From the waterfall we made it back up to the main street and a little cafe for lunch (which turned out to be the slowest meal of the whole trip – – but then likely also the freshest, as the vegetables literally had to be taken from the field after our order).

In the afternoon we rented a jeepney and had an interesting (and also somewhat weird / random) drive around some of the other attractions of town.

The starting point was at a weaving mill (with not too much to see – at least for my taste), then on to a pottery. The pottery turned out interesting, as they did not leave it with the normal explanations – but then also gave everyone (who was interested) a try with some clay at the wheel. Never having done pottery myself before, I have to say, it was interesting to actually feel the clay getting into shape.

The pottery was followed by a drive through the area with stops at various viewpoints and at Lake Danum.

The late afternoon then got us back to burial culture – we were now heading for Lumiang Cave, another burial site – with coffins attached to the cave walls.

Overall it had been a worthwhile day with a great variety of activities, plus we were lucky with the weather as well. Dinner at the yogurt place was well earned – as were the ten hours of sleep the night after 😉 .

Today was another active day … that we spent exploring the vicinity of Sagada.

We kicked it off for an all day hike connecting the major attractions of tows. The first stop was at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin and from here on to the cemetery and then down into Echo Valley for an introduction to the local burial culture (though burial might not be the right word here).

Traditionally in Sagada coffins are not buried, but are in some way attached to the rock face, for instance at a cliff, but also in caves. The idea here is, to allow the deceased to be closer to heaven, while at the same time keep their remains away from the ground and away from any animals.