The first leg of our l5-hour land trip to the border of Aparri. We arrived here in the morning of the following day. Some ate breakfast at the Aparri market. Others had theirs at Aparri Jollibee. Another group bought food supplies from rice to cooking ingredients. We brought our personal plates, cups, spoons. Apparently there is no public market in our destination. Everything about our trip was pre-arranged, well planned, including the services of a banca. Thanks to group leader, Allen Mayor.

A small banca fetched us from the Aparri Free Port and took us to a five-hour trip across the roaring Balintang Channel to Babuyan Islands, group of mountainous, coralline, volcanic terrain which is a part of Cagayan province. Babuyan Islands consist of four major islands: Camiguin Norte, Calayan, Dalupiri, and Babuyan Claro. There are still smaller islands like Fuga, Pamuktan and others, some of which are privately owned. The original plan was to visit all the islands during our 11 days stay, but the angry waters made us stay only in Camiguin.

There is no public land ride in Camiguin. Everybody walks or rides on carabao’s or horse’s back. But not everybody owns personally a carabao or a horse. Boats are used for going to other islands or the other side of the same island. And our boatmen did not take us on sea anytime . They would first get the mood of the waters, otherwise, we spent the day on foot – trekking the hills, the slopes, the valleys inside and through the thick jungles. We found some areas still on fire – smoking. Were the areas made bald for kaingin? We followed some trails, all right, many of them lightly travelled. Some of our companions walked slower or stopped for a while to click their shutters. Later, they found themselves lost from the group.

Normally, we traced the sandy beaches. Each step was an effort, for the sand we traversed was too loose as to swallow our feet and leave deep foot prints. Coves displayed big rocks and boulders. During high tide, these rocks were under water, so we detoured through the forest or simply climbed the mountain though how steep the way was. Who enjoyed the perpendicular mountain climb? Clinging to protruding roots or hanging vines, stepping precariously on embedded rocks – this seemed easy among the natives. A very young mother balanced a big bilao of vegetables and root crops on her head, a year-old daughter on her hip, and a three-year-old son clinging to her skirt. Easily, they climbed up and down the mounntain together. Me? I managed with a stick cane found somewhere and through some kind arms assisting to keep the balance stable or to prevent a bad fall. The valleys of Camiguin are devoted

to rice, root crops , coconuts, fruit trees. It appears that people of Camiguin will have more than enough rice unlike the people here in the city. Here, harvest this year seemed abundant. Golden rice stalks bent in weight with the passing wind.

Life in Camiguin is very simple, yet most people, even children own cellphones powered by SMART. Mine went dead with GLOBE. Does Globe know of Smart’s communication monopoly in Babuyan Islands?

On the boat, sea breeze caressed my brows, as salty water lashed my skin. I inhaled deeply the power of the sea and exhaled the polluted air out of my lungs. When in the jungle I inhaled the aroma of the forest to revitalize my energy.

Ahhhh...I now feel cleansed of impurities I brought with me from the city. Very strong. Very healthy. Babuyan Islands, I shall return. Promise.

(Cecilia S. Angeles is a professor in Photography and other Fine Arts subjects at the Philippine Women’s University and a regular lecturer at the FPPF Photo Workshop at Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila. Email: csa_palay@yahoo.com)