MANILA, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Sadanga, a small town of more than 8,000 people, occasionally closes for a few days to "rest," barring tourists from exploring this rugged and mountainous town in Mountain Province in the northern Philippines.
Residents of this landlocked town place bamboo poles on both sides of the road leading to its entrance to indicate that the town has declared its rest days. It means that tourists are not allowed to enter the town during those days. The maximum of rest period can last three days.
Sharon Agsallong, who runs the Lovely Mae Homestay in Sadanga, said "teer" or rest day has become a tradition that residents respect.
"There are no fix days or dates. Anytime can be a teer day. It can run from a day to a maximum of three days," she told Xinhua in a telephone interview on Monday.
Agsallong said that the practice is part of the customs and traditions in the town. "It has been there for decades. It can be today, tomorrow or next week. It doesn't matter. If the town is on rest day no tourists are allowed," she said.
Usually she said the town is off limit to tourists at the start of cleaning the rice terraces, repairing the irrigation system, before planting rice and during the harvest season. "There are also instances when the town closes during special occasions like chono (mass wedding)," she said.
She said the "rest day" period usually lasts one to three days. A council of elders calls a meeting lasting several hours to deliberate whether or not it's time to close the town, she said.
"This long-time tradition has united us. We help each other especially during emergency situation like tribal war and the like emergencies," Adsallong said.
She said an average of 10 local and foreign tourists visit the town every month, including Polish and Australians. "If you befriend the people, respect their culture, they will protect you," Agsallong said.
She said nobody has so far dared violate the "rest day tradition," adding there is a penalty to violators. But she said nobody has been caught violating the practice. Asked what the penalty is if one is caught breaking the rule, she said the town demands a pig as an offering.
Travel blogger Angel Juarez visited Sadanga in October 2016. He told local television program "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" that he was able to enter the town when it was close to visitors.
"The locals interrogated me before they agreed to give me a tour. They asked me why I was travelling solo, who I was with, who my contacts are, and how I was able to sneak into town. But I told them that I did not see the off-limit sign in the village," Juarez said.
Juarez calls Sadanga "a hidden gem" deep in the Cordillera mountains, saying the town "overflows with potential."
Sadanga is a landlocked town located in the Philippine main Luzon island approximately 400 km from Manila. It is bound by Tinglayan town in Kalinga province to the north, Bontoc town to the south, Barlig town to the east and Tubo town in Abra province to the west.
"Sadanga is a laid back town of Mountain Province overshadowed by its more popular neighbors (tourist destinations) including Tinglayan, Banaue, Bontoc and Sagada. A blessing in disguise for it has preserved its culture, heritage and natural beauty," Juarez said on his blog called Latwatsero.'
Unknown to lowlanders, he said Sadanga "is home to some of the most beautiful rice terraces in the province" which can be seen from the highway.
"But more than the rice terraces, Sadanga offers more surprises to curious souls. Majestic waterfalls, wondrous caves and river systems, beautiful lakes, hot springs, diverse cultures and lovely people," Juarez wrote.
He said it takes more than 12 hours to get to Sadanga from Manila. Bontoc, the capital of Mountain Province, is the jump off point to Sadanga. Travel time from Bontoc to Sadanga is approximately an hour.
However he warned that Sadanga is not a typical tourist destination.
"Sadanga is not your usual tourist destination. It is generally offbeat and lacks the facilities and infrastructure to cater to mass tourism. But for those yearning beyond the usual and (avoiding) the crowd, Sadanga is the perfect place. Caves, waterfalls, vast rice terraces, hot springs, culture and more! Sadanga is a new paradise!" Juarez said.
