Sagada (Day 3)- Conquering the Sumag-ing Cave

The third and last day of our Sagada adventure began as early as 7.30 AM when, after breakfast, we met Mang Jimmy, our guide from the Fidelisan trek. He was our guide for the day in the caves. The Sumag-ing Cave is the easiest cave to explore according to the Tourism Officer. It's what they recommend for first timers in Sagada because it was a cave that could be conquered by city people like us.

He was kidding us! Just when we thought that the Fidelisan and Bomod-ok Falls trekking was an adventure of a lifetime, the Sumag-ing caving experience made us hang on to dear life. Imagine going into a primeval cave with nothing but nervous excitement! The caving in Sumag-ing was an adventure like no other.



Apart from Mang Jimmy, Inug-ay, another guide for the caving tour, assisted us, Team Sagada. By now, we were at home with Mang Jimmy and his uncanny sense of humor. He is no match for Dianne though, who topped his every teasing with a joke or two of her own. Needless to say, it was a fun and fearless caving expedition. I have to say, Team Sagada is made up of go-getters and non-quitters. So, as we all groped in the dark, bending, kneeling, creeping, groping on rocks smudged with bat's dung, we have enough courage and the will to go on and to let go of our fears.


L-R Dianne, me, Lucky Galvez, Ailen Claudio, Jerome Ramirez, Jovel Lopez and Yumi Pitargue. Go, Team Sagada!

Such was the bravery of the "bagets" as they exchange humorous tirades at each other and played word games that kept us all amused despite the darkness that surrounded us. If the Mang Jimmy - Dianne de Las Casas battle of the wits was a show of their own, Lucky and Jerome were in a word war as they descended the cave. They dished out "cave" words at each other. Cavernous. Creepy. It was very entertaining. When we reached the drop off, we all needed to go down a knotted rope. Mang Jimmy deftly showed us how. We followed like dutiful students. The reward, more stalagmites and stalactites; fossils on the cave walls and the cold gushing water!



By this time we were already barefoot. We took off our footwear so we could use our feet better. The soles of our flip flops and sneakers were liable to slips and falls. On the second drop off, we had to step on our guides' knee to go down. Holding Mang Jimmy's hands and stepping on his knee was an embarrassing moment. If only I was twenty lbs. lighter! My insecurity radiated to other members of the team that slipping a few steps was inevitable. To this, Yumi simply said, It's not too bad to die in a bikini .



When we reached the dead end, we were simply thankful for surviving the way down. The way up was another story. But what was there to fear? Going up was not as bad as the trip down. Really.



We had guides who were experts. They know Sumag-ing like the back of their hands. I give credit to Mang Jimmy and Inug-ay for a job well done; for keeping us safe; for showing the way; for holding up the light and placing them on areas that made us see the beauty of the cave; for their patience and sense of humor. To the guides, Mang Jimmy and Inug-ay, thank you! Thank you! Thank you for leading us back to the mouth of the cave alive and enlightened.

On our way back to the poblacion, we dropped by a road where a cliff holds three hanging coffins. We went down a mountain side one more time to see the burial caves. Then we rushed to our lodgings for a quick shower. We had to catch the 1PM bus ride back to Baguio. Most of us needed to be back in Manila the following day.

I have to say that the two nights three days stay in Sagada was an adventure of a lifetime indeed. I got in touch with the Igorot in me. I'm Ibanag, but I've always been in awe of them. My respects for the Igorots and their kin increased a hundred fold. To the Igorots who are very much a part of the Filipino culture and history, I derive inspiration from your ingenuity, inventiveness and resiliency. I live in a beautiful country!

The Ganduyan* Museum in Sagada

It was in the late afternoon when I found myself looking for Christina Aben of the Ganduyan Museum. I was expecting to meet a young woman in her early thirties or forties. Instead, I met a wizened Igorot woman who spoke impeccable English.

Ms. Aben is the collector and oral curator of "everything" inside the Ganduyan Museum. She led me to the stairs and at the foot of it, we took off our shoes. We entered sacred ground. What greeted me was a room full of artifacts from the Cordilleras. It was awesome!

Ms. Aben began with her bead collection. These are her own collection which she started in the 1970s. The beads came from the lowlands at a time when the Igorots traded with outsiders and foreigners like the Chinese, the Indians and the Arabs. There were alligator teeth and mother of pearl shells in her collection. Such things were not found in the Cordilleras. She has a money belt, a warrior's purse and all sorts of beaded necklaces from different tribal groups of the Cordilleras. There I learned that beading patterns differ from one ethnic tribe to another. One could tell who's from the Kalinga, Nabaloi, Ifugao or Igorot. We moved on down to the men's accessories. From pipes to caps (used as pillow and water cup) and woven g-strings, anklets and armlets to warrior's garb, she has it on display. Most intriguing to me are the amulets and snake vertebra believed to increase the warrior's physical and internal prowess.

The display of spoons and drinking cups for wine are varied in size and kind. Men and women drink. For a man who has cheated on his wife, the wine cup is passed behind his back. When this happens, the cheating husband is kept away from the wife to be cleansed by the shaman. How the cleansing was done, I failed to ask. Next time, I will and yes, I'll blog about it.

For the Igorots, status are issues they treat with utmost importance. There are clothing that the rich could wear but the poor could not. The kitchenware were made from wood and metal, some from animal bones. But these are also classified by social class. Prince or pauper, the tribal Igorot does not wash their plates. Kamote, which is the staple food of the highlanders, atsara, meat and fish dishes were served on plates but the left overs, grease and stain from these viands and food were scraped. Washing was unheard of because of the scarcity of water. Water from the well was a precious resource meant for drinking, cooking and other activities for sustenance.

The divide between the affluent and the indigent persisted among ethnic tribes, however, in this modern times, these belief system no longer matter. Then again, in death, this division in social classes is still observed.

The Igorots hold many beliefs and symbols. Among the many, it is the lizard or the gecko that stand out. These animals bring forth luck and longevity. Doors, scarves, table runners, accessories are decorated with these cold blooded insectivores. Even the warrior's shield has a gecko or two. What I found most interesting among the many weapons on display is the concave end of the shields. It is meant to trap the enemy at the neck. Then, the warrior goes for the kill by chopping his head off. There goes the fabled head hunters of the Cordilleras.

For a typical city slicker, the whole thing would appear primitive or simply a mere memory of the Cordillera's pagan past. But for me, a city slicker, the Ganduyan Museum's collection and exhibit is a testimony to a unique but dying heritage that is a part of these islands. All seven thousand seven hundred of them!

At the end of the lecture, Ms. Aben shared that the museum is her life's passion. A cancer survivor, she has pursued the arts and is continuously doing so. Hats off to people like her. Long live the Ganduyan Museum!


*Ganduyan is the Igorot name of Sagada