Old Faithful

Sta. Rosa de Lima Church in Daanbantayan, Cebu, Philippines

5 days ago I left Malapascua to get supplies for the resort. The accountant was riding with me and asked to stop by the Daanbantayan Municipal Hall to get some documents. I noticed the church as I was looking for a place to park and I though to getting some exposures.

Being the first province to be invaded by the Spaniards Cebu has a lot old churches this one dates back to 1858. 12 years before the Philippine independence. That is quite late in the country’s history as the Spaniards arrived in the 1500′s. Apparently It was once part of Bantayan Parish, which is another island in Cebu.

I wish it were open that day. It would have been nice to see it’s interior.

Splash & Swoosh

Left Behind

It’s your typical Malapascua seascape. A boat being maneuvered by bamboo poles into it’s mooring and a Nike Sneaker. A Nike Sneaker (please note that I am in no way endorsing this brand)? It is a shame how Bounty Beach is littered with such item. It is not the first time that I noticed a footwear  resting on the sands of Malapascua. Some of them are underwater. I have also seen other articles of clothing, from pants,  underwear to disposable diapers aside for the usual trash floating around.

For an island already popular with travelers I wonder if anybody else has noticed. Sure the guests do but how about the locals who live here day by day and are most likely the cause of the environmental degradation. Have the members of the local government seen this? And if they have will something be done?

Tomorrow I will walk the beach once more hoping this shoe is gone. If I see it I’ll pick it up and give it to the shoeless kids walking on the island. Whoever gets it wont even have to wait long to complete a pair. He only has to walk the beach or swim close to shore.

Golden Coast

Low Tide Revelation

I learned something when I was processing this HDR image. I learned that one must always check his ISO setting. I was very excited when I was transferring the raw files into my laptop. It’s only after loading the bracketed images into Photomatix Pro that i realized that my ISO setting was at 800. It was high enough that digital noise was very evident which made the processing, well, a pain in the butt. Despite that I’m glad I was able to still come up with a good image.

This image was also taken near Pilar’s Place in Malapascua. I was glad the tide was low. A lot was revealed when the tide has retreated. That includes sea urchins which would have gotten me had I not been wearing sensible shoes. Try walking barefoot on a sea urchin laden shore right after sunset and lets see who’s got luck on his side. Always carry a torch, that’s one thing I missed bringing. Be careful. DON’T be like me.

Pilar’s Sunset

Fiery Sky

After 5 consecutive BW posts I think this blog needs a splash of color.

I have gotten tired of Bounty Beach, i had to explore more of the island. There is a lot to see and I have been limiting myself to the neighborhood. I thought I  have not been basking in the sunset lately so I had a “habal-habal” (passenger motorcycle) take me to Pilar’s Place. It is owned by a famous actress, and like the roles she has been known to play the sky gave me something fiery. I think this sunset is worth a thousand times more that the 15 Peso fare.

Tire Some

Malapascua Tron Legacy

There are hardly any obese kids in Malapascua. PSP’s, Nintendos, Xboxes have not invaded Malapascua. Like this kid, most of them are active or actively seeking activities to entertain themselves. Kinda like mid 80′s but without the People Power Revolution. Gosh! I’m getting old.