Day Two: Waters and Rocks

Early Sagada breeze woke us up at 0600H. Most of the town is covered by fog. We took our breakfast and prepared for the trek to the big falls. At 0730H, we met Mang Perry in the municipal hall to assist us again, this time, in trekking the Bomod-Ok Falls. The standard guide fee for the trek is P600.00 for a group of one to ten persons. We hired a van to transport us to the jump-off point and back, the van costs P550.00. Time stamp was 0800H, when we started the trek down from the jump-off point to the falls. The trek down is easy, we passed by some beautiful Sagada Rice Terraces comparable to Banaue. We couldn’t believe that we were actually walking along the trails of the rice terraces. We also saw the Dap-Ay, a Sagadan ritual place.

[1] To Bomod-Ok Falls (Big Falls) [2] Dap-ay, a ritual place [3] The rice terraces on the way to the Big Falls.

After an hour of trekking, we finally reached the falls. The Bomod-Ok falls is a worthy view, with clear and cold water cascading from around 60ft cliff down to the natural pool surrounded by slippery boulders below. The falls is so strong yet they say that it becomes four times stronger during heavy rains. Half an hour past and we decided to go back up, the trek up is a real test of endurance. We had to rest several times, though for me it is a good cardio exercise, and that was what I was thinking. At 1030H, we were back at the top and treated ourselves with ice-cold Gatorade available at the store near the jump-off point.

[4] The Bomod-Ok Falls (Big Falls) [5] Natural pool of (very) cold water. [6] Local kids offering massage

Lunch time is Yoghurt House time (I love Yoghurt House). The thought of eating yogurt excites me all the time. After finishing our lunch, we went back to our room to take a brief rest before our next activities – rock climbing and tour of the Sagada spots.

It was already 1300H when we went back to the Municipal Hall for our afternoon activities. We followed Mang Perry for a walk. We passed by St. Theodores Hospital, the Sagada’s St. Mary Episcopal Church and the cemetery. The thirty-minutes walk lead us to the Echo Valley. The trek to the Echo Valley is easier compared to the trek to the Bomod-Ok or to the journey inside the Sagada Caves. We saw more limestone cliffs, other burial grounds and hanging coffins there. As the name implies, shouting at the Echo Valley will give a ricochet of your voice.

[7] Sagada’s old bell. [8] Belltower of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. [9] Cemetery.

[10] Burial sites in Echo Valley. [11] Echo Valley. [12] Preparing for rock climbing.

We stopped in the ground fronting an approximately 45 ft cliff. I thought Mang Perry was just giving us some time to rest, when a rope suddenly fell from the top of the cliff. Uh! Oh!?! Not that cliff! But, yes it was. We were about to climb the cliff in front of us. My heart beat fast but my excitement overshadowed my fear. I have climbed a wall before but not a natural rock or cliff, but the logic is the same – one needs to have a three-point-contact always. I climbed the cliff first, and after ten minutes or so, I reached the summit and rappelled down. I ascended twice and it was a very good experience for only P250.00 per person.

[13] Rock climbing on a 45ft cliff. [14] Hanging coffins. [15] My favorite shot ever in Sagada.

At 1500H, we continued the tour of Sagada. We walked to the woods of Echo Valley and saw other burial sites, underground river and cave. The tour costs P400.00 per guide for one to ten persons.

Our tour ended near the Sagada weaving at 1700H. There I’ve captured one of my favorite shots – a picture of a sunflower with a bee. The color combination made the shot fantastic. Photography, indeed is having a good subject, and having nature as a subject is being in the right place at the right time.

Dinner time is Yoghurt House time (did I say, I love Yoghurt House).

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Read the First Part of this article.