It was one ordinary Sunday, with no real itinerary. Sure we had some hazy idea where we'd want to go, but there was no real pressure to be anywhere. But sometimes its these unplanned trips that yield the good images.

Its not very often that I get to go around my home province (work takes me some place else), so I welcomed the idea of "photohunt Sunday" with other kindred souls.

My neck of the woods is South Cotabato - a largely rural province in the southern most part of Mindanao island. Unfortunately, for most outsiders, "Mindanao" is synonymous travel bans, conflict areas, and kidnapping - a very unfair generalization.   So let me take you on a short and random tour of my corner of the world.

pineapple fields forever

A short drive from my hometown is Dole's pineapple fields, one of its largest. This field had been here for as long as I can remember. We always pass by this undulating sea of pineapples on the way to the beach, and as a kid I would stare in awe while riding in the back of my dad's pick-up truck.

moon set

Its pineapple fields as far as the eye can see, on both sides of the Pan - Philippine Highway that connects my hometown to General Santos on the coast. In the background is Mt. Matutum, an ubiquitous figure around South Cotabato and its nearby provinces.

interlude: boat repairs in malapatan

We had a plenty of time after sunrise till the next highlight which is sunset, so we spent some time just driving along the coastline to see what's there to see.



We came across this boat repair yard somewhere in Malapatan with large boats lining the shore. I found out these are fishing vessels (I initially thought they were passenger boats), the ones that spend weeks out in the sea and return with a haul that General Santos is famous for: tuna. General Santos, by the way, prides itself as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines.


The small dinghies or "utility boats" that accompany the larger ones also get a full make over.

the highlight

We made our way to Glan, a town on one end of Sarangani bay, famous for its white sand beaches in Gumasa. But we decided the perfect spot to catch the sun going down (at least for this specific time of the year) was somewhere between Malapatan and Glan, where some of the picturesque mangrove trees stand. It was a familiar spot, one we have been to before, but one that has not given us a beautiful sunset.

One of the great challenges of outdoor photography is the patience to wait for hours and be resigned to the possibility that you won't get anything when that magic hour arrives.

precursor

Dark rain clouds threatened, and a light rain fell. But we stood our ground and crossed our fingers for luck. And the reward? Well, it was a great symphony of sunset colors.

a fiery one

Seems like Mother Nature spared no expense at painting the sky with some of the explosive colors we've seen.

swirly bits

Not bad for a day's shoot, if I can say so myself. Not bad at all.

Oh, if you happen to be in my corner of the world one of these days, don't miss the chance to visit Lake Sebu.