Lakwatsarah

September 18, 2013. Under the scorching heat of the morning sun, I patiently walk the streets of Tacurong as I struggle to find a decent spot to take photos and witness for the very first time the Talakudong Street Dancing and Field Demonstration . My burnt skin due to previous festivals and farm visits screams for some time out, but I just couldn't let the unforgiving sun ruin my excitement. It's another day to explore the city, my birthplace and my family's home province on this one festive day. Plus, this is after all, the fourth and last festival of my almost 3 month long Mindanao itinerary.   performers swaying their vibrant kudongs

Provincial Capitol of Sultan Kudarat The capitol carries a design that is a combination of Muslim and Christian symbols with a commanding gold painted dome. The exterior is magnificent, a far cry from the country’s usual capitols. This landmark, more so, is said to be Southeast Asia’s biggest. 

Black Crowned Night Heron It’s been sunny for the past 2 days in Tacurong so I decided to push through with an afternoon visit to Baras. The day is good and the roads are dry, it's a perfect time to see those migratory birds. This simple barangay located west of poblacion, houses one of Sultan Kudarat’s most sought after tourist spot, giving visitors a one of a kind bird watching experience.

My first ever T’nalak Festival experience happened in 2008 . Unfortunately, it was just a (half) day short as I booked my return trip to Manila the day the festivity started. Little did I know I would be missing on a lot of fun street festivity. I was able to do a quick tour though of the bahay kubo exhibit, the agri-trade fair and did last few minute pasalubong shopping inside the Protech Center. It was a very short introduction to T'nalak Festival but it sure did ignite my interest to watch the much talked about parade on my next visit.  In 2010, I made sure to catch the Street Dancing Parade . I was on the streets of Alunan by 6am before the street dancing started with the tribal music pumping the festival vibe, I was extremely excited as it was my first ever festival parade experience. But rain poured, hard. Despite that, I was totally blown away to see student performers, still in full spirits, merilly dancing in the rain draped with t'nalak costumes. I wasn’t abl...

I'm now in Tacurong city, Sultan Kudarat. I plan to embark on yet another long trip to this southern part of the Philippines. With just one way ticket, my first long trip to Mindanao, happened in 2008, right after I left my job. It lasted for a month. Then in 2010 I found myself wandering in South Cotabato again for 2 months hopping from one habalhabal to another. This 2013, I'm back in Mindanao. my packs onboard Yellow Bus Liner from GenSan to Tacurong For this particular trip, a Sandugo Ascent 45L Backpack will serve as my home for 3 months.

Who says you need a travel agent to put together a great vacation backpacking trip? This post aims to provide some helpful tips for anyone who wanted to travel long term in Mindanao. While mine may not be a hardcore backpacking trip as most of the provinces I’ll be visiting comes with a relative living in the area, my plan could still be adapted and customized by whoever wants to go on a Mindanao trip. Without further ado, allow me to share some of my preparation plan for this Mindanao backpacking trip . Plane Tickets   Piso Fare roundtrip tickets for Mla-Gensan-Mla I booked roundtrip tickets (Mla-Gensan-Mla) last August 2012 during their much awaited Piso Fare Promo. As you can see, that’s like almost one year before my travel date. Excited lang right? But hey, booking that piso fare promo way in advance meant I was able to save more or less Php6,000. Approximate year round fares (roundtrip): Php7,000+ My Cebu Pacific Piso Fare Promo (roundtrip, with ...

Imagine your most treasured travel photos printed inside the pages of a crisp, glossy coffee table book. House guests can flip through the pages filled with your own photo snaps like the mountain highway leading to your first destination, the vibrant indigenous flower, fiesta parties, the spooky forest trek and the scrumptious shot of your plate. That coffee table book would indeed be a great conversation piece. I have scrapbooks filled with many 4x4 prints. That's before digital cameras happen. Today, we seldom print and simply upload our jpeg files it to our computers, photosharing and social media sites. I miss the art of creating a new scrapbook for my latest photos. The idea of slowly flipping through pages filled with images of my travels is just irresistible. So a month ago, I finally made one for myself and created my own Travel Photobook . My Hardbound, Medium Portrait (8.5x11) Imagewrap Travel Photobook My first ever photobook was ordered in 2008 showcasin...