Shared from The Prayer of the Heart

Prayer of the heart

Hold on to what is good,

Even if it's a handful of earth.

Hold on to what you believe,

Even if it's a tree that stands by itself.

Hold on to what you must do,

Even if it's a long way from here.

Hold on to your life,

Even if it's easier to let go.

Hold on to my hand,

Even if someday I'll be gone away from you.

-Pueblo prayer

Photo by Alma P. Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon

Philippines

Dachshund Meets Carabao

On our way to Palogtoc, Tucky (dachshund pet of Yapa, my niece) stopped suddenly to take a good look at the carabao trimming the carabao grass (what else!). Trimming of course is done by the carabao (photo) by leisurely grazing at the wide expanse of the coconut patch near Palogtoc Falls - a practical and green alternative to the mechanized lawn mower and the grass cutter.

Tucky: "What a strange creature. Black and big!...needs a bath too!"

Carabao: "What an odd looking dog... "

Tucky : "Cool...good job Mr. Carabao!" (Tucky gazing at the sprawling green 'banika' under the coconut palms).

Location: Coconut farm patch adjacent to Palogtoc Falls
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Photos by Alma P. Gamil

Sand volcano on the beach

Dancalan Beach seems to imbibe an ambiance of a frequently visited tourist spot nowadays. Gone are the days when I can call the beach as 'all my own' - a day when I can bring my camera to the beach anytime and take photos of a long stretch of almost clean white sand with no traces of chaotic footstep markings and ramblings around  minutes ago such as this one (photo). Today, tell tale signs of visitors coming and going are everywhere. There was even a 'sand sculpture' mimicking Bulusan Volcano sitting on the beach :)

As usual, these details did not escape my eyes. The 'sand volcano' was captured by my camera before it was totally washed away by the waves.

It is clear to me now that the beach will never be all my own -  alone...on second thought, maybe this is just the beach's summer fling.


Dancalan Beach
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Photo by Alma P. Gamil

Katmon

The katmon tree does not grow into a very large tree making it ideal for backyard gardens.  This one is wild, growing in a farm patch in Odikin (Sta Barbara), Bulusan.

The layers of ornate pistils and the showy white petals attract wild bees and pollinators ensuring continued supply of wild katmon fruits.

While passionate gardeners are already cultivating the katmon as a unique backyard garden plant and for culinary purposes, in Bulusan it is still very much wild. My visit to Odikin (Sta Barbara) yielded several photos of wild katmon along the way. Its showy flowers were a joy to behold whether on top of the canopy or in a flower vase.

Katmon species can be found in primary and secondary forests of the Philippines but it is now cultivated and popular with garden enthusiasts and native tree conservationists. However, it is only in Bulusan that I've heard of two kinds of katmon - the 'lunohan' (soft) kind of katmon, this according to Oya Choleng, a native of Odikin, is the better katmon and the other one is the 'kidit' or the not so soft kind. Both  varieties are growing in their village.

Katmon flower is also a gem for macro photography with its ornate pistil layered in intricate organic forms.

The ASEAN Tropical Plant database listed Katmon as endemic to the Philippines with the following data:

Scientific name	Dillenia philippinensis Rolfe
Family name	Dilleniaceae

Photographs by Alma P. Gamil in Odikin
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Barcelona's Presidencia ruins

A trip to Barcelona, my hometown's border town, will not be complete without passing by the Spanish  period Presidencia ruins. A former part of the Old Bulusan, Barcelona is so similar to Bulusan town in so many ways including the language.

The structure is said to be part of a protective defense structure against the moro pirates during the Spanish colonial period built  probably at a later date than the fortress in Bulusan town, extant of which still dot the coastline of the Poblacions.

The Barcelona Spanish colonial Presidencia structure though in ruins is a major heritage site of the town that attracts tourists both local and foreign. It is located just across the Barcelona church (also a tourist draw) and faces the vast Pacific Ocean.

Note:

Information from LGU Barcelona about the history of the ruins reads: Moreover, the Presidencia Building with a two-story structure was the seat of Barcelona local government headed by the Governadorcillo. Being a few meters away from the shoreline of the Pacific, it served as a FORTRESS from pirate attacks with an underground tunnel leading to the parish church across the street. During the Japanese occupation, the Presidencia was used as a garrison. After the war, it was used again as the seat of the municipal government. A series of typhoons destroyed the upper part and surrounding walls. Its remains served as a historical landmark and an awesome sight to savor the past. The remnants of the adjacent Stone Building which was also built in 1874 as a school building for the children of the “Illustrados” can still be seen. During the American rule, it was still utilized as an elementary school building until a typhoon destroyed its roof.

Photographs by Alma P. Gamil
in Barcelona, Sorsogon, Philippines