On the Way to Sagada from Benguet to Mt. Province, Awesome Rice Terraces Views, Bontoc Museum Sidetrip, Optional Tours and the Teng-Ab Retreat House

I'm really falling in love with my Panasonic Lumix GF1 - after 3 years haha. I find myself shooting more pictures and I want to show as much of my trip as possible to you. Because sometimes, there are no words good enough to describe what I see (esp. when we talk about Mother Nature). We were on our way to Sagada, Mt. Province from La Trinidad, Benguet when we saw a sea of clouds, like that of Pulag, rice / veggie terraces and made a brief stop at the Bontoc Museum to check out a little bit about the tribes and their way of life before in the Cordilleras =)

Organic Farm for Medicinal Herbs Philippines - The Garden of Life in La Trinidad, Benguet!

Our last farm stop in La Trinidad, Benguet is owned by Mr. Felix Tan - once a Manileño with a Commerce background (he moved to Benguet) and still a practitioner of alternative medicine. This is one of the farms that adopted the methods of Mr. Pat Acosta's The Master's Garden. Mr. Tan trained with him and converted his idle land to a very prosperous organic farm called Garden of Life. He was able to replicate the process and of course, started to plant herbs and medicinal plants according to his own profession and interest :) I told you each farm we visited has its own charm! ;)

Lunch and Organic Farm Tour at The Master's Garden in La Trinidad, Benguet!

Honestly, lunch at The Master's Garden was unusual haha. It wasn't anything like our organic retreat at Costales Nature Farms with the ATI the year before. There was beef, pasta and fish along with an unthinkable mix of veggies and herbs from the drink to soup to main course to dessert. After lunch, we were shown the awesome all organic vegetable terraces (which a family of four can easily handle and earns them quite enough to send all their children to college). I was so impressed with their healthy plants and superb organizing (how they made the terraces and arranged the farm) skills.

Organic Farming Made Easy & Organized, Popular Agri Myths Debunked at The Master's Garden, Benguet

Let's continue the organic farm journey! We went to The Master's Garden in La Trinidad after the Lily of the Valley Organic Farm (LOV, around 20 minutes by van). Here we learned that a healthy organic garden starts with the perfect farmer's compost. This farm is different from the LOV because it uses a very small piece of land, "micro-eco farm", yet the owner Mr. Pat Acosta was able to maximize it to support his family. So if you have thoughts on wanting to make an organic farm/garden and your stop is that your land is not very big or you think organic farming is laborious and costly or you don't know where to start, this may be the farm and post for you =D Personally, I liked that everything was explained in basic terms and that Mr. Acosta was a professor at UP so he was able to express himself and explain more about his thoughts on OA (organic agri) to us.

Homestay and Camping in La Trinidad for the Barkada near Baguio - Lily of the Valley Organic Farms Benguet

Before I was only confined to these when I think of Baguio - a 1D Baguio itinerary or my very first customized overnight 2D Baguio itinerary (everything had to do with staying within Baguio..). La Trinidad was always a short trip or just a side trip for the Strawberry Farm (which we associate with Baguio still) and the Bagsakan for fresh veggies. Now, my list of places to go near Baguio just expanded with this newly found appreciation for Benguet and the Cordillera Region! How about a homestay experience in La Trinidad or camping under the stars in a Pinoy organic farm? Of the 3 farms we went to on this visit to Benguet, only the Lily of the Valley Organic Farms was set up for a complete experience (told you they each had their own charm, I'm sure others have plans but as of now, only LOV has the structure in place). Now that their kids are all grown up and are based somewhere else, the Laruans have opened up their cozy home for homestay-ers, happy campers and those who want to stay for a few days and do their organic agri trainings and tours.

 

Organic Agriculture Training and Farm Tour at Lily of the Valley Organic Farms in La Trinidad, Benguet

So, I've just told you about that awesome Victory Liner bus trip up north and how I got to Baguio then La Trinidad from Manila. Today, let me tell you about the reason why I went all the way here for =) Last year, I got my first taste of an organic agriculture retreat at Costales Nature Farms in Laguna (just a few hours away, south of Manila). Our gracious host - the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (you can find them at www.ati.da.gov.ph and www.e-extension.gov.ph) - gave us with such a nice experience that got me so curious about being a farmer. Hehe. That first experience was all about food, food and eating more delicious organic food. It's the fastest way to win me over and it's something so basic that we all can relate to =) I was so thrilled that I agreed to 5 days in the mountains this time around! Hahaha. I just remembered: I should call it the "highlands" now hehe and it's where arabica coffee grows ;) But before all of that, let me take you to the first of the four organic farms we visited! Let's go to the Lily of the Valley Organic Farms by Mr. Jefferson Laruan in La Trinidad, Benguet! Each farm left a unique impression on me and a different set of organic info overload (LOL) so make sure you tune in to the next posts about The Master's Garden by Mr. Pat Acosta, the Garden of Light Farm by Mr. Felix Tan and all the way to Mang Osenio Lay-os' Organic Coffee Farm in Sagada.  

My Victory Liner First Class Deluxe Experience to Baguio, Cafe by the Ruins Stopover and the Road to the Benguet State University in La Trinidad, ATI-CAR Dormitory & Canteen

I was invited once again for an Organic Agriculture (OA) tour experience this year and this time, I made my way to the north on my own! It was also my first time to try the Victory Liner First Class (Deluxe) going to Baguio. I'm so excited to share about this because it was super worth it to add-on just a little to the regular fare. hehe. Because my tour mates were still in Manila, I managed to sqeeze in a little "me time" in Baguio at Cafe by the Ruins while staying on route to get to the Benguet State University - where our host the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI-CAR) of the Department of Agriculture is based and where we were supposed to stay for the night.

Things to Bring and OC Reminders for Mt. Pulag Climb!

Planning to go to Mt. Pulag? Here's a quick guide - my list of things to bring, suggestions and some last minute OC reminders based on my experience in no particular order hahaha. This is based on a trip to Mt. Pulag with Anywhere Philippines although more or less, it might probably apply to you too all the same =)

The Junior Mt. Pulag Climb, the Sea of Clouds and the Road Trip Home

People would surely ask me "How was it?" when they find out that I'd already reached Mount Pulag. Well, for sure, I would now tell them to go to my blog for the whole story haha. There are so many things I'd like to share including my climb to Junior Pulag, the terrain on the top, the Mt. Pulag peaks (apparently, not all will climb the 2922 meter summit because they need to distribute the people climbing to watch the sunrise), the infamous sea of clouds (which depends if you're lucky that weekend) and the crazy road trip home on this post alone. If you're reading my Pulag series for the first time, I would suggest that you read the following first: the long journey even before the Pulag trek begins and what it takes to go camping overnight at this 3rd highest peak in the Philippines. Also, find out below on how you can get Anywhere Philippines Mt. Pulag GCs for 2013 from me.

Camping at Mount Pulag, the Ambangeg Trail and Slow Trekking with Anywhere Philippines

I knew the Philippines has some mighty mountains and I was content to leave it to experts or mountaineering fanatics for the longest time. But this year, I finally succumbed to the Mount Pulag craze out of curiosity and that voice in my head that says I need some exercise haha. I was there for a weekend to push my body to the limits and up to new heights. For once in my life, I climbed (and documented the arduous journey) as if this was going to be my last. Today, I'd like to show you the challenges I went through to get there through photos, as well as the Ambangeg Trail, comfort room situation and some nice things I found along the way =) The only Pulag photos I remember I saw before the trip were the poster views from the summit. Well, there's a whole Mt. Pulag National Park out there to explore and of course, people who will support you throughout the trip to capture! I've already told you about the very eventful morning before the climb on my last post. I believe that the afternoon that followed with the Pulag overnight camping deserves another post. When I was there, it felt like the longest day and weekend ever. Take note and be warned, I have mastered the art of slow trekking here hahaha. Whoever would want to race you to an elevated base camp is nuts ;) Even at my pace, I tell you, I was faced with altitude-sickness!

Mt. Pulag Adventure with Anywhere Philippines, The Journey Before Reaching the Start of the Trek!

Ahhh, Mt. Pulag. If it were not for my goal to push my body to the limits thru travel this year, I would never have considered meeting you so soon. Your charm and the "above-the-clouds" stories were the first things that popped in my head when my friends said that it's time for an adventure this 2013. I was glad I went with my friends and Anywhere Philippines for this epic journey. It was definitely one of the craziest ideas that I ever blurted out in front of my buddies when I know for a fact that we don't even do regular exercise (what more climbing the 3rd highest peak in the Philippines [Mount Pulag, and the highest in Luzon] all of a sudden without training?!). Hahaha. For this post, I would like to tell you all about the long journey, think transpo and happenings even before you get to the base/ranger station of Mt. Pulag National Park, so that you can be super prepared and well-informed. After all, you will spend more time on the road going to Pulag and back than the actual trek itself. Let us begin =)

Baguio '10 Day 2 - Rediscovering Baguio

September 24, 2010 (Thursday)

My roomie and I hurriedly ate our breakfast to walk to Mines View Park before our scheduled Baguio tour. I couldn’t eat that much anyway because I had no appetite after a sleepless night. I filled my belly with a classic Filipino breakfast plate.

Baguio '10 Day 1 - A Customized Sampling of Baguio

September 23, 2010 (Thursday)

I’m glad the trip to Baguio only took 5.5 hours with the new expressway. It’s also a good geography lesson too as we passed by the provinces north of Manila one by one. You know you’re almost halfway when you start going through the endless zigzagged roads of the Cordillera mountain range.