Philippines: In Textures

The Philippines is such a good subject for photography. One can get every imaginable texture because we have every landscape imaginable…volcanoes, waterfalls, limestone cliffs, etc. Who knows there is also a distinct advantage in being located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and in being in the path of typhoons? The only thing we probably don’t have is glaciers because obviously we are a tropical country. Here are some interesting “textures” I have come across for the past 2.5 years since I have started exploring the Philippines:

(Clockwise from L: (1) The rocky beach in Diguisit, Baler, (2) rocky cliff in Caramoan, Camrines Sur, (3) smooth limestone structure in Kapurpurawan, Ilocos Norte, and (4) punctured cliffs in Talicud Island, Samal.

 

More take on Texture at Daily Post.

Sea: A Work in Progress

The sea reminds me of….

…a fear that I have yet to overcome…

Saud Beach, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

…a dream that I have yet to achieve…

Isla Reta, Talicud Garden, Samal

(Travel Diary) Davao Part 3: Of Hidden Paradise, Ladderized Falls and Good Food

I finally managed to find some time to finish my overdue Davao City Travel Diary. It’s been more than a  month now after the trip but the surreality of that experienced is still clearly etched in my mind. On our third and last day in Davao, I’ve discovered the places and things that made me finally fall in love with the place. After that day, I was finally able to say… I won’t mind going back to Davao City for a third time.

The humble Hagimit Falls.

Day 3

We were schedule to start our island hopping tour at 7:00 AM so we woke up very early. While waiting for the boat, Bounty Hounter, and the boatman we decided to stroll first around Kaputian area and bought bread for breakfast and some snacks to eat during the tour proper. When we got back to the inn, we surprised to hear someone greeting us, “Pangit, pangit! (Ugly, ugly!)”. Turns out that someone was actually a parrot that can say all sorts of stuff from pangit and  magandang umaga (Good morning) but not gwapo (handaome) and maganda (beautiful).

(Travel Diary) Davao Part 2: Of Temples, Museums and Stunning Beaches

Took me a while to write the second part of my Davao travel diary. December is always a busy month with all the last minute reports that need to be done, parties and gatherings that need to be attended, and of course the preparations for Christmas.

Anyway, for our second day in Davao, we originally intended to do a countryside tour (Philippine Eagle Center, Malagos Garden, etc.) ) in the morning. However, we were so tired from the first day’s activities so we just decided to do a city tour. In the afternoon, we proceeded to Samal Island. Here’s how our second day in Davao went by:

Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise

I learned through my recent travel that when you are about to go a new place, you should keep your expectations low. In that way, you will be pleasantly surprised when you are greeted by a scenery such as this:

Simply stunning isn’t it? This was taken in Isla Reta 2, Talicud Island, Davao. The place was so secluded from the main city. There were hardly any people. The water was so clear and the beach was so beautiful. Nature always has so many surprises in store for us. =)

Off I Go to Davao Again

I’ll be running away from my chaotic working life for a few days.  Starting tomorrow until the weekend, I’ll be in Davao with some of my high school friends. We booked our tickets as early as March this year so this plan actually came first before my “official business travel” last October.

 I’ve mentioned in m previous Davao post that I was not so impressed by the city proper. Hopefully, this time around since I am officially on vacation, I also get to love it as much as  I love the other places in the Philippines I’ve been to.

 The trip last October was also a blessing in disguise because now I am in a better position to guide my friends around the city. In fact, I am more confident for this trip compared to when I planned our Pangasinan trip last May. I came up with this itinerary. It’s all over the place but I hope we can follow this.  We’re going to basically cover all the basics that one should see in Davao.

View this document on Scribd

So, off I go, and I’ll tell you all about our adventures next week. Wish me luck! 🙂