A life + travel visual diary

#Siargao

“Your soul shines when you burn for your dreams.”

I remember the first few minutes when I first laid eyes on the island. I was not expecting anything. No adventures planned. No exact iterinary. Nothing.

Stayed for a month and then I came home a different person.

I’ve been in and out Siargao since then.

I have a strong feeling that every person who has fallen in love with Siargao has this list of “reasons” too.

1. Fresh coconut taken from one of the thousands of coconut trees in the North.

2. Kids smiling at me whenever they see me driving down the streets of General Luna.
3. Waking up from the sound of roosters and the sea breeze at 6 in the morning.

4. Smelling salt water as I approach the shore.

5. Paddling in line to try to learn surfing with locals humbly greeting, “Marajaw na buntag ma’am”

6. Driving slowly through empty roads, feeling the intense sun on my skin and air through my hair.

7. Locals signing to me that I left my motorbike stand so that I could fix it – making it sound like a secret signal saying they care for me and want to keep me safe.
8. Seeing familiar faces on the streets – greeting me through raising their eyebrows, puckering lips or beeping once or twice.

9. Yelling, “Yewww!” whenever someone catches a good wave or finally jumping off the planks in the rivers of Maasin.
10. “Oh my wow” every time something oh my wow happens.

11. No rice no power. More rice more power.

12. Eating freshly caught grilled fish with my bare hands.
13. Laughs, hands waving and smiles of little children.
14. Dogs running towards you as if they’ve known you for a long time.

15. Exchanging “what’s your name?” “My name is…” every time I go to a new town.

16. When I got a flat tire locals helped me brought my bike to the shop.
17. I ran out of gasoline at the middle of the road. Instead of just passing through locals stop and assure me they’ll get gasoline for me. They did. Trust.
18. The reflection of the intense sun to the palm trees making them look golden-green. Taking pictures using my eyes remembering every moment of it.
19. Walking down to the shore at night, trying to count the stars.

20. Saying “see you again tomorrow?” Every time I see the sun sets.

21. Locals saying “Nice one ma’am!” whenever I fail to catch a wave or if I really did catch the wave. Whichever, they try to make you feel hopeful signaling you to try again each time.

The island has taught me a lot of things in the few months. It has given me a new sense of direction. Hope. Another chance.

The world is so pretty to be superior about something. When I travel to islands like this, I take my time to notice everything. Practice kindness. Live a soft life. Listen to the sounds of nature and feel the intense sun through my skin as if I never felt the sun before.

I guess the reasons depend on why you travel. However, for a rebel like me, I’ll leave my heart here.

What I’ve been doing lately