incessant rambling

i was supposed to travel (by bus) to negros occidental last week but decided to stay in cebu because of the erratic weather. friday night my best friend called up if i wanted to join a trip to kawasan in badian. that perked my attention as it's one place i've been wanting to tick off from my list but i was having second thoughts because of the weather. in any case, i found myself getting on a v-hire van heading to simala early saturday morning. it is very filipino to have a religious icon somewhere inside any transportation and i spotted the sto. nino de cebu on the dashboard, i have a bible on my dashboard. perhaps to keep me sane when i get royally pissed at some stupid fellow cutting me off in traffic. i wasn't so sure if it was an omen, but the rain kept pouring outside. the balikbayans wanted to visit the shrine to offer thanksgiving before heading off to kawasan but i secretly believed they were praying for better weather. you see, one has to trek for a kilometer and...

you have to credit the pinoy for ingenuity. we never run short of inspiration and ideas for virtually any task. who would have thought that the ubiquitous bamboo can become material for a bust sculpture? (click on read.more for more sculpted art samples!) these amazing artwork can be found in a small stall along the trail path leading to kawasan falls in badian.

macro or eXtreme close-up photography has always been a fascinating interest for me. a vista of life is nothing more than the sum of its smaller parts. the subjects vary and the themes diverse but it serves one purpose: an invitation to look closer. here are some pictures from a square perspective. (click on read.more for notes and individual shots) badian: butterfly on a fern. these curiously interesting spotted butterflies are attracted to a certain fern growing right outside the resthouse in stuckli beach, badian sri lanka: lotus leaf. outside the temple of ganggarama flower vendors sell incredibly vibrant lotus flowers. bees constantly land to harvest pollen and nectar carcar-barili: stopover from carcar to barili, molave milkstation where this interesting iron cow fixture serve as a door banger to call the attention of the ladies tending the shop fort san pedro / cebu city: these bright yellow orange flowers grow in clusters that are slightly bigger than a thumbnail. jazz n blues...

just before the official "start" of the rainy season, we decided to travel to fantastic badian (south of cebu) for an overnight beach trip. we didn't plan much but we ended having a real blast exploring the private beach property owned by the Gica's. i guess you can say it's a bit of an accomplishment to get papa dodong to come along as he's never been on a beach / swimming trip for more than four years (that's what he said...) it's just nice to see mama inday enjoy the swim a.k.a. dyesebel. (click on read.more) it rained a bit during the first day towards the late afternoon, on the other hand i love the feel of raindrops on my skin while floating on calm waters. so this is how a prune feels when it's all crinkly he he he. having cool companions made this trip a lot easier, no frills, no fuss just pure enjoyment! this is a trip worth planning again!

who need words when you have pictures to tell a story? at least i have one less place on my must-visit list in cebu. Badian is roughly about 110k Southwest of Cebu City and you get there via the Carcar-Barili National Highway. From Barili it's a short drive to Badian. interestingly, Badian is the town right after Moalboal, another famous destination for diving enthusiasts. The drive is an hour and a half but can extend to about three hours if you're with uhm... senior citizens . if you start by 7am you'd be on the beach by 9am max. (click on read.more) i think we beat the governor in doing the mid southwest suroy-suroy (travel tour), we bought Luis' Chicharon from Carcar, Ice Cream from Molave Milk Station in Barili, Inasal Bisaya Manok (Native Roasted Chicken) and Puso (steamed rice wrapped in palm leaf) in Alcantara, Lechon (Roast Crackling Pig) with Kinilaw nga Nangka (shredded young Jackfruit pickled in coconut cream, vinegar made spicy with chili and other spi...