Friday, February 12, 2016

Kicked off 2016 at Sagada! + Gifted.ph


I promised to myself that I would pursue my new-found love for travelling, and make the most out of the little free time I have. A few weeks ago, I traveled twelve hours to Bontoc, Mountain Province for work. Since it was a mere forty-five minutes away from Sagada, I decided to extend my stay for one more day. It was a day full of adventure and a lot of firsts—I went spelunking at Sumaging Cave, traversed mountains to swim in ice-cold waters of the Bomod-Ok Falls, tried Sagada's famous homemade yoghurt at the Yoghurt House, and saw the popular rice terraces for the first time!



While in Bontoc, we saw a couple of people paragliding. They took off from the mountains, flew over the city, and then back to the mountains. It was an exhilarating experience just watching them!

A European professional would go there and offer paragliding services at certain times of the year. I would love to try this, too bad I wasn't able to make preparations beforehand :( This is actually one of the major reasons why I want to go back to Bontoc.


As a rule of thumb when traveling, I don't set my expectations high so as not to disappoint myself. The food here in Mountain Province definitely surprised me. They were delicious but very affordable! Loved munching on these pizzas from a place called Caja Pizzas, Cupcakes, and More.


The majestic rice terraces at Bontoc.


Our first stop in Sagada was the popular Sumaging Cave. For two hours, we had to walk, crawl, rappel, slide, and jump over slippery rocks. And trust me, it wasn't easy! One wrong step could lead you tumbling down into the deep, dark abyss (yikes!). But a dip in the ice-cold water at the bottom of the cave made the hard work worth it!


Exploring the cave made us famished so we stopped at this all-veggie restaurant called Gaia.


I'm not a big fan of vegetables but the veggie meat they used for their adobo and barbecue was awesome!


And eating lunch with a view of the mountains, what more could I ask for?


Mentally preparing myself of what was to come in the afternoon.


That afternoon, we arrived at the takeoff point for Bomod-Ok Falls. We were well aware of the one-hour trek before we reach the falls, but we didn't expect it to be that difficult! They say the trek consists of 1,000 steps and includes crossing small towns, mountains, and some rice terraces. I was exhausted when we reached the falls but swimming in its cold waters made me regain my energy!


We then had a hearty meal at the Yoghurt house where we tried their famous homemade yoghurt. My favorite was the one with strawberries, granola, and bananas!


Early morning the next day, we headed to Kiltepan Peak to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see it  because it was very cloudy and foggy. Another reason to come back! Lol. My trip to Sagada, although short, is truly one for the books! 


On an entirely different note, Valentine's day is coming in two days! Have you thought of the perfect gift yet? If you haven't, Gifted.ph is the first in the Philippines to offer an easy, thoughtful, and stress-free way of gift giving this Valentine's with the use of of gift cards/certificates!


Just head over to Gifted.ph, personalize the gift card of your choice, pay using your credit card, then your recipient will get an e-mail which he/she needs to present to the establishment to avail of the gift card. Yes, it's that fast and easy!


Gifted.PH is pleased to launch with over 80 of the Philippines’ well-loved brands such as the Bench group, Fully Booked and Shangri-La Makati Circles Events Café. Favorite dishes can now be sent as gifts through Gifted's wide range of popular restaurants like SabotenMuseum CaféGino’s Brick Oven Pizza and Alba Restaurante Español. At Gifted.PH, you can now give gifts that are not easy to give but which people appreciate receiving: whether it is a designer dress from Rosanna Ocampo, Maureen Disini, Charina Sarte or Tan-Gan, jewelry from Cura V, a travel adventure experience from Uncharted Philippines, a short cooking course from Enderun Colleges, fitness goals from Benel Archery or Bliss Yoga, baby gear and toys from Babyland, shoes from Twinky, a nail salon treatment from Nail Spa, organic goodies from Chakra Cafe, or fun novelty items from Quirks

0 comments:

Post a Comment