Fidelisan Rice Terraces Trek to Bomod-ok Falls

Long before the society introduced and learned to use modern technologies for engineering and architecture, farmers from Philippine's Cordillera Central have  created great masterpieces - the rice terraces.  Have you ever wondered how the locals have hand-carved the mountains to produce such useful, efficient and breathtaking work of art about 2,000 years go?  Well, I do.

In 2010, my friends and I decided to go for a Sagada weekend adventure.  Our itinerary included a trip to Bomod-ok Falls, which is Sagada's Mother Falls/Big Falls.  To reach the Bomod-ok Falls, we had to trek the Fidelisan Rice Terraces and walk thru narrow pathways in-between rice paddies.  This is one of my favorite moments during my Sagada trip in 2010.

 

Pictures above were taken just before the trek.  

Notice how excited and 'fresh' we looked. :)

The trek afforded us picturesque views of the verdurous rice terraces with rustic mountain backdrops.  During the trek, our local guide explained how their irrigation system works and how the people of Sagada still hold their traditional practices during planting and harvesting of rice.  For example, visitors are not allowed to cross the rice terraces when they have undertaken their    farming rituals unless they give a hog offering.  We were lucky enough to have crossed the rice paddies a day before the rituals. :)

Home alone 

The homes above the cliff

Photo Credit:   Iyah Gravador  

Photo credit: Lyneth Batalla

During the trek, we passed by the Fidelisan Village.  Here, we had a chance to have a short interaction with the locals.  This is where we met Jay, the young local (additional) guide who went with us to the Bomod-ok Falls.

Photo Credit:  Iyah Gravador

Jay in yellow shirt
Photo credit:  Iyah Gravador

         

There was a signage about one of the following day's events at the village.  Oops, we didn't have our asawas (husbands) with us. :)

After about an hour of trekking,  we finally reached the majestic Bomod-ok Falls.  The rain poured hard then so there was no need to bathe in the falls. Okay, enough for a bad excuse, we did not bring extra clothes.

Photo credit:  Iyah Gravador

It was still drizzling on our ascent back to the Aguid basketball court.  The trek was quite exhausting as we had to ascend through some steeply sloped pathways.

The last picture above was taken after the trek, at the Aguid basketball court.  Could you notice the big difference in our looks before and after the trek? =P  

Thank you for reading this post.  For more interesting activities to do in Sagada, please visit my post My Favorite Moments in Heavenly Sagada