Foot and Fire

Malalison Island is only a small island with a population of 750 and registered voters numbering to 400. The only populated area is concentrated at the back of the sand bar which serves as entrance to  the Island. There, the barangay hall is located as well as the basketball court which serves as their plaza as well. It was a quiet afternoon in November when I visited Malalison the first time and I can sense that the water was not as high as when I revisited the cave part in April shortly just after noon. What I immediately noticed about the rock is the a human head bust in the rock formation. Also, I sensed immediately that the summer sun dried out the same and it looked lifeless, unlike the rock I first visited. See the difference here.  At any rate, here are the quick snaps I managed to get featuring the cave! *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

From the populated area of the island located just at the back of the portion of the seashore conducive for swimming, lie an easy track leading to the breathtaking hills of Malalison Island. The guide claims that they call it as their "Little Batanes." one can circle the hills for two hours through easy walk covering about four kilometers all in all. One can wait for the sunset there (We went there last April 2015) but one has to bring flashlight as the trail is not lighted at nighttime. The last time I went to Malalison Island, I enjoyed the cave. Check out the other  beauty of Malalison here.   *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

One of the joys of summer is being able to swim in the salty waters and to embrace the sun's hotness. Hence, summer means sunburns, sands and seas! All of that is in Malalison Island, an island with 750 residents and 400 registered voters. They have a school in the island and a barangay hall which was rebuilt after Bagyo Ondoy toppled the original hall. Please see my previous post on Malalison Island.  Below is a series of photos, I was able to take to show that the island boasts white sand and crystal blue waters! Malalison Island is only 15-minute boat ride from Culasi Wharf. It is the nearest island since Batbatan Island is 45 minutes away and Maniguin Island is 3 hours away.  *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

One of the joys of travelling is being able to see flowers bloom and beautify the surroundings. The vine with white flowers I am holding above is everywhere in the country and it is also here in Antique, Panay Island, Philippines. Here are the blooms I was able to preserve in frame. One of them is the pitcher plant which grows in the trail towards the hills of Malalison Island.  *** *** *** Cat's tail or Bleeding Heart *** *** Blossom of the Tambis fruit. *** *** Lampunaya with blooms. *** The opened Pitcher plant.  It lures the insects inside it and kills them with its acid.  ***

One of the joys of a visit to the countryside is the unending admiration to the natural beauty of the mountain ranges against the clear blue skies and fluffy cotton clouds. And if one happens to be in Antique, one cannot escape but admire the beauty of the Madya-as Mountain ranges (also spelled Madia-as). It is said to be the second favorite mountain to climb among the mountaineers of the Philippines. Here are the decent shots I had of the Madya-as Mountain while we were traversing the highways and numerous bridges of Antique as well as while we were in our Culasi hometel called Ana Sophie and in Malalison Island.     *** *** *** *** Madya-as Mountain at dawn taken from our hometel in Culasi proper. *** Madya-as Mountain at dawn taken from our hometel in Culasi proper. *** Madya-as Mountain taken from the hilltop of Malalison Island. *** Morning face of Madya-as Mountain  taken from the seaside...