“You were just a dream that I once knew”…la la la…“you’re all I need to be with forevermore.” (imagine the background song “Forevermore” by Side A playing)
superman & lois lane ;p
Isn’t that Xander & Agnes?! Haha nope, it’s just us, John & Joan 🙂 Let us share with you our “stroll” which turned out into a quick adventure trek to the fast rising highlands tourist spot in Benguet.. “Kaja let’s go to Sitio La Presa or should we say, Sitio Pungayan!”
Funny how most of the tourists there shouts… “Di ‘to La Presa…isa ‘tong La Parusa!” in English…”This is not La Presa, but La Parusa! (parusa in Tagalog means punishment, which generalizes the tiring situation in visiting that place).
Just a heads up, Sitio La Presa does not really exist, all because of the hit “teleserye” or prime time drama series “Forevermore” starring Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano. Sitio La Presa is just a fictional name given to the local community where Agnes (leading lady) lives & she loves the place so dearly. It’s locally known as Sitio Pungayan located at Tuba, Benguet not in Baguio City as what most followers are saying.
Getting There:
For Commuters – Honestly, the place is not commuter friendly, it’s located at the top of Mount Kabuyao near the Radar Station. Believe us when we tell you that reaching the place itself is considered already an adventure, requires some patience too. What we can suggest for commuters is to hire a taxi going up and vice versa, no idea on their standard rates though, you’ll have to haggle on this one since they know it’s a touristy place. Or you can ride a taxi going up but prepare yourselves on your way back, which is way far from the main roads where you can access a ride back to Baguio City.
father’s expert driving skills *proud
For those with Private Vehicles – You’re the lucky ones, minus one stress point! But prepare for traffic going to and from La Presa. With Google Map or Apple Map, just look for Sitio Pungayan and follow the directions. The main entry point going there is via Marcos Highway. Then, just ask the locals for directions like we did.
traffic not quite seen here but it’s there and walking up is the only option
I remember we asked for directions/distance 6 times and most of the locals are warning us that the place is quite far and traffic builds up. Well, they were all right and yet after almost an hour of driving in a zig-zag foggy road, we reached the “almost” top of Mount Kabuyao that already looks like a parking area.
You’ll just have to follow the road going up, go straight until you see the three crosses, some snack houses, and oh the Radar Station which is also gaining the tourists’ attention for selfies, etc. At the top, all of these picturesque views will surprise you…
Of course, a time for some “couplie” (our own term for self-taken shots since we’re a couple haha)Â *bright idea awardee
You won’t get lost and miss out Sitio La Presa, just follow the tourists going there as well. After the radar station, you’ll see a dirt road with a small store, that’s the road to Sitio La Presa / Sitio Pungayan.
The fun part is….you’ll have to walk..again! It’s a bit long road going down and it’s even harder on your way back / going up, I even did it with my boots lol. All the views are a stress reliever anyhow, so it’s all ok!
Sitio Pungayan a.k.a Sitio La Presa
silence please..who is Ferdie, btw? 🙂
Shout for Agnes or Xander’s name once you reached the place, just kidding. The sitio itself is just the usual scenery for the locals and frequent Baguio / Benguet goers. What really makes this place a big deal? It’s a shooting location of Forevermore. *oh the power of media & showbiz We enjoyed the views and the cold weather that aids some of our tiredness, we don’t get to see and experience this in Manila.
Main attractions? The wooden house where Agnes lives and the wood signage “Sitio La Presa” which can create an income if all photo-ops were charged accordingly hahaha.*bright idea awardee
the famous wooden house
The Forevermore hype to Filipinos…and we even saw some foreign tourists or maybe they are just some foreigners residing in Baguio City.
can i take home that signage ;p
blockbuster
And these….we wouldn’t miss it….Xander and Agnes the Kaja Let’s Go version 🙂
On our way down, heavier traffic’s present and we passed by an irate man shouting all over, they can’t drive up anymore. He was a local resident near the famed sitio and others are agreeing with his sentiments at that time. And so we thought, will this place still be a big deal or touristy even after Forevermore drama has ended? This place is just the normal and quiet highlands before it was discovered and hyped, of course, pros and cons will apply. Sure, some of the locals were given the opportunity for business thus extra income, but other locals like the irate man shares some contradicting thoughts with this too. Pollution and littering aside from the traffic are the other main concerns here. Also, their privacy or quiet ambiance of living highlands is somewhat disturbed by tourists.
So much to say but that was just our thoughts from our experience up there. We found the drive and trek tiring but being nature lovers, seeing all the landscapes up there is a great rewarding experience. Every time we see the 2 radars from afar while driving in Baguio City, we can’t believe that we trekked that place and a bonus for me and my boots 🙂 lol
That’s about it!
We’re working on upcoming posts for our Baguio City tour, do watch out for it, very soon! 🙂
Kaja let's go! 