SAGADA'S HANGING COFFINS

Sagada is a town in Mountain Province  rich in natural resources and traditions. One of that tradition is hanging the coffins of their dead relatives. Though it is not practice anymore, it is now  historical or more on cultural site and has become  one of the most visited areas  in town. These hanging coffins were made  of carved-woods. 

 

WHERE TO STAY IN SAGADA|GECKO INN

Gecko Inn my home away from home in Sagada.

 

I stayed here with my travel mates for two nights. The owner , Sir Demsey, was so accommodating plus he serves the best tasting crispy fried chicken in town.

the Inn's pink restaurant

They have  different  types of rooms, from single beds to dormitory type rooms. They also have bahay kubo/ nipa huts available for tourists who prefer solitary. You may also request for en suite room if you don't like using the common bathroom. 

bahay kubo|nipa hut

double room

 The Inn's location though its a little bit far from the town center is just along the highway. If you are coming from Baguio, tell the bus conductor that you will be staying in Gecko Inn and he will drop you  off right in front of the gate. The town center can be reach by foot for around 15 minutes or ask Sir Demsey to drive you for a minimal fee.  Another way is to take the jeepneys.

reception desk

common area\sala

second floor common area

 At the hostel's facade are gecko carvings, this beautiful-full of color -art was made by the same people who runs the Tam- awan village in Baguio. No wonder that the gecko carving is very familiar.  It was actually Sir Mike Golez, the village manager, who recommended Gecko Inn to us. They themselves stay in Gecko Inn whenever they are in Sagada. Found out too that the bikers from Vigan, where a high school batch mate was one of them, stayed here too.

Side story:

On our first night, after our Echo Valley tour,  we walked from the town center to the hostel. It was a leisurely -almost 2 km -walked passing by some of the town's tourist attractions. We even stopped at a sari-sari store and bought  pork barbecue. It was already dark , no streetlights  and we don't have  flashlights. The only light we had were the car lights of passing vehicles. The further we walked away from the town center, the less houses  there were until we reached the part of the road that were all trees on both sides of the way .Then suddenly we saw fireflies!. Lots of them...  There's no word to explain how I felt upon seeing these creatures. It was amazing to see fireflies that many, it seems like they were dancing lights. They literally lit up our way. The following day we recounted the fireflies to our other travel mates, one of the professors said that the presence of fireflies signifies that there is a creature in the area similar to a fairy! Wow, that's how virgin the place is. Though there are tourists all year round the nature is unspoiled,yet. I remember the first time I saw firefly was when I camped not far from the base of a falls. The firefly went inside our tent and the following day our fellow campers told us that they saw someone in white sitting just outside our tent. (goosebumps!,) 

main road going to\from town center

Second night ,it was around 10:00pm meaning it's already late in Sagada. By the way, the implemented curfew time is 9:00pm.by this time most  stores are now close even restaurants. There were only few people loitering around and mostly are tourists.  Since the we were already tired from our Cave connection and Bomok-od falls tour we decided to hire a van going back to Gecko Inn but they were asking us exorbitant fare for just a short drive and they were drinking too. With no other choice we went to the police station to ask for help on where to hire a van. The officer on duty, SPO3 Raffy, instead offered us a ride with the police patrol car. Imagine the reaction of Sir Demsey, the owner of the Inn , upon  seeing the patrol car stopped in front of his hostel, he rushed towards the car with worry look thinking something was wrong but immediately smiled when he saw that its just us, all laughing at him. 

For reservations call : (63)-9202895471 look for Sir Demsey.


Read my other stories on Sagada:
1. Sagada Fellowship
2. Sagada Tours and Fees
3. Where to Eat in Sagada
4. Where to stay in Sagada: Gecko Inn
5. Sagada's Hanging Coffins

6. Chasing Waterfalls: Bomod-ok falls and Bokong Falls
7. Sagada Cave Connection: Conquering my Fears
8. Echo Valley Tour| Sagada