I managed to wake up at 04:30 and they actually brought me some breakfast to my room, I mentioned I would be leaving early. Great service! Short walk to the bus station, got my ticket (p220/€4,00) and boarded. Very small seats so asked if i could move to bit more spacious seat. This was for the disabled it seemed and since having legs twoce the length pf theirs is quite a disability,mi was allowed to sit there. Nice. Bus leaves 6:15 already coz it is full, why wait. The ride is about 150 km, so why the 6 hours you might ask? Coz it is through the mountains on very very narrow and steep roads. More than once i have to clpse my eyes to not see the steep valleys passing by under my opened window. No airconditioning but luckily up in the mountains it is much cooler. I sit next to a lady who travels every weekend to her mother on this bus, 6 hrs plus 1 more hour to the next village. We chat about the rice teraces, Holland and general stuff. 'Treasure the time you have with uour loved ones' she also says.

By the way, Angry Bird spotting is out of control here. It seems at least every other fifth person is wearing an Angry Birds T-shirt. There are bags, pillows, stickers, flip-flops, umbrellas, shorts, hats, toys, watches, key cords, you name it, it's here. Weird to think that nobody actually knows what they are, nobody has a smart phone! For them they are just nice characters, like Disney ones.

The bus drives higher and higher into the mountains and the views become spectaculair. The teraces here mainly contain vegetables like cabage and carrots, later on near Sagada and Banaue these will change into rice teraces. Rice is harvested twice a year and in between they usually plant vegatables. Rhe cegetation up here is different too, lots of pine trees and more green. It is a subtropical rain climate. They also plant flowers from Holland here, to be sold in Manila. Again, because of the coller climate up here.

Arriving in Sagada I quickly find a hostel for p250/night (€4,50) with wifi. After dropping the bags, it is around 1pm and I decide to take my first hike here. Throught he local church and cemetary it is towards the hanging coffins of Sagada, people are still buried this way. Their coffins hanging high up the mountain wall, exposed to all the elements. I can get quite close to them, pics on my facebook. The hike goes on through Echo Valley and a thick rain forrest. Then i come across an underground river and the jungle is pretty impressive here. I reach the point where you can ho no further and hike back through Echo Valley. Tomorrow there will be more time for the caves and waterfalls. Also at 4pm it starts to rain very hard and appearantly it does so every day at the same time, good to know. Having a beer at the local Reggae Bar wirh some cool local guys working, I meet and chat to a Russian and an Italian traveller. Back for a shower and a rest, then dinner in a local place, cheap 2 euro chicken and rice. Back to hostel and sleep, been a long day, but a great one. Still Skype with mom for a while and I promise her I will be home soon and safely.