a splash of blue

This post is TOO BLUE even for me, and I love blue. sigh. Oh well. Here it goes:

Ok, heart people, I know you can see it! Happy Guest Heart Thursday! :) (ok, here's a clue: it's white)

AND this next photo is my entry for this week's Sky Watch Friday. Har har, err. yeah.

So these shots were done last summer (summer for us is April-May, the rest of the year is..well, rainy season.) at Twin Rock Beach Resort in my lovely hometown of Virac, Catanduanes. Our family has made it a tradition to spend a weekend here each summer, and we always have something new to try. The resort itself is far from perfect-- a quick google search led me to someone's harsh review of the place. I was a little offended, and I felt it my obligation to write a little something about our little island in the Pacific.

I grew up in a province easternmost of the country called Catanduanes. It's rural and mountainous and surrounded by white beaches. Whenever a tropical typhoon from the pacific enters the Philippines, we are the first to welcome it. When it leaves, we pick up the pieces and start again. More than the tourist spots, we take pride in the fact that we are a resilient and joyful people. A people of the Land of the Howling Winds.

Right now, there are *more* obvious efforts to promote tourism in the island-- it's beautiful, after all. When I was a kid, there wasn't a single hotel or B&B in town. The beach 'resorts' back then were rugged and virgin, save for some makeshift nipa huts that families or group of friends can use for their Sunday excursions. But I do not ever remember a single time that we complained about 'lack of amenities' or 'poor service'. A small spring leading to a beach cove was already enough fun for my cousins and I. We live simply, so we appreciate the small stuff-- and usually a weekend with good food and lots of laughter is more than enough. 

Our island province is not postcard perfect, but I love it that way. We may not be the next Boracay, but we are definitely going somewhere. I just hope that people will stop expecting every island to be a paradise out of a travel book, and start seeing beauty and adventure in unexpected places, people, or way of life. 

For me, traveling, more than anything, is a learning experience. Adding a new, vibrant leaf to the pages of your life, meeting people you would never get to interact with under normal circumstances, and appreciating the world in all its diversity.

Of course, I cannot ever impose my own opinions to somebody else, but I hope that people visiting my town--or any other town for that matter, will take on the attitude of childlike curiosity and joy.

Oh, and these are the rest of the photos. ^_____^
That's my sister and baby brother.