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Though not as big as its sibling Hermana Mayor, the island of Hermana Menor is nevertheless just as beautiful. I was feeling a bit sick on this particular day, but the sun was out on full blast and it felt good to be drenched in its warm light. And it worked out great in bringing out the vibrant colors of the place -- from the lush greens, to the beaming yellows of sand, to the deep luminescent azures of the water.
Salt. A form of currency in olden times. An essential substance for animal life. So powerful is its nutritious appeal that animals are attracted to salt mineral licks even if they are miles away. Apparently, so too was I when I caught glimpse of the salt works located in Dasol, Pangasinan -- a popular town for the production of commercial salts, and what I believe to be the healthy variety known as "sea salt" (unrefined salt) that still has a range of minerals instead of the refined salt that is plain sodium chloride (table salt).
In Mabini, Pangasinan is a cave known as Cacupangan. I hear it is a fairly extensive system of caverns with various natural swimming pools peppered throughout. I again was not prepared for this spelunking excursion (didn't have a light), as I was actually searching for a waterfall in the area, and I somehow came across Cacupangan instead.
For those who have been following the blog for a while, you probably have observed that I sometimes have a habit of being spontaneously driven by whimsical fancies -- whether it be a desire to reach a certain place, to find a specific food or item, or something else. In this case, I was just riding through the town of Palauig and suddenly just felt the urge to turn into the Dampay Salaza Resettlement area and attempt to reach the top of Mt. Tapulao without any knowledge of how long it would take, what path to take, or what obstacles lie ahead.
Sometimes, I really would just rather stand still -- and watch the world go by. I do not mean this literally; but rather, I mean that I would rather detach myself from the complexities of modern day living and just have myself preoccupied by the manual activities of primitive life -- such as finding food -- as it naturally was, while enjoying the sensualities and color of nature at the same time.
I had visited the Sagrada Familia Caves before. I was passing by the area, so I thought I'd take another quick visit. Unfortunately, I didn't have a stronger light with me, and I'm not much of a spelunker, so this visit turned out to be as shallow as the first.
Summer is just right around the corner, and that means vacation travel will be peaking once again. Though we certainly hope for a safe and enjoyable time, that is not always the case. So many things can happen, including: cancellation, lost luggage, stolen belongings, rental vehicle excess, medical evacuation, travel delay, trip disruption, flight cancellation, loss of income, out of pocket expenses, withdrawal of services, damage of equipment, hijacking, total permanent disability, and God forbid, accidental death. We certainly don't intend or expect for such things to happen; but, they do happen. Don't be one of the statistics that were unprepared and uninsured.
I am all for the preservation of culture and am a strong advocate of creating awareness about the indigenous plight—after all, the Philippines was theirs to begin with! They are the true "Filipinos." Talk about major encroachment! They not only lost their country and are beginning to lose their remaining small unprotected territories; but they are about to lose their way of life as well, if we don't do something about it soon. They definitely deserve much more help and attention. So, when I caught wind of this undertaking to collect stories, capture high quality images, and create further awareness of the relatively little-known Philippine natives in their own environment, I was immediately drawn in.
The Occupy Wall Street protests are spreading. Even developing countries such as the Philippines are joining in. I first heard of the Philippine segment of the Occupy Movement a couple months ago (Philippines joins global ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests). And just now on the news, I heard about the Mendiola Camp Out. Though they are being met with some resistance at the moment, I hope they remain steadfast and resolute with their beliefs. Their initiative has inspired me to act as well; hence, I am helping to spread the word.
It is heartening to know that awareness is spreading for this critically important matter that has really been around for years—under different names but consisting of similar philosophical thought—yet unable to garner as strong a backing and hence have slipped under the radar or were even dismissed as conspiracy theories. Due to its significance and magnitude of consequence, I believe my time (and yours) is warranted to further spread the word and further educate ourselves about the matter.
Sometimes I come across a lost paradise that disrupts my thinking. Cabongaoan was one of those places. I thought I knew what I've seen and considered to be special; yet, somewhere along the path some place or something new comes along that surprises you. Seeing her, how beautiful, you say; yet how unfortunate that she cannot belong to you.
Talangka at suka is what I would typically eat after an evening of pag-susudsod or sweeping the ocean floor, because that's essentially the bulk of what I would catch -- small crabs. These crablets go well with vinegar (usually as a dip, with pressed garlic and chili pepper) and actually make a good meal after the hard work of sudsod -- providing just that strengthening combination of protein, fat, and minerals. The other food in the pictures is ginisang upo (sauteed white squash) with giniling na baka (ground beef), in case you were wondering.
I had not heard of the Tasaday people until a couple of months ago, which is surprising given they are actually an indigenous tribe of the Philippines (in Mindanao) and given their interesting story. Basically, they were an isolated "stone age" tribe "discovered" in the early 1970s but later their existence was deemed to be a hoax, which I disagree with.
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