In this remote place where ghosts
and vampires do not exist, traversing this beach is rather exclusive and
enjoyable. The myths and legends are
just for kids while those they found themselves aware are passionately telling
those stories and experiences.
The zephyr touches the lush
leaves of ‘barok-barok’ producing the hissing sound of claps and twirls of its
branches in a surrendering craze. The
cicadas feverishly sing its music like a lullaby to make someone rest. The long and sandy beach sandwich by these
‘barok-barok’ and ‘bakawan’ is lonely and quiet. In every turns you anticipate someone to
emerge from harvesting a ‘sagkad’ or someone with ‘sagad’ full of fish like the
‘banak’, ‘sandig’ and ‘malagapas’ but no one aside from the singing of ‘taray-taray’
and the seldom cry of ‘tagak’.
The thin and high coconut trees
shades further the lonely canopy. The fresh juice of young coconut is a welcome
relief from the excruciating summer heat.
The footprints are wiped by the surging tide. The workaholic ‘amamaypay’ are fearless in
digging their home in that long and winding sand. The relentless growl of the
waves while breaking its fury amongst the rocky shallow part of the island
ledge is drumming a melody of life.
When breaking the sight of white
beach, the crocodile shaped Canimog Island is a refreshing view from afar. At dawn, the sun breaks and emerges from the
towering peak of Apuao Grande Island and looking like a powerful god on a the
flattened island of Quinapaguian. The
island triumvirate is mightily defending this place from the pounding of the
Pacific Ocean.
The lazy scene is a kilometer
walk from the near shore where you parked a ‘baruto’. When high tide comes you can paddle a
‘baruto’ in the ‘bakawanan’ that provide narrow passages towards the tip of the
beach. The ‘bakawanan’ is home to
various mangroves specie that thrives fearlessly through time like the
‘pagatpat’, ‘kuyapi’ and ‘sapinit’. The
shallow water is home to ‘bungkang’, ‘an-it’, ‘tuhoy’, ‘balilit’, ‘bagungon’,
‘takal’, ‘bugkat’ and ‘tihim’.
During the night when the moon is
dark and those clouds hide its distinct light you can see glowing trees with
‘kuti-kuti’. The ‘talisay’ trees are
noisy and uneasy at night. The ‘kabog’
are busy dining in those sweet pulps of the ‘talisay’ fruit. The prominent red light of Canimog lighthouse
is a beacon of safe distance of the coast.
The tingling suck of ‘nuknok’ is a reminder of some company.
Just before the river cuts the
sandy beach, an old familiar pile of sedimentary rocks towering from the blossoming
leaves of ‘bakawan’, ‘barok-barok’, ‘talisay’, ‘palomaria’ and wild grass once
stands the mighty bungalow where myths and legends told.
