Seth Lesser had been visiting Sagada once every year since he came to the place in 1971 until his death in 1985. He loved its culture and traditions, declaring it to be one of the most “magical” places he had been to. It was vastly different from London, U.K. where he hailed from, and even compared to Manila, which was a very westernized city in his estimation.
In London, Seth Lesser worked as a solicitor. Tired of the busy-ness of his life, he went backpacking to Sagada with an American friend, almost on a whim. He had no idea where he was going or what Sagada was like. His American friend was somewhat of a hippie, which probably explained his attraction to Sagada, which was then the favorite lair of Filipino “hippies.”
When Seth Lesser came to Sagada, there weren’t many lodging places to stay. He had to rely on his resourceful friend who seemed to know everyone. They were welcomed into many homes, and stayed for months getting to know the people and the place. On his second trip in 1972, he was alone, but he knew people with whom he could stay. Though Martial Law was imposed in the Philippines in 1972, Sagada seemed untouched by it except for some stories he heard of native Sagada people being involved in the anti-Marcos movement, such as the children of the famous historian, William Henry Scott who had been living there for years.
In 1973, Seth Lesser and William Henry Scott were introduced. He had been coming to Sagada every year and had met a lot of interesting people until his death in 1985. Lesser, Jr. comes to visit Saga
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