Mangroves and Unending Seas

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After Palasan Island we visited neighboring island of Cabungalunan.
Unlike the first, this island has a dense population. 
Some houses would be in stilts by the river. Some are on top of rocks




Also, it is covered with mangrove forests.


There are coves around the island that is only accessible by low tide. It is suitable for picnic areas.



I snorkeled the whole afternoon. Not too many fish, sadly.

 Next day was spent back in Sabang, Polillo


This is our backyard.


Blues



Greens


Grasshoppers!!


 Also rowed the boat by myself to pass time :)


End


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Palasan Island, Burdeos, Quezon

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Going back to my hometown requires a lot of strength for traveling.
Right after a three-hour ride by land, you have to endure another 2-hour of sitting in a boat.
I love these long road trips just looking at horizons. How landscapes change from rice fields to mountains, from clear Manila skies to the rainy clouds of the Sierra Madres. 

Road trips are also a time where my dad and I come up with the most jokes and stories. 
We've heard the same jokes for decades but we still laugh at it.
---------
After a day at the town proper of Polillo,
We headed for Burdeos, a neighbor municipality, to visit my lolo and lola's friends.


We rode a four-wheel-drive jeepney.
 It rained a little in the morning, making the road rough and uneven.


Roads get bumpier as you progress. 
It takes two hours of up and down to get to the main town. 


After, we took another boat ride to get to the island of Palasan
Seven of us on a tiny boat! 


Palasan Island, Burdeos
Is home to a few residents. It is almost uninhabited!
Whitish-grey sand and kilometers of mangrove forests.


We walked for about 15 minutes to get to our host's house and we passed by just two houses before that.


This is their humble home where we stayed. The bahay kubo


Talahib everywhere. (Also our bathroom)
If we were going to define simple life, this is it. They live without the "necessities" we have. 
No electricity except for a solar-powered bulb. No internet, not even a radio.
They work on their backyard to feed themselves, if it isn't enough, 
they go fishing or trade their goods for meat.
I can't live this way for long terms but I appreciate what they do. 

It is an experience to live their life for once.






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Island Wanderer

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I didn't go to the beach the whole summer. The heat was unbearable for the most part, and 
yeah. I would tell you again how frustrated I am by that one single fact that I am allergic to the sun.
The thing about this country tho is that it is a tropical country and whatever season it may be, the sun will let its presence be felt. That be for good or naught. It is Rainy Season in Manila now, but in other parts of the Philippines, it still feels like summer. 

And so my Summer have just began. With another adventure at Polillo Island! 
By now, I know better than to sleep in a 2++ hour boat ride. On usual trips, I would doze on and off and find myself still in the middle of the sea with no land in sight.

This time, I still let the boat cradle me to sleep but I brought my geekdom and all the Seven kingdoms with me for the waking hours.


The town of Polillo now has a Souvenir Center. At last! 
Tho most of the stuff are handwoven bags. Their designs are nice, albeit, good for export. I didn't know our townspeople had that skill in them! So I bought one for myself and asked where they were made


The bags are from Brgy. Banadero, 5 minutes away from the town proper so I went to check out the place. 
The house had all the raw materials and pieces hanging  but the workers were on break so I didn't see them in action. 


 Then off to Brgy. Sabang we go. And I spent my time walking around the beach with the kids, Katkat (my sidekick!) and Baby, picking up shells during the lowtide. It rained a little before, so it was a blessing for me. The weather is in my favor.


 I always see this boat by the mangroves. I don't think it ever leaves

 Then we caved through trees, and shrubs to get to this place. A fishpond that looks like a fortress of sorts. There were no fish on this fishpond tho. We passed by the owner on our way out and he didn't know who I am. I am no one. I could've said but my skin just gave me out. How I miss that dark beautiful skin of mine.


Harvested camote and gabi the next day and had it for snack while we submerged ourselves in the cool of the seawater. I love my quiet times like this. When you feel like the sea is yours. And you have this secret place for yourself. The sky and sea was beautiful that day, and for a moment, I forgot about the rest of the world.


 The End

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Polillo - Los Banos

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Not much on my Polillo trip this time. My family is building a church
(in which we direly need donations for, anyone?)
in Brgy. Sabang, Polillo

Almost done but no funds for finishing yet. Been taking so long, really.
Also, the electricity has been cut off the whole island. It was super hot contrasting the cold weather of Baguio a day earlier. Imagine not having electricity for a month!

What was fascinating tho, because the lights are all out,
I saw a lot of stars, and lots of fireflies lighting everywhere!
Thousand fireflies I think. Made me happy. I love those little creatures

Then Los Banos with my brother and his classmates. UPLB.
We almost got lost. I don't like walking in the heat. Especially at 12nn!

Side note: I find it ironic that Los Banos is a plastic-free municipality and found UPLB's cafeteria serving lunch in plastic-covered (plastic labo) plates..and plastic spoons and forks.

We went to the BioTech (a tricycle and 2 jeeps away) and passed by ricefields
Not that productive but still awesome! No pictures tho.

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