Foot and Fire

Paradiso del Sur in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental may not have white sand and blue shores but it can surely provide some salty fix for Negrenses looking for a place to swim. They have pools but I prefer the saltwaters.  I recalled that when we were just kids, my parents would organize a beach picnic for the family. Paradiso was not yet born then. We enjoyed swimming in the old-timer beach properties just close to Paradiso like Bulubitoon beach, Balangigay, and Canonoy. But honestly, today I can't imagine why I really loved playing in the beach given the numbers of jellyfish and rocky areas.

Jurisprudence, a poem found in page 77, Book V of Specks ,  an anthology of my poems published in 2018, is dedicated to a newfound friend whose wedding was upcoming when we met. She's a new lawyer and a bride-to-be who fuss a lot about her wedding prep. I was inspired by her genuine happiness in preparing for her wedding day, something I personally do not call for, ever. But then, inspiration to a poem can be found anywhere but it does not come when summoned intentionally because it comes naturally without any bidding. This is what happened with Jurisprudence, a poem from the point of view of a lawyer and Anchor To Ship, a poem from the point of view of a seafarer. (By the way, fyi, Book V bears art as accompanying drawing in the transition page because all the poems included therein cannot be categorized together with the others, all artistic endeavors in poetry I included in this book.)

Looking back to my visit on this island located just across the touristy Boracay Island, I just can't help but get excited backpacking again. Always, I get excited when I can go on side trips. It takes time and effort researching for the DIY holiday trips but I liked it when I get to see one place only for three days and two nights.  I loved H ambil enough that I made a sensuous poem featuring it. In fact, I was not able to make a blog on my visit because I liked it very much for its quiet picturesque quality; the vibes of the place is my thing. We ate fresh sea catch and available veges at the talipapa. We travel by motorbike or carry van when we get to go to the cliff or the other side of the island but we generally walk from end to end.     Hambil is the old name of Carabao Island of Romblon and the municipality is called San Jose. It is a two-hour travel by boat from Caticlan and they only have two trips a day (6am from the Island and 9am from Caticlan).  

  Who is not having fun when one has a camera these days? A phone cam at that. Well, when in a nature resort, document the nature. I had fun taking my selfie in between sleeping and eating at the Graceland View Resort located at Murcia, Negros Occidental, just diverging from the road leading to Mambukal.  Peace and quiet is yours here if you are lucky enough not to be with a million other picnickers. And I just got lucky! Here, I am sharing with you the flowers and plants I came to retreat with last weekend.   The yellow Gumamela. I'm not sure if this can go to Hibiscus tea. ***

  I had a serene time with nature when I went with the group of my sister on a picnic at Graceland View Resort located near the Don Bosco summer or retreat house in Murcia, Negros Occidental and just a few distance away from the renowned Mambukal Resort. Graceland has a 5.5ft and 4 ft high pool which is overlooking the forests and the hills below it as well as the skies above it. It pays to mention that the water is sourced from the spring, so it entails that the waters one bathe in is cold and mineral-laden. On the left side, one can observe the flying bats of Mambukal later in the day while on the right side, one can observe the structures of Campuestuhan, another mountain concept resort located n Bacolod City.    One can stay overnight or do daytime picnic only, a welcome change to a very touristy atmosphere at the Mambukal resort. If one is raring for a rest and a place to relax, read books and just eat, Graceland is a place to be. Around the resort are different or