Sagada... Magic of the Mountains (Day One)

Five hours' drive north of Baguio City, the Philippines' summer capital, brings one deep into the breathtaking countryside of a group of municipalities and towns generally called the Mountain Province.

And nestled in this awe inspiring landscape is a small, quaint town cryptically named Sagada, home to a population of 12 thousand people, a sparse handful by comparison to the rest of the country's population that runs into the hundred million.

By car is the only way into Sagada, as there is no airport, no harbor, no railway system, and hardly any modern trapping of civilization city folk take for granted.  This means no fancy cars, no highways or wide roads, no traffic lights, no tall buildings and skyscrapers, no gourmet restaurants and glitzy bars, no ubiquitous coffee shops or fast food franchises, no malls, and no high end boutiques!!!

Yet Sagada is booming in its own quiet way.  There is much infrastructure construction work going on.... Tourists of the adventurous, peripatetic kind abound and stroll the narrow rolling streets, engaging the townspeople in conversations aimed at learning more about the town, the culture, the history and the unmistakable, irresistible charms of Sagada.

And in terms of charms, they are many.  They appear even from the moment one drives into Sagada.  The winding road that seems carved out of the ribs of the mountain.  The fog draped view of rice terraces that once won the heart and imagination of the world. The crisp, clear, clean mountain air and breeze that cools many brows even during the height of the tropical summer months. The magnificent sunrises and sunsets, set against the majesty of these mountains.  And as summer officially fades, precipitation rears its head in the form of shy drizzles that sometime punctuate the day, or downpours at dusk.  The food is unpretentious yet tasty...from the mild mountain teas that the villagers favor, to their robust mountain coffee brews; from the native pinikpikan, a chicken stew made with free range chicken and laced with the native smoked meat called etag, to international dishes like pastas, pizzas, and even the exquisite lemon pie made with only the freshest local ingredients literally harvested and picked from the backyard.

But the most potent charm of Sagada has got to be its people.  The people of Sagada are soft spoken, fluent in English, mild mannered, smiling though stoic, gentle yet deliberate in their movements and choice of words.  Long accustomed to hardy tribal traditions of communal tasks and activities, the people of Sagada conduct business the way they live their lives and raise their families...interdependently, cooperatively, sharing the responsibilities.  They open their simple homes to each other and even to strangers, allowing these to partake of their hospitality and fruits of their labors, accidentally transforming it into a business where they earn only a modest, nominal sum.... Everyone knows everyone here, and according to a guide, somehow, some way, all are related to each other.  From their Igorot names, they know to which family line each one belongs, from which ancestors one descends.

Sagada is a place of many secrets and natural marvels, seemingly left behind by the helter skelter industrialization of Manila. Yet technology has crept into this pristine, still primeval time capsule...cellphones coexist with gas lamps and walking sticks needed to explore the ubiquitous caves and mountain trails...heavy duty trucks meander the roads as do primitive zip lines needed to ferry goods to mountainside homes and villages...television and transistor sets can be found even in a dap-ay, the meeting place of the village elders where they perform tribal rituals in hopes of a good harvest... East meets West, New meets Old, but slowly, and softly here in Sagada....

And the magic of the mountains of Sagada beckons...and this is just Day One.