say: it is not for the faint-hearted and those with no sense of balance. Guides tell you it’s difficult, you have to go down slippery rocks. What they don’t tell you is that half of the time you will be going down (and up on the way back) an almost 90 degree cliff with no safety lines and you hold on to rocks for your dear life. One misstep and you are done for. But the other half of the time is also priceless. The most common phrase you’d hear from those who have been there: “I won’t do this again but it was worth it.” (Request for a guide at the inn you are staying at- not all guides is experienced or will inspire confidence)

(This is trip no. 6 of the 37 for 37 Challenge )