Gratitude/SWF

The world is so exquisite, with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there’s little good evidence. Far better, it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look Death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides. ~ Carl Sagan

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Gold/SWF

Love is what we are born with.  Fear is what we learn.  The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts.  Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth.  To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life.  Meaning does not lie in things.  Meaning lies in us.  ~ Marianne Williamson

Cauayan, Negros Occidental

Linking to Sky-watch Friday

Dreams/SWF

The fresh, tangy scent of the sea gently lures you to this spot---the peace and solitude takes your breath away.

Photo taken in Cauayan, Negros Occidental

Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations.  I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. ~ Louisa May Alcott

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Sun-kissed Banca/SWF

A lone banca basking in the golden sunset.

The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.  But still there is much that is fair.  And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

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Steep/Water World Wednesday

The greatest danger for most is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that our aim is too low and we reach it. ~ Michelangelo

A small uninhabited island in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, that locals call Pulo-Gamay (or small island).  It has precipices but has a few meters of white sanded beach on the other side.  A pity we weren't able to check out the beach---a lunch of grilled fish was waiting in the next island.:p

 Linking to Watery World-Wednesday

Blues/Blue Monday

I am missing these blues, and I am counting the days until my next trip to the beach.

Linking to Smiling Sally's Blue Monday

Still hour [SWF]

Twilight:  A time of pause when nature changes her guard.  All living things would fade and die from too much light or too much dark, if twilight were not.  ~ Howard Thurman

...dusk is the time when men whisper of matters about  which they remain silent in the full light of the sun.  ~ Simon Raven

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Silent strokes [Watery Wednesday]

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 To follow the drops 

sliding from a lifting oar,

Head up, while the rower

breathes, and the small 

boat drifts, 

quietly shoreward...

~ Theodore Roethke

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 So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

Get virtually wet at Watery Wednesday

Overlooking Lina-on Bay [Watery Wednesday]

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This was a stopover on our way back from the Cauayan market.  A quarter of a mile's walk from the highway near the boundary of Brgy. Bulata is the edge of a downward slope to Lina-on coast.  It's a point where the sea, mountains, clouds, palm trees, huts and distant bancas paint a rustic tranquility we city-dwellers crave time and again.  

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It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.  ~K.T. Jong

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Cauayan, Negros Occidental

March 2011

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On the edge [Watery Wednesday]

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If you try to guard yourself against every unlikely danger, you'll never stretch beyond your comfort zone. Don't let the 'what-ifs' run your life. Follow your dreams and have at it.                              --Diane Conway

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I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over.  Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.  ~ Kurt Vonnegut

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Take ... the path that runs along the cliff--that one, the one without any guardrails. Take that path, and know the exhilaration of the ride and the pride you feel when you reach the end will inspire you to take that path again and again. And that experience ... every day, will make you more fulfilled, more complete, and more alive.--Harry Beckwith

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On the edge of Punta Sojoton, Cauayan, Negros Occidental

My contribution to Watery Wednesday

Danjugan Island [Watery Wednesday]

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Continuing from the Punta Bulata series that I left off in mid-April, here are some photos of Danjugan Island.  I only learned about this island a few months ago. It's a 43-hectare island off the coast of Punta Bulata, lying 3 kilometers west of Negros Occidental.  Danjugan Island is a marine reserve and wildlife sanctuary, and a haven for skin and scuba divers.  More about Danjugan Island here.

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We only passed Danjugan Island on the way to another island where we spent the rest of the day.  But I promised myself to spend some time in this island soon...explore the lagoons, mangrove forests, beaches, caves, coral reefs and bird-watch.

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Posted for Watery Wednesday

Punta Sojoton [MWT]

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Near the boundary of Brgy. Bulata is a hilly coast of Punta Sojoton in Cauayan town, overlooking Lina-on Bay and Panay Gulf.  We stopped here from Inayawan market where we bought fresh fish and vegetables for dinner.  The bay is a bountiful fishing grounds and the town is known for its fresh and dried fish industry.

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Punta Sojoton is about 3.5-hour drive from Bacolod City, going south.

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Linking to My World-Tuesday

Punta Bulata: El Tzino Resort

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Anhawan Island

To continue the Punta Bulata series, I am sharing with you some morning and afternoon shots taken from the resort where we stayed.  We arrived at El Tzino around 10 am, it's not a fancy place and has the basic necessities to make our stay comfortable.  We laid down our bags, had some cold drinks, and I went to explore the beach.  I was happy to see that there was no one here except us---we had the place to ourselves! Facing the bay, to my left was a group of islands, the biggest island is called Anhawan and Danjugan Island to my right, a marine reserve and and wildlife sanctuary.

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Danjugan Island

Uneasy of the peace and quiet here, my cousin Mark put on his headsets as he settled in a chair facing the sea. Oh, and check out these lounging chairs---they're made from old tires, and they're quite comfy, too. Talk about ingenuity!

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Did I say we had the place to ourselves?  I spoke too soon---we shared the resort and the beach with 8 canines.  This  guy was part of the pack.  He followed but kept his distance as I walked to the water's edge waiting for the sunset.

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Spotted these fishermen while they were getting ready to go off-shore. Fishing and farming provide livelihood for most folks around here.

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Life here was rustic and laid-back.  Walking along the beach that afternoon, I was  amazed how everything here seemed to move in silence.  There was gentle stillness in the rustle of the leaves, even the waves and breezes refused to be hurried.  A perfect place for solitude and meditation.

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A golden moment---before sunset, looking north at Danjugan Island and Pulo Gamay (literally, small island).

To reach El Tzino Resort, take a 154-kilometer road trip to Cartagena near the boundary of Cauayan and Sipalay, then turn right to a dirt road, 4 kilometers down until you reach Brgy. Elihan.  Ceres buses going to Hinoba-an pass Cartagena.  It's approximately 4 hours south of Bacolod City. 

Posted for My World - Tuesday
Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

Punta Bulata: Cloudy afternoon [SWF]

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A cloudy afternoon at Punta Bulata.  It was actually a blessing as we were able to explore the long stretch of beach without the harsh afternoon sun.

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.

- Rabindranath Tagore

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Punta Bulata, March 3, 2011

Posted for Sky-Watch Friday