Calling it a day

The day was almost over after photographing the community planning assembly. We headed to where the boat that would take us to our host family to have our dinner and where we will stay for the night. Along the way, I took some photos of the community that would be useful for my client for their campaigns later on. The boat was bigger and I was told this same boat would bring us back to Masbate City the next day.

Mayon Volcano in her glorious appearance.

Mid-way to our host's residence, I took notice of a familiar figure from afar. It was Mayon volcano putting on a show and flaunting her beauty. I mentioned earlier how I was let down for not having the chance to photograph Mayon from the plane, but she showed up on me--and that big disappointment has easily vanished into the salty air. Immediately, I grabbed my 300mm lenses and took some shots from the boat. It was one of those moments when you just feel the gift of nature and be rewarded after a sleepless night and a humid, sweaty and draining day of work.

Mount Mayon, up close.

Mt. Mayon, framed.

Of course, our host's residence was just a few meters from the beach, and we had the entire stretch of the beach to ourselves. We were also lucky to have a "pool" without a seagrass bed so it was just perfect for a short swim before dinner.


The sunset was not as dramatic. We were facing east but luckily there was a cove on the north that allowed us to appreciate sunset even if it was pale. I did not take many photos, but I went to swim, instead. The water was inviting and its warm temperature was just perfect to soothe my tired legs, and cool enough to relieve the body heat from a day of walking and photographing. It was just perfect to cap the day off. It was a perfect "Me" time--savoring God-given natural beauty right under my feet, before my eyes, and touching my skin.

Pale sunset.

Then the sunset glowed a bit, so I ran towards the house and grabbed my camera--this time with a tripod (so no more excuses!)--then spent next 5 minutes to capture the pale glow. Then it grew darker and had to return to the house clean up and prepare for dinner of ginatang tulingan and squid adobo. Several shots and Emperador lights and seemingly endless chats capped the night. We called the night off at around 10PM which, by their standards, is already too late.

Communing with fisherfolks is one of the few things I missed. My first encounter with them was during my work on coastal resource management in Ragay Gulf. Again, it was a great opportunity for me to share my talent and volunteer for their brethren in Ticao Island--this time in photography. I just hope I was able to capture the essence of their community work and the Island they have loved and cared for all their lives.

Even before the crack of dawn, we were already up since we needed to go to Bongsalay Mangrove Natural Park early before the tide gets higher. Before breakfast, I was out to the beach at 5:05 AM and managed to shoot the sunrise. A rain was looming but the cloud formations from afar, and the reflection on the still water was just breathtaking! So I clicked away before it rains.

Glorious sunrise.

Quiet beach at dawn.

True enough, as soon as I stepped inside the house, it started to rain, and it was strong at that. I feared I would not be able to accomplish my task and my gears to get wet [smile!]. Be that as it may, as soon as the skies cleared, we were on our way to the mangrove areas for another whole half day of photo safari.

See the rest of the photos at Ticao Island | Sunset and Sunrise


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This trip is made possible by the Philippine Federation of Environmental Concerns (PFEC).


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