Adventure Accounting

I poured time and effort in researching the proper spelunking/caving attire. I browsed forums. I read blog posts and studied what they wore. Seriously. Wa-poise galore yata ito, so kelangan bumawi sa outfit. I found this post in SAGGAS’ website the most helpful. They maintain a pretty neat website as well. Go check it out. Cave Connection Outfit:

If you are scared of heights, darkness, drowning and bats, banish all of them for a couple of hours. This adventure is not for the faint-heart. The next adventure for Day 2 is the famous Cave Connection adventure of Sumaging and Lumiang Cave. It is a self-inflicted torture worth four hours that necessitates you to climb, crawl, rappel, slip, slide, squirm and butt-walk through cave ravines, underground streams and numerous types of cave formations. With raindrops of Guano (bat poop) along the way. For the love of photo op, we managed to smile all the way. I never thought caves could be so enchanting. Caves are supposed to be this dark and cold place but Sagada changed all that. Too bad my point and shoot camera is lousy in these types of settings. I found Lumiang Cave more enthralling than Sumagin Cave – more challenging too. For the not-so-fit adventurers, the cave connection is not recommended – for safety purposes as well. Sumaging Cave exploration is more appropriate. Pose pa rin! ...

Day 2 of our Sagada Saga required us to wake up at around 4am-ish to witness the sunrise at Kiltepan Viewpoint. I did wake up along the lines of 4am, but getting up was another story. It was so darn cold and I was feeling some sore spots from the trek the day before. But the excitement of our itinerary for the day made me finally get up. The trip to Kiltepan Viewpoint took approximately 30 minutes. I was still feeling drowsy during the trip but the cold breeze kept me awake. We arrived at the viewpoint with ample time to take in Sagada’s morning.

After being a solo participant in a group tour, I gathered the courage again to join TF’s Conquer Sagada. I registered on the week of the trip itself (pasaway) . Conquer Sagada Mountain Province, Philippines July 10 – 12, 2010 Sagada, Mountain Province, Philippines Travel Factor’s 3 Days and 2 Nights adventure tour to the Mountain Province. PACKAGE RATE P4,800 per person PACKAGE INCLUSIONS * Roundtrip Aircon Bus: Manila – Banaue – Manila * Roundtrip Chartered Jeep : Banaue – Sagada – Banaue * 3D/2N accommodation in Sagada * Day 1 – breakfast, lunch * Day 2 – breakfast, lunch * Private Jeepney during tours around Sagada (see itinerary) * Cave Connection Adventure (Sumaguing and Lumiang Cave) * Environment permits and entrance fees * Service of the Local Guides & Cave Guides with lamps * Service of the tour director * Travel Insurance * Travel Factor ID, Conquer Sagada souvenir t-shirt