litratong pinoy: sapatos

ito ay sa Palavas sa Montpellier, France. araw ng Pasko.

matapos masiraan ng bait at naisipan ng tropa na maglakad papuntang beach sa halip na maghintay sa bus ng isa at kalahating oras.

tatlong oras, nangangalahati pa lang kami ng lakad. salamat na lang at may dumating na bus!

bakit namin naisipan na maglakad? para makita ang isang beach na nasa Mediterranean. at dahil excited akong sa Mediterranean, deadma na na ang lamig ng tubig ay halos freezing point na. kelangan mailagay ko ang aking mga paa sa tubig.

lekat! ang lamig! halos 20 minuto bago ko bumalik ang pakiramdam sa aking mga paa.

di bale, masasabi ko naman na nakatungtong na ang aking mga paa sa mediterranean. hehe.

sunny day

the last two days the weather was just wonderful. the sun was out and it wasn't that cold.

yesterday, after i finished with my temporary residence permit activities, i rushed to the schevinengen supposedly so i can read for class. supposedly.

i ended up just watching the surfers make do with the tinny waves and people walking their dogs or playing with their kids. as i walked the length of the beach, the sound of the waves soothed my spirit. though schevinengen looked nothing like suqui beach, it sounded so much like it. suqui beach was where i would usually go for some alone time when i was a volunteer in mindoro. i couldn't help but be energized. like i was a battery fully charged. the sea has always been my friend and it was a good one yesterday.

as i walked i couldn't help but notice that the birds were pairing up. mating season! there were a couple of swans floating by. then a pair of pigeons pecking out. and gulls flying in pairs.

then i loved the sight of the sun dancing on the waves. that made me feel good the most for some reason.

today... even if i just spent a few minutes outside, it also made me feel good especially since i did not feel the need to wear a jacket. a rare moment these days, and one i wanted to abuse but then classes had to start. bummer. tee-hee!

i just hope for more sunny days ahead before winter finally comes!

sabang falls

the palawan chronicles continue...

the day we checked in at the daluyon beach resort, we spent the entire morning in search of sabang falls. the direction the tourist officer gave us was fairly easy. he pointed to his left and told us to just follow that path until we reach the falls.

such a deceiving instruction. i would have thought it was just near because he didn't use the infamous "nguso" which is the pinoy euphimism for too far.

so we walked the way he pointed to. we passed by the residential area with kids playing (it's a weekday! they're supposed to be in school!) and parents preparing their nets and boats. after the residential area, it started to have resorts again.

in one resort, we had to sign up that we were going to the falls. it's good actually, so they can keep track of their guests. they do not ask for a fee, but there is a donation box. we decided to give a small amount. to make the most of a third party presence, we asked richard (the caretaker) to take a rare photo of jan and i together.

we asked him how long until we reach the falls. no fingers, no nguso. just a plain answer of "mga thirty minutes." fair enough. we'd get there in 45.

so we walked on. we passed by a buddhist temple. but it was the thin buddha, not the fat one. we took a quick peek but did not go in out of respect. it was pretty interesting because there seems to be volunteers taking care of the place. in one of the signs it says that if the people do not help maintain the temple, support from the chinese people (or is it korean) will stop. the temple is quite clean, so the people must believe it and the chinese (or korean) people must really provide support.

the path to the falls was not an easy one. the beach side was not of sand but large stones and rocks. not pebbles. but bigger than fist rocks. it made walking quite difficult. the foliage were nettle so it hurts to hold them. i stung myself a couple of times with it.

for what seemed like thirty minutes, we were nowhere near the falls. i could not hear any body of water that sounded like a falls. at a certain point, i asked jan that we take a quick dip so we can freshen up. the heat was getting intense.

ep. the beach, though it looked calm and harmless, actually had stroung undercurrents. we had to hold on for dear life with one of the bigger protruding rocks. it wasn't even ten minutes yet when i decided to get out of the water. it was tiring struggling when i can't even swim.

after a quick drink of berocca, we moved on. it was probably ten to fifteen minutes when i finally heard the music to my ears... the gurgling of falling water. i saw a sign that brought my hopes up, only to be dashed to pieces when i finally saw it: this way to comfort room. agh! wala bang this way to falls?

i can hear it but not see it. kainis! but if the CR is there, then the falls must not be far behind! true enough, five minutes after, we saw it. the falls.

wow. i've seen bigger, more spectacular ones before. but it was the first time i saw a falls that went straight to the beach! there was an area that formed a mini-infinity-pool. at the upper portion, if you climb it, was the strongest part of the falls which can give a great natural massage. that spot, we had to fight over.

the best thing about it... we had it all to ourselves. yeah!

you know the funny thing was? it took us less than twenty minutes to get out. super bilis! it was as if we skipped a couple of corners and just got to the end. but we're not complaining! we had a great time and that was what mattered most. :)

LP#18: dalampasigan

mahirap gumawa ng LP lahok para sa linggong ito tungkol sa dalampasigan, di dahil walang maisip, kungdi dahil sa napakaraming pagpipiliang larawan. taon-taon kasi, sinusuyod naming magkakaibigan ang mga karagatan ng pilipinas.
it's difficult to make an LP entry for this week about the sea/beach. not because i can't think of anything, but because there are so many choices. it is because my friends and i visit the beaches of the Philippines.

so alin ang ilalahok ko? so which should be my entry?

itong nag-aaalab na dapit hapon sa camiguin?
this fiery camiguin sunset?


itong pagsilip ni haring araw sa bagong umaga in malapascua?
the sun greeting the new morning in malapascua?


itong tanawin mula sa aming kuwarto sa sabang, puerto princesa?
this view from our room in sabang, puerto princesa?


itong mag-inang lumba-lumba sa puerto princesa bay?
this mom and pup dolphin in puerto princesa bay?


itong sandbar sa starfish island sa honda bay palawan?
this sandbar in starfish island in honda bay, palawan?

ang dami pang pagpipilian. ang dami kasing magagandang dalampasigan sa ating bansa. nakakagigil languyin ang lahat. kahit pa di ako marunong lumangoy.
there are still so many other choices. we have such beautiful beaches in our country. yearning to swim all. even if i can't swim.

marahil dala na rin ng iba't-ibang damdamin meron ang dalampasigan. minsan payapa, minsan galit, madalas mapang-akit.
maybe because there are so many emotions of the sea. sometimes calm, sometimes angry, always alluring.


ito ang aking lahok para sa lingguhang litratong pinoy.
this is my weekly entry for litratong pinoy.