THE ISLAND WHERE YOU CAN FIND SILENCE AND PEACE (MINDORO)

The year 2010 I was invited by my uncle and other relatives to have a vacation in one of their provincial house where my ancestry sprung. I was able to visit this place 25 years ago where I cannot even recall how it looks like. What I know is that my Grandfather is a local tribe in that area called the “Mangyans”. Yes I am a third generation “Mangyan” and I have still a vast blood that runs through my veins that says I am a Mangyan.

I was so excited since I have traveled parts of the world and yet I did not come back to where my ancestries sprung. It was really an honor to go back to where my genes came from.

After a long trip from Manila (capital city of Philippines) to Batangas (a busy cargo and passenger cruise port) I was to see the big change. Before that port was just made of wood and few ship and boats docks to the pier. Now I cannot count using my fingers. There are always ships that are waiting to dock and ships that are leaving the port. It was really busy like an airport. And yes, it was like an airport. There is allotted check in time for passengers, an entrance gate, a waiting lounge and restaurants. Indeed it was so different now. Below are some of the pictures that describes my mini cruise to the island of Mindoro.

After two (2) hours of waiting in the waiting lounge, the gate finally opened and we rushed to the ship. It was pretty amazing. The cruise to our destination will be just around four (4) hours. I was then tired that I was not able to take pictures while we are cruising and we beat the rough sea since it was raining and it was so good to sleep. I was woke up by Mom and my youngest brother to tell me that we are already in the pier to where our destination is.  Below is the picture of the port. They call it Abra de Ilog. As I remember before, 25 years ago, there is no actual port that we need to transfer to another port to go to the shore and around 200 meters away from the shore there are people waiting to carry you to the sea shore. There is no actually a docking port that time. But now there is already and there are buses and Public Utility Vehicles (PUV) waiting for each passenger to anywhere they wish to go. Note: there is no taxi in this island, no rent a car too, unless you know somebody who owns an SUV or sedan that you can rent. Anyway, have a glimpse of the port now.

While we are waiting to disembark, I saw a fisherman just pass by it was so great. Take a look how small he is from the top.

At last we are able to hop in to an SUV that my uncle rented for us. Look at the vast land, look at the peaceful land. So peaceful that I was able to sleep again. Amazing island indeed.

And now, feed your eyes with a vast of pictures, views and picturesque natural landscape. Take a look.

Batangas Port

Year 2012 when I was granted another vacation from work for 21 days and yet it seems that its not enough.

Take a look at the very improved Batangas port. Last time I was here before 2012 was year 1989. After all of those years it looks like this.

 

this is before you check in

 

 

 

Al Gara Mountain- Al Hasa, Saudi Arabia (Judas Cave)

It was year 2008 when I decided to work in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the purpose of escaping the poverty in my country and taste the bitter sweet life of Overseas Filipino worker. Well, we are a family of OFW, from my uncles to my sisters. You can see us around the globe, from the Europe continent to USA, South America, Australia, Asia and the Pacific.

When I was in Saudi Arabia, I was thinking that desert will be a good place to walk and have trek but I was wrong. It takes me a year to locate a good place to spend a short vacation.

Here are some picture of Al-Gara mountains also known as Judas Cave.

 

PANORAMIC VIEW AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

 

 

ME AT THE TOP WITH SOME PEOPLE AROUND

 

 

JUST CHECK IF I CAN THEN I WENT THROUGH

 

 

TAKEN FROM THE TOP

 

 

 

It was not amazing but it was great. My first time see running water in the middle of the desert where Dates Palm plantation strives with sweetest fruit they can bear. I love the place

 

 

Me and Nature

I love to travel around but not in a busy city or a congested town full of people. I would rather stay long in a forested area with great variety of Flora and Fauna. I have travelled quiet a while to some places and some country but for me the place I can call home is the NATURE.


Since I was a small kid I have this call to photograph nature. I started shooting with my Kodak KB10 camera using 36, 24 or 12 shots film until I got a cellular phone with camera (Nokia N70, Samsung L600 to Samsung L700) then I got my first memory saved digital camera (a very cheap one) and travelled out of the country and got my first Canon 450D with two lenses. Until I was robbed then I change it to 1100D that I have now.


I have joined some guilds to improve my skills in photography until I did Fashion, outdoor, still, glamour, landscape and other. But really I want was to be a nature photographer, so then I did. I travelled to Saudi Arabia and did the first panoramic shoot of Judas Cave (Al-Gara Mountains) in Al- Hasa. Then do further garden shoot, outdoor, parks and even do flying migratory birds shoot (which I lost the time I was robbed)


I am back here in Philippines and I started last 2010 to document my work in my computer. I have travelled to Southern Luzon, MIMAROPA, Central Luzon and one park in NCR. I love to be with animals that graze freely. I love to be under the sun with greens around me. I love the natural music coming from the sound of the breeze accompanied by songs of birds.


The next plan that I have is to join each travel of my youngest brother who is a nature tourist guide and to travel with friends. Soon you will see that I will be here always.


You can visit my photography work from this links below:


http://500px.com/jdnovora


http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/664324/


https://members.nationalgeographic.com/529055050379/


Hope I can continue this advocacy to show the world that nature is our home, that nature is beautiful gift to us, that nature can be preserved by only us and that nature will be as beautiful as it is if we give importance to it.