Lakawon - A Picture Story

i fidget and wait for my flight to be called out. cebu pacific prides itself in being 90% on time, this is definitely part of the 10%. i entertained myself watching the tv information plugs about the philippines they show on tv, i found out that my destination, negros occidental happens to have the most number of cities compared to any province in the philippines.

the flight from mactan to bacolod is best described as the "rise and fall". barely have i gotten used to the steep ascend into the heavens when suddenly, the airplane seem to be nosediving towards the ground. yup, all of 25 minutes on air and i'm on the ground again.

bacolod though is not my destination, some friends planned a trip to lakawon island, north of bacolod city, a fifteen minute boat ride across cadiz city. cadiz is actually pretty close to bacolod but we initially missed a turn that took us in a neck breaking, butt whipping, brain jogging road until we got directions that we took the wrong turn.

we retraced our route and suffered the same neck breaking, butt... you get the picture. we did find the right road and followed the cemented path and we were joking to ourselves that we'd end up in the same road where we came from.

which we did.

in the same intersection just a few meters where we made a u-turn. a few meters more and we would have reached the cemented intersection. a few meters more and...

a couple more minutes and we reached the port to lakawon. we signed our names in a list (presumably to identify us if something goes wrong) and boarded a boat. the ride was a bit bumpy and we often get splashed by salt water. true to form, the ladies were more conscious about their signature accessories getting wet rather than holding on for dear life... inday leaned over and said that her jacket is a wasted max mara after all the salt water treatment. i said to her, it still is a max, max alvarado.

the island seem to get no closer despite the seemingly long travel but finally, we reached the white sands of lakawon island. ah, white powdery sand that rivals boracay. except that in the middle of the day, the reflected sun on the blinding white sand can literally burn. we all danced the tinikling as we tiptoed our way to the main house, all the time hopping from one shaded patch to another to get away from the sun.

i noticed that there were thatched nipa shelters on bamboo stilts in the waters near the shoreline. what a novel idea, it gives some of the bathers an option to swim midday while taking a shelter from the sun.

lunch was adobo pork and chicken, steamed crabs, calamares, sinigang fish, sinugba (grilled) pork belly, steamed white and brown rice and more rice and concluded by ube cake slathered with ube jam and assorted brownies. i promise myself that i'd be taking xenical by the dozen to get rid of all the food i ate.

we finally settled down in our airconditioned rooms and started to explore the island. the north side featured some interesting thorn shrubs and a wide swathe of white beach front that abruptly slope to a deeper end. the low tide caused the water stored in the sand to trickle back to the ocean to create interesting river-like patterns on the sand. and yes, it looks like the female vulva.

the western side of the island that faces panay island is a spectacular spread. the low tide exposed the seaweed farm that looked like a green carpet that extended as far as the eyes can see.

lining the western shore are gnarled and twisted trees with lush green leaves. The light from the setting sun creating abstract patterns and silhouettes.



this didn't prepare me though for the amazing sunset when the dark clouds parted just enough to let the rays of the sun go through and sparked dazzling silver lights on the ocean. like hot knife on butter, it sliced the heavens and rained honey on earth.

... next ...

the sun just set and the water started to rise, the white sand seem to glow and me and my friends decided to go and take a swim in the moonlight. more like dipping ourselves in the warm waters while chatting away, learning new things about each other to cement the friendship.

unannounced, the skies parted to reveal luna and the cold rays touched our face as the water turned to a soft gray, the white sand giving the water a luminous silver color. myka splashed around and the agitated algae glowed green. like peter pan and pixies.

after a while we all got out and prepared for dinner. a simple platter of grilled pork belly, washed down with water and made sweet with laughter all around. side note, we were listening to julio iglesias singing in tagalog then jumped over to yoyoy villame recount the history of the ill-fated magellan. all through out the dinner, we had a lovely talk with victor and josie puey, owners of the island-resort and our gracious host.

victor claim to be the most popular attraction of the island, i couldn't disagree, he is a funny fellow with lots of juicy stories to tell. josie smiles and nods her head, used to her husband's tall stories while she hums and sings along the lovely songs. bliss.

near midnight, we all decided to hit the sack.

my phone buzz and vibrate in quick succession just after midnight crossing to the 30th of april. my birthday. thank you to the ones who remembered, and to those who didn't - thank you for letting me sleep peacefully!

.. next ..

5:15 am - i got up from bed, grabbed my camera and headed for the beach front. i spied josie up and about and went over to give her a good morning buzz. she's off to the main island to grab supplies (we probably decimated her food store for the next month or so).

i headed to the eastern shore to catch the sunrise. if the gathering dusk is an amazing sight, the sunrise is an inspiration as the sand took an a golden hue and light enveloped the skies turning it from all shades of red and orange to crystal blues. I quickly took some pictures to capture the moment as the sun seem to be in a hurry to stretch its arms.



i spied some locals going about their business collecting "things" from the exposed shore. something about a lone figure caught in a wide expanse of space inversely fills up the whole frame. an old lady with her white dress wildly whipping about her knees caught my eye.

... next ...

dancing in the sun.

people ask what inspires me when i take indelible memories with my camera. unguarded moments. that single moment when a subject is unaware of the fleeting emotion and motion that possess them at that single point in time. in this series, i caught a mother walking her child in the early morning sun, the child urgently pulling on her mother's hand (motion). on the other hand, myka with mica is stillness defined, a mother's love for her child.

... next ...

play.


we had breakfast in the open cabana by the beach and had a grand time chatting up. i played art director and instructed everyone to pose by the beach front for some souvenir shots. they all groaned in protest, but deep down i am sure they wanted to preserve this moment in digital memory. you can see that they really haaaate posing. am sure those smiles plastered on their faces are grimaces of discomfort. oooohhh.... the hot sand burned my knees as i crouch and kneel, i had evil thoughts of how it probably burned their butts. i took my time adjusting the focus.

i admit it, i hate being the photographer, everyone else gets their picture taken whereas i have to stay behind the lens. that or set the timer of my camera and madly dash off to get myself in the frame. if i am lucky, i get my picture with legs cut off from the knees, or half a face squeezed in. on second thought, i can afford to lose half my weight.

time to pack up, but this is just first of many returns.

Lakawon Resort
Location: Cadiz Viejo, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental
Time of Travel: From Bacolod to Cadiz Viejo, 1 hour and 30 minutes
Mode of Transportation: Private and Public Vehicles
Facilities: Non-Aircon and Aircon Cottages, Tables and four chairs, Nipa Hut w/ Papag
Contact Nos. Tel: (034) 433-0808 / 434-7737
Look for Josie and Victor Puey

Comments

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Taking off to the beach with you guys was a well-deserved respite. I needed that spot of kindness, gentle humor and affirmation to realize that it was good to be around people who are secure and comfortable in their own skin. My soul needed to gain strength and heal.
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