"a caterpillar doesn't just grow into a butterfly. a caterpillar must undergo metamorphosis, and a cocoon is where a caterpillar risks it all: enters total chaos, undergoes total rebuilding, and is born to a new way of living. only in taking the risk of entering that inert cocoon can the caterpillar go from dormancy to potency, from ugliness to beauty."

Showing posts with label sangasiapu island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sangasiapu island. Show all posts

Monday, September 16, 2013

breathtaking tawi-tawi, truly breathtaking tawi-tawi


"It is a nature sanctuary with extensive rain and mangrove forests, rich culture, majestic mountains, primeval caves, coral reefs with some of the world’s rarest marine life, outstanding dive sites,
and pristine white sand beaches."
-- from Tawi-tawi, Close Encounters of a Natural Kind


tawi-tawi: what more can i say?
this is part 8 and the conclusion of a series entitled breathtaking tawi-tawi: our journey to the philippines' southernmost frontier.
picture perfect panglima sugala, tawi-tawi

tawi-tawi is THE destination you should not miss. the tawi-tawi travel experience is a priceless gift for the senses and this is not an overstatement.

it is true that tawi-tawi is "the backdoor gateway of the philippines to the rest of southeast asia," but this is only a simplified description of the country's southernmost melting pot that has so much in terms of culture, history, natural resources, and paradise spots.
bongao, tawi-tawi
as seen from the sea
on april 22, 2011
a kite eagle flying over brgy. pasiagan | tawi-tawi
on april 23, 2011

i dare share here a few pictures out of the hundreds that i took during our 3-day adventure but know that none of these can ever come close to making you experience the real deal.

bring yourself there, traveler. your tawi-tawi story is waiting to be told. allow your own tawi-tawi journey to unfold.


tawi-tawi: glimpses and tidbits in random order

 tawi-tawi is an archipelago composed of 107 islands and islets located at the southwestern tip of the philippines. it is an island province with rich marine borders. a significant part of the tawi-tawi population rely on what they can have from the sea and it is logical that they stay close to it, if not on it -- either in houses built on stilts or on board boats.

when in tawi-tawi, expect to see lots of houses and outbuildings on stilts!

a lovely sight of stilthouses 
seen from sanga-sanga bridge
on april 24, 2011
stilts and a tropical hut in sangasiapu island | tawi-tawi
on april 23, 2011
a house on stilts in simunul island | tawi-tawi
on april 22, 2011
stilthouses and footbridges in brgy. tubig indangan, simunul, tawi-tawi
on april 22, 2011


the tawi-tawi provincial capitol, with its prominent dome and white walls, looks like a magnificent mosque.  it sits on a hill in bongao and provides an overlooking view of the town and the sea.


the tawi-tawi provincial capitol
as seen from the roofdeck of hotel juana
on the night of april 22, 2011

kat and i with the official seal of tawi-tawi
at the site of the provincial capitol
on april 23, 2011
(kat owns this picture)

black saturday sunset colors
as seen from the site of the tawi-tawi provincial capitol
on april 23, 2011

the venice of the south and the southernmost municipality of the philippines is sitangkai, a real deal waterworld where the known highway is a marine waterway. sitangkai is also the seaweed capital of the philippines.

 a smiling boatman taking the highway in sitangkai
on april 22, 2011

the island of sibutu is the nearest neighbor of sitangkai within philippine territory. sibutu is the island home of skilled seafarers, expert boat-builders, and master woodcarvers. aside from having white sand coastline with direct access to the celebes sea, sibutu also has the makhdum memorial and the kaban-kaban, a deep natural swimming hole with clear freshwater.

glimpses of sibutu island
on april 22, 2011

a known local mecca and pilgrimage site of filipino muslims is simunul, the recognized cradle of islam in the philippines. in simunul's brgy. tubig indangan, where the first mosque in the philippines was built, there is a commemorative arch to mark the 630th anniversary of the introduction of islam in the philippines.

the commemorative arch in simunul | tawi-tawi
on april 22, 2011

the pier in tubig indangan is not just a picture of open invitation. it is a good spot for watching inspiring sunsets, too.

once upon an awesome sunset
seen from tubig indangan, simunul, tawi-tawi
on april 22, 2011

among the many rewarding joys of island hopping in tawi-tawi is seeing the horizon disappear from view. because the sea can be so calm, the surface appears glassy, making it an efficient mirror of the sky.

the case of the disappearing horizon :)
while island hopping in tawi-tawi
on april 23, 2011

clear seawater, glassy water surface, and the vanishing horizon
just off sangasiapu island
on april 23, 2011

the seawater remains very clear, too, allowing you to see natural underwater gardens even though you're looking at them from a good distance.

view of the coastline, the sea, and underwater wonders
from sanga-sanga bridge
on april 24, 2011

the seawater in tawi-tawi is so clean and clear. there is no need for scuba nor snorkel-and-mask to see healthy corals. believe it or not, the colorful coral colonies are visible from the water surface!

a natural coral garden
just off tawi-tawi's tango island
on april 23, 2011

there are underwater areas that are all-sand, too, and very ideal for swimming.

part of sangasiapu island, tawi-tawi
on april 23, 2011

laa island, tawi-tawi
on april 23, 2011

this is a glimpse of how clean and clear tawi-tawi seawater is
photogenic sangasiapu island
on april 23, 2011

there is no exaggeration at all in saying this: breathtaking tawi-tawi, truly breathtaking tawi-tawi! :)



breathtaking tawi-tawi: our journey to the philippines' southernmost frontier | the series
posted by the caterpillar at 10:19 PM comments (3)
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Sunday, December 30, 2012

the continuation: island hopping in the southern seas, island hopping in tawi-tawi


"Tropical the island breeze, all of nature wild and free,
this is where i long to be -- la isla bonita!"
-- part of the lyrics of Madonna's La Isla Bonita


 our island hopping adventure in tawi-tawi
this is the continuation of the fifth part of a series entitled breathtaking tawi-tawi: our journey to the philippines' southernmost frontier.


day 3. april 23, 2011. black saturday.
adventure 1: island hopping -- bongao, tango, panglima sugala, sangasiapu, laa, pababag, pasiagan
adventure 2: destination: bud bongao
adventure 3: destination: balobok rock shelter in brgy. lakit-lakit
adventure 4: destination: provincial capitol


day 3, adventure 1 | our starts and stops
island hopping adventure in tawi-tawi
image source: google maps
(i provided the blue labels)


after visiting tango island and experiencing our fair share of that private island's underwater and above water visual delights, we set out to see more of the southeastern side of mainland tawi-tawi and reached batu-batu in the municipality of panglima sugala.


destination: batu-batu, panglima sugala
a place with fertile lands and deep natural harbor

the foremost impression i had as we approached the main cove of panglima sugala was "picturesque! very picturesque!" the place was very visually appealing. the greens of the forested areas stood out against the equally striking blueness of the glassy surface of the calm sea and the summer sky. the images of the stilt houses lined along one side of the cove beautifully reflected on the water. there was no doubt in my mind that my eyes were beholding another piece of paradise in the southern seas. 


panglima sugala | "picturesque! very picturesque!"

panglima sugala | mesmerizing reflections on the glassy surface of the calm sea


panglima sugala was, for quite sometime, called as balimbing -- the star fruit. according to kuya jan and alvin, the place was renamed after a valiant and respected person, panglima sugala. the term "panglima" refers to a rank or honor while "sugala" refers to the very identity or name of the person. the name of the place is similar to "general santos."


panglima sugala | a flag like this means that somebody or a family 
with royal lineage dwells in the place


we included panglima sigula in our island hopping itinerary because we knew it was accessible by boat. before we made the trip to tawi-tawi, i learned from the local tourism officer that people who can't go all the way to sitangkai due to boat schedule and budget constraints can instead go to panglima sugala.


batu-batu | panglima sugala

batu-batu, panglima sugala | amazing!


the area -- in particular, the pretty cove which we entered -- is referred to as batu-batu. it is rich in natural resources and also serves as a local commercial hub where barter trade is still practised.



destination: sangasiapu island
my "la isla bonita" of the south

 from panglima sugala, our literal dreamboat of the day -- dream lover -- brought us to sangasiapu island. i do not know how long or short it took us to reach sangasiapu. the steady sound of dream lover's motor, the calm sea, and soothing blueness of tawi-tawi waters against the beautiful sky made me unmindful of time despite my excitement to finally experience sangasiapu.


island hopping in tawi-tawi
a glimpse of the beautiful disturbance that dream lover made


i was really looking forward to setting foot on the island. we passed by it the previous day on our way back to bongao from simunul island and it commanded attention as it glowed with sunset colors. therefore, i already knew sangasiapu to be a pretty small island in the middle of nowhere but the sea.


sangasiapu
the island in the middle of nowhere but the sea

the island is awesome! even from afar, it is undeniably tropical and very, very delightful to see. the body of water around it is tranquil and very clear. while nothing beats actually being there, the pictures i took of the place can do the rest of the talking.


sangasiapu island |  my la isla bonita of the south

sangasiapu island | interacting with the residents of the island

there's a small community of about 2-5 families living simply in sangasiapu island and we had the privilege of interacting with them. we bought dried and salted lapu-lapu, which they sold to us for 85 pesos per kilo.

sangasiapu island | dried and salted lapu-lapu

what's not to love about sangasiapu island? nothing.

tropical trees, white sand, off-shore corals -- beauty, bounty, and tranquility in one! sangasiapu instantly became my own la isla bonita. i soooooo love the place!


experiencing sangasiapu island

the kids of sangasiapu island and their own slice of paradise


our next stop that morning was about 8 kilometers away from sangasiapu and it's called laa (or la) island.
destination: laa island
that pretty island with a chinese name

laa island used to have a notorious reputation for being a "pirate sanctuary where bandits take refuge." the location of the island is strategic and, although it is officially part of the municipality of simunul, it has its own beguiling character and looks isolated.


the silhouette of laa island as seen from the shores of sangasiapu island


like sangasiapu, laa island beckons the attention of seafarers from afar. it is a pretty small island but has a bigger area than sangasiapu and it also has a larger community of inhabitants as can be gauged from the number of dwellings.


laa island


laa island, with its large expanse of white sand and sand bars, is alluring. the sea gently laps the shore and numerous coconut trees sway in the tropical breeze. like in sangasiapu, the sights in the area represent tropical beauty and tranquility.


laa island | wish you were here! 


in laa island, we got to see the remains of a japanese bomb shelter. during world war 2, the concrete structure was meant for storing treasures which included silk and other expensive goods but nowadays the damaged shelter is just filled with coconut husks.


laa island | world war 2 japanese bomb shelter

laa island | ice candy treat and a group photo with the local leader (in gibo green)


the local head was around. we got to talk to him under the shade provided by the towering coconut trees while we enjoyed eating fat ice candy tubes, which alvin brought from a store within the island. we stayed until after we finished eating lunch -- grilled fish, grilled chicken, and puso (hanging rice), which we brought all the way from bongao. we ate picnic-style on the white sand.



destinations: pababag and pasiagan
going back and reaching the mainland again

from laa island, we headed back towards the mainland and went to the coast of pababag, an island adjacent to bongao. this is another very tropical destination with white sand beach, many coconut trees, and healthy mangroves growing near the naturally beaten-to-shape sea rocks.


pababag island


pababag island | white sand beaches, you want? tawi-tawi has lots of them!


after allowing our eyes to feast upon the beauty of pababag island, it was time to go back to the mainland for our next adventure, the bud bongao trek. dream lover stayed close to the shore as we approached pasiagan and we were able to appreciate the terrestrial and residential features of bongao, tawi-tawi from the sea.


enjoying pasiagan | tawi-tawi

pasiagan | tawi-tawi

up next: from many angles: tawi-tawi's bud bongao
breathtaking tawi-tawi: our journey to the philippines' southernmost frontier | the series
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