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Blog My Town: brainPH Project - Mobile Books on the Go within Odiongan (Romblon) area in time of ECQ5/2/2020 BRAINITIATIVES-PHILIPPINES (brainPH) is my personal contribution to improve the learning of the people through reading. Sharing my personal book collection, it is a simple way to encourage young and adults to read novels, short stories and other literary works done by either local and foreign writers. brainPH stands for 'B'awat 'R'omblomanon 'A'asenso 'I'aangat 'N'ayong' Pilipino (Filipino). My obsession with books started when I was pursuing my research program at the University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane, Australia. By 2003, I already started buying books, including magazines on photography and travel. I also created a website intended to this book collection, allowing my readers access to my online mini library. The easiest way is to post book covers or I called it, BOOK FACE - posting of cover of the book with brief description of the book. I suppose to launch the brainPH Project in December 2019 through a mobile book library, where selected number of my books will be displayed and people can borrow them in a certain period of time. Unfortunately, due to work load, it did not pushes through but with the current health crisis, I thought it could be a good start to bring these books to Romblomanon, particularly in Odiongan (Tablas Island) area. The mechanics of borrowing are simple: One requirement is only an ID with photo on it, active cellphone number, and email address as an alternative mode of communication. One to three books per household is/are allowed for 3-5 days but it can be extended. For special books, only (1) one book per household for 3-5 days. The partial list of these books are listed below. For additional updates and information, visit the Facebook fanpage named, BOOK AKLAT LIBRO.
BEFORE BBC BOOKSHOP (BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND, UK) was closed permanently in 2007, I bought several books and DVDs for a half price from the store. In particular, I collected 3 out of the 4 exciting series of books written by international travel writers, Steve Davey and Steve Watkins; and photographers, Marc Schlossman and Clare Jones. Briefly, these travel books include the following: Unforgettable Islands to escape to before you die, Unforgettable Journeys to take before you die, Unforgettable Things to do before you die, and Unforgettable Places to see before you die. First, I will be sharing to you the fourth title published in 2007, entitled Unforgettable Islands to escape to before you die! Why the Unforgettable Islands? Well, just to give you first a background of my origin. I was born and raised in one of the 7,107 islands of the Philippine archipelago. Where is Philippines located, by the way? Having a review of geography, my home country is just 3 hours away from Japan and Singapore by plane and almost 5 hours from Australia. Also, this is where Mylene Klass' mother and Nicole Scherzinger's (Pussycat Dolls) father came from. People who are living in the Philippines are known as Filipinos and the country got its name from Spain - colonized "Filipinas" for more than 300 years. In other words, I am an islander who loves the beach, coconut trees, waves, sunset, coral reefs, forest, cool breeze and rivers! The environment I grew up was quite similar as portrayed in the Shipwrecked or Lost TV programmes, except that there is no competition and no fear for survival. It is a place I always called "home". This is the reason why the book reminded me of my home - a place where illustrated inside the colourful 256 pages of the book. When I found this book during my first visit to BBC store, I was fascinated by its cover and the title itself. A feeling that draws me to browse the book and finding out why it is unforgettable. I searched it thru Amazon to see if I could get a cheaper deal, unfortunately the price is the same at £18.99. Luckily, few months later, the BBC store closed down and offered 50-70% discounts of books. Without a second thought, I bought the 3 titles. The author, Steve Davey and with the assistance of Marc Schlossman for the images of the 40 islands featured in the book, vividly describes his personal experience visiting these islands for almost 11 months. Some of the islands where covered in the first three series of his publications which I will be reviewed in the near future. I don't want to give you all the contents of this book, but rather I will provide you the outstanding elements of the book that a traveller and photo hobbyist like me could get unforgettable insights of the featured islands which I am also dying to explore them before I die! Generally, the book is perfectly packaged in a form suitable for a coffee table display. The image featured in the hard cover is taken from Stockholm, Sweden. The author's introduction is very well written emphasizing the value of visiting these places, without affecting the eco-system of the islands. He acknowledged both the positive and negative effects of tourism to these vulnerable places, and the same time the rewarding hospitality and generosity of the people living in these islands surrounded by bodies of water. On the other hand, the lay-out is simple where the texts and images were laid-out for easy reading. Each of the 40 islands featured in the book are illustrated between 8-10 pages, where photos are in different sizes with individual short caption. For each island, extra information is added explaining on how to reach the place in terms of the best time to visit and the mode of transport to reach the island. Few pages at the back of the book cover important contacts that the author recommended to communicate, including useful websites. It also contains a map showing the locations of each island as a table contents graphically laid out at the first few pages of the book for easy browsing. When I finally finished reading the book, the first thing that entered my mind was on the decision of the author to embark visiting these places in a span of 11 months. As a traveller, visiting a place is always motivated by fascinating features and priceless experience of being there in the island as described by others who have been there and also the promotional campaigns thru available on-line or printed materials. I am not sure if the author was persuaded by what others have said or what he had read about these islands. Maybe, as a travel writer, he was looking for distinct characteristics of each island that might encourage other people (like me) to experience what he had or maybe trying to persuade a segment of the urban society to visiting some places that they would never considered before. In order to understand the motivation of the author to publish these 40 islands, I decided to examine the characteristics of each island as being discussed by the author. These are the interesting points that I have found out and vividly demonstrated in the images printed on it. * The island has unspoiled beaches, wildlife (flora and fauna) or biological diversity. * The island has interesting history, including the way of living: culture, tradition, settlements, inhabitants, religion and beliefs * The island has unique geological formation that attracts people for climbing, cycling, walking * The island has a archaeological significance, including sensitive marine environment with endangered species * The island has beautiful landscape, including cityscape and urban form and architecture * The island is accessible for all means of transport, especially by air, and finally * The island has "photogenic" charisma - a delight for both professional and amateur photographers. I also observed that the quality of the images inside the book portrayed the significance of these places, without major alteration of the print. In other words, the photos do not bear any special effects which enhance the colour and presentation of the images. What you see in the pages of the book, are what you get when you visit these places - very natural view of people, structures, motion, textures, and surroundings. I was really impressed with images taken in Thailand, Fiji, Santa Barbara (USA), Sicily, Portugal, including the Philippines. Why this publication stands-out from the rest of the travel books that I have read?
Aside from the reason of having visited the countries (not the islands) mentioned, the book is unique in a sense that the author gave his personal reflections about the travel as well as the photographer captured the natural sceneries thru the images. There was a chemistry between the writer and the photographer to bring out the best features of these islands - to captivate the hearts of travellers like me - destined to explore the planet Earth. In a way, it serves as a travel guide as well but more on the aspects of the physical features of the islands - exploring the unspoiled beauty. Are you hopeful that you have already visited some of these places during your holidays or are you planning to visit them in months to come and still undecided to have it a go as your next top priority holiday destination? Well, personally I have only visited 3 of the islands, namely: Stockholm (Sweden), Hongkong (China), Palawan (Philippines) out of the 40 places mentioned in the book. But Im desperately dying to explore the rest before I die especially the following: Big Island (Hawaii), Phang Nga Bay Island (Thailand), Bali (Indonesia), Ibiza and Formentera (Spain), and the Society Islands (French Polynesia). It is an unforgettable reading this book that provided me a glimpse of beautiful places that Mother Earth can offer. Despite the COVID-19 health threat early this year, everybody deserves one or two places to visit before 2020 ends. UNFORGETTABLE ISLANDS, unforgettable places, unforgettable moments and memorable experience of a life time await everyone! NOWADAYS, PLANNING FOR A SUMMER HOLIDAY IS NOT a perfect time to do. But hopefully, after this pandemic crisis, everyone deserves a break – getting away from work from home (WFH) mode. Having said that, Thailand is one of those Asian countries that I personally recommend as an ideal place for short escapades for families or being a “lone” traveler. This Buddhist nation is close to my heart since I set my feet in the old Don Muang Airport 29 years ago to pursue my postgraduate program in urban planning at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Pathumthani Province. That was also my first travel abroad - to be away from home country for almost 3 years! Visiting Thailand is always a delight! It reminds me of so many "first" beautiful things happened in my life. During my recent trip, I did not stay in Bangkok but I explored the eastern seaboard, just near Cambodia. Five hours by bus (from Ekamia station at Sukhumvit Road), then 1.5 hours by mini bus and 1 hour by ferry, I reached Koh Chang Island.
While travelling back to Manila, a stop-over in Naga is a worthwhile thing to do. Spending time to explore its city center - offering special delicacies made of pili (nut) fruit, dried fish and squid, hand-made pandan handbags and other souvenir stuffs. Just few minutes from the city center, another popular attraction to explore, CWC (Camsur Watersports Complex) - the wake boarding experience!
Indeed, this is the answer to all our worries, a natural way to relax and enjoy nature at its best!
KNOWN AS THE SECOND HIGHEST MOUNTAIN in the Philippines, Mt Pulag is a natural park in the northern tip of the country (Benguet, Mountain Province) to be explored during summer. Best known for its sea of clouds as the sun rises in the horizon, Mt Pulag is a popular tourist attraction not only for mountain climbers/trekkers but also for people who want to explore the beauty of its mountain peaks and nearby villages that grow a variety of vegetables and fruits. It is not really a climbing experience, but rather a trek or walk since I joined a group that took the easy trail/route (Kabayan) to reach the summit. Not really easy, but a convenient and safe route for those who decided to climb or hike this mystical Mt Pulag for the first time. There are other trails that are challenging (with more beautiful landscapes to see) for climbers but it will take 2-3 days to arrive at the campsite. For the local people, the mountain is a dwelling place of their ancestors - a sacred land where the spirits of their loved ones stay to guard the forest from destruction. This is the reason why the government requires all visitors to attend an orientation program (briefing) prior to ascent to provide basic information on how to respect the place. To be "silent" or quiet is always the top thing to do during the climb as the local folks believe that heavy rainfall comes when people are noisy and chaotic. The culminating part of the climb is to reach the summit of Mt Pulag at the very early hours of the morning ( at least before 6am). Excluding the 6 hours bus trip from Manila to Baguio, then another 4 hours of jeep ride to reach the Ranger Station (where the local guides and porters await climbers for a minimal fee), 3.5 hours trek to reach the main campsite, it takes 1.5 hours to reach the highest peak of the mountain - the summit. Before ascending the summit, the overnight stay at the foot of the summit is another memorable experience - temperature reaching as low as 5 degrees Centigrade, with a foggy surrounding and misty ground; indeed a coldest sleepless night with other 8 human beings under one tent. A quick visit to the traditional toilet (bathroom) during the night was like a kilometer-walk in the mossy forest of the Amazon. Certainly, it is more fun trekking the mountain ranges of the Philippines. The summit has a maximum capacity for a number of visitors (up to 150 people), so it is desirable to have a reservation prior to the climb. It is frustrating not to reach the summit, but there are lower peaks of the mountain to view the sea of clouds and the rising of the sun from the horizon. But watching the waves of clouds and the sun at the summit is something not to be missed!
Mt Pulag is one of the natural parks in the Philippines under the National Integrated Protected Areas Programme (NIPAP) - a special project funded by European Union. |
AuthorSIBUYANDUDE is a photo enthusiast, and university associate professor in a state university in the Philippines. Archives
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