Who would want a hanging coffin as a final resting place ?

Echo Valley hanging coffin Sagada, Cordillera Mountain Province, Philippines

The aborigines of Sagada called Igorots considered themselves animist, they believe that all living things have spirits and spirits do coexist with humans on earth. The Igorots of Sagada, Mountain Province started  the tradition of hanging coffin two millennia ago. It is a way of inserting or hanging the coffins of the departed relatives on the cliff of a mountain or cave. It is a belief that symbolises the spirit of the dead getting closer to "kabunyan" who is the supreme God. The corpse is then wrapped in a cloth, carried on the shoulder and  passed on to another man's shoulder until they reach the cliff where the final resting place is waiting. It brings good luck for those who help in carrying the corpse to the mountain cliff. While it is a sign of long life when the liquid from the body of the corpse drops on the pallbearer. The corpse is then place in a coffin on a foetal position, it resembles the baby in mother's womb. This position is a reminder for them that life is a continuous cycle after all.  The coffin is then hang on the cliff or inserted in the wall of the cave.





The only shortcut to Echo Valley is traversing through this public cemetery behind Episcopal Church of  St. Mary's the Virgin.

St. Mary's the Virgin is less than five minutes drive from the town. Behind this church is the passage to Echo Valley. From the church to the public cemetery, it takes almost fifteen minutes walk to get there. The public cemetery's tombs are placed side by side, there are little space for two people to pass through the path. In short, we have to say "excuse me or sorry all the time as we pass by the tombstone. We also cannot help but to read the names, dates of  births and deaths written on the tombstones of those lying in peace. It would be wise not to travel across this cemetery when the sun is about to set.  This spooky path lasts for fifteen minutes walk to the beautiful scenic view of limestone formations where the Hanging Coffins are placed. The approximate distance between this cliff to the Hanging Coffin is less than a kilometre walk. After the cemetery eerie walk, you would see a path that is good enough for one person at a time. The narrow path is actually the Cliffside, fortunately there are vines and plants that can hold onto for safety. This path doesn't last for twenty minutes then it leads you to the way going down the cliff,  the good thing about it there are paths, footholds, roots to grab for support. Just take time on moving downwards and make sure feet are resting nicely on the markings.



Going down the cliff to the valley.

Another resting place is the Lumiang Burial Cave, it will take at least thirty minutes to get to Lumiang Cave from town proper. The path here is not as thrilling as the previous one, yet inside the cave is steep and  dark. The tombs in this cave are hundred years old, piled up or inserted in the walls and placed just at the entrance of the cave. They believe that the light from the sky protects the souls of the departed love ones.


Another site for hanging coffin is Lumiang Burial Cave.

Inside Lumiang Burial Cave

Coffins lying and inserted in the cave walls.

The inscribed image of a Gecko on the coffin represents prosperity, peace and long life of the old folk's body that lies within .

Today, most of the locals are Episcopalian. Episcopal Churches was established by the American missionaries in 1902, who believes that spirits goes to heaven after death. The practice of hanging coffin is only being practice by the elders at present.

On the other hand, Lumiang cave has a connecting path to Sumaguing Cave (fascinating Limestone formation), famous for spelunkers and travellers alike. Since we have five kids and an elder in this trip it's practical not to do caving at this time.



The road less travelled Dantay-Sagada Road

The road from Banaue to Sagada is not easy, a long and winding road. It can take around 8 to 9 hours depending on the skill of the driver. There are road upgrade projects of the snake-like Dantay-Sagada Road. Some parts of the road are still dirt and can accommodate single lane at a time, no barrier from the cliff too.  Oh by the way, be wary as well on landslides although it doesn't happen everyday. Yet there are instances wherein motorcyclists get hit by a rock on the head while on the road. The last thing he knew he was lying on the hospital bed. Being first timer travelling this road an extra precaution is very important, the zigzags are very steep and sudden. It can get really slippery too when it is raining. Our vehicle wheels literally got stuck in the mud and we needed to reverse back to find the solid dirt path. This time we were travelling in December, the coldest season in Sagada. 



This is the small part of the road that is under construction.



Igorota

On the way to Sagada, I met an old Igorota woman. I saw her swiftly walking on the embankment of the rice field, crossing the road, down the next rice field. She was searching for small fishes hiding under the stones along the riverbank, although she was hunching forward I guess due to her old age. Fair enough she's old yet agile, amazing how she moves from one place to another place barefooted. What a shame as I feel that she can walk faster than me ! When I greeted her "hello, take photo", she quickly straighten her posture and got ready for the shot. She is so adorable as she tries to communicate with me in her own dialect that is foreign to me. Although we cannot understand each other her smiles and expression tells me that we are welcome in Sagada.



Our little cottages.

Enjoying the bonfire.

On our way back to Manila we pass by Baguio. The road from Sagada to Baguio is as  challenging as going to Sagada from Banaue. The most exhilarating part of this journey is driving on the so called Halsema Highway a.k.a. Death Road. This road is considered one of the most dangerous road in the world for it's circuitous path, land and mud slides, falling rocks as well. This is my second time to experience an extremely foggy condition in total zero visibility. But this experience is more scary as we are in the middle of the Death Road. Luckily it only lasted for a minute. The first thing to do when this happens is to honk several times until the fog is over. Since my best friend and driver is not use to hitting the honk, it took him awhile to produce a soft sound from the vehicle. If the vehicle is a bit more sophisticated just turn on the fog light and hopefully everything will be fine after that.

Interesting places to visit in Sagada:

Hanging coffins of Sagada - Echo Valley, Lumiang Cave

Spelunking - Sumaging Cave, Lumiang Cave, Balangagan Cave, Crystal Cave

Falls - Pongas Falls, Bomod- Ok Falls

Kiltepan Peak - spectacular view of the mountain province
Hiking or mountaineering - Mount Polis, Mount Ampacao, Mount Sisipitan and Marlboro Mountain
Church - Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin

Sagada Weaving along Stauton Road

Here are the exciting ways to Sagada :

by car, via the three interconnected highways from EDSA Balintawak, Quezon City right towards North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), continue to Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), continue to Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) take Macarthur Highway and Manila North Road to Tagudin-Cervantes-Sabangan Road in Tagudin follow this road, until Hanselma Highway to Dantay-Sagada/ Stauton Rd. then Sagada.

by bus, Victory Liner

by plane, Cebu Pacific  , PAL Express via Clark International Airport and take a bus to Baguio then Sagada.

There are accommodations located in different areas in Sagada. There are hostels, inns, and homestay at very reasonable prices. You will have to check though if these accommodation suits your needs. There are no available five star hotels or resorts in this area. Check out various online bookings and reviews before making a decision.

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