January 6, 2025

Francesca's cousin Mai Mai and her husband Cocoy (short for Francisco!) organized an amazing long weekend trip for our two families up to northern Luzon to three areas rich in nature and culture.  Cocoy goes up there frequently with his motorcycle buddies and occassionally with Mai Mai and their three kids Gaby (17), Ponce  (15) and Migo (8).  

Banaue was the first stop one on this amazing weekend in the mountains.  The drive up was stunningly beautiful and Cocoy had meticulously planned each stop from a quick coffee with a view at Cup of Stories Cafe and Restaurant to lunch with a view and a quick stop to see an old US Army tank that had been left after WWII.   

When we finally reached Banaue, we had to trek about 20 minutes through rice terraces to get to our lodging.  It was such a cool way to start off the weekend. 

The next morning we got up early to trek an hour through the rice terraces to get to the Bogyah Hot Springs. The terraces are a National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines and were named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995. 

The next day we got up bright and early to make our way to Segada, a serene town nestled in the Cordillera Mountains of Luzon.  It is renowned for its cool climate, averaging between 17 to 20 degrees Celsius annually and has been a summer retreat for wealthy locals and tourists alike for decades offering a refreshing retreat from the tropical heat prevalent in other parts of the country. 

On the 4 hour drive from Banaue to Segada we were treated to some breathtaking views.  We also stopped at one of Mai Mai and Cocoy's favorite restaurants, the delictable hamburger joint called Misty Lodge. 

One of Sagada's most distinctive cultural practices is the ancient tradition of hanging coffins. This funerary custom involves suspending wooden coffins on limestone cliffs, a ritual believed to bring the deceased closer to ancestral spirits. Visitors can observe these hanging coffins in sites such as Echo Valley, accessible via a short but steep hike.  We did the hike and saw the coffins as well as some creepy skeletal remains I found by climbing up into an area that most tourists don't go. I hope I didn't get cursed!

One of the most popular and fun attractions in Segada is the Sumaguing Cave also known as the "Big Cave". You need to descend with a guide and given the rains the limestone is so slippery that many people turn back including two from our group. But the rest of us forged on and were treated to an amazing spelunking experience. 

After the cave we went to a superb smoked meats place called Log Cabin and then got our culture on visiting the Ganduyan Museum, dedicated to the indiginous Igorot people of northern Luzon.  

We capped off our action-packed day with a stop at a pottery making workshop where the kids got to make clay bowls.  Sadly, since we are traveling and don't have the space, we were not able to take them with us. But they had fun making them. 

For two nights we stayed at the somewhat glamping accommodations of Ligaya's.  We had fun sitting around the fireplace, listening to music and playing a Filipino version of poker. 

Our last stop on our northern Luzon tour was Atok, a municipality in the province of Benguet about 50km of world famous Bagio City.  We stayed at a place called Haights Place founded by a member of the Army Corps of Engineers who was working in Luzon during WWII and went up to the mountains due to an illness.  He recovered, met a woman, got married and had kids and never left.  Their farm is now a bed and breakfast with an amazing flower garden and horses for the kids to ride. 

The owner of Haight's Place tells the amazing story of her great grandfather who was an engineer for the US army during WWII and came to the north country to recover from Tuberculosis. He ended up marrying a local girl and having 4 kids of his own (some adopted). Many generations of Haights have run this B&B over the decades. 

About a 15 minute walk away is Mt. Olis which offers a perch from which to watch the sun rise or set.  On many days the cloud clover is below the mountains so you look down on them from the top of Mt. Olis.  The morning we went we had a spectacular sunrise, but no clouds. 

We have to thank Cocoy and Mai Mai for planning this amazing gettaway for us.  We saw a part of the Philippines that many foriegn tourists don't get to see.