Cafe Bodega: A Cafe Literally on the Rocks

Once upon a time, there was an enchanted mountain.  And on top of that enchanted mountain is a big rock.  And on top of that big rock is a cafe where all their staff were polite and courteous.  And the food that they serve are all fresh and glorious.  Well enough of that story.  You might start to think that I'm only telling you a fairy tale.  Well, the good news is I'm not.

Cafe Bodega had their soft opening in 2005 and been cooking good food in their kitchen ever since.  I should tell you, when I first heard of them, I was actually skeptical and thought that the place was purely overrated.  Until I've made my first visit.  I got really excited when we received our invitation from Wanda, who is the owner/manager of the place.  We immediately set a date for our visit.

Going to Cafe Bodega was quite an adventure really.  The road that leads to the place was not yet developed and to be honesty, it was  a really shaky ride.  Me and my friend were already getting out of our car on the parking lot, still wondering what's so special about this place.  "This better be good," I've told myself.  The moment we stepped infront of the entrance, my eyes went big.  The front door was all covered with vines and yellow and red flowers called Lady's Shoes.  It was like a scene from the movie The Secret Garden.   Suddenly, I felt like a kid getting all excited to open up a nicely wrapped present.  I had to rip it open; I had to go in.

An Incident: Writing From The Lemon Pie House (English)

Reminder:  The letter that you are about to read was a letter I wrote for my good friend, Oly.  I was just telling him what happened tonight because it involved his friends and his friends' friends.   I found this letter to be very accurate and that is why I'm posting it in my blog.  We've decided to write this post in English so that other non-Tagalog visitors can also understand.  If you would like to read this post in Tagalog, click here.  We encourage all our readers to comment on this matter.  So if you are against business staff cruelty by stupid and arrogant tourists/guests, then you'd better sit and read my story.  Because this might happen to you or your loved ones.  This is a real story and I think you should take the time to read it.  Thank you so much.

Hi Oly, I'm so sorry for not writing to you for so long.  Something happened here at the Lemon Pie House and I thought that you should know about it.  Your friends came here tonight together wth their other friends as well.  One of their friends who I called "the Witch" because of her really big curly hair and with a really bad attitude, went to the bathroom only to find that there was somebody else inside taking a shower. She also heard that there was a washing machine running inside the bathroom.  So the witch came to me and asked me "Is there somebody taking a shower in the bathroom?" I said yes.  Then she asked me another question: "Is that a washing machine that I'm hearing?" I said yes.  Impatiently, she sat on a nearby chair and suddenly yelled to her friends and said "Someone is taking a shower inside the bathroom!!!"  She was so thoughtless of others, not even thinking that that person inside could be the owner or someone that works in the shop.  I got really upset but I've decided to hold back my anger and just let the incident pass.  Until they came back that night.

An Incident: Writing From The Lemon Pie House (Tagalog)

Reminder:  The letter that you are about to read was a letter I wrote for my good friend, Oly.  I was just telling him what happened tonight because it involved his friends and his friends' friends.   I found this letter to be very accurate and that is why I'm posting it in my blog.  We've decided that we should post the letter in Tagalog since I find it to be more effective.  If you would like to read this post in English, click here.  We encourage all our readers to comment on it this matter.  So if you are against business staff cruelty by stupid and arrogant tourists/guests, then you'd better sit and read my story.  Because this might happen to you or your loved ones.  This is a real story and I think you should take the time to read it.  Maraming salamat.

Hi Oly, sorry at ngayon lang ako nag-message sa iyo at sa ganitong situation mo pa ako madadatnan. Something happened here sa Lemon Pie House house na dapat mong malaman. Pumunta kasi dito yung dalawa mong friends na tumulong kasama ninyo last holy week. Isinama din nila kanina yung mga friends din nila. Yung isa nilang kasamang babaeng kulot na ang tawag namin ng friend ko ay si "Witch," na kamukha ni Anna Fegi dahil sa laki ng buhok na super sama ng ugali. Gagamit kasi siya ng bathroom at nandoon sa loob yung anak ng may-ari at naliligo. Narinig syempre niya na may naliligo sa loob at parang meron pang washing machine na umiikot. So tinanong ako ni Anna Fegi (not her real name) kung may tao sa loob. Chineck ko, meron nga.  So sinabi ko na meron ngang tao at naliligo. Tinanong nya kung merong washing machine sa loob ng bathroom, sabi ko meron. Tapos yung babae, parang baliw na umupo malapit sa banyo tapos sumigaw sa kaibigan niya ng "meron pang taong naliligo sa loob ng banyo!!!"  Kapag may naliligo, dapat naisip niya na baka owner or anak ng nakatira sa Lemon Pie House yung naliligo.  Pero hindi eh, hindi siya nahiya at isinigaw pa na merong taong naliligo. So, pinalagpas lang namin. Until they came back that night.  

a brief history: the lemon pie house

the sagada lemon pie house is owned by joseph daoas and katrina daoas. it was joseph's mother, elena daoas, a native from candon, ilocos sur (married to bartolome daoas, originally from poblacion, sagada) that started it all. it was her original recipe and was passed to joseph that later improved the recipe to make it taste even better. 

sagada dap-ayan's remember your children

due to insisting public demand, i've made another sagada dap-ayan video. this song is called "remember your children." most part of the song was written in english; later part was written in kankana-ey, which is the igorot native dialect.

headed by robert pangod, sagada dap-ayan group has a bright future ahead of them. this video was recorded on may 21st, 2008 at the sagada lemon pie house. photos used in this video were also taken by me in various locations in mountain province like kalinga, bontoc, and sagada. i will post more in the future so just keep on checking this blog.

update: 12/07/08 - this is the updated version of the video. lyrics have been added to this video for those who would like to sing along. enjoy.

sagada dap-ayan's salidummay

this song, "salidummay" was performed by the sagada dap-ayan on march 21st, 2008 during the soft launching of the sagada lemon pie house, owned by mr. joseph daoas. headed by robert pangod, this 7-man band is now making lots of good local and indigenous music. watch this clip to know more about them and their music. click here to see their other videos.

the new sagada lemon pie house

it was only about in may of this year when i, together with the staff of the sagada lemon pie house thought of doing something different with their shop. with an artistic and professional help from mr. oly sese, the sagada lemon pie house was transformed from just your regular pie shop, into one nice cozy hangout, which later became another tourist attraction in sagada. this slideshow was long overdue. however, please watch the video slideshow to see.

biyahengpinoy says "thank you"

i must admit that i have been very lazy and was a procrastinator for these past few months, and i am saying sorry for all you readers.

anyway, as most of you already know, my blog biyahengpinoy has been nominated for best travel blog at the philippine blog awards 2008. i would like to thank everyone that supported me throughout my blogging years. let's all just hope that biyahengpinoy will be included in the short list of nominees for that category.

i was asked to submit my five (5) most favorite posts. i thought i should share them to you all and here they are, in random order:

• the lemon pie house
• rehiyon rehiyon festival 2007 (part 01)
• isla del fuego
• bacolod, masskara, inasal, atbp. (part 01)
• surviving sagada

grand launching: lemon pie house

after the lemon pie house's very successful soft launching day, they will finally have their grand launching day on may 3rd, 2008 at 5pm.

they will be inviting some local performers to join them and serenade you with their beautiful and enchanting music. hope to see you there.

sagada video collection

finally, my first ever sagada video collection. these are video essays of my visits to sagada over the past year. the dvd contains 10 videos with different themes all taken from my biyahengpinoy blog. now, i can share them with you, not just over the internet, but also right on your televisions. email me to get a copy.

video tracks: surviving sagada, how to prepare pinikpikan, return to sagada, saggas vs sega soccer match, sumaguing cave, sagada fiesta 2008, lemon pie house, begnas 2008, and sagada dap-ayan jamming

sagada's begnas 2008

video was recorded, edited, and directed by wencel angeles

video was shot in demang village in sagada, mountain province. this is the biggest event in sagada that a lucky tourist like could attend to. men of sagada, both young and old walk barefoot, wearing native costumes called "bahag" or commonly known as a g-string or loin cloth, and head to their "dap-ay", a place where the council of elders usually meets and community matters and affairs are decided.

sagada dap-ayan's kordilyera eeyah

the sagada dap-ayan group from sagada, mountain province, headed by mr. robert pangod, performed during the lemon pie house's soft launching on the 21st of march, 2008. it was the best treat that tourists and locals could possibly have on that day, as they've all witnessed the best talents in sagada. know more about the lemon pie house by clicking here.

lemon pie house soft launching

we would like to thank all the people that supported us during the soft launching of the lemon pie house on the 21st of march, 2008. we would also like to thank some special people that made that event possible:

• mr. & mrs. Oly Sese
• mr. & mrs. borja
• delia hilario
• louie montalbo

it was a night of music. the sagada dap-ayan group, led by robert pangod, performed traditional songs, which were accompanied by ethnic instruments. it was the best day at the lemon pie house for mang joseph daoas, owner of the pie shop. we will soon put a video and some pictures of the event in this blog. soon, the place will be a venue for artists and alike. once again, thank you all for your support.

sagada annual fiesta

this was my first time to attend sagada's annual fiesta, held on february 1-3. i arrived in sagada on january 30th so i can take pictures of the fiesta preparation. she looked so different during fiesta. there were so many people in town, everyone was busy, no one was sitting, and everyone was moving around. i took a deep breath and said to myself, "welcome to sagada."

first day of the celebration. i've witnessed their street parade which started from demang, up to the town proper, poblacion. mostly children, and some were faculty members from sagada national high school, and saint mary's school. some were wearing their school uniforms, some were wearing the mass demonstration costume, and some were on their traditional costumes. it was only 7am and the street was half filled with people joining the parade. i even saw a group in their native costumes with two guys walking infront wearing cabbages and eggplants. everyone thought that it was funny. everyone proceeded to the basketball court in poblacion for the cultural presentation.  

the cultural presentation was really both educational and entertaining. my eyes feasted with everything that i've seen. i've had my friends with me to explain to me all the rituals which were being staged. i looked around and i saw people everywhere and no one was sad. i've also noticed that igorots have great sense of humor because it showed in their presentation. it was a great day both for me and my camera.

saggas played soccer againts the other guiding association, sega. saggas won scoring 6-3. click here to watch the video.

the sagada lemon pie house

video was recorded, edited, narrated, produced, and directed by wencel angeles

the lemon pie house is planning to hold a soft launching on good friday, at 5pm, on the 21st of march, 2008. guests are invited to see some of sagada's local performers singing songs from their albums, listen to some poetry readings, chat with other guests, sit on the floor, while eating pies, and drinking teas and coffees on their NEW small tables. they've also added some new decorations and attractions to the shop.

they're thinking of making the lemon pie house an alternative place to those who want to eat light and live life artistically. i hope to see you on that special day.

the lemon pie house is located in atey, dao-angan, sagada, mountain province.

sagada again and again

this was my third time to visit sagada in a span of a year. i would always leave my heart in sagada and that could be why i've kept on coming back. this time, i've decided to do less trekking and do more talking to the locals. i've met new friends and saw new things to explore.

sagada lemon pie house. i've always visited mang joseph's lemon pie house in dagdag for a slice of his famous lemon and egg pie, combined with their home-made freshly brewed coffee. i've realized it is time for everyone to know where the lemon pie house is. i've dropped by mang joseph's place to talk to him about my proposal. i wanted to make a video clip about him and his business and feature him in biyahengpinoy and clickthecity. i've told him that i was willing to do this project at no cost. all i wanted was his cooperation and willingness. i am currently making their video and i hope that it would help them with the business.  read more...

saggas versus sega

video recorded in sagada, mountain province
music: moonpool & caterpillar's "hear"
video was produced, edited and directed by wencel angeles

saggas (sagada genuine guides association) played soccer against sega for the first time and it was held during the town fiesta of sagada on the 3rd of february, 2008. saggas was victorious and scored 6-3. to the saggas men, congratulations to you. that was a very good game.

sumaguing cave

video clips were recorded in sumaguing cave, sagada
music: madonna's "ray of light (ultra violet mix)"
videos were produced by wencel angeles and abster ramos
edited and directed by wencel angeles

i would like to give my biggest thanks to those people that helped me with this video. thank you gareth for all the help you've given. you've offered me help and i will be forever grateful to that. also special thanks to the kids, ervine and joven, for the additional assistance and lightings. i am so honored to finally meet some of the saggas members: oscar, jeff, perry, lester, ben, john, and steve. i will never forget that night we did the group shots. i've had so much fun doing it. i hope that i will meet the rest of you all. to all the igorot friends i've made during the making of this film, i will never forget you.

meet the men of saggas

from left to right: oscar, jeff, perry, lester, ben, john, gareth, and steve

it's time to meet the men of saggas (sagada genuine guides association). they've been around for almost a year, founded by john magwilang in 2007, now headed by gareth likigan. they're all residents of sagada, mountain province. they're tough and highly-trained, yet the friendliest guys from the north. they've helped me with some of my projects in sagada, and the latest was my sumaguing cave video. i've made their profiles so you'd get to know more about them.

gareth likigan, 23 years old, saggas president, a leader, a dictator (based on his own opinion). he was the personal advisor of the former saggas president, john magwilang. he was later elected to be the group's leader after john left for taiwan. his hobbies are cave exploration, football, and volleyball. he is very knowledgeable about sagada, and its geography. a great friend.  very honorable.

return to sagada

december 23 - me and ab, my cousin left marikina around 7pm. we got stuck in cubao because of traffic so we came a little late for the 8pm cable bus to bontoc. there were two vacant seats in the other bus but we thought it wouldn't be a good idea for us to squish in at the back of the bus and sit for 12 hours to bontoc. we've decided that we'd come to sagada via baguio. we went back to cubao and got in the victory bus to baguio at 10:30pm.

december 24 - we arrived in baguio at 4pm. we had enough time to use the bathroom and for a good coffee at dunkin donuts. we came to dangwa station for the gl bus to sagada at 5am but i guess we came too early. bus didn't leave til 6am. at the terminal, we've met a german couple (the gehders) who later became our good friends throughout our trip to sagada.