Sagada Adventure: Sumaguing-Lumiang Cave Connection
ARRIVAL IN SAGADA
Groggily waking up from our sleep, our group arrived in Sagada at around 12:30 PM. Yes, we were so behind schedule considering that we should be starting with our spelunking activity already. The van we were riding dropped us off at Canaway which is located along the South Road, very nearby all the souvenir shops and well-know food establishments.
Unfortunately, we soon found out that since Ruel and I chose a private room with private CR, our accommodation was on a different and much farther location. That got both of us frustrated because our van was only supposed to bring his passengers in that area so we did not know what we can do to go to our place. We were so tired and all we wanted was to have the chance to check-in, freshen up and rest but it appears we might not be able to do it before we proceed with the first real Sagada experience.
Luckily, there was another van headed to our designated place to stay and we were able to squeeze in ourselves with them. I just have to say that we were so unlucky with our van arrangements but later on, we will be thankful that we were asked to join this other group since we were able to get along with them very well.
After about 20 minutes of travel, we have arrived in Ban Ay Residence at Bangaan (info of our accommodation I got from Angie San Jose). The location and our room were nice enough. Plus, they have hot water which I was very accustomed to, especially that we were expecting cold temperature later that evening.
Unfortunately, I just realized now that I was not able to take pictures of our room or even the place where we stayed in (What a blogger! Incomplete documentation for me!). But here's a test shot I took outside our room while waiting for the van.
Unfortunately, I just realized now that I was not able to take pictures of our room or even the place where we stayed in (What a blogger! Incomplete documentation for me!). But here's a test shot I took outside our room while waiting for the van.
THE CAVE CONNECTION
Due to the long and tiring travel from Manila to Sagada, Ruel and I were so tempted to skip this activity. But I knew it would be a huge loss in our experience if we skip it. I just tried my best to overcome my exhaustion by sleeping in the van for our whole trip (I have actually done this every time we travel to the spots we will be visiting! I never thought I could sleep that much!).
I think we left for our cave exploration at around past 4:00 PM, about at least 2 hours behind from our schedule. The whole group chose to go for the cave connection which, we were informed, will take around 4 hours. We had to pay an extra P450 for the guide fee plus P35 for the environmental fee per pax. To see the summary of our expenses, you may refer here.
From there, we had to do a bit of trekking going to the mouth of the cave. Luckily, the path was msotly cemented.
As expected, the scenery consisted of mountains, trees and everything green which were definitely pleasing to my tired eyes. We had a quick stopover for picture-taking.
WHAT I WORE
- Dri-Fit Shirt (I planned to wear a rash guard which I should have followed. It was so cold there!)
- Sports bra - This made it so much easier for me to move. Plus, I thought we will get to swim to an underground river but we didn't. LOL.
- Spandex leggings - this also made it easier for me to move, kept me from the cold and okay to get wet.
- Sandugo slippers - it's anti-slip is very trusty but there were still parts of the cave wherein we needed to go on barefoot. Nevertheless, wearing slippers made it easier for us to put on or remove the footwear when needed.
WHAT I BROUGHT
- 10-liter drybag to carry all our essentials.
- Xiaomi Yi camera with waterproof case and forehead strap
- 2 Bottled water - one for me and Ruel. We brought our own water container so we can just refill them when needed.
- Fitbar - in case we get hungry and yes, we did.
- Wallet in Ziploc bag
- Cellphone in waterproof case with strap - this made it easier for me to take pictures even with my phone since I can easily pull it from the waterproof case.
*I left behind some change of clothes and jacket in the van just in case.
WHAT I SHOULD HAVE WORN/BROUGHT
- Rash guard - it was so cold inside the cave!!
- Windbreaker - yes, it was that cold!!
We were soon dropped off at the jump off point (not sure if they also use the "jump off" term for spelunking) with our group. While waiting for our guides, we got to buy some natural honey before starting with the activity. This was a good decision because the bottles of honey we found later on in the trip were already more expensive. We got the small bottle for P150 and then the big one for P300.
From there, we had to do a bit of trekking going to the mouth of the cave. Luckily, the path was msotly cemented.
As expected, the scenery consisted of mountains, trees and everything green which were definitely pleasing to my tired eyes. We had a quick stopover for picture-taking.
After a few minutes of walking, our group arrived at the actual cave where there are other several people already proceeding with their tour.
From there, you can see small coffins that were about at least hundred years old. According to our guide, these were coffins of children. The coffins were small because the bodies were placed inside in a fetus position. Unfortunately, I was not really able to listen to our guide that much so I don't have much fun facts to share.
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| Photo from Angie San Jose |
I took a few shots of us before proceeding to the challenging parts of the spelunking.
After a few minutes from the start of our exploration, we arrived at an area wherein there were lots of people just sitting around and chatting (booming economy!). I thought they decided to just hang out there but it turned out that that's where the real caving will start. The previous trail we took was just a practice or what our guide called it, the "trial and error" part.
Unfortunately, that particular entrance could only allow one person to get in. And since there was just so many of us, we had to wait for our turn.
Believe me, it was a very VERY long wait. There's just too many people on the line and we're just very unlucky we have someone ahead of us who were really slooooow movers (this was according to our guides).
We had to wait a really long time for our turn and it was so freaking cold inside the cave. It was difficult for me to endure the pain so I had to follow where the lamps were to keep me warm. And yes, during these times, I kept wishing I have worn my rash guard.
The wait was really long that we ended up getting really hungry. Even after consuming the snacks we brought, they still weren't enough. One of the guides (The really cute one that everyone was going gaga over... Yey for having a cute guide inside the cave!) was tasked to go outside the cave to get some food for us. Fortunately, we were still near the entrance and the guides are just so used to the place already so it was no big deal to him.
Many of us also had to pee! The wait was really that long! But of course, I did not capture that moment anymore. We had to find a spot where people do not pass through to relieve ourselves.
Everyone of us got so bored that our guides stared playing with stones by stacking them. They're pros at this like they do this all the time! Spot Mr. Cutie on the left of the photo below.
This is when my being thankful for our company came in. Throughout our whole wait, the guides did not fail to entertain us with their own stories. Added to this, we got to mingle and chat with the group we were in and got to know them more.
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| Photo from Angie San Jose |
After at least FOUR HOURS of waiting (that was from before 6:00 PM to past 10:00 PM just waiting inside the cave!), we finally started with our cave exploration (though many of us just felt like going back to our place actually and end this trip)!
Going through this thrilling spelunking was terrifying yet exciting. There were times when I wish I had gone back when I still had the chance but when you're in there already, you have no choice but to proceed. There is no quit button nor an emergency exit.
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| Photo from Angie San Jose |
My scariest moments were when I had to cross boulders and rocks with gaps. For some reason, I can imagine myself falling in one of them.
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| Photo from Angie San Jose |
There were several parts with huge drops and there were also parts when you had to climb. These require balance, focus, determination and a lot of physical strength. Our guides' main rule to us was to always listen to them and follow their instructions. One misstep can result to injury or worse... There's nothing wrong with being careful, especially with an environment we were not familiar with.
Since there were several groups going through the cave connection, there were also several guides with us. It was amazing to watch them wait or go ahead of us, knowing what lies ahead and ensure that they can assist us the best way they can.
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| Photo from Angie San Jose |
There were times when you have to remove your footwear since these areas were just too slippery. I am thankful that I was able to wear my Sandugo slippers most of the time even when the rest of the group were already going barefoot.
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| Photo from Angie San Jose |
There were also some parts when we need to have to fall in line and wait again because the next obstacle can only accommodate a few people. Unfortunately as mentioned earlier, we have slow movers ahead of us even though our group can move so fast (and we have a small kid with us who had to be lifted by his father or the guide sometimes yet we still got to move faster!)
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| Photo from Angie San Jose |
There were also parts wherein we had no choice but to get wet. This had actually worsen the cold temperature inside the cave.
When going through a cave exploration, one must be able to appreciate the rock formations. Unfortunately, it was already too dark for us and it was even raining a bit that we were not able to appreciate the beauty within that much.
The terms stalagmite and stalactite were thrown in by our guides but as of this writing, I honestly still cannot differentiate the two unless I research on the terms. As far as I remember, one kind grows from the ground and the other one grows from the ceiling. Below is a huge photo of a cauliflower which, I believe is a stalactite (please correct me if I'm wrong!).
There were some parts wherein the guides were going through a different path while we had to go through a different one. If you would observe how they climb those steep and slippery steps, you'd be envious on how easy they could tackle them.
I was not really able to capture as much photos as I can since I had to focus on moving, not slipping and just doing the right thing. A lot of these photos were grabbed from Angie San Jose, one of the brave photographers who did not fear pulling out her SLR and taking photos during our spelunking.
At the last bit part of the activity, our guide pointed out the exit of the cave. We were so relieved then that it was almost over. However, even though it was already visible, it did not mean that it was close. It took us for about an hour just to get to that exit!
Reaching the final part of the exploration requires a lot of climbing which can be very tiring. Upon reaching the exit, our guide asked us if we want to clean up a bit. However, he quipped that we must go down again and nobody wanted that!
The challenge though did not end there. Though the remaining path was already cemented, it consisted of a stair with several steps. The guide mentioned how many steps it has but I forgot the number. I believe it was around 200+ steps. Thankfully, CrossFit helped us prepare for instances like this so it was not hard to go through all the steps. It was like doing lunges and I hate lunges!
We all breathed a sigh of relief when our eyes grasped the presence of the sky. We made it and we survived that 8-hour cave exploration (we started around 5:30 PM and ended at 2:30 AM!!).
I remember telling Ruel when we just started spelunking that I would love to bring my family along next time and have them experience spelunking as well. But after going through all that, to be honest, I don't think I'd ever want to do it again! Experiencing it once was enough for me!
But it was such an experience! I am proud of myself for being able to accomplish this and for scratching it off from my to do list.
I guess spelunking is just not for me. The climbing and the walking did not really make me go out of breath. The challenge here was on going through the uneven paths, the slippery rocks, the darkness and the very very cold temperature (I hated this part the most cause there were times that I was already shivering!). I was very thankful that Ruel was there and he was able to assist me a lot. <3
The travel back to our accommodation took about 15 minutes. Upon arriving there, we immediately took a bath as we were so eager to wash up and get ourselves from our dirty and cold clothes. Luckily, we had requested the owner of the place to already prepare dinner for us as we had expected that we will be finishing late (but not as late as 2:30 in the morning!).
After dinner with our stomach satisfied from rice and chicken adobo with egg (we got extra eggs!), we were finally able to get that much needed sleep to prepare ourselves for the hours to come with the rest of the activities in our itinerary.
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| Photo from Angie San Jose |
I was not really able to capture as much photos as I can since I had to focus on moving, not slipping and just doing the right thing. A lot of these photos were grabbed from Angie San Jose, one of the brave photographers who did not fear pulling out her SLR and taking photos during our spelunking.
At the last bit part of the activity, our guide pointed out the exit of the cave. We were so relieved then that it was almost over. However, even though it was already visible, it did not mean that it was close. It took us for about an hour just to get to that exit!
Reaching the final part of the exploration requires a lot of climbing which can be very tiring. Upon reaching the exit, our guide asked us if we want to clean up a bit. However, he quipped that we must go down again and nobody wanted that!
The challenge though did not end there. Though the remaining path was already cemented, it consisted of a stair with several steps. The guide mentioned how many steps it has but I forgot the number. I believe it was around 200+ steps. Thankfully, CrossFit helped us prepare for instances like this so it was not hard to go through all the steps. It was like doing lunges and I hate lunges!
We all breathed a sigh of relief when our eyes grasped the presence of the sky. We made it and we survived that 8-hour cave exploration (we started around 5:30 PM and ended at 2:30 AM!!).
I remember telling Ruel when we just started spelunking that I would love to bring my family along next time and have them experience spelunking as well. But after going through all that, to be honest, I don't think I'd ever want to do it again! Experiencing it once was enough for me!
But it was such an experience! I am proud of myself for being able to accomplish this and for scratching it off from my to do list.
I guess spelunking is just not for me. The climbing and the walking did not really make me go out of breath. The challenge here was on going through the uneven paths, the slippery rocks, the darkness and the very very cold temperature (I hated this part the most cause there were times that I was already shivering!). I was very thankful that Ruel was there and he was able to assist me a lot. <3
After dinner with our stomach satisfied from rice and chicken adobo with egg (we got extra eggs!), we were finally able to get that much needed sleep to prepare ourselves for the hours to come with the rest of the activities in our itinerary.
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My other blog posts related to our Sagada travel:
<This part will be updated once all my other blog posts related to this travel have been completed.>
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