SAGADA

The chickens seem to outnumber the people on Sagada's unpaved streets. Though residents can be seen chatting on cell phones, there is still no local phone service in the area. Such seclusion is what encourages visitors to linger. Sacred burial grounds, caves, limestone formations, and heavy waterfalls prove welcome alter­natives to more rice terraces. The road to Sagada is rocky, but the long and bumpy ride is punishment worth enduring to reach this quiet and spiritual town.

TRANSPORTATION AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION. The road that ascends into Sagada also serves as the town's main street. It passes St. Theodore's Hospital, then reaches the town center and Municipal Hall about 500m down the road. Also in the town center are: the Tourist Information Center (open daily 7am-5pm); Sagada Rural Bank (open Tu-Sa 8-ll:45am and l:15-4:30pm); the 24hr. police station; and the post office (Poste Restante; open M-F 8am-noon and l-4:30pm). Lizardo buses go to Baguio (7hr.; every hr. 5-10am, 6:30pm). Jeepneys to Bon-toc leave from the market (lhr.; every 20min. 6-7am, every hr. 7:45-8:45am and lOam-noon). To reach Banaue from Sagada, you must go through Bontoc, or hire a jeepney to take you directly. Postal code: 2619.

f7t1 ACCOMMODATIONS AND FOOD. Masferre Inn and Restaurant O offers spacious, clean rooms in the center of town (per person, shared bath). Laundry service is available, along with buckets of warm water (per bucket; order 15min. before needed). The dining area serves decent sandwiches (ham or tuna) and lukewarm beer. Other guest houses can be found in the town center, including the Sagada Guest House O. (9:30am check-out. Cafe open daily. per person; private singles with common room , with hot water .) Greenhouse Inn  is a cozy establishment run by an endearing elderly woman. Next door, blind masseurs offer scientific massages. To the right of the Town Hall is Shamrock , which serves the hearty "Hangover's Anathema"  breakfast of toast, eggs, and coffee as well as "Shamrock meals" of soup, meat, vegetables, rice, and dessert, (Open daily 6am-9pm.) Down the hill from Masferre is the Yoghurt House ®, highly recommended for delicious veggie fried rice  and (surprise) fresh yogurt with fruit. Listen to great 80s music or rent a book while you wait. (Open daily 6:30am-9pm.)

SIGHTS. The Masferre Gallery, about 1km down the road from St. Theodore's, displays the work of the late Eduardo Masferre, the son of a Spanish soldier who settled in the mountains at the turn of the century. His photographs of friends and neighbors have enjoyed international success. (Open daily 6am-9pm. Free.) Hi's Souvenirs and Gift Shop, across from the Yoghurt House, offers plenty of inexpen­sive trin

TREKKING. The Sagada Environmental Guides Association (SEGA) has fixed rates; only SEGA guides can be hired at the Tourist Information Center. Typical tours include the Sugong Hanging Coffins, Lumiang Burial Cave, and Sumaging Cave, popularly known as "Big Cave." Another alternative is a 1-day trek including the 1800m Mt. Ampacao (lHhr.), Lake Danom, and the Bokong Falls, complete with a climb up the Kiltepan Tower to survey the rice terraces. (Guides strongly recommended for novice hikers.)

If you'd prefer not to take a tour, try exploring some of the sights on your own. Fifteen minutes past the Igorot Lodge, the road forks. The left fork, leading to Suyo Rd., passes the Sugong Hanging Coffins, tethered to a cliff face. Thirty minutes farther along Suyo Rd., a path leads to the Lumiang Burial Cave. Friendly signs make all of this clear. Even if you don't take a tour, it is advisable to hire a guide for Sumaging Cave, lOmin. past the Burial Cave. Inside the chamber, you must wade in waist-deep water, cling to ropes, and crawl through crevices—one wrong step and you become bat food. From Bontoc Rd., a path to the right leads past St. Mary's Episcopal Church to a cemetery and Calvary Hill. To the right, the path takes you to a boulder, while another path takes you to the floor of Echo Valley. The path is slippery; be prepared to come back drenched in mud. These trails are unmarked, and it's easy to get lost without a guide. Hanging coffins are visible in the limestone cliff faces, accompanied by a smattering of "death chairs." In certain rituals, the deceased sits in the chair while funeral-goers perform sacrifices and songs. Fifteen minutes along the road to Bontoc, the Matangkib Burial Cave is at the foot of a path opposite the Rocky Valley Inn. Passing by the left of the cave leads you to the Latang Underground River. With a strong flashlight, you can follow the river to the Bokong Falls. If you don't want to follow the underground river, you can take the concrete steps leading up from Bontoc Rd., which wind down to the river. Cross the river, and head upstream to the falls. To visit the 40m high Bomod-ok (Big) Waterfalls, register with the Tourist Information Center, and obtain a guide. On school days, jeepneys go to the Banga-an Elementary School from the basketball court (30min.; 8am departure, 1pm return), where a trail leads to the Bomod-ok Waterfalls (l'/zhr. trek). On weekends and holidays, hire a jeepney for a "Special Ride" to Banga-an (round-trip), or walk (2-3hr.). Follow the road to Banga-an for about an hour, turn down the steps beyond the Banga-an Ele­mentary School, then take the path through Fidelsian village to the waterfalls.kets to take home. (Open daily 7am-6:30pm.)