Earth

I love nature. I love the Earth. I love this planet. Everyday, I wake up thankful for this beautiful world God has given us.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDlCWEiqE3H/?taken-by=milaiski

(Nacpan Beach, El Nido, Palawan, Philippines)

 

Everyday, I  ask myself what have we ever done to deserve this place.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BA33XsMqE7u/?taken-by=milaiski

(Hulugan Falls, Laguna, Philippines)

 

And everyday, I hope that mankind will collectively ensure that future generations will still have the same kind of earth to enjoy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCPwYpMKE3y/?taken-by=milaiski

(Sagada, Philippines)

 

This post is in an entry to the DailyPost photography challenge Earth .

New Year and Philippine Waterfalls

It might be too late to greet everyone a “Happy New Year”, but hey a happy new year to you! 🙂 How was your new year? Mine was pretty uneventful. I spent it in my hometown in Bicol, waited for the clock to strike 12 on the the 31st of December, then I slept. Even my blog was uneventful. For the first time, I did not write a year-end post.

Anyway, to start this blog’s year and to lessen my travel diary backlogs, I thought of sharing some of the waterfalls I’ve been to in the Philippines. The Philippines is not only blessed with beautiful beaches but with bodies of freshwater such as lakes, waterfalls and rivers. It’s a good  idea to check these out and include them in your must-visit list this 2016:

1. Hagimit Falls 

Hagimit Falls

Hagitmit Falls is found in the island of Samal in Davao del Norte. One interesting feature of this body of water is that it actually a series of falls. The falls above is just one of the more gently sloping falls. The one below is more “rugged”.

Refreshing

Wading in a stream.

Walking in a field.

Simple life is refreshing.

Check out “Fresh” theme at Daily Post.

Photo Essay: Baler (Part 2)

If photos and travel stories were food, mine were probably moldy already. Thankfully, travel stories never grow old! I talked about my Baler trip earlier last year. Allow me to finish my photo essay before my memories go down the drain.

Day 2 in Baler

My friend agreed to wake up early to catch the sunrises. Unfortunately, it was raining so bad in the morning so just went back to sleep. At around 9 AM, the tricycle driver who toured us around the town fetched us again for our visit to the Ditumabo falls. The falls is about a 3o-45 minuted drive from Sabang beach. From the tricycle stop, we had to trek again for another 30-40 minutes.

Waiting ares of drivers.

It was one of the most difficult treks I experienced. We literally had to cross very rocky streams. I didn’t get much photo because  I requested our driver to secure my cam. As we got closer the the falls, thankfully the trek became easier and there were fewer streams and rocks to conquer.

Hello, rocks and streams.

Easier trek.

That Place Called El Nido

El Nido is probably in the travel bucket list of every Filipino, if not at least on the list of hardcore travelers. And it is for a variety of reasons: it’s the Philippine’s last frontier, it’s gorgeous, it’s untouched by urbanity, etc. etc. Despite these, El Nido remains an elusive destination for most us due to rumors that it’s an expensive destination, it’s very hard to reach and so on. Is El Nido too good to be true then?

El Nido: too good to be true?

I had the chance to test how true these rumors are when  my friends and I booked a ticket to Palawan during the Cebu Pacific Independence seat sale last year. With sufficient time to save and plan, I realized El Nido is a very manageable destination for a budget traveler like me. Two weeks ago, the dream travel finally came true, and my friends and I saw ourselves in the fine white sands of El Nido.

Never say no!

Radial Symmetry

There are several kinds of symmetry, one of which is radial symmetry. Echinoderms a.k.a. sea stars (or the less technically correct term starfish) exhibits this kind of symmetry. Trusty old Merriam-Webster defines such as “the condition of having similar parts regularly arranged around a central axis”.

Some flowers also have radial symmetry, case in point:

Imagine if human faces have radial symmetry. Heh!

Check out Symmetries at Daily Post.

Minimalism

Of wondering…

 

 

In appreciating

 

 

More minimalist photos at Daily Post.

Photo Essay: Baler (Part 1)

I am trying to catch up with my travel diaries  but since my work and graduate school activities also involve a lot of writing, I barely have time to write for this blog. My backlog has now totaled to four travels and this does not even include my  unfinished Ilocos travel series. So, I thought of a roundabout solution about my dilemma and I realized photo essay is the way to go!

First stop is Baler, a town in the Aurora province of the Philippines. It can be reached through five-six hour bus trip from Manila. I went there around the end of January this year. It was an unplanned trip. A friend called me  up to ask if I want to go to Baler on a long weekend. Being the wanderer that I am, I accepted her invitation.

Rocky cliffs of Baler.

 

It was very cold  and a bit rainy when we went there. It was the peak of the northeast monsoon int he Philippines so temperatures were around 12-18 degrees Celsius.

A falls by the highway! Yup! Just beside the highway!

A Masterpiece

I contemplated on whether I should climb that 500+ steps to the top of a hill. It was steep and from the start I already guessed I was going to have a hard time. They say something brilliant was waiting for me at the top. So I went but  almost died from the climb. Yet after that calvary… this welcomed me:

This small church and magnificent tree was perched at the top and promised solace to anyone who dared to climb. On their own, these two were not exceptional. However, just thinking how the builders of this church carried the construction materials all the way up, and how this tree found its way here, I must say there they are unexpected masterpieces. When I stood by  the tree and turned, I saw another masterpiece which I know man can’t imitate in any way… this:

The world is so full of wonderful masterpieces, right? 🙂

Have a great weekend everyone. Do check out all the eye candies at Daily Post.

Weekely Photo Challenge: Fresh

Every time I go home to Bicol, I make certain to wake early on a particular day to take photos of mom’s beautiful flowering plants. Chasing the morning dew on the petals of  flowers is like trying to find a needle in stack of hay. However, once you are successful in doing so, you get a refreshing and elating feeling of achieving such feat. So.. here are some of my attempts at catching the fresh morning dew:

Check out all the entries for this week’s challenge at Daily Post.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape

My idea of escape:

a place where no one knows me

a place where I can forget all the craziness of the urban life

a place where I can fully appreciate the wonders of nature

a place I can enjoy with people who truly matter the most

ESCAPE.

More “escape” submission at Daily Post.

Yin and Yang

Sometimes we have to see and experience first the ugliness of nature before we can truly appreciate its beauty.

Have a blessed Holy Week everyone!