For 2015's installment, I picked people as the subject for this In Photos entry - quite a deviation from my usual landscape shots (which I prefer actually). These three photos provide a narrative on their own which, in one way or another has made my journey through 2015 remarkable.
So here it is.
#1. Unexpected Conclusion
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| The Aetas of Pampanga, on a lazy Sunday afternoon. April 2015 |
So we ventured into the trails of Mt. Pinatubo via the scorching Delta V trail on an April weekend. Just imagine, it was the onset of summer and the trail has no tree cover whatsoever and we had to trek from around 4am to 5pm to reach the summit and back to the campsite (then spend the night there and be burned some more the following day) and in between we just had to wonder why the hell we are doing such penitence on a post-holy week weekend. Anyway, as we head back to the jump-off from the campsite, we passed by this group of Aetas on a makeshift hut chilling on a lazy Sunday afternoon while taking their carabaos for a dip in the river - this is situated around 1hr away from the jump-off. Seeing the kids among the group, I recalled we had spare milk in our food supply (which we used for our morning champorado, the breakfast of champions. Thus, championrado). Our team's food supply was in my backpack by the way. So I stopped, got the black plastic bag and handed it to ate, the one second from right. I told her "ate meron po ditong bigas, milo, kape at gatas. Marami pa pong iba, sa inyo na po." She smiled and thanked me then reassured me "Salamat sir, malapit na po kayo, konti nalang."
As I went back and started to pack up, she noticed me pick my camera bag and told me "Sir! Picturan mo naman kami. Para makita nila kami dito" while smiling. So I gladly obliged and took this shot then showed them the picture on my camera's LCD. Oh the happiness on their faces as they look on!
This is one of those moments that make me look back and think, maybe this is one of the reasons why we climb (and torment ourselves in the process). I was thinking that our climb that day will be best concluded with a cold soda at the jump-off, but this has been a more suitable conclusion. May kurot sa puso. haha
If I just had the opportunity, I really wanted to hand them a printed copy of this picture.
#2. 1,2,3!
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| The Basco-Itbayat "Joyride". July 2015 |
We were lucky enough to have a relatively "calmer" tides in Batanes when we visited in July 2015. Not only we had a relatively smooth ride to Sabtang (and visit Ivuhus Island in the process), we were also lucky enough to visit the northernmost inhabited island of the Philippines, Itbayat.
As we head to the island in a faluwa, I was surprised that the waves are bearable and that I was telling myself that all the talks about the batshit crazy Itbayat waves are all a myth - not until we reached the port. You see, the island has no natural beach so the port has to be carved-out from the cliff and the incline is insane! The waves are crashing to the port making that ride in Enchanted Kingdom a child's play. So, the crafty Ivatan master race has mastered on how to deal with this. They just throw everything synchronized with the dancing of the faluwa through the waves - including people (and refrigerators, and motorcyles, and so much more!). So the trick here is not to jump, just let them throw you!
A twisted (and fun) way to play a trust fall (or trust throw in this case).
#3. Say Cheese!
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| One of the scenes you can find one chilly December afternoon at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, December 2015 |
As a Southeast Asian country, we were quite surprised that Hanoi is quite a chilly place (comparable to Baguio) - much more in the northern part, in Lao Cai where we climbed Mt. Fan Si Pan. There are even frost in the bamboo leaves up the mountain and the mud there are even frozen! Anyway, I am not featuring that mountain here (refer to future posts. haha) so let's head back to Hanoi.
So after the climb, we head back to Hanoi via the sleeper train - which was quite an experience (mala Harry Potter. haha!). We stayed in the old quarter to experience the vintage Vietnam. We walked, took pictures, shopped (for cheap, imitation outdoor gears), and ate - a lot!
They have there the Hoan Kiem Lake where people go out for walks, jogging, or exercise, which is perfect for the weather. So as we did a photo-walk, I chanced upon a grandpa taking a picture of his grand daughter (I presume) - all smiles and radiating happiness. Pretty much like warming your heart with a hot pho in the cold weather.
This picture pretty much sums up why we take pictures. To capture moments and freeze them as mementos and with it, the nostalgia it brings. In this case, it is very important to capture that, because kids, they grow up so fast! One day, she and her grandpa will go back and look on that photo and wonder who's that weird guy with a camera creepily taking their picture while they are taking their picture.
Photos capture moments. Be sure to make each shot count.
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