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A riverine estuary meandering its way to the sea.
Busuanga Is. in the Calamianes group in northern Palawan is an adventurers’ and divers’ paradise because of its natural wonders, world class dive sites, beaches and (stunted) African wildlife in Calauit. But coming in from Puerto Princesa via a plane is another traveler’s treat: the wild and domesticated environment as viewed from the aircraft’s window.
Verdant forests as well as estaurine tributaries with its pockets of mangroves. Low hills with patches of cultivated areas but most of the times denuded. And of course, man made its mark as a rough road cuts through the green.
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A skimboarder surveying the waters for that wave to ride the afternoon off near Red Beach in Palo, Leyte.
He was… waiting. Feeling the wind, the water and his heartbeat. Blame it on ennui and the rustle and bustle of polluted Metro Manila that my feet is itching for that ride to nowhere again or just a sojourn to some place else. I was browsing through my files and saw this photo of a skimboarder off Palo in Leyte just near the famous Red Beach where MacArthur and company have been immortalized. He was surveying, looking for that perfect wave to ride. Waiting. Feeling the wind, the water and his heartbeat.
And I can’t just help but sense the tug of being on the road again. After this current book design project is finished, I’m setting my sights around Luzon. Hopefully.
My gear during the entire trip while aboard the roro from Calapan.
This is the 16th and last installment of the Luzon - Visayas - Luzon Loop series. Click the image on the right to check out the rest of the posts.
It’s the end of the road for my first Luzon - Visayas - Luzon roadtrip or what I fondly call, theLOOP. Its been really an arduous but enjoyable adventure across many provinces, thousands of kilometers and new discoveries. The total cost might be more than taking a plane Manila-Cebu-Manila but the experiences I gained, PRICELESS!
Will I do this again? SURE! And I will not only repeat it if time and budget allows but I’m looking at longer routes ahead!
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A bora visitor wading into the emerald hued waters.
This is the 15th and 2nd to the last installment of the Luzon - Visayas - Luzon Loop series. Click the image on the right to check out the rest of the posts.
“…NO. Its overhyped, too commer- cialized and a tourist trap. A huge one at that.” Well, I’m not really a beach person and when I do want to go to one, I do prefer the more rustic, less crowded and less developed shores. But will Boracay be an exception? During the 1 hour and a couple of minutes I was there, its a NO. Its overhyped. Its too commercialized. Its just one huge tourist trap. There are far more superior beaches in the country that travelers like me would find relaxing and enjoying.
Boracay is just too crowded. Thousands of people descending on a small island that you cannot have that spectacular view of the sea and sands without someone blocking the view. Other than the people, there are just too many small boats, pumpboats and bancas that are anchored at sea, a fixture in the horizon and even at the shores with their obligatory Asians queuing up to board for their dive.
Beyond Boracay’s sand and sea, its just a typical Filipino town center where real life thrives.
And can anyone forget about the touts, watch and shades sellers hawking with their glass topped boxes neatly lined with their merchandise suddenly and persistently egging you to buy? Or the man who walks up to you offering his boat for a cruise? Not to mention, the plethora of shops, eateries, henna tattoo shops and the usual overpriced souvenir items and trinkets that I just don’t find appealing.
But then, it was just an hour. Perhaps there is another facet that I might find within the island that may counterweight the negative impressions that I have.
Its a lovely confluence of sun, sand and sea.
This is the 14th installment of the Luzon - Visayas - Luzon Loop series. Click the image on the right to check out the rest of the posts.
“I was speechless… I was struck with awe! What fine white sands. What emerald waters…”With the 1000H roro that I was to take from Caticlan to Roxas in Mindoro having engine trouble and the schedule postponed, I found myself paying the EXORBITANT environmental and terminal fees imposed on travelers in order to have a glimpse of the supposed charms of paradise that is Boracay. With just less than a few hours for the 1400H roro, I made a lightning sidetrip to this fabled island.
The first time I gazed upon the western shoreline of Boracay and I was just speechless! What fine white sands. What emerald waters. I was struck with awe. No wonder that sunworshipers of all stripes and colors whether foreign or domestic have been raving, singing high praises and coming back again and again to this island.
Its a confluence of sun, sand and sea coupled with the many conveniences found here that has become the siren song for many visitors.
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