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Featured Speech of the Week
This site area is created to give special publicity to our member who was voted as the Speaker of the Day. It is published here to highlight the key strong points of the speech in which the speaker was able to meet speech's objectives.

My Adventure in Sagada
CanCan Panopio
Date presented: December 8, 2000

A pleasant good morning to all of you my fellow toastmasters and to you able toastmaster Rene.

A month ago I visited Sagada with my friends. It is located in Mountain Province and 18 kilometer from the Capital town of Bontoc, nestled in a valley at an elevation of 5,000 feet above sea level. Going there, we travel from Manila to Baguio for 4 and half-hours. We left Manila at 9:30 in the evening and reach Baguio at around 2:00 in the morning. We stayed at Burham Park to rest and slept on the van we rented for just a couple of hours. At around 6:30 after just having bread and water for our breakfast we continue our journey, following a bus via Sagada because we don't know how to get there just by ourselves. We were told it would take us another 10 hours drive to reach our destination.

As we are leaving Baguio we started to go up passing through narrow, rocky winding road that you can't drive fast. When you look outside, down, you can see the road where you have been through and if the driver is not careful, the van might fall because it is only a foot distance from the ravine. Nobody talk much during that time… We just enjoyed the scenery, looking at the green valleys. Most of the time I am also praying to let us get through that rocky and cliff-hanging road, safely especially when at one point we witness an accident where a lot of people is being rescued because the jeepney they are riding falls from the road. We are all really scared that time. It is almost 4:30 in the afternoon when we reach Sagada.

We are all exhausted but happy because we were able to arrive there safe and sound. We rented rooms where we can stay for two nights. After resting for couple of hours one by one we took our shower. It is colder there compare to Baguio and there is no hot water. I am hesitant to take my shower because I am used to have hot water when taking a bath. What I did is I just jumped, stamped my feet and shout a little bit to overcome the coldness of the water.

We have our dinner in the nearby restaurant and I was so surprised to see a lot of foreigner eating there too. Because I still haven't seen anything exciting yet, I thought and asked myself: what is it that attracts these foreigners to come in a remote area such as Sagada. These make me more excited of our next day activity.

The morning came…and we are all ready to explore the beauty of Sagada. With an experienced tour guide with us, we went first to the famous Sumaging Cave. Along the way we stopped at a place where we can view the hanging coffins. I am truly amazed how were they able to place the coffins mostly made of hollowed trunks of pine trees, along the ledges of towering rock formations so they appear suspended. Just how these were lodged at such heights is truly mind-boggling to me. My spellbinding adventure to Sumaging cave continued.

At first there were a big opening and as we descend inside it, it is getting dark that our guides lighted two lamps to provide us lights and for us to be able to enjoy the beauty of the cave. We came-in in line and we went down the rocks. We are all quiet, concentrating on our way, because just one wrong step, we might fall down. Inside, all you can hear are the sounds of the bats and of the running waters. Just to break the silence, once in a while I make scary sounds. This is really new to me. Imagine we have to crawl at small opening just to pass through and get in to the other side of the cave. We have to hang on to the rope and then walk in clear water that level is up to my chest.

We all enjoy the beauty of the cave for the stone formations are truly amazing. The stones are color gold and the water is so clear. We stayed inside for a while and as my friends have some fun I have another thing on my mind. How can I get out of this cave… because for me the hardest part is climbing up on the rocks? As I have told you all before, I'm an asthmatic person. Luckily I was able to make it, coming out of the cave alive.

After having our lunch and have rested for an hour we continue exploring the place. This time we went to see the big falls known as Bomod-ok falls in a nearby village. Reaching it, we have to go down the hill with more than thousands of steps. Here, we experience to walk in the middle of the rice field built as terraces with only a foot wide walkway. In some part, it is even narrower than it. As we get closer, the descending water turns into a very white, almost cloud-like that we didn't mind the hardship and exhaustion of getting there. The sanctuary is a panorama of color and tapestry, blended together by magic and mystery. We really enjoyed the place. And then again we all struggled for couple of hours going up the hills, climbing on the thousands of steps… the breeze of cold wind help us to go back at the top.

The following day we all went home with muscle pains all over our body. Indeed it is a very tiring activity and yet I never thought that at the moment it would be one of my merriest, exciting and fulfilling experience. It is once in a lifetime for me, savoring the picture-perfect scenery of lush pine forests, awesome crystal cave, dramatic rock formations, the sparkling waterfalls and the fog-draped sunrise amid sprawling mountain ridge. My trip to Sagada is worth it and much, a journey of a lifetime and memories, of pictures, of people you see and remember. Philippines is really a wonderful place to live.

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