Sagada Trip: Slipped and Hit My Head on a Rock in Bomod-ok Falls

With the number of crazy things I do during my travels, it’s inevitable that accidents happen. During our Sagada trip, I slipped and hit my head on a rock in Bomod-ok Falls.

Bomod-ok Falls aka the Big Falls
Sagada, Mountain Province
March 5, 2011

travel sagada
stepping slowly
Photo by Doi

It was an hour’s worth of hiking along the rice paddies but it wasn’t that hard as we were trekking down a mountain. The weather was also cold which helped in keeping us from sweating. When I saw the waterfalls, I was happy that we finally reached our destination.

sagada bomodok falls
beautiful Bomod-ok Falls in Sagada, Mountain Province

climb sagadaWe stopped in order to take some photos and rest when we saw a few kids climbing and jumping from the rocks nearby. I couldn’t help myself from wanting to jump as well. Blame it on my adventurous nature, I’ve already jumped a couple of platforms and cliffs in my travels so why not give this one a try? So I started to climb and followed their footsteps.

Climbing those rocks was harder than it looked; way harder than I imagined. Andrew, our guide, told me to remove my slippers to get a better grip at those boulders with parts covered in bushes and algae. It was slippery which made the situation more dangerous than the stunt.

I froze and held on to a couple of vines just to keep myself steady while sprawling face forward on the pavement. I even had a quick flashback of a wall-climbing activity inside a gym that I wasn’t able to accomplish as my muscles became sore. That thought already made me panicky.

climb bomodok falls
kid, running despite the slippery surface

jumping waterfallsFunny that a kid climbed after me which was so easy for him to do while I was stuck holding on to whatever I could. The plants I grabbed onto were so thin that an immediate pull would snap them off and cut me loose; leave me falling backwards and turn the whole experience sour for my companions.

Assuming that I were to slip, I thought of rushing to a flatter area so I could plant my feet firmly into safety. Unfortunately, my assumption was brought to life and my impulsive decision was proven to be unwise – I slipped and hit my head in the process.

I heard a cry from some of the onlookers who were concerned if I was alright. But I was too pumped up to notice and stop in pain. I proceeded to my purpose which was to jump from the 5-degree pool and disregarded the misfortune.

Here’s a video taken by my friend, Doi, of which I’m thankful enough to have a reminder of how foolish I can be.

Skip the player to 00:24 to see the slip

I jumped and tried to feel the water’s temperature. However, the coldness didn’t pierce my skin and I blamed the adrenaline I felt from the accident.

I swam to where my companions were and enjoyed the remaining time we had left. It was already lunch and we prepared sandwiches on hand; our juice was ready to be taken from the water which served as our natural cooler.

swim sagada
enjoying the water

bomodok sagadaTruly, the climb was more difficult than the jump and that surely was a close call. cut feetI cut my feet in the process and I wasn’t able to run for a few days.

This blog post is not meant to discourage anybody from going to the falls as the place itself is already marvelous sight to behold.

This is a reminder that one needs to be mindful of one’s actions. Repeat a thousand times, Ed.

I don’t recommend people to be as careless as I am. Situations can get unsightly when things don’t go according to plan. I’m just glad that it wasn’t as worse as I expected. Experience paradise and be like Leonardo Di Caprio in ‘The Beach’ by jumping off a waterfalls in Sagada! The trek will be worth it! Just be careful!

Useful Tips:
You can check out VisitSagada.com for directions to Sagada.
Also, see how to get to Bomod-ok Falls and other useful information on this post – Sagada Genuine Guides – Bomod-ok Falls.

Check out my other blog articles about my Sagada adventure trip here:


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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
For updates, Like his page on Facebook or Follow him on Twitter.
For questions, advertising, and other concerns, shoot an email to ed@soloflighted.com.


42 thoughts on “Sagada Trip: Slipped and Hit My Head on a Rock in Bomod-ok Falls”

  1. Araguy, Ed! You're f*ckin' crazy! Hahaha! Sorry, pardon my French. ;P
    Mas malakas ata yung bagsak nung tubig when we were there in November coz the rock face where you jumped from, I remember it was covered in water cascades then. I have to agree though, Bomod'ok Falls is such a sight to behold – the tiring trek, the slippery boulders and the freezing water are all worth it. 🙂

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  2.  to go Ed! if only I had the guts to do it, I would. pero nakita ko kasi, yung mga lalakeng nakasama ko nahihirapan, what more ako na isang lampa! hehe
     
    oh and btw, I strongly suggest you get yourself INSURED! hihi

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  3. @mel: haha, call me crazy indeed! it was a sunny day kaya masaya rin dun. 😀 sarap talaga maligo after the trek!

    @batang lakwatsero: haha, sinabit mo pa. 😀

    @chyng: akala ko rin kasi chyng na madali lang talaga. di pala. i only did it once kasi baka matuluyan na if i did it again *knock on wood*. isa pa yan pala, ang insurance, isa yan sa dapat kong makuha! hehe.

    @robbie: haha, actually found the situation funny kasi antagal ko talagang naka akyat whereas sa kanila, parang ginawang playground lang.

    @lakwatsera de primera: haha, andami nilang mga bata talaga claire. so easy for them to just run on a slippery trail and jump!

    @supertikoy: onga, nahiya tuloy ako when i had to stop for awhile before my jump. hehe

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  4. glad you are safe. i would always think not only twice, but thrice or even more before i would climb and jump into the water. it's fun but the thought of an accident such as this before the jump would often prevent me from doing it most of the time. feeling ko, laging babagsak ako sa matalim na bato, hehe

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  5. Buti hindi ganoon ka-serious ang injury. I also tried jumping off from that elevated part of the falls. Agree, climbing the slippery rock was strenuous. Natakot din ako pero kinaya naman. 

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  6. Ouch! That looks like it hurt. I'm terribly uncoordinated and fall a lot on even ground so I learned long ago to avoid those activities which make it even more likely that I'll hurt myself. Glad you were Ok!

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  7. @Dylan: yeah, they were even running while I was stuck in the clinging to the rocks. thanks!

    @ouch: moleng. hehe

    @senyor lakwatsero: I really thought it was easy and it was more difficult to go back to where I started that's why I just had to go on with it. yipes, I'm just glad as well that there were those who jumped before me to make sure walang bato sa tinatalunan ko. hehe

    @winston: walang-wala lang talaga sa kanila! 😀

    @tina:  thanks tina! yeah sanay na talaga sila.

    @ian dela pena: nice head butt din. haha.

    @bonx: yep, almost forgot how steep the pavement was. I was just glad that I hit my head kasi pag hindi, I would've fallen and it would've been worse! 😀

    @photoblogger: fun but too risky, that's why I did it only once!

    @Will: thanks will!

    @roman leo reyman: haha, high-five for the both of us then!

    @miranda: fortunately it didn't hurt as much as everyone thinks, I couldn't feel anything after that hit. hehe. thanks miranda!

    @charsue: haha, indeed, a bloggable experience. glad that it was also caught on tape to prove that people shouldn't follow my footsteps!

    @flip: haha, sinabi mo pa flip!

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  8. @ayan: haha, just be careful and don't be as careless as me! 😀

    @christian: haha. ok lang yan, basta marami kang photos na makukuha! 😀

    Reply
  9. Ouch, it looks like you got some nasty cuts on you.  But it also looks like it was worth it.  This reminds me of diving off a small ledge into a river in Belize.  Fortunately for me I didn't have to do any climbing to get up there.  In fact, it saved me the hassle of having to climb down to the bank of the river.  Be careful next time.

    Reply
  10. Glad you made it alive! 🙂 Have you been to Ta Keo in Angkor? It's this super steep temple, almost vertical na. Muntik din ako mag-slip dun. Unlike you though, di ako adventurous type. I stopped halfway through. 
    Anyway, I hope this experience doesn't stop you from doing stunts again. Just pray beforehand. :))

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  11. @steve: nasty cuts indeed. Wasn't able to run for a few days! thanks,

    @AJ: haven't been to Ta Keo, I'd like to go there. Most likely next time! 😀 haha, while I'm young I'll continue to do stunts. hehe 😀

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  12. hindi ko akalain na makakayanan ko ang trek papunta sa falls! ang ganda talaga ng pilipinas! kahit nakakapagod, babalik pa rin ako dito.. pero syempre, hindi ako tatalon kagaya mo. 🙂
    by the way, buti nakayanan mo ang trek paakyat pagkatapos mo ma sugatan… tsk tsk
    happy travellin!

    Reply
  13. @tripper10: haha. mas ayos pa rin yung bata. thanks for dropping by! 😀

    @pinoyboyjournals: haha. wag na unless sure na sure kang safe ang lugar! thanks jerik!

    @happysole: indeed, actually, I'm enjoying more the treks than the destinations. parang icing on the cake if you get views like these. 😀

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  14. Walang sinabi si Miriam Quiambao sa pagkakadapa mo Ed. hahah! .. Kala mo parang wala lang nangyari e. lol! Natawa din ako nung sumulpot yung bata habang nagpapakahirap ka sa tabi. Try mo rin mag-ingat minsan. Maawa ka sa face mo no. Sige ka ikaw din. =)

    Naalala ko na naman ang nalunod kong mga Sagada pics nung Ondoy dahil sa entries na to. hay! Ang saklap wala kahit isang natira, Babalik talaga ko sa lugar na yan.

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    • @kura: lol kinompare talaga kay Miriam! lol. woi. *knocking on wood* dapat happy2x lang parati. hehe. pero yeah, dapat talaga akong mag-ingat next time… sayang yung Sagada pics mo. balik ka na lang 😉

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  15. Whenever Im in Sagada, I feel extra invincible. I always scale that rock to get to the platform. You should try approaching it from the other side – it's a great thrill to go UNDER the falls. It's a longer route but you can still get to the platform.
     
    Thanks for linking to Visit Sagada. 🙂

    Reply
  16. This was the biggest disappointment from the trip. The falls was closed cause natives were doing rituals when we were there. Oh well. That's one more reason for us to go back in Sagada. 
    Ulan kaayo pag padong and ga landslide pa gyud. It's entirely true that the dirt road all the way up is already an adventure itself. 🙂 

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  17. Na-miss ko agaaaad! Kakagaling lang din namin ng friends ko last month at nainggit kami sa mga tumatalon. Ang hirap nga kumapit sa boulder! Pero sa ngayon, wala nang masyadong lumot. Maraming nag-cheer sa amin ng friend ko kasi babae kami parehong nangahas haha

    Ingat sa next travels!

    Reply

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