Caving and hanging coffins

Yesterday I visited another town in the Cordillera mountains, Sagada. This town is known for its spectacular caves and a tradition of hanging coffins. It is also has a reputation as a sleepy town that is not overwhelmed by tourists. This may be due to the fact that it is a very bumpy ride up a tortuous mountain "road" that likely dissuades some from visiting. To get up to Sagada I took a one hour jeepney ride from the town of Bontoc. When I went to board the jeepney, a group of friendly girls suggested that I ride on the roof with them. I figured, why not. It was a much more interesting ride - I could actually see the scenery. And as we were driving so slowly up the mountain it wasn't scary at all. The only downside was when it started to rain and the jeepney below was full so we were forced to stay on the roof. Luckily a friendly person below threw up a tarp and we used that to keep ourselves dry for the quick shower.

 

Once in Sagada I joined the girls to hike to some of the hanging coffins. It is a town (or maybe area) tradition that stems from the idea that putting a coffin on the side of a cliff is less suffocating and brings the deceased closer to Heaven. Some of the coffins are quite old, but some are from recent years. Apparently to hang the coffin, they construct scaffolding and hoist it up somehow before drilling holes into the limestone.

After seeing the coffins we went caving in the Sumaguing Cave system. This was quite the experience. Again, my balance and the grip of my shoes (this time flip flops as we were going to get very wet) were tested. I spent most of the time crawling around like an ape trying to keep my balance by staying as close as possible to the ground. At one point towards the end we were given an option of going through a section which would get us very wet. I figured why not, as by that point I was already covered in mud (containing bat droppings) and partially wet anyway. It was somewhat frightening wading through the water that came up to at least my waist, hoping the bottom didn't drop off suddenly. It was also quite scary descending the slippery, water covered rocks, hoping the guides knew what they were talking about when they told me where to put my feet. On the way up we had to climb a rope up the face of a giant rock (sort of like rappelling in reverse). It was a nervewracking experience, but the rock formations were spectacular and it was a fun adventure activity.

Today I took a very (very) bumpy bus to Baguio. The highway was again quite tortuous, twisting and turning alongside the side of the Cordillera mountains. The driver's heavy foot did not help matters. It was a very long 6 hour ride. Tonight I'm taking a bus down to Manila, and tomorrow I'm heading back to the beach for a couple of days rest before I fly back to Hong Kong. I can't believe my time in the Philippines is almost over!