If I will be asked on what activity in Sagada will I dare not to try anymore, without a blink of an eye, my answer will be the trekking to Bomod-ok Falls.
I’m not saying that the falls is not magnificent; in fact, I consider it as the highlight of my first visit in Sagada. But it will definitely take your time to convince me to visit the falls for the second time.
We chartered a van going to Anguid for the trekking. We were at the information center as early as 6:30 in the morning from our failed Kiltepan Viewpoint. After settling with the environmental and guide fees, our guide already handed us our bamboo walking stick. I was laughing when we were given the sticks.
The trekking to the falls started by passing through a couple of steep staircases. The way going down is already paved so it’s not that difficult anymore to descend but you still need to be careful in walking on it because it’s slippery. The pace of life is really slow in that village. Since it was early in the morning, locals were outside their houses and chatting with each other as well as kids playing around. Most houses in Sagada are made up of metal roofing (yero) as walls.
Our group stopped in the middle of the village for the guide to settle our environmental fees. A dap-ay, still being used by the locals for rituals, can be found near the registration area. You can also use the comfort rooms before embarking on the trek.
The trek continued by descending again on a very steep stairway leading to the deck where you can view the Fidelisan Rice Terraces on your left. On the other side is the mining site which made me a bit disappointed since I also heard about the effects of the mining industry in the Cordilleran region.
The next part of the trek is passing through the rice terraces. The terraces have different color ranges from green to yellow since it is planting season. A ritual for good harvest is being done before locals will plant their crops on the terraces. And as per our Tour Guide, they don’t allow tourists to pass and go to the falls during these times. Before they open again the trekking, they need to wait for 3-5 days after the ritual.
Our trekking continued by walking on a narrow concrete way with cliff on the side, and after a couple of meters, I already heard the loud sound of water splashing at the basin of the falls. I started getting pictures the moment I stepped on the rocks near the falls.
It was indeed exquisite. The falls is 200 feet high as per our guide. A group who arrived earlier than us started to swim in the basin. I also wanted to try swimming but I didn’t bring any extra clothes that time and it was too cold to swim. I went closer to the falls and tried manual photography but all shots failed to capture the flowing water since I didn’t have a tripod.
My group started to munch their snacks while taking a rest from the tiring trek we had. After a couple of shots, they were already calling for my name because we already need to go. This was where my very tiring and energy-draining trek experience happened.
We again passed by the rice terraces and still, I’m okay. The very tiring experience started from the very steep way going to the village. I sat on the last staircase the moment I stepped on it, got my towel and already asking the guide if the diversion is still far from the hi-way.
When we reached the stop in the middle of the village, I bought a bottle of Gatorade at a store to replenish the water went out of my body. You can already squeeze the sweat from my shirt. We continued our trek and I was continuously asking the guide if the hi-way is still far. She just smiles back at me, means I need to endure more walks.
After a million years, we finally reached the Anguid Gymnasium. I eagerly searched for a place to sit under the shades. I appreciated the idea that they give bamboo sticks to trekkers, now I knew and I shouldn’t laugh at it.
The trekking experience really pushed me to my limits, doing what you can still do your best even there are obstacles you need to beat. I have learned from the trek that you just need to focus on your goal, work on it for you to reach it. Now, if you’ll going to convince me to visit it the second time, I will still join your trek but now with a tripod for a better picture and extra clothes for me to try swimming.
