if you must do one thing in Camiguin...

To put it bluntly: get off your butt. J

Sure, you may be looking forward to unwinding in this little piece of paradise. Or, as most tourists do, to hop in a van and go on a road trip around the island, stopping by the usual attractions like the Old Church ruins and the hot and cold and soda springs. Or, as most tourists also do, to beach-bum on White Island or its more ecological sister, Mantigue Island.

But would you really rather be just another tourist when you could see and do and experience so much more? As a born-and-raised Camiguingnon, I commonly get people asking for advice for their planned trip to the island. There are plenty of tips any islander could give you, but here’s my biggest one:

The known tourist spots are a must, of course, especially if it’s your first time visiting. But don’t fall asleep in the van! Open those dull tinted windows and don’t hesitate to get out LOTS of times. Camiguin has plenty of underrated sites and snippets of local culture just a bit off the road, and discovering these makes your trip a hundred times richer.

Take your time to walk around, commute a bit, talk to locals, and match the laidback-but-eager pace of the island. Just. Be. There.

Ready to soak it up? Here are my favorite non-conventional Camiguin spots to visit… and then some.

notes to strangers

For Valentine’s Day, I'm going to give out a special note. Or 12 of them. And I'm not going to give them to my boyfriend, or to my crush(es), or even to my closest girl friends whom I love from the bottom of my heart.

I'm going to give these notes to you.

if these stone walls could talk... (pt. 2)

Part 2 of a photographic collection of quiet, time-tested structures. See the first part here.

The interior of Our Lady of Assumption Church in Dauis, Bohol, with frescoes dating as far back as 1916. This is one of the churches currently undergoing restoration after suffering from the 2013 Bohol earthquake.

if these stone walls could talk...

Churches, dungeons, cafes -- there are few things more humbly steeped in history than these structures, unexpectedly standing on some bustling street corner. These places of magic, if they don't captivate you with their time-tested beauty, will make you wonder about the stories of old witnessed by their quiet, enduring walls.

The facade of the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral bears the inscription "Tibi cordi tuo immaculato concredimus nos ac consecramus (We consecrate to your immaculate heart and entrust to you (Mary) for safekeeping)."

the life-changing poetry of William Stafford

I once chanced upon a Tumblr blog called "You Reading This... Be Ready" and was so taken by its blog name that I googled it to see if it was a reference to something. And what a something the reference turned out to be. It was a poem by William Stafford, an American poet whose works are described as pacifist.

Like many poets, Stafford wrote about a spectrum of themes, including the western US and the environment. But the poems that captured me most are his grand explorations of personal concepts such identity, human potential, and the future. Using everyday words, these poems have built for me wide-open windows into my self, with visions so magnificent, I can't help but be inspired.

Here, my five favorites from William Stafford:

a letter to my pre-graduation self

Dear self who’s about to graduate,

Not to be vain or anything, but congratulations! You experienced the bone-crushing pressure, the sleep-deprived nights, and the psychosis-inducing anxieties of tertiary education, but you survived. You struggled, you cried, you commando-crawled through it all, and now, you’re here! You’re victorious! You’re free!

Right?

carousel of sacred places

Free-versing to start the year with. >>>