I am Yoj, a budding writer, aspiring photographer, and novice storyteller from the Far East. These are the tales of my travels.
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La Manileña Viajera
In four days’ time, my annual birthday trip will once again commence. Like I always do whenever there’s a major trip coming up, I made a mixtape especially compiled for the occasion. This one’s called Northbound II (Hola, Ilocandia!) since I’ll be heading back to where this annual tradition began: Vigan. But, I’ll also be visiting new places: Laoag, the capital of Ilocos Norte, and Pagudpud, home of the powdery white sand beaches that have been dubbed the “Boracay of the North.”
Cover art features some of my film photos taken during my first Northbound trip.
Please pardon my unannounced hiatus.
We all know what happens when work gets the better of us; we get so busy that sometimes, we become nothing but floaters—neither here nor there, firmly seated on that workstation but mind goes off to wander somewhere. Despite all the hustle and bustle and occasional brouhahas of my working life, I feel lucky to be writing about the things I love and still have time to let my feet take me to places.
I have always meant to make updates, but most of the time, I feel like the places I’ve recently been to aren’t as special as the others I’ve already written about. Maybe I’m just underestimating my hometown; afterall, Manila is not this country’s capital for no reason. Maybe, I just haven’t found this city’s story that is meant for me to tell.
Anyway, I should tell something about these places, no matter how mundane and monotonous they appear to me. I hope you’ll find the time to still read and follow this blog despite my long periods of inactivity!
Photo taken using Nikon FE2 and Redscaled DNP Centuria 100
Every photo has a story apart from what was caught on film. Here, I present some photos from my trip to Coron and tell the stories behind them.
Up in the Clouds
It was a birthday trip with a lot of firsts, starting off with my first plane ride! Like a kid excited to ride a roller coaster for the first time, I couldn’t wait to board the plane. Mixed emotions and tangled thoughts ran in me during the two-hour wait for the flight. Will it be a bit uncomfortable, just like my brother said? Will I get dizzy? Is the view from above really spectacular?
Minutes after all the passengers had boarded, the engines started roaring and the plane began to taxi. I couldn’t contain my excitement anymore and whispered to my boyfriend beside me, “This is it!” I kept fidgeting in my seat, getting ready for the take-off. Then, I felt the plane lift itself up with one swift pull and in seconds, we were up in the air. We were flying!
Minutes later, I couldn’t take my eyes off the view from my window seat. We passed by beautiful islands, the sea sparkling in the sun, rolling hills, and delicate clouds. I fished out my Nikon FE2 and took a photo of this beautiful view of the clouds below us. I could have finished the entire roll if I wasn’t saving the rest of the shots for later!
Hold Still, Fishies!
My travel companions and I were really looking forward to the highlight of our trip, a whole day of island-hopping and fun in the sun! We rode a motorized boat to get to the islands, with Siete Pecados (a group of 7 islands, as the name suggests) being the first in our itinerary. Snorkeling and feeding bread to fishes were the activities for the first stop. When we arrived, I quickly prepared the underwater film camera I borrowed especially for this trip, wore my snorkeling gear and life vest, and headed to the water.
Little did I know that it was not as easy as it looked! It was my first time to “swim” in deep waters—I really don’t know how to swim! The water was a good 6-feet, and even if I had snorkeling gear and life vest, I could not move around in the water without getting a bit panicky. So I stayed near the boat to take pictures of the fishes swimming around us. It wasn’t easy at all either. They moved around so quickly and I also struggled to keep myself from getting swept far from the boat by the current! I was lucky to even manage to take satisfactory photos!
Hesitation
This was taken minutes before our return flight. I knew that the time to leave Coron would come, but I was hesitant to pass through these doors. I was so smitten with Coron that I almost didn’t want to pass through these doors and go back to Manila. I saw beauty until the very last moment, even in the simplicity of Busuanga Airport and the rugged mountainside that surrounded it. As the minutes went ticking away, I peered through my camera and took the photo that will forever remind me of that moment of distress.
Originally posted on Lomography Magazine
