2 days ago we (Byaheng Mindanaw) paddled (we had help from the locals, and they mostly did the paddling) all the way to the heart of agusan marshland to sitio panlabuhan the floating village. i would love to live there for a while, the internet speed is fast, there are no videoke machines and dogs making awful noises. when i was there i had time to be alone when i was sketching, and during those times, all i could hear was the soft breathing of the world through the gentle swaying of water hyacinths.
and i am definitely going back for the following reasons: birding, sketching, for the serenity, for the canoe rides, for the future art workshop that i am going to give to the kids, and maybe crocodile watching (i am already scared thinking about it), for the friendly people, and for the food!
when we arrived at lake kaningbaylan, which the floating village is part of, there were terns standing around dead bangkal tree trunks and i was just so taken by the view that i forgot to take out my sketchbook and did a few strokes in honor of the birds and the trees. a couple of minutes later, two men came up beside us in their canoe and helped us row our canoe to the village. one of the men in the canoe was a chieftain and he happily talked to us about the marshland and some of its history.
when we got to the village, the tide was high and the water hyacinths are out of the way so it was easier to go inside the floating village area. by the end of the day, the water hyacinths have covered the entrance area and the village was surrounded with green.
the entrance area at low tide with the traveling kit in her manobo traditional tribal dress.
while i was sitting around our cottage in front of the floating church, there was a man sitting on the church entrance smoking and i could not resist not drawing him and the church.
the water hyacinths are called 'lilies' by the people living there, this hyacinth was growing by the bamboo raft. i had to draw it twice, even if it was not easy to draw i certainly had fun doing it.
i posted some videos of the area at the prodding child's instagram account.
me and the beautiful kit
goofing off with the little travel teller before our shoot.
presenting the different tribal dresses in mindanao. directed by the travel teller
canoeing is the best activity there for lovers.
in the afternoon we gave out some pens and pencils and art materials to the kids, because we completely forgot the time and took more pictures that we should, the distribution of pens of hope in davao was late and some of the kids had already gone home. we left the materials for the kids to the teacher so she can give it to the kids that had gone home before they could get their gifts.
although the facilities are adequate, there is not enough fresh water for 15 people to use for bathing, so we had to wait for rain so we could bath, we waited in the afternoon but rain came around 9pm and it was strong but did not last for long. but still it was a blessing.
a ritual to the gods. the locals there believe that there are 'enkantos' spiritual beings that protect the area, so we did a ritual with the chieftain thanking their god and asked for permission to enjoy their area and take pictures. we offered food, beer, cigarettes and coins, after the blessing, we each had to drink the beer, and it was for me, the best san miguel beer pale pilsen i had ever tasted. maybe the gods tasted it and blessed it and made the taste heavenly.
the entrance of the floating village covered with water hyacinths. this area used to have land where the bangkal trees lived but the water level rose and now the trees are either dead or dying. if given more time, i would like to sketch more of the bangkal trees and the birds, and maybe paint the hyacinths in watercolor or do some digital finger painting with my phone.
drawing the dead bangkal trees (see sketch above this picture) the next morning with a cup of coffee. photo by kikit
before we left the village, we shared with the local community what we thought of our stay and gave suggestions on how they can improve their tourism by making the experience of their visitors more memorable and satisfying.
i started writing the notes in english but not even halfway, i got tired and just had to write in visayan language.
the entrance area at lowtide, we had to puddle through the water hyacinths so we can go back to the town of loreto. photo by the traveling kit
the dead trees where the birds perched, sketched on our way back to town.
one of the views i enjoyed immensely that i forgot all about my pencil and paper. photo by kikit.
the floating village is part of the town of loreto, province of agusan del sur (not agusan del norte which i have written in my sketches) you will have to take the boat for an hour to get from loreto to the floating village which is the heart of the agusan marshlands, but all the time it took for you to go there will all be worth it, because once you are inside the marsh, everything that you will experience is timeless.