Book Hunting in Cubao

What to do in Cubao?

I was asking my self this question last Saturday afternoon. My class on Job Evaluation was dismissed early so we could all attend this activity called HR Exposed at our auditorium. People from Intel had come to our little school to present their Human Resources best practices. So I sat through as mush of it as I could until I could no longer tolerate the cheesiness and flagrant self- promotion that I just had to slip out quietly and make an escape.

I headed off to the new Gateway mall in Cubao for a pre-climb meeting for the coming climb to Mt. Tarak in Bataan. Not surprisingly, I arrived early. The meeting wasn’t until 7:00 pm and it was only around 5:30 pm at that time so I had a lot of time to burn. I decided to go to National Bookstore because I remembered reading in somebody else’s blog (Meyan’s I think) that they have a section on the fourth floor where they sell previously owned (second hand) books, and that if you look hard enough you might strike gold.

The building was under renovation but the National Bookstore had a huge sign saying “Business As Usual” and they were open for business. I quickly went through the different floors to reconnoiter the whole place. I found the fourth floor, it was an entire floor filled with Previously Owned Books. It was utterly unappealing. The books were very poorly classified and the place seemed more like an old library than a bookstore. It is definitely not like Powerbooks or any of those newer bookshops in Rockwell or Greenbelt. I had never bought a second hand book before and I didn’t really have the inclination to go browsing for what I wanted. I went down stairs to the regular sections.

I went around quickly hunting for some books I wanted to buy. I was looking for the compiled version of the Narnia Chronicles. I had already read six out of the seven books because I was able to borrow them from a friend (still owe you for that Jan) but I now want to have my own copy. I was feeling impatient so I just asked one of the saleslady. It was out of stock… I asked for the Vagina Monologues. I’ve already read it and actually have a copy of it, but somebody’s birthday is coming up and I intend to give it as a gift. The saleslady asked me again for the title. I said it again and she to repeated to me with an unbelieving look. “Vagina?” I answered in the affirmative. She gave me a funny look that seems to say; pervert, but she relented and she typed it in to do the search. I was thinking of telling her to read the book and that she shouldn’t feel uncomfortable saying the word vagina, but alas it was again out of stock.

I found my self with no book and with still a lot of time to kill. After a short deliberation I decided to give the fourth floor another try. I started systematically going through the whole place in order to cover everything. I struck gold! I found a copy of the SAS (Special Air Service) Survival Handbook, 2003 edition. The SAS is Britain’s elite fighting force similar to the US’ Navy SEALs and if anybody would know anything about surviving in different types of situations I think they would have an idea. I first saw a copy of this book way back in 1999, it belonged to a participant in a first aid class I was handling at that time. I browsed through it and I’ve been keeping an eye open for it ever since. The book was in pristine condition, looked new, it had a slide-on plastic cover, and I got it for just P 300. I was feeling lucky so I continued hunting.

I found another one; Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden. Yes the one that was made into a Hollywood movie way back in 2001 by Ridley Scott. It wasn’t in as good a condition as the other one but what I liked about this particular book was that it didn’t have a picture of Josh Hartnett on its cover. It wasn’t tainted by Hollywood and I got it for P 200.

I had run out of time it was almost 7:00 pm. I reluctantly headed off to Gateway, but I think I might find my way back there again.

Underworld

3rd entry of the “Sagada Chronicles”

Sagada sits on top of a vast network of interconnected caves that allows those who are brave enough to enter one cave and exit another. The Cave connection starts at the Lumiang Cave. A short trek down a valley leads you to this cave that serves as a burial site of sorts. There you will find hollowed out logs used as coffins stacked one on top of another. It was as if we were to descend into the Underworld of ancient mythology.



We had two guides both of whom carried these powerful gas powered lamps in order to light the way. It was of course pitch black and we descended down through gaps in between a large pile of huge boulders that led down deeper into the cave. We would literally squeeze into these small holes and struggle to find adequate foot-holds lest we slip straight down and end up farther than we intended and risk breaking some bones.

At one point we had to crawl down a hole and then use the rope to get down. It was at this point that Park actually started crying and she later said that it was because she has a fear of heights and enclosed spaces. I started thinking if she would have been better off with the other girls in Sumaging. But she did manage to get down and she did conquer her fears and complete the whole thing without incident.







The place was something straight out of a Hollywood movie and I was constantly reminded of the movie “The Cave” because there were pools and rivers. I saw that movie a few days before I left for Sagada and the thought of Vampires emerging out of nowhere kept creeping up inside my head. We encountered a large tranquil pool whose far edges was beyond sight, it seemed almost like an underground lake and the thought of paddling a boat crossed my mind along with the thought of hundreds of “Inferi” emerging from the water to drag you down.

There were also huge caverns with ceilings as high as that of cathedrals. We rested in one such place called the “Dance Hall” and it was really like being in a huge ballroom except that it was really dark and there were bats flying around. At one point we had to swim a short distance and when we emerged from the water we found ourselves at the edge of a ledge facing a huge cavern whose ceiling and the floor you couldn’t see even with halogen lights. A fall there would mean certain death and we had to climb up from that point without ropes and on a sheer rock, which was always wet because of the flowing water. In those times you just push the thought of falling out of your mind and just focus on the task at hand.









It was a beautiful place but at the same time it was obviously fraught with dangers. Going in without a competent guide would be almost suicidal. You can easily get lost in that vast network of caves that would seem like a maze. At one point our guide told us that turning left would lead you to a path wherein you will emerge somewhere in Echo valley. The only thing was that would take around two weeks. We were all thankful that no one got injured because getting injured in there would have been quite a problem.

We started at around 11:30 am and we emerged from Sumaging cave at around 4:30 pm. It was quite an adventure something you are not likely to forget. We rested for a while then we headed back to our inn. Egbert then told us about another route one that would take you from Sumaging Cave all the way to the Crystal Caves. He said that it would take around 8 hours and we would have to use technical climbing and spelunking gear. Another adventure, another reason to return.

Tale of Two Caves…

2nd entry of the “Sagada Chronicles”

For most of us walking on pavement and seeing concrete buildings is a constant reality. The opportunity for us to walk on dirt trails and be able to see abundant plant life and naturally growing foliage does not come to us easily. We actually have to exert effort and do some planning just to breathe some fresh air. We climb up escalators in the malls and elevators in our offices and we go down basement parking areas. This is why we crave to get away. To climb up trails in order to reach summits that afford us magnificent views unspoiled by smog. Occasionally we also seek out adventures deep within caves, away from the comfort afforded by sunlight and come into contact with our pre-historic origins when man used to call similar caves, home.

A visit to Sagada would not be complete without visiting the “Sumaging” Cave (also known as the Big Cave). But if you want to know stuff about “Sumaging Cave” go use google and type in Sagada and I am certain that you will find references to this cave that will give you an idea what its like in there. Though I would recommend a visit to the Big Cave to anyone who comes to Sagada I had no intention to go that way again. I had a different plan.

After visiting Sumaging the first time I went to Sagada our guide told us about a more challenging alternative wherein we would enter one cave and emerge in another. It would take around three to four times as much time as Sumaging and is definitely more challenging. They called it The Cave Connection. There it was, a challenge, a reason to return, and so I did.

In the tourist office of the municipal hall of Sagada you will find all the information you will need to know about how much it would cost to hire a guide to visit the Big cave. But you wont find anything like that about The Cave Connection. The reason for this is that they don’t really advertise it since it is not meant for first timers and people only learn about it through word of mouth. The guy in the tourist office said that it is three times more difficult than the Big Cave and would take at least four hours.There would also be times when we would have to swim. The bottom line was it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

There were eight of us in our group and I wasn’t confident that we were all ready for the Cave connection. I asked who were interested but in the end I made a unilateral decision and discouraged Mella, Len, Selya, from joining our little expedition. I suggested that they just get another guide and go to the Big Cave instead. None of them knew how to swim nor had any experience in wall climbing, nor spelunking. It would be their first time to enter a cave. Vince, Yano, Ian, Park, and My self would be tackling the Cave Connection. Everyone can swim, had more experience doing this sort of thing, and I’ve been with these guys in a lot of different situations that I was confident that we could all handle the Cave Connection.

Wednesday morning, we had our breakfast and then proceeded to prepare for our coming adventure. I brought along a full sized knapsack something that could actually pass as a daypack. I packed my first aid kits, extra athletic tape, duct tape, head lamp, a mini maglite, and a solitaire flash light, extra batteries, hunting knife, Swiss army knife, weather proof digital camera, a sarong, a bottle of water, some food, binders, and other emergency supplies. I carefully placed everything in zip lock bags to make sure everything is waterproof and remains dry. Obviously, I was planning the activity with the worst-case scenario in mind.

We met up with our guide, Mang Egbert at the Municipal hall and had a quick briefing. We then started our trek towards the caves. We stopped along the way to pick up their equipment. They had kerosene-powered lamps, the kind commonly used in the provinces. They also brought kern-mantle rope, which meant that we would either be climbing or descending using ropes.

We soon reached the point where we had to go our separate ways. One group was headed for Sumaging (Mella, Len, Selya,) while the other headed for Lumiang cave (Yano, Ian, Vince, Park, and Me). We had a group picture of course before going our separate ways, we said our goodbyes and wished each other good luck. So our adventure began.

Click on the picture to see a bigger image.

Breakfast at Masferre

1st entry of the “Sagada Chronicles”

It’s often said that the best place to start is at the beginning. But sometimes starting at the end will do as well. It was our last day in Sagada and I had encouraged (some might say coerced) our little group of adventure seekers to have our Breakfast at Masferre before catching the bus to Baguio. It was my second time in Sagada and we had eaten in that restaurant more than once the first time I had been there. Park wanted to eat breakfast at St. Josephs but I’ve seen what was inside St. Joseph’s and I just thought Masferre would be a more interesting experience for the group.

The food came in large servings, and they offered Filipino and American/European food on their menu to cater to their local and foreign clientele. The restaurant was relatively large with a very rustic theme that was both ethnic and artistic at the same time. One wall was lined with black and white still pictures from Sagada’s and Mt. Province’s past. The food was good but I chose Masferre because I wanted everyone to see the pictures on the wall.

The photos on the wall were all taken by Eduardo Masferre. These photos showed how the people of Sagada and the surrounding areas of Mt. Province had lived. It was a glimpse to the culture and traditions of a people who were not as affected by Spanish colonial influences. The culture was that of Masferre’s ancestor’s and they offered a glimpse into our pre-colonial, ancestral past. He took a lot of portraits of the local people and he also took pictures of everyday scenes that showed the indigenous mountain culture. Those were times when the warriors of the local tribes still engaged in head hunting. These pictures depicted a culture that would seem alien to us today but these are pictures of our forefathers.

Masferre was born in 1909 and his father was a Spanish soldier who had settled in Sagada, and his mother was a member of the Kankanaey tribe. He grew up in Sagada and studied at the local mission schools, he also studied for some time in Spain but he inevitably came back. He was largely self-taught when in comes to photography and he even opened a photo studio in nearby Bontoc, but he had to turn to farming to provide for his family. His works covered several decades and he was able to document the lives and times of his people at a time when rapid changes were taking place and in a sense he was able to preserve these traditions even if only in pictures.

Recognition came very late for Maferre. It was only in the eighties when he had his first exhibition in Manila. But this was quickly followed by other exhibitions and his works has toured the world and is now found in Museums all over the world including the Smithsonian. He died in June 24, 1995 at the age of 86.

I had a good though hurried breakfast and I bought a souvenir shirt and a pack of postcards with some of Masferre’s photographs printed on them. As I had hoped everybody did spend a few minutes looking at the pictures on the wall while we were waiting for breakfast to be served. I think a big breakfast with a glimpse into the past of how our ancestors lived was a good way to end our brief stay in Sagada.

Below are some of Masferre’s photos… I got all of these from the net, the postcards were more interesting but they were copyright protected so I didn’t scan them.