Holy Week 2009-Bomod-Ok Falls and the Sagada Rice Terraces Thursday, Apr 16 2009

“Enormous construction projects done during ancient times are either done by slave labor or done under religious inspiration and very often under despotic rulers.   The Sagada Rice Terraces…. were built by free men to be able to provide food supply to their family and to their community. “

There are two falls in Sagada, the first is Bokong Falls which is dubbed as the Small waterfall and the imposing Bomod-Ok Falls, which is called the Big Waterfall.   We chose the letter because on the way to Bomod-Ok Falls, we will be able to see some of the best and picturesque rice terraces built by the Sagadans.

Beck wants to prove that she can ride on the top of a jeep, and she wants to have a picture taken as evidence.

The start of the one hour trek to Bomod-Ok Falls.    We must first cross a vast, maze-like trail of borders of the rice terraces.   This part of the journey is one big balancing act.    One must have a good sense of balance or one wrong move you’ll plant your leg knee deep in the muddy rice field or worse, you’ll fall 6 to 8 feet down to a lower level rice terrace.   Since it is a vast rice field (or rice terraces if you may),  there’s no shade to shield you from the stinging rays of the sun.  So better protect yourself with a good amount of sun block.

The majestic beauty of the Sagada Rice Terraces.   These were built by hands by the ancestors of the present-day Sagadans.   The walls of the rice terraces are constructed from mud and huge boulders of stone.    I think much has been written about the beauty of the Sagada Rice Terraces, but only a few took notice of the Sagadans who built them.   In several documentaries aired by National Geographic and Discovery Channel about the great engineering feats done by ancient people, archeologists and historians claimed that enormous construction projects done during ancient times are either done by slave labor or done under religious inspiration.   The Sagada Rice Terraces (or you may also include the more famous and majestic Banaue Rice Terraces) was done by free men to be able to provide food supply to their family and to their community.

It’s a long way down.   This is the second part of the hike to the Big Falls, going down this steep mountain slope.  One false move and you’ll find yourself rolling down (and you’ll break your crown).  On the same day that we did this trek,  a female hiker who used another (and much easier) route had a mis-step and fell several down for several feet.  She unfortunately broke her shin and has to be brought to a hospital in Manila.  We overheard from another group that she will be flown to Malaysia for treatment.

We were later told by our guide that this route is the more dangerous path because it is steeper though it is shorter and is more shaded.

Imagine that the ancestors of the present day Sagadans carried huge pieces of rocks from this river bed up the steep mountain slope to build the rice terraces.

I have to commend my city-bred daughter for enduring this long and dangerous trek.

Beck coerced me to post this picture.  She claims she looks like Lara Croft in this photo.

The stunning beauty of Bomod-ok Falls.

It’s RP’s first time to swim in a river.