YA LEUM.37 — Philippines, ARRIVED!
We landed in Cebu! We were ready to catch a boat directly to Bohol, one of the wonderful islands in the Philippines. After a quick boat crossing, a couchsurfer who we had contacted waited for us at the airport with a welcome sign. Although we did not stay at her place, she promptly took us to a typical Philippine restaurant, where, for the first time, I tried an ice-cream that tasted ube, a sort of a pink sweet potato and nowadays you will not find a bigger fan! Although Bohol is popular for its chocolate hills and the tarsiers, the most lovable and smallest primates in the world, this island is not as busy as other Philippine islands.
With more than 7,000 islands full of pure nature, Manila, the capital, is one of the few cities that is highly populated and urbanized. The Philippines are known for its crystal-clear waters and paradisiac beaches and its people are truly sweet and friendly.
In the 16th century, the Philippines were colonized by the Spanish and you can easily feel that heritage nowadays. From the words to names, numbers and the typical dishes, there is always a little bit of Spain everywhere.
The first time I heard a Spanish word was on the local bus, a jeepney, which is the cheapest way to travel and still quite comfortable. The trucks have a colorful and appealing design and, since they have no doors, it is quite easy to hop on and off. There are no stops, thus, whenever you want to hop off, you must yell “Pára!”, which is Spanish for Stop.
Our first stop was in Bohol. We stayed with a cheerful couchsurfer who lived in a village called Baclayon. We stayed for a few days in her place. During the day, she worked in the school and at night we would spend some time together, to have dinner and share experiences. Her house, like everywhere else, was surrounded by palm trees and other tropical trees. Only a few days had passed since our arrival in the Philippines but I was already perceiving how much I would love this country…
We visited the quite famous Chocolate Hills, a set of cone-shaped mountains that have a brown top, which makes one think about melted chocolate. Then, we went to meet the Tarsier, the smallest primate in the world (8cm to 16cm). They are adorable and you will wish to bring them home with you.
“Close” to Bohol island, everything seems close when we look at the map -, there is an island called Camiguin. By this time, we already felt like true explorers and travelers of the world, so we decided to have an adventure on an island that had little or no information online. On a hot day and with the sun quite high in the sky, we took a bus and followed the locals until we arrived at a Port from where we could reach the mentioned island. After a few bus exchanges and some long waiting, we arrived at a Port that seemed like it had been abandoned in 1950.
It was empty but we found some flyers saying that departures to Camiguin happened every Wednesday and Friday. It was still Monday… Our first instinct was to look for a place for our tent, to wait for the boat until Wednesday.
But then, we looked at the map and at what we still had to explore around us and we decided not to stay.
These are always special moments.
When you travel like this, you find the true gems. The local bus, the tent, and pointing to a map with our eyes closed took us to some stories, spots, and people that not even the best lonely planet could ever have shown us.
Somebody from the bus stations mentioned a village called Anda…
We vaguely searched for directions and started to go towards Anda, hoping it was a place worth staying in.
When we arrived in this small village next to the sea, there was just one restaurant and an open bar that looked empty and solitary.
The beach, the bar, the lake, the sea… there was nobody.
The sky had no single cloud and the Sun was not afraid to shine at all. On the horizon, the sea glowed as if it was a mantle of crystals…
And there we were…with the water by our knees, we lied on the warm and crystal-like water.
With our noses pointing to the sky, we hold our hands and smiled openly at the Sun that never stopped to shine.
Time stopped.
A peaceful breeze froze time and I was submerged by sharp happiness that trembled my heart.
We were floating in that sea of crystals, in a static quietness that allowed us to merge into the essence of that place.
We spent three days in Anda, in our tent, which was set on the seafront.
The local police approached us to ask if we needed anything and to inform us that we were safe there.
We spent our time talking, swimming in the crystal water, and observing the few passers-by that appeared sometimes…
Today, I eternalize this moment in a charming story.
Yet, it lives inside of me like a long day that never ended…
November 2017,
Patricia Assis
