Sitio La Presa is the fictional site of the famous television series, Forevermore. In reality, it is called Sitio Pungayan located at Mount Santo Tomas in the town of Tuba, province of Benguet.
Last June 13, 2015, after our visit to Our Lady of Manaoag Church in Pangasinan, and our dilly-dallying whether we go to the beach in Lingayen or up the mountain in Baguio, we finally decided to follow the road to La Presa.
And as always the case in most of our road trips…we do not have accommodation. So while on the road, I tried to search the net with the help of Mr. Google, no less, and easily pointed me to Cafe in the Sky. When I call the cell phone number indicated, the person on the other line gave me a direct number to the place. Luckily, there is an available room, good for 2 persons, but can accommodate a child and another adult.
When we reached the end of Marcos Highway, known also as Aspiras-Palispis Highway, we turned right (opposite Petron Station) and follow the winding road going up, up and up to Sitio Pungayan.
We reached the top...almost the top of Mt. Kabuyao...and checked-in at Café in the Sky. |
| The view from the window of our room...with the sea of cloud...and Baguio City down below |
The caretaker, Ate Vangie, mentioned that La Presa is just a walking distance. And so after, we settled in our room, Jonjie and I decided to hike. Daniz wanted to stay in the room and Mommy Lydia cannot go, even if we wanted to, because of the long walk and steep uphill and downhill.
Sights of our afternoon walk to Sitio La Presa
Sitio La Presa is located several meters after the radars.
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| Looking down in the middle is a house. Or is it a kamalig (barn) for storing the harvest. The picture below is a hoist...like a zip line...for transporting items from and to the kamalig. The post is located near the side of the road. |
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| Mang Bogs and Agnes house is the one behind. Entrance to the house is P20 per head. |
The House of Mang Bogs (Joey Marquez) and Agnes Calay (Liza Soberano)
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| The famous Sitio La Presa sign...with the bench where Agnes and Xander usually had a conversation. Left below is the main door of the house and on the right is the back of the house. |
Right after we left the Calay’s house, the rain started to fall. Light at first that we were able to walk a few meters more. Then, it became a downpour that we need to stop for shelter in one of the stores that lined up the street. There’s no sign that the heavy rainfall will stop…and we have no way to know the time,my cell phone is dead.
The rain was the least of our worry…the most was…the last call for dinner at the Cafe is 7:30pm…the only place nearby that will serve us dinner.
The rain was the least of our worry…the most was…the last call for dinner at the Cafe is 7:30pm…the only place nearby that will serve us dinner.
We look at each other and we knew what to do. With the “Agnes’ hat” that we bought earlier, red for Jonjie and blue for me, we decided to brave the rain. A good decision because we reached the Cafe just a few minutes before the last call for order.The black plastic that served as our raincoat is from the two ladies who were able to ride a jeepney...that fetched some of the store owners.
Early Morning in La Presa
We woke up early. The sun is clear…and we have more time before breakfast will be served. So we decided to go back and re-visit La Presa. This time, Daniz join us.
We left the Cafe just after 6:00am. But not like our afternoon walk, this time we rode our car until the area allocated for parking. Then we follow the road to the famous La Presa…taking our time…enjoying each other and the scenery.
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| One of the many Sitio La Presa sign that lined-up the streets...for picture-taking, with a fee |
The Plantation
After about 10 to 15 minutes walk, we reached Agnes Calay’s house. The house is already open but the gate is not…there’s an on-going photo session, for prenup or something. Not to wste the time, we went to the plantation just behind the house.Unfortunately, there are no strawberries in sight (not yet in season)…but an abundance of cabbage…terraces of cabbage.
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| Love her smile!!! |
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| Spot of bright colors amidst the green mountains and blue skies |
The View
The Calay's House
My Selfies
Footnotes: From the web...
- Mount Kabuyao and Mount Santo is formerly known as the Twin Peaks of Cordillera. Mount Santo Tomas has the highest point between the two.
- Cafe in the Sky and the radars are located in Mount Kabuyao.
- Sitio Pungayan / Sitio La Presa is part of Mount Santo Tomas
You may also read
Please wait for my next posts:
- About Cafe in the Sky...a bit of history and the available accommodation
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