5-12-10 Team Sagada at the beginning of the Fidelisan Rice Terrace trek to Bomod-Oc Falls in Sagada, Philippines
Friends:
On day 2 in Sagada, Zarah booked us a tour guide to take us through the Fidelisan Rice Terraces to Bomod-Oc Falls. First, a hearty breakfast of ham, eggs, and native red rice.
5-12-10 Native red rice from Sagada, Philippines
This city girl bought tennis shoes. I wore my bathing suit under my dress but it was clear to our guide, Jimmy, that I was not an outdoor girl! He kept asking me if I wanted to turn back, that the trek would become progressively more difficult. He was right but I wasn’t giving up!
5-12-10 At the start of our trek through the Fidelisan Rice Terraces, Zarah follows Jimmy, our guide
At the beginning of our trek, I saw an old Igorot woman. She wore a basket on her back for carrying rice. Though she was stooped and frail-looking, she was a sturdy woman, able to traverse up a down the rice terraces. What was a phenomenal feat for me is just a daily routine in her life!
5-12-10 An old Igorot woman carries a basket into the rice fields
The beauty of the rice terraces astounded me. Rice is hand-planted, plowed by carabao (water buffalo), and still hand-ground. I will never look at rice in the same way again. After hearing the rice whisper in the breeze, it now feels like a sacred food, fit for Gods but made for man’s consumption.
5-12-10 Rice, known, as palay, grows abundantly. The top of the plant is what is harvested for the grains.
I bought a walking stick in town and it came in handy during the challenging trek through the Fidelisan Rice Terraces. There were steep stairs to ascend and descend, narrow paths, and rocky terrain.
5-12-10 Our guide leads the way down a narrow path on a mountain with a sheer drop off, near the Bomod-Oc Falls
We had to climb over large, slippery stones to reach Bomod-Oc Falls but oh, was it worth it! The water from the falls collected in an ample pool below. The water was very cold but I had to swim in that amazing pool! It was a nice respite from the heat of the sun bearing down on us in the rice terraces.
5-12-10 Swimming in the pool below Bomod-Oc Falls. An Igorot boy enjoys the water in his birthday suit
We met some Igorot boys on the way to the Falls and they accompanied us through the rice terraces. They bounded up and down the stony stairs and mountainous terrain like little goats. Those amazing kids! (Pun intended.) LOL After my swim in the shockingly cold water, they gave me a massage! In return, I gave them each 25 pesos and a bag of chips to share. The boys were so happy. What I observed was that although the Igorot children are poor, they are happy and delight in the simple things life has to offer.
5-12-10 Igorot children are eager to give me a massage
Just look at the splendor of this waterfall! Mother Nature in one of her best dresses…
5-12-10 The Bomod-Oc Falls are breathtaking!
I took this great shot of a carabao (water buffalo). Carabao are used to plow the rice terraces. To this day, the Igarot people do most of the hard labor of cultivating rice by hand!
5-12-10 A carabao or water buffalo is used to plow the rice fields
The 10K trek to and from the Bomod-Oc Falls was very challenging for me. I huffed and puffed and had to stop and rest, especially when climbing back up the steep stone stairs. But I made it and at the end of the journey, I had a sense of accomplishment I have never felt before. It was one of the most physically challenging things I have ever done in my life.
5-12-10 A picturesque view of the rice terraces we traversed
When we got back to town, we ate a hearty lunch. All that trekking built our appetites! We met Lola Lillian, an Igarot woman, who was traveling down the road balancing kamote (sweet potato) tops on her head for planting. I invited her to join us for lunch. She was so sweet. Lola (meaning “grandma” in Tagalog) Lillian told me she had nine children and 50 grandchildren! Wow!
5-12-10 Posing with an Igorot woman with sweet potato tops balanced on her head
I am in love with rice terraces and the people of Sagada. They were all so friendly and helpful. The caretakers of the local Episcopal church allowed me to use their Wifi so that I could do mobile uploads from my iPhone to Facebook. Our guide, Jimmy, totally took care of us. There is no way we could have made that trek alone. Manang Julia, the owner of St. Joseph Rest House, was a sweetheart and attended to our every need. It is a remote piece of “Peace on Earth.” Sagada, the mountain place where you can “touch the sky…”
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
We had such a fun time!
