God Is Greater Than Our Feelings

        Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

                                                       1 John 3:20

 

      This a testimony of what God has done in my life lately. As a chronic thinker, my mind goes endlessly thinking of the most possible dramatic and exaggerated scenarios that could happen. I overthink things too to the point that I think two steps ahead from the simple and ordinary. You can call me a pessimist because the moment I turn on the invisible button in my brain and start thinking negatively, some unlikely bad feeling started to boil up inside of me which will result to unlikely response towards others and even to myself.

      I’ve been feeling burdened lately as if there’s a dagger in my heart and some grayish cloud above my head. It started when I discovered something unpleasant. No need to  elaborate it anymore because this has been settled. And I have lifted it up in prayer. I am confident God is at work now. I wasn’t ready to hear and see something bad I guess, because when it came last week, I was caught off guard and started to worry about it. My mind would think hurtful and stressing thoughts to the point that I’m feeling the hurt physically. My heart would beat faster each time I think of that unlikely scenario. Pastor Charles Stanley was right, all the bad memories we have in the past is just there, lingering in our mind. In a snap of a finger, these memories flashes back in our minds and we are not fully healed, we will always get hurt resulting to a downcast response towards things and people.  We cannot remove it overnight. Only Jesus can deliver us from these destructive, enslaving, condemning thoughts. Only Jesus can erase those bad memories that haunt us every night.

       Just this morning, I listened to Pastor Charles Stanley’s sermon in Podcast entitled “Control Your Thoughts” Pastor Stanley emphasized the power of our minds. The mind is the control tower of our lives. Our thoughts control us and we respond to the way we think. Looking back, I realized that a sudden change in my attitude (I became irritable, fearful, doubtful and “praning”) was the result of the negative thoughts wandering in my mind. I let these negative thoughts control my actions. This bothered me so much that the first thing I did is bend my knees on prayer asking for God’s grace and mercy to deliver me from the burden and pain I’ve been experiencing for a week. I cannot let this situation last for another week, I told the Lord. I don’t want to be anxious or stress by the bad thoughts I’ve seeing in my head because this is not good for my health. God saw my burden. Once again, He let his grace reign over me. Each day, I feel that the Holy Spirit is at work in my heart, mind and body. I can feel the healing, the relief and the peace that little by little out shadowed the darkness caused by sin and negative thoughts. I asked my friend to pray for me, especially that I’m feeling sick at the same time. The prayer of a righteous man and woman is powerful. And I’m blessed to have friends who are made right in the eyes of God, not by their deeds but by the grace of God. I soaked myself in prayer, many times a day. I rebuke the bad feelings and thoughts each time it crept up inside me. These negativities are the works of the devil to bring me down and side tracked me. Especially now, because the Lord has granted me a big break on my career wherein excellence and success is a sure thing. And Satan is not happy about this so he commanded a legion of evil spirits to do their best to bring me down. But I am victorious in Christ Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross to pay the price of my sins and when I believe and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior putting all my trust, hope and faith in Him---that’s when I gain my victory in Christ. The power of the cross and what Jesus has done are something else that I could brag about in my life. 

       Moving on, the burden in my heart is fading away like a snow melting under the heat of the sun. This the part where I can confirm over and over again that prayer works anytime, anywhere. God listens to our prayers. He doesn’t need an eloquent speech type of a prayer. Just say what you want to say and how you feel about it to the God who created the universe and you. Believe me He is powerful enough to change your heart & character, another person’s heart and character and the very situation you are into. God wants you to give all your cares to Him for He cares for you. Don’t think of yourself as anyone of a lesser value because Christ died for you. God said in Isaiah 43:4, “You are precious to me. You are honored and I love you.” What a comfort! That the Maker of this world and all that we see around us, would say “I love you” to you. This is grace. This is unmerited favor. We cannot gain God’s love and favor, He willingly give it to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. The choice is yours to accept Jesus or reject Him in your life.

      Now I’m free. I am healed and I am feeling better than the day before. Praise be to God who fix my heart and renew my mind. I learn to lay it all down at the feet of Jesus all that concerns me from my work, family, relationship, finances and health to the people around me and the community I belong to. I learned that God is greater than our feelings. He is greater than my anxieties. He is greater than the fear of the unknown. He is greater even on the pangs of death and crucial suffering. To God be the glory and honor and power forever and ever!

Raw Deal

I usually love Mondays. It's the day of the week that reminds me that I have a great job  and colleagues to gladly spend my time within the next four days of my office life. I'm more into T.G.I.M type of a person than a T.G.I.F one. This Monday is no ordinary day for me. I've been excited for this special week to come. The pragmatic reason of this excitement is that I'll be having a dinner date with my boyfriend and it's all set. So i myself was too ready with what I will wear and what food to order. I was ready with all this expectations that this date would come out nice and smooth as I planned.

Then an unexpected scenario stole the momentum. My boyfriend called me in the morning and asked me to cancel the dinner reservation for tonight because he is too tired to travel and he wanted to rest. He's been on a routine training early in the morning from Mondays to Fridays for months--- so literally speaking my man's energy is sapped by this routines. So he has a valid reason, right? But instead of sympathizing with him and switched on the understanding girlfriend button in me, I went ballistic. perturbed emotions are swirling up inside me and I suddenly burst out into tears in front of my two colleagues. I was like a kid being robbed with my favorite toy. My colleagues asked me, "Oh why are you crying?" Then I told them in a gibberish way, because I cannot pronounce the words clearly due to the overwhelming emotion boiling up inside me. I was mad. Really mad. What a downer! Without having a second thought, I fired back offensive words to my guy that pisses him off. He was mad too. So we fought over the phone and I was crying while talking to him. This  has been a shitty day. After awhile, the heated argument subside. I started to compose myself with matching inhale-exhale trick and it helps. I keep on murmuring silent prayers because I don't want this dispute to get worst and last for a day. 

My friends are giving me comforts by saying, "It's okay Dove. You must understand his situation. It's no big deal actually etc etc." Well it's easy for them to say that. But deep inside, I'm embarrassed. To whom? I can't figure out. Maybe to myself because I expect too much. Expectation says I'm gonna have a wonderful dinner date tonight but reality says Jeff is tired and he needed rest. So when the expectation was not met, I was disappointed and angry. My man would say, "You have to control your emotions. There's nothing to feel embarrassed about cancelling the dinner...stop being childish always. You're not a kid anymore. You were young once, stop acting as if you are the baby in the house...behave and stay focus and positive." There you go. I'm guilty as charge and that made me speechless. All i can respond back is "O-okay." He has a point. Whether I admit it or not because of pride, my boyfriend is right. Damn,this ain't easy. I thought handling relationship is as easy as cooking my favorite pancakes with whatever toppings of my choice. This is different. And it's really about two people working out whatever differences and misunderstandings they have so they meet halfway and retain harmony in the relationship. 

This is not about what I want and how I want things to happen. This is about understanding my partner and being patient with him, It's either me or him. So whoever is the mature one, he or she should take the initiative to change things for the better. Because if I keep being one-sided and self-centered, any relationships I involved myself with, would end up shattered. So today I learned, not to be too emotional and stress myself over petty things. I should not play the role of a baby crying over a spilled milk. Hindi na bagay sakin ang ganyang peg. I really appreciate that Jeff has the guts to rebuke my negative attitude out of care or concern for me so it's better to tell me than leave it unsaid. I'm too aware now but I keep on slipping out every now and then. Let me share to you the unsolicited wisdom I've learned today. I'm not sure if I'm making any sense at all, but let me try :-)

Relationships are not a bed of roses, rather it's made of bushes and thorns, sugar and spice. So what will you do when some unlikely situation is taking its toll on your relationship. Don' forget to press the following self buttons:

CALM MODE BUTTON- Shit happens not only in your relationship but in other aspect of your life as well, like career and family. Most of the time, it's beyond your control. So what you're gonna do when you found out your partner is cheating on you, or you've heard a bad news that he/she got an accident or your most awaited date has been cancelled? Are you going frantic and burst out into all the negative emotions you ever garnered? Or you gonna press the calm mode button then take a pause, relax, inhale-exhale. Have a seat and don't do anything foolish or childish. You will never ever make a wise or good decision out of emotional and psychological combustion. When you're angry none of the words you're saying would sound good and beneficial. Only daggers and bullets and fire balls would come out of your mouth metaphorically.

PRAYER MODE BUTTON- Do not underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer changes things. And because nothing is impossible with God, He can change an unlikely event of your life into a good one. If you love the Lord and you fear Him, he will causes all things to work together for your good...(Romans 8:28). If God can change a person's heart, how much more a situation? Prayer does a lot. When you submit yourself to God, He will give you wisdom on what to do and how to do it. He will teach you what to say and how to say it.

BESTFRIEND MODE BUTTON- Does your partner consider you his/her bestfriend? Don't just be a lover. Be a friend he/she can count on. When you switch on the best friend button, you are in the mode of listening and sympathizing with your man. Listen without interrupting. Sympathize without judging. 

When your partner sees a friend in you, he/she would eventually will confide or vent out on you. All the information you are dying to know from him/her, will be given to you voluntarily. It will save you effort from extracting juicy info on your own. Haha!

That's all I can share for now. By God's grace before the day ends, the conflict between me and Jeff was settled. It's by God's grace na nagkaayos kami agad and that I understand his situation and his point. Sana wala ng aftershock toh hahaha. Praise God as well for the good news He gave me to make my day.

Miscommunication in Relationship

Communication  is an essential ingredient of a good relationship. Aside from love & respect, trust & loyalty, an explicit or understandable communication with your partner should not be considered less of a value when it comes to relationship essentials. To be understood, communicating with your partner should be interpersonal. Meaning, there is an exchange in conversation or information shared may it be in  a verbal or non-verbal communication. Usually, this is done face-to-face. But since we are living in techie world, we communicate through various electronic medium like email, social network, and instant messaging. With this we can get an impromtu response (when the person is online of course) Thus, I think, this too can be considered interpersonal. But what happens when you are both expressing something but get a different perception? Dissonance will take its place. There will be a clash of misunderstood feelings that will stir up emotions that will result in an argument or the worst a shoddy fight. Third party or infidelity is not always the reason for break-ups or separation. Sometimes, it's obscure communication between the couples that causes break-ups. The girl would whine,"He doesn't listen, he doesn't understand me. He's so so." The guy would whimper, "She talk to much. She doesn't listen. Blah blah blah!" When the couple, takes it personally (what their partners are telling them) a discord in the relationship has been created.

Since I'm dating a foreign guy, I have few struggles communicating with him. He would say a ambiguous sentences, but mean otherwise than how I perceived it. I can hardly understood when he says something verbally because he has a different accent and diction that's not easy to comprehend. You really need to listen well otherwise you will often misunderstood him. And give quiet an opposite response. That's the challenge for me. How can I understand what he means and how can I communicate to him in a way that he would understand? Again, I'm still a work in progress here. This is where I realized the truth behind James words, "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry," James 1:19. Quick to listen means you are attentive, "all ears" they say, on what the speaker is babbling about so you can comprehend what he or she is trying to say. Slow to speak means, talk slowly---literally! I'm guilty of this haha because I talk too much and I talk fast promise. My mouth is like a machine gun, the bullets are endlessly coming out. So my boyfriend, often rebuke me "You talk too much. You go merry go round before you  spit it out" He's right but my pride keep me from admitting it without getting offended. Each time he rebukes me discreetly, I would feel annoyed and I wan't to backfire at him but of course this isn't the wisest thing to do right? My negative response would only arise conflicts between us. So all I do is to stay composed, take a deep breath and let it go.I would talk to him later when my boiling inner core had subside. If I remain too sensitive and takes it personally each time, ako din lang ang mahihirapan. Life is short, instead of ruminating on the not so good things happening to me and all the negativities zapping my energy, why not focus on the positive and good things simulataneously? Besides, God loves me for who I am, unconditionally and I'm somebody else. Oha! These are my affirmations so I actually don't hold grudges to anyone. I can forgive cause I know what it's like to be forgiven. 

So what are the barriers of communication that usually cause conflicts in relationships? Check the diagram. Can you point out something you can relate to? I can tell that when I play the role of a sender or the speaker I use jargon. I don't know why I'm not always straight to the point. I mumble gibberish and it's not funny, really, for my age. So again, it's a challenge to change. It's not easy you know, cause us women are naturally loquacious. We enjoy talking from one topic to another without getting bored at it. We are good in expressing ourselves right? Kudos to all women who can express themselves with confidence. But what good it is, if we express ourselves but we are not being understood? What good it is, if we say something but we are not understood? 

This is where a good communication skill should take effect. It's not innate. You have to work it out, gradually. You start by being a good listener. A good listener simply listens carefully, without interventions. Then learn how to speak slowly. Pause. Think. Speak. It's crucial that we should think first before we speak. Cause once a certain word is spoken, you could never take it back. It's not easy to shift gears you know, when it's already a habit for years. But we all need to change for the better. It's my goal not to be stagnant and remain the same old me. I'm working to improve  and come out with a 2.0 version of myself. You too can do the same, it pays to listen to the rebukes from the people who love you. In the end, you will realize that an open rebuke (so you can change the not so good about yourself) is better than a secret love. It's in the Bible. Psalm 27: 5.

Rest in God's Guidance

Last night on our D-group meeting in CCF, we talked about resting in God's guidance. This is a timely topic because I was kind of restless (emotionally and mentally) for the past few days. I over-think things and concurring events in my life causing me anxieties and mix emotions dilemma. I'm a vivacious thinker. When I look at the wall, I don't just think what it is made of. I think beyond. I think what lies inside the wall. What's the story behind it. When I write stories I used vivid flashbacks description and dialogues. I want details and I have a vibrant imagination. I wish I can write renowned stories like J.K Rowling or J.R.R Tolkien. Stories that will turn into famous motion pictures. But I guess, it's not my time yet. And I think I need to take Creative/Investigative writing courses so I can be fully equipped.  Besides, I am working 9 hours a day 5 times a week and I can only write blogs when I'm not that busy. Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, the past few days are kind of toxic because of the many reasons I can't quiet figure out the ultimate cause. By God's grace I was reinvigorated last night.

What does it mean to rest in God's guidance. God assures us in Psalm 46;10, "Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." Why did God is telling us to be still and to know that He is God. Can you remain still on the midst of life's raging storms? Can you remain still when you are diagnosed with an untreatable disease? Can you remain still when your love one dies? Humanly speaking, we can't. We might be furious, scared, anxious over unlikely unexpected events that happen to us. But when you know who God is and what He can do, you will be still. To be still means to trust in God that He can causes all things to work together for your good. To be still means to obey God knowing that obedience brings blessings to your life. To be still means to be confident that God is faithful, God is good and God is powerful.

GOD IS FAITHFUL
God is faithful to His promises. When God promised Abraham that his descendants will become a great nation, He fulfilled it. But the promise didn't happen the shortcut way. The Israelites were enslaved for 400 years before God brought them to Canaan. Good and bad things happen to these people along the way, nevertheless God's faithfulness remains constant. He still brought the Israelites to the Promise Land. It doesn't matter how God fulfills His promises for He works in mysterious beautiful ways. Whatever God had said, He will surely do.

GOD IS GOOD
God can take the Israelites to the Promise Land, by the shortest and comfy way possible but instead He took them through the zigzag path called wilderness to cross the Red Sea (Exodus 13:17-18). The people don't understand the ways of the Lord so they complained a lot on every obstacles they encountered. While on their way to the Promise Land, they longed to be back in Egypt, their comfort zone. God will sometimes take us out of our comfort zones because He wants to bring us into a better place. He wants to change the course of our lives so that we won't remain stagnant for good. And when we leave our comfort zones, the feeling is awkward. We have fears and uncertainties on the "what ifs". Sometimes we don't understand what God is doing in our lives, we don't understand His ways because His ways are not our ways and His thoughts not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8) Knowing that God is good, we can be confident that He only want whats best for us. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast all our anxieties to Him for He cares for us.

GOD IS POWERFUL
God can do what's impossible to the human point of view. Because He is powerful He created the whole wide world by mere words. Amazing powerful words. Let there be light! And there was light. God won't leave you alone in your walk in life. He led the Israelites himself to the Promise Land using a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Today, the Holy Spirit is our guide in leading us to the way of God. God's Word is the lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). By reading God's Word we will know the instructions to have a successful and prosperous life. We will find God's guidance in the Bible. Sadly, many of us missed this privilege to be guided because although we claim to believe that the Word of God is powerful, yet we do not read it and meditate on it.

These three truths of who God is (God is faithful,good and powerful) reinvigorated me last night. It gives me courage to put down all my life's baggage and rest in the Lord. I surrendered to God all that bothered me for many days, He will take care of it for sure. It is also good to talk to people who knew the Lord because they will encourage you the godly way. Shyla, one of my trusted friend, reminded me that whatever I gave to others is not mine, but God's. And if people outwit me or stole from me, they stole from God. She also said to ignore the negative thoughts but instead I should focus on who God is. I take this sound advice and now I'm relieved.

Health Benefits of Steam Sauna

Last night I had the privilege to experience for the first time, the thing called "Steam Sauna." I bought this portable steam sauna from Lazada the other day. I am so eager to loose weight and to have a better-looking complexion without using beauty products containing harmful chemicals. I want to loose weight and have smooth skin, the natural way. 

Portable Steam Sauna

I can say that buying this portable steam sauna is a wise decision. And thanks to my sister Debbie who shared half of the steam sauna's price. So last night, as soon as I get home I ask my father's assistance to set up this portable sauna. After it was all set and done, i stripped all my clothes, stepped in and sit comfortably inside. Since this sauna kit doesn't include the chair as shown in the kit CD manual, i used a regular mono block chair. My brother Daniel, took some photos of me while I'm having moments with my steam sauna, but the photos are not of good quality so I decide not to post it for now. Maybe I will post it later when I get a clear photo of me on my next sauna session.

Let's imagine the girl in this photo is me. Hehe. Well, ganito naman talaga ang peg ko last night in my steam sauna.

Loosing weight is just one among the many benefits of steam sauna. And my main goal actually why I bought this useful aid. I do a little research because I want to learn more on the health advantages  I will be getting from this. According to naturalnews.com  sauna works on the principle of generating abundant sweat to detoxify the body and relax the mind. Last night's experience was great. After the 45-minutes sauna steaming at home, lots of sweats came out of my body. I'm dripping wet! If I could measure it, I can say that my body generated one glass of sweats! I never sweat so much like that before. When I came out of the sauna, I feel light like a feather tossed by the wind  and my skin seemed to breathe comfortably as if I had just unloaded some invisible baggage in my body. Dirt on the surface of my skin caused by dust and smoke were removed even without scraping it. It flows with sweat dribbled from my skin. 

This cool experience I had from using this portable steam sauna is so satisfying that I want to share it with you my dear readers. Here are few among the many health benefits of steam sauna:

1. DETOXIFICATION

One of the many ways of flushing out toxins from the body is by expelling sweat. For  you to generate lots of sweat, you need to do physical activities. If you are not fond of exercise and other physical activities that will cause you to sweat (though exercise is good and recommended) steam sauna can be your option. Nowadays, with the not so good condition of our surroundings, we are susceptible to harmful factors that can damage our health. Various products we regularly use contains toxins that may damage our body in the long run. Being exposed to chemicals is part of our living whether we admit or not. The smoke coming out from vehicles swirled around us as we breathe. These harmful factors destroy our body, weakened our immune system. Seating in steam sauna long enough to sweat, is a good way to get rid of harmful toxins.

2. IMPROVING CIRCULATION

When heat comes in contact with muscle fibers, it increased blood flow to the muscles. Better circulation of the blood means more oxygen will reach the tissues. The body uses oxygen to help push toxins out of deeper areas of the muscles. Optimal circulation is important for good vascular health. Increased circulation also helps the body create more energy. A person with more energy and less muscular toxins will feel refreshed after stepping out of a sauna.

3. STRONGER IMMUNE SYSTEM

The heat emitted from steam sauna causes the body to create more white blood cells. These cells are responsible for attacking infections and diseases that infiltrate the body. A person with a higher count of white blood cells will stay healthier and heal faster from illnesses.

4. WEIGHT LOSS

This is my favorite part. Haha! When a person exercises it burns calories same effect from the heat produced by the sauna. But of course diet and exercise are still important components in loosing weight. The heat increases a person's basal metabolic rate by a considerable amount, which helps the body burn calories better throughout the day.

5. SKIN CLEANSING

Saunas cause the pores to open up. When the sweat starts coming out, it will flush out oil, bacteria, dirt,make up or any other residue that has collected in the pores. Regular flush out of pores result to improved complexion. Regular use of sauna reduces cellulite. Cellulite comes from subcutaneous fat erupting through fibrous connective tissue which gives the skin a dimple appearance. Since fat becomes water soluble at 110 degrees Fahrenheit, some reports show that some of it may pass through the skin through sweat.

These are few among the health benefits of sauna steaming. Other benefits include stress relief, better sleep, pain relief and feeling revitalized. I'm happy with what it does in my body. I am determined to soak myself on the aromatic steam produced by the sauna. It's aromatic because I put few drops of essential aromatherapy oils on the water before turning on the steamer.

Sagada Getaway

I only knew Sagada from the vivid tales my friends have told me and from the articles/blogs of people who went there and got fresh and authentic experiences of this mountain-top civilization. Because of these enticing stories, I myself got interested and want to experience Sagada one day. Actually I wrote Sagada Tour on my prayer notebook as one of my 2014 prayer items. By God's grace, it became an answered prayer this year. 

Muntik nang hindi matuloy ang Sagada summer outing ng Dgroup ko for this month. By the way, Dgroup means Discipleship Group sa church ko sa Christ Commission Fellowship or CCF. We are six girls all set and ready for Sagada tour on March 20-22, 2015 but because of the pretty tight work schedule and tons of workload nang ibang Dgroup members, we postponed the actual departure date which was 9pm of March 19, 2015. Some of the Dgroup ladies were bit disappointed for the sudden change of trip itinerary. By God's grace, we were able to proceed with this trip pa rin and left Manila for Sagada on Friday night (March 20, 2015). The 3D and 2N Sagada Tour with Baguio side-trip became 2D-1N nalang. For me it's no big deal. Ang importante natuloy ang trip. 

It was a long travel by land. Thank God the road isn't bumpy just zig-zaggy. We left at night and reach Banaue early morning. You know you're in Mt.Province already when you started to feel the air getting colder and colder. And the roads getting steeper and steeper. 

First in our Sagada Itinerary

Ang lamig pala dito! Good thing I wore a long-sleeved dress. Wala pa kami breakfast when the photo above was taken. I'm kinda hungry na but all-smiles pa rin for photo's sake. Hahaha! From Banaue, few more hours pa before you reach Sagada. Puro rice terraces at kabundukan ang nasilayan ng aking mga mata on our way to Sagada. Some of the mountains are not greenish in color (kalbo na kumbaga) while other still look greenish. We had a stop over at Banaue Rice Terraces Viewpoint. After witnessing the breathtaking view of the Rice Terraces, kumain na kami ng breakfast.

Sa wakas narating din namin ang Sagada. Thank God for the safe and sound travel. Nadaanan pala namin yung area kung saan nahulog yung bus na sinasakyan ni Tado. Grabe, ang taas at himala nalang kung mabubuhay ka pa after mo mahulog sa bangin na yun. Nagpahinga kami ng konte sa Sagada Home Stay (our accommodation for one night) then nag lunch. Nagbihis. Then ready na ulit for Sumaguing Cave. Nakakapagod ang bumaba sa malalim na kweba. Madilim ito at maraming paniki sa itaas. You will know it's paniki dahil sa huni nito at dahil na rin sa amoy nito. May mga tumutulong tubig na parehong malamig at mainit. Yung malamig malamang some kind of mineral na tumutulo from the cave walls at yung mainit naman, baka ano na yun ng paniki. Haha! The cave is dark so tour guides used traditional gas lamp called Petromax. May ganong ilaw kami noong bata pa ako at nakatira pa sa Sibuyan Island, Romblon. Nakalakihan ko yung ganong ilawan. Kaya nung makita ko na dala ng tour guide bigla kong na miss yung previous life in the province. Simple. Tahimik. Panatag. Masaya,

Umabot din ng 2-3 oras yung cave exploration namin. Malamig yung bato at tubig sa bottom nung cave. Some of the girls in our group ay bumaba pa hanggang dun sa may tubig na part ng cave. But I stayed sa isang area na pwede ako makaupo. My leg muscles are already stretch out like a rubber band. At dahil icy-cold ang tubig, nag decide ako na wag na lumusong dahil for sure sasakit kinagabihan ang mga paa ko kasi malalamigan ito. Hingal mode ang peg ko pag akyat pabalik sa entrance ng kweba. Pero mas mabilis ang move namin pabalik/paakyat kesa yung pababa palang kami ng Sumaguing Cave. On the surface of the cave, is a wild fire na three days burning na. Malawak na ang nakain ng apoy. Kusa lang naman daw ito namamatay pag naubos na ang mga tuyong damo. Kung paano nagsimula ang apoy, hindi ito masagot ng mga locals.

After Sumaguing Cave, we went to Lumiang/Burial Cave. Sorry hindi ko na picturan hehe. Na-focus kasi ako dun sa mga wood coffins na around 400 years old na daw as per our tour guide. Humanga ako sa effort nang mga tao naglagay nung mga wood coffins at the top of the cave. Hindi kasi ito madaling akyatin at konting pagkakamali lang mahuhulog ka sa mala-bottomless pit na hukay. Madilim ito and no one knows what awaits you at the bottom of the pit. Scaryyyy...

After Burial cave, we proceed to the Hanging Coffins and Echo Valley. Dito nakapag picture ako. Hahaha! Dumaan kami sa sementeryo on our way to Echo Valley and Hanging Coffins. There lies one of the SAF's Fallen 44. Siya yung may pinaka magandang graveyard landscape.Refreshing ang area facing the Echo Valley. Since I'm tired already, hindi ko na na-keri ang bumaba pa para marating ang Hanging Coffins. Pero makikita naman ito sa view deck.

Tired but happy

After Echo Valley and Hanging Coffins we went back to the town for dinner and to buy some pasalubongs. I bought red and black rice, mountain tea and Sagada t-shirts. We ate at Salt and Pepper Restaurant then have some honey yoghurt at the Yoghurt House. These are famous in Sagada---a must try. While shopping at one of the souvenir shop, nag brown-out so we stayed there for awhile. Nung hindi agad bumalik ang kuryente, we decided to walk nalang back to hotel. My feet is super tired na. Thanks to Alaxan FR at nawala agad ang muscle pains na dulot na nakakapagod na whole day activities. Since malamig ang weather, nakatulog ako agad by 8pm. I woke up at 3:30am to take a bath.May water heater kaya keribels ang maligo ng super aga.

We checked out from the homestay around 5am for Kiltepan Sunrise viewing then proceed na sa Baguio side trip. Unfortunately, cloudy ang weather when we reached Kiltepan point. So no sunrise to watch. Nagdecide nalang ang tour guide na mag proceed sa biyahe. We stopped at the Highest Point.

Swaggy and Foggy

First time ko maka experience at maka kita ng fog. Parang usok pala ito. On some of the areas na dinaanan namin, makakapal yung mga fog. Delikado ang pagda-drive. Thank God that he guided our driver para hindi magkamali sa pagmamaneho. After few more hours, nakarating din kami ng Baguio. First stop at La Trinidad's Strawberry Farm. I bough fresh strawberries for my family and some strawberry preserves (ordered by my officemates). For the first time, ngayon lang ako nakatikim ng authentic strawberry ice cream. Real na real ang lasa. Hahaha. Yung picture nasa phone ko. Naka upload na rin sa FB account ko.

Nag lunch kami sa Good Taste. Affordable ang  food pero masarap. After lunch, nag window shopping kami sa mga Ukay-Ukay stores. Ang gaganda ng mga items pero may kamahalan. So wala kong nabili. hehe. We did some strolling at Burnham Park then sumakaya na ng van dahil gusto na namin umuwi ng Manila. Some of us have work on Monday so we need to be in Manila before 9pm. By God's grace, we made it smoothly and safely.

All in all, I can tell na nag enjoy ako sa Sagada Tour na ito. Daming pagod pero okay lang, part ng trip yun. If you'll ask if babalik ako ng Sagada? Hmmm mukhang hindi na. Pero Baguio? Oo. May gusto pa akong puntahan at bilhin. hehe.

Should you wish to see and experience Sagada and Baguio. Just contact our tour provider:

N.E.C. Tours and Van Rental

09175872705, Globe

09989982705, Smart

09328907005, Sun

nec@touristas.com.ph

inquiry@touristas.com.ph

reservation@touristas.com.ph

http://www.touristas.com.ph/about.html