Bulusan Volcano Natural Park (BVNP) flora gallery 2

Natural adornments dangle along the forest path.

Leaflet of a giant fern displays its dainty curls.

Wild fruits of an uncommon species.

Brown dots neatly arranged on this fern frond

Minute berries shift colors from yellow to red as it ripens.

An approaching calamity such as this recent typhoon has a way of hurrying up things undone to be prioritized at once. Typhoon Ruby (international name Hagupit) made my long-delayed plan of a mountain hike to BVNP (Bulusan Volcano Natural Park) for some photos of native trees to be done soonest before it made the trees and flora at the park unrecognizable. So off I went December 4 to the park. The weather was fine that day and most visitors and tourists were still oblivious of the coming typhoon.  To my delight my mountain hike at the park resulted to wonderful finds some of which I have never seen before such as the photos of the red and yellow wild fruits (photos).

The above gallery is just a few of my assorted collection of photos gathered that day.

Fortunately, typhoon Ruby inflicted negligible damage to our town. A miracle considering that Hagupit peaked its strength as a category 5 typhoon– a super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean.

Photos: Alma P. Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

The wonders of gumihan

I was intrigued by a comment from a reader of a posted article about gumihan in a Philippine online site (Philippine.tambayan.com) that says: “Gumihan is a not-so-common fruit desired for its aromatic, fleshy and sweet taste. This tree grows well in Bicol, existing as natural stand. As there is no attempt to commercially propagate it this tree is fast vanishing. Compared to marang, a gumihan fruit is smaller but it tastes far superior to the former. We should save this tree species before it goes extinct.”

From another botanical site gumihan was also a recent topic.  Derek Cabactulan a resource person and member of the plant id site, Co’s Digital Flora of the Philippines, also added: “According to CDFP from the old records, this tree is indigenous to Borneo, Philippines, Sulawesi, and Moluccas. LUZON: Quezon to Sorsogon, MINDORO, BILIRAN, SAMAR, MINDANAO. I think this tree is underutilized in some parts of our country. It is a good tree in the backyard that provide us food, shade and as ornamental backyard plant. Better save some seeds and gave those who were interested in planting this tree.  It is a valuable ethno-agroforestry species.”

These interesting tidbits of information  prompted me to test taste the fruit. Fortunately, the months of  May and June to July is  the fruiting season of the gumihan tree and ordering from Joseph a villager from Odikin was just a text (SMS) away. He brought four(4) ripe fruits from a gumihan tree not far from their house. “The fruits are just falling from the tree and anyone is welcome to partake of it. It is for free, ” Joseph told me.  No wonder that no one is planting the gumihan. Sadly, fruit trees are only valued as an agricultural crop if the fruits are given monetary equivalent.

Gumihan fruits from Odikin, Bulusan, June 2014

In terms of appearance the gumihan looks like a small marang with scruffy hair (above photos). Its seeds are more packed and dense and  less fleshy than marang fruits. It is devoid however of the heavy scent associated with marang. The downside of eating gumihan is you won’t feel full while eating and the jaw will become so heavily worked out. In the words of Joan a young mountain maiden familiar with the fruit: “mangangalay an imo panga ate sa kasusupsop (your jaw will get tired from sucking the pulp out of the seeds).” True enough, my jaw felt like it had been to a work out after finishing the four pieces of gumihan straight in one sitting.

Wild grown and fruiting gumihan tree along the mountain trail of Kapangihan, an outlying mountain village of Bulusan.

Wild and delicious. The gumihan is an example of an underutilized endemic forest fruit tree that needs to be reintroduced and cultivated for future generations.

Gumihan’s scientific name is Artocarpus sericicarpus.

Photos: Alma P. Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

A time to plant : Photos of rice planting season in Bulusan

Rice field ready for planting, Bulusan, June 2014

How can I forget the passing and cycle of seasons? It is hard not to be mindful when the beauty of the landscapes of the countryside is the default mode. Its beauty assault I cannot ignore even if the glimpse will take only a second to snap from a passing jeepney. I have to be really fast during these shoots when I have to position my camera inside a running jeepney oftentimes myself occupying the front seat.

For almost two (2) years documenting the fields along Bulusan route from a jeepney passenger perspective, these images (rice field photos) seem to appear like a slide show flowing flawlessly in a perfect cadence  in my mind. The borderline between my memories of past unending cycles of sowing and harvesting in these familiar routes seems to merge as I snapped away the landscapes of my town and its neighbors  from a jeepney — a habit probably now familiar with the local jeepney drivers in my hometown. Thanks to these rural jeepney drivers, they don’t mind this quirky habit of mine at all! In fact, they tend to follow the rhythm of the sound of the clicks of my camera during my shooting mode and sometimes give the go signal nudge for me to snap a view  and  to quip unexpectedly —  “that too, that is beautiful!”

Rice planting season with Bulusan Volcano as backdrop, June 2014.

Countryside scene, 19 June 2014

Photos: Alma P. Gamil, Bulusan-Barcelona, Sorsogon  road view,  June 19, 2014

Ice cold beer on a hot day at the beach

Eva’s Beach Park, Bulusan, June 2014

I have no other plans  that afternoon of June 11, 2014  but to hie off to a near beach and sniff a doze of ocean’s breeze. I needed this fix badly to counteract some personal giddiness of late.

So off to the beach I went. The newly opened Eva’s Beach Park was my choice for a change of venue from my usual beach foray. An ice-cold beer on a hot afternoon by the beach seems a nice idea at that moment.

From the center town, it takes only a 10-peso tricycle ride to reach Eva’s Beach Park — a newly opened resort cum restaurant/pub along the beach of Dancalan, a coastal village. It is still under construction but the rawness is okay with me. The casual arrangement that is not intimidating added to the relax mode of the place. I love it at once because of its lack of pretensions. What you see is what you get.  The sprawling lawn is not yet manicured and the huts have that picnic Philippine style look  that are so inviting even for passers-by.

I don’t usually like plastic flowers as interior accents  so it  was  a surprise that the pink and yellow flowers dangling on the ceiling of the main cottage do not bother me a bit. Even the bulky karaoke sound system that was  not in use that afternoon is okay with me. The place was empty of visitors by the time I arrived — nearing 3:30 pm.

I selected a spot where I have a full view of the crescent-shaped ocean’s edge of Dancalan shore. The spot is a simple coconut stump table with its cut trunk  serving as bench. I ordered San Miguel Light. It arrived in a bucket full of ice cubes. It tasted sweet to me and as I sat alone in that beautiful spot my thoughts lingered to a sweet friend of mine a thousand miles away and imagined how different things would be if I could share this moment with him — this beer moment by the sea.

Cheers to YOU, my dulce extranjero!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Photos : Alma Gamil
Eva’s Beach Park, Dancalan, Bulusan, Sorsogon
Philippines

An afternoon in the village

Multi-tasking mother in Barangay Santa Barbara, Bulusan, 2014.

I love stories. This is the reason why I love taking photographs.

“Why not take our photographs while we’re weaving,” says the younger mother when she saw me taking photos of the native Biriran tree at their front yard in Odikin. Of course, I was just too happy to oblige. I knew very well just by looking at the subjects that the photos will result to these interesting vignettes.

Odikin officially referred to as Barangay Santa Barbara is an outlying mountain village located at the lower slopes of Mount Bulusan. It is here where I source most of the Bulusan plant photos.

Photos: Alma P. Gamil
Bulusan, Sorsogon

Go Sweet Stranger

Sweet stranger go.

Go and do not think of me. Do not burden yourself with guilt. I already knew the end of this even before you uttered your sweet lies. I know the likes of you. Do not worry about me. I am an old soul. I have already befriended the skies, the moon, the stars and the blazing sun eons ago. I have befriended the sand and the waves and frolicked in it in the summer sun and will do so in the days to come. So do not worry about me. I am in the best company. Go.

And oh, by the way, thank you for bringing a whiff of that gorgeous fragrance to the summer air. I t was a scent not unlike the blended fragrance of wild citrus, patchouli and native cedar that abound here in the nearby forest… with a hint of the seductive masculine musk. Your scent however is the kind that vanishes quickly into thin air the notes of which are like hues of a faint rainbow elusive and ephemeral.

Go before you see my heart.

Photo : Alma Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon, 2014

Bayugin is not just a waterfall

Bayugin Vicinity, 28 May 2014

A local guide and a guest on their way to Bayugin Falls.

Lapinig, one of the hardest woods there is and a critically endangered species still stands proudly in Bayugin.

The waters of Bayugin is so fresh and clean, you can drink straight from it.

Two days ago I took the above photo of my guest with a local guide trekking the heart of a tropical mountain forest while I was trailing slowly at a distance for some flora shoots.  The rushing waters of Bayugin Falls can be heard clearly while walking on this  mountain trail adding a dash of excitement to the short trek.

I was just expecting a medium-sized waterfall since I have already seen a lot of photos of  Bayugin Falls from several web sites promoting Bulusan tourism and travel. But Bayugin to my surprise  is more than that.  Bayugin is a visual treat — enchanting and magical.  Pitch perfect for a fairy land scenery complete with a tropical forest picnic grove, crystal clear natural pool endlessly flowing to the lower slopes of the forested Bayugin Falls’ vicinity.

The center piece of course is Bayugin Falls that fills the air and the dense greenery with the sound of a rushing stream flowing happily.

Bayugin Falls is the centerpiece of  this tropical forest picnic grove.

The picnic grove is a scene straight from fairy land.

According to Abraham Tan, the chief researcher of the Bulusan Historical Society, the name Bayugin originated from the word Bayog, a species of bamboo growing in Kapangihan (San Francisco) the village where Bayugin is a ‘sitio.’

Local boys enjoying their daily summer plunge in Bayugin River

Local children were enjoying immensely the cool waters of Bayugin River just beside the waterfall  the short minutes that we were there.  The boys dive, plunge and swim in the freshest and cleanest of inland body of water I have ever seen in Bulusan as we snapped the beauty around us.

I was mesmerized.

Note: The mountain village of San Francisco (also called Kapangihan in Bulusan) can be reached via tricycle from the Poblacion of Bulusan. Tricycle fare costs 15 pesos one way.

Photos: Alma Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Little Bora of Bulusan

Little Boracay’s curfew reminder on the wall.

Menu is on the white board. Choose from the list and order.

Little Boracay’s cottage with a view.

Picture perfect if not for the wailing karaoke sound from the main cottage.

Main cottage is where my nemesis is – karaoke.

Little Boracay is the name of a modest restaurant in Bulusan beside the sprawling Dancalan Beach. Its name comes from the famous Philippine beach, Boracay. The menu borders on the practical stomach fillers like pansit, lomi and sandwiches. The look is unpretentious — more like a cross between a canteen and a bar that happens to be near the beach. It looks like a bar because of the presence of the bulky karaoke system and the cases of beer on plain view on the bamboo flooring.

But wait! There’s more! Discover the back of this beach bar. The view is simply awesome with the coast of Dancalan curving like a crescent lagoon. The only drawback is the karaoke singing that will spoil your beach reverie. If this happens, walk slowly to the area going to the Baluarte side of Dancalan Beach where the menu is always ‘peace and quiet’ by the sea. This of course is another story.

Photos: Alma Gamil
Bulusan, Sorsogon, May 2014

Happy Fiesta, Barcelona!

Barcelona Church, Barcelona, Sorsogon, 19 May 2014

Saint Joseph, patron saint of Barcelona town

Barcelona Church interiors, 19 May 2014

Barcelona Church facade viewed from below, 19 May 2014

The left corner of Barcelona Church up close

May 19 is the Feast Day of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of Barcelona, Sorsogon. The town is adjacent to Bulusan and share the same beautiful eastern sea coast of Sorsogon province.

Barcelona town was formerly a part of Old Bulusan during the Spanish rule when almost all towns of the second district of the province of Sorsogon were under the political and geographical territories of Bulusan. This changed however in the late 18th century and early 19th century when several towns including Barcelona were given their own parroqia. Barcelona became a separate town in the year 1866.

Nevertheless, the local culture and the dialect remain intertwined with Bulusan up to the present.

Barcelona is currently the toast of the province’s cultural and heritage tourism thrust mainly because of its intact Spanish colonial period church. It is said that Barcelona Church is the most photographed heritage structure in the whole province of Sorsogon – a fact I was able to observe as true with several visitors passing by the area just to get photographs of the church and the ruins of the old Presidencia building  just across it.

As usual, I visited the church to offer my prayers and light candles (pailaw) to Saint Joseph after the peak hours of the fiesta. It was around 3:00 PM when I arrived at the church. The afternoon’s breeze from the sea across the street fronting the church mingled with the quietness of the place. There were few remaining devotees to Saint Joseph quietly praying with some visitors coming in trickles for some photo ops and selfies.

It was a memorable visit and a chance to thank the Saint for  prayers answered.

Photos: Alma P. Gamil
Barcelona, Sorsogon

Flores: Flowers of May (Flores de Mayo) rites of Bulusan (1)

Local children singing hymns and offering flowers and  confetti of petals to the Blessed Virgin Mary at the church in Bulusan.

Until now I can not yet figure out the correct lyrics (in Spanish) of the ‘Flores’ song in Bulusan. Thus, I will make up for this lack of information by sharing photos of the event.

Flores is the traditional May flower offering rites done by young girls (and now with boys included) during the whole month of May in our town in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This event is entirely separate from Santacruzan where ‘queens’ are paraded in the center of town during the final festivities. The ‘Flores,’ on the other hand, is a less grandiose  event and involves more singing of hymns to the Blessed Mother with offerings of floral blooms and petals showered at the foot of her image in the church. The series of photos consist of the first week of the Flores rites with local children from the Poblacion participating.

Local girls singing the endearing childhood traditional ‘flores’ song in Bulusan.

Bulusan Flores rites attract mostly girls from 4 to 10 years old. (May 10, 2014)

Confetti of petals offered by the ‘flores’ participants fill the church floor fronting the image of the Blessed Mother with colors and fragrance.

“We can not deny boys who also want to participate in the ‘flores’ event,” says the elderly organizer of the ‘flores.’

Flores girls lay their floral bloom offerings one at a time at the foot of the image of  the Blessed Virgin Mary after the singing of hymns inside the church in Bulusan.

Note: The lyrics  for the traditional ‘flores’ song in Bulusan is finally documented here:

http://pamughaton.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/an-kanta-sa-flores/

Thanks to Pamughaton.wordpress.com.

Photos: Alma P. Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon