For a little more than two weeks, I visited three regions, seven islands, six provinces, nine cities and uncountable number of towns. I saw unending horizon of swamplands, bustling cities, sleepy towns, thundering waterfalls, deserted beaches, crumbling forts, old and modern churches, white sand shores, waves that can kill, underwater paradise and ultra-massive rock formations you’d never believe was possible.
I rode planes, buses, jeeps, tricyles, ferries and boats, but mostly I walked. I traveled alone, I traveled with friends. I met new people along the way and not a few left an impression on me.
It was a tiring journey, full of mistakes and errors, which on hindsight I would gladly commit again. It made the trip more expensive but it also made it a lot more memorable than usual.
Here’s a rundown of the Postcards I’ve sent along the way.
DAY 01: Lechon de Cebu
DAY 02: Ozamiz-Iligan-Ozamiz
DAY 03: Sun Finally at Lanao del Norte
DAY 04: Waterfalling 101 at Iligan
DAY 05: The Colors of Diyandi Festival
DAY 06: Trek Jump Swim
DAY 07:
DAY 08: Farewell Iligan City
DAY 09: Breakdown
DAY 10: Back on Track
DAY 11: Sunset Supposedly
DAY 12: Biri Rocks!
DAY 13: Dawn to Dusk at Biri Island
DAY 14: Almost Home
DAY 15:
It is my fourteenth and last full day on the road. Tomorrow, I’ll be back in the smog-filled metro again; no more swaggering ferry trips, majestic waterfalls, unending bus rides, scenic countryside, massive rock formations, white and not-so-white sand beaches, long walks on deserted roads, strange new places and sexy bridges. But more than these, I would definitely miss the company of my newfound bisaya, waray and cebuano-speaking friends.
The photo above was taken from Spice Beach in Allen, Eastern Samar; my last destination before I head to Catarman and board a plane back to Manila. I miss home now, but for two weeks, the road had been a good one for me.
ON THE ROAD: 15-DAY VISAYAS & MINDANAO SERIES POSTCARD SUMMARY
LECHON DE CEBU | OZAMIZ-ILIGAN-OZAMIZ | SUN FINALLY AT LANAO DEL NORTE | WATERFALLING 101 AT ILIGAN
THE COLORS OF DIYANDI FESTIVAL | TREK JUMP SWIM | FAREWELL ILIGAN CITY | BREAKDOWN | BACK ON TRACK
SUNSET SUPPOSEDLY | BIRI ROCKS! | DAWN TO DUSK AT BIRI ISLAND | ALMOST HOME
We woke up in the darkness of four, rode a habal-habal through the deserted morning, sauntered through a zigzagging wooden bridge, waded on a marshland filled with mangroves and watched the sun rose from the sculpted Bel-At Rock Formation.
We walked, we swam, we slipped, we crawled, we jumped, we dived. Through hard rain and blistering sun, we explored every nooks and crannies of five more rock formations, stopping only until the sun set down behind the cloudy horizon of Biri Island.
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ON THE ROAD: 15-DAY VISAYAS & MINDANAO SERIES POSTCARD SUMMARY
LECHON DE CEBU | OZAMIZ-ILIGAN-OZAMIZ | SUN FINALLY AT LANAO DEL NORTE | WATERFALLING 101 AT ILIGAN
THE COLORS OF DIYANDI FESTIVAL | TREK JUMP SWIM | FAREWELL ILIGAN CITY | BREAKDOWN | BACK ON TRACK
SUNSET SUPPOSEDLY | BIRI ROCKS! | DAWN TO DUSK AT BIRI ISLAND | ALMOST HOME
After what seemed like an eternity of smoke-belched jeepneys, crowded buses and rocky boat rides, I finally made it into the island of Biri in Samar.
Rain pelted my face as our habal-habal sped thru the narrow roads of the town en route to the rock formations that the island is known for. I was starting to lose hope of getting a decent photograph though as we waded forward to the gargantuan sentinels guarding the coast; the sky was a monochrome of pure white and the rain still won’t let up.
But the sheer beauty of Biri’s Rock Formations pushed us to explore further. Oblivious to the downpour, we walked and climbed through the more famous of the rocks, the Magasang Formation. And after half an hour or so the rain stopped and hints of blues finally appeared in the sky.
I shook off the rain cover from my camera, screwed on some filters and set my tripod. It was time to seriously shoot the rocks!
