Camiguin Island

Camiguin Island is the smallest province in Northern Mindanao. This place offers a lot of things to  travelers . Those who love to travel will surely love this place. And what I like the most in Camiguin is the hospitality and honesty of the people there. They are so nice and humble. When you go to Camiguin, you will feel like you are in the other country because of the presence of foreigners freely roaming around the place. However, it's not that easy to get there. Our point of origin is in Davao city. From Davao, we took a bus for Cagayan de Oro. It is a 8-9 hour travel. From CDO, we took another shuttle bus for Misamis Oriental to reach Balinguan. It is a 2 hour travel. Then finally, a  Ro-Ro vessel brought us to Benoni port. 

Our first stop was the Katibawasan Falls.

Then, the walkway to the old volcano and station of the cross.

Of course, No. 1 on our list is the sunken cemetery. It is the main tourist attraction in the area. Good thing, the local tourist guides know how to capture picture creatively.

We also got the chance to visit some ruins of old churches.

The highlight of our travel is perhaps, the White Island (I made a separate blog on this). I so love it here!

And finally, a hot spring in Ardent is the best place to go to release tension, aches and pain from a long travel.

Nothing beats a native place like this where we stayed overnight!

White Island, Camiguin

White Island is uninhabited huge sandbar which is about 1km off the shore. This vast sand bar associates that of a horse shoe or any shapes depending on the season. There are no shades such as tents, trees or anything that can protect you from the heat of the sun. Many tourists usually go around 5 A.M. and go back at 8:00 A.M. But we went there when the sun was about to set. You can hire a boat from any of the beachfront resorts facing the island.The fare is about 400 per boat.

My first impression when i got to this place was a dumbfounded "wow". I haven't seen such a huge sandbar before. Plus the sight of tourists who are like partying and goofing around is just exciting. I just love it there! The current at White Island can be strong, thus the tourists are allowed until 5:30 P.M. only. I simply love the backdrop of Mt. Hibok-hibok and Mt. Vulcan from the White Island. We love to capture photos of this calm, serene and tranquil place that really blew us away. I fell in love with the place the moment I laid my eyes on this sandbar.It is the perfect getaway from the crowded, hectic and messy city life.

How will you choose to Live your Life?

28-- it's just a number. A number that will tell of how long I have been living my life.I never really looked old for my age. People say that I look so young and could not believe that I am already 28. Sometimes I feel flattered, but oftentimes I like to be seen as a fine young lady who knows how to handle all the responsibilities and hardships in life. I want to be beautiful, successful and confident (who doesn't want to?). In addition,  I want to do a lot of things. I want to improve myself and enjoy life (like I could shout to the world that ," hey, this is me living my life to the fullest); because when you are truly happy with yourself and life, everything follows. And I want to become rich. Rich in  all aspects not just materially but also mentally, spiritually and socially. They say that when life gives you a hard time, don't take it seriously. Play it well in a way that will teach you to become tougher rather than complaining on how miserable you are. I know it's easy to say, but you got no other option. So you have to change your current situation when u get tired of doing what you always do. Change your rut! 

It is true that as you age, your level of maturity also increases (for most people). I just realized that for 27 years of my existence, I have been complaining about some things in my life. Until one moment changed the way I look at my life--my self! I realized that when you start disliking something and do nothing about it-- but complain more--you get stuck in that situation that you would not even noticed that you have been like that for so long. And worst is: your life is going no where, it's not progressing. Then you get insecure with other people who get to enunciate to the world that, "life is terrific and just so happy to live life". Sometimes, we just don't get it, until someone or something will change us. And as I turned 28, I guess I will have to embrace this moment of becoming the person I always wanted to be. No more what ifs, buts and I can't drama scenario. I want to be happy!

I have always been a fan of great men who were able to live life to the fullest. And when I say living life to the fullest, it's not just having a rich life; but a kind of life that will inspire other people. "Majis" as what they call it. I have this friend of mine who was so optimistic about life. We used to have this schmooze during break time at my workplace. Sometimes I find him talking nonsense, but oftentimes I listened to him when he speaks and I just sort of smile. Then now, I realized that indeed my dear friend was funny. He shared this wonderful sense of humor to the group that it made me laugh so hard. Even though he was suffering inside, he still has the courage to live life and to see the world beautifully; but he died of cancer. It made me realized to value life more. Death is like a thief. And during the burial, I realized that his body was alone down there. It might be that scary. Then something scary thing crossed my mind that we will all going to die. It terrifies me, really. I guess, no one will ever live in this world for too long. No matter how good or bad, short or tall, rich or poor, sane or insane--we will all going to die. It depends on us on how we will going to live our life. The question is: are you going to waste it or enjoy every moment with people you care? Because in the end, what matters most is not the day you were born nor the day you will die. What matters is that small dash (what you did when you were alive and kickin) that will measure your very existence in this so called "life".

Majestic Mapun

Mapun is an Island municipality of Tawi-Tawi. It is formerly known as Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi. The Island is located in Sulu Sea and near Sabah, Malaysia. The people here are called Jama Mapun. The place exhibits a world class natural wonder. But since it is not included in one of Philippine's tourist destinations, it is likely to be unheard of to many people. The people of Mapun are very lucky to live in this place because of the abundance of hidden nature's wonders such as lakes, falls, springs, rocky mountains, white sand beaches, islets, etc. In addition, the species of green turtles are commonly found here. 

When I visited this place, I fell in love with the beauty of the lakes. I saw the first lake which is murky to describe or "chocolatey" as best to call it. They say  that crocodiles thrive in this lake. However, I was stunned when i saw the second lake, it is really beautiful! I have seen some photos of this lake before, and I am always in awe of its beauty. And when I have finally seen it with my two naked eyes, I just could not believe that something exists like this in Tawi-Tawi. I became more proud to be a Tawi-Tawian!

How to get to Mapun? Well, it's not that easy and no regular travel schedule going to Mapun. But you can get there via boats from palawan, Zamboanga and Bongao. Travel time might take 16 hours to 32 hours or more depending on the point of origin.