Kiltepan Peak (Where Broken Hearts Go)

Where do broken hearts go?

And so the song asks…

I could vividly remember this one conversation I had with a good friend of mine, about my plans a month after I had a major, major heart break. She, too, was a victim of this sinful crime of passion and was then, on the verge of picking up her shattered pieces. “We” were sharing the same “spotlight”.

“So what’s your plan?” – she reluctantly asked me.

I knew I gave her a blank stare, followed by a deep sigh. I didn’t know exactly what to utter and just opted to kid around and say…

“I don’t know… What do you think? Where do broken hearts go? – I smirked, only to laugh quietly when my friend started singing that line from a Whitney Houston song.

This happened long time before the now infamous movie “That Thing Called Tadhana (Destiny)” made the song and the line “Where do broken hearts go” popular again. It became tremendously popular not only for the movie’s lovely story but also because of the movie’s setting – Baguio and Sagada.

One particular spot in Sagada that captured the eyes and the heart of the movie-goers and travel aficionados is Kiltepan Peak.

The Kiltepan Peak is considered by most people visiting the cool and idyllic town of Sagada in Mountain Province as the best vantage point to look out for the sunrise. It gives a view of the Kiltepan Rice Terraces where one stands atop a chasm that is around 1, 640 meters above sea level. What makes this place even more captivating is when the sun rises gradually as it starts to fill the sky and the seemingly floating sea of clouds with vibrant colors.

If you want to see this beauty, one should really wake up pretty early in the morning (maybe around 4 am since it requires some lengthy uphill walk from the town center). Well, others opt to arrange a transportation to the campsite of the peak. But for me, the approximately 3 kilometers walk is a great way to start a day in Sagada. Despite the chilly walk, the silhouette of tall pine trees along the way is still a sight to behold. Plus that unsullied air that you get to breathe is very relaxing to the senses.

Upon arriving at the peak, one will be stunned with what you’ll see. Today, a lot of people flock their way to this now famed peak. I am just too glad that it wasn’t hyped yet when I got the chance to visit it on 3 occasions with friends. My experience at Kiltepan Peak is really remarkable, I got lost for words. The sea of clouds, the golden sun and the verdant surroundings were beyond grand.

So did I come here when I was broken-hearted? Well yes, several times. Did it really help me mend my broken heart? Somehow. But at the end of the day, when I am resting inside my room, I would still hear my heart say, “Lester, I was here all day and night long. I am still here. Still shattered. Still crying. Still asking a lot of questions.”