I am the annoying tourist who sacrifices enjoying the moment so that I catch it on film.  My friends oftentimes hate me, and sometimes I do regret not fully taking in some wonderful moments in my effort to get a good photo or video.

Of course, now that I’m NOT on vacation, I am so happy that I was the annoying tourist toting a digital camera in one pocket and a camcorder in the other.

This video breaks every rule I believe in in terms of video production.  It’s too long (10 minutes).  It has too many still photographs.  And there’s no story arc.

But, I like it.

My vacation to the Philippines was certainly a highlight of my 30 years, and this video is made to remember those few days.

Music by Jack Johnson and Bjork.

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I know, I know.  EVERYONE takes crappy sunset photos on vacation.  It’s as if we’re unable to see sunsets in our hometowns and when thrust upon a new landscape, something as common as sleep becomes so incredibly fascinating.

I do try to see the natural beauty of the earth; however, I live in the Apartment Republic of Korea (check out the view from my window); therefore, I don’t get sunsets, stars, grass, etc… the only nature I see is my two-foot tall ficus that sits near the window.  And if I want to go out in nature, I have to contend with hundreds of GORE-TEX laden power walkers.  So while on vacation, I was quite excited to see sunsets, stars, water…

So, here are my obligatory vacation sunset photos.  I like them.  :)  You can view the full set here.

And for the record, I support Korea’s efficient system of apartment housing.  It makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE than the American system of buying a house you can’t afford to go with the SUVs you can’t afford to go with the clothes you can’t afford to go with the kids you can’t afford.

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One of the best parts of Siquijor was the butterfly sanctuary.  I’d never been to anything like this, but I have to admit, being in a beautiful garden with butterflies flying all around is about as close to heaven as I’ve ever come… it was certainly much better than the “Heaven” room the Baptists would send me to with the fake stream flowing over a tarp and the fake Jesus giving me a hug in Teva sandals…

At any rate, the butterfly sanctuary is located near the highest peak on the island, so the bike ride up is amazing, and once you’re there you can see the entire island.

It was wonderful.

Here’s a short video clip (1:50)…

And here are the photos.  You can view the full set here.

Music: Bjork — Frosti

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The Philippines have a reputation for taking Jesus seriously… and on Siquijor there was no shortage of Jesus paraphernalia.

Most of the things I saw were built in the 19th century when the Spanish had colonized the islands.  I found them all to be very beautiful in their own way.

One thing I always find interesting is the way people choose to visually depict their gods.  I’ve never been a visual person when it comes to religion.  I’ve always felt that a human representation of God, Jesus, Buddha, whomever, was just so… demeaning.  I mean, if I’m supposed to look for guidance in religion, humanizing it doesn’t really beef up the resume.

At any rate, I do love seeing how others depict their gods, Jesuses, etc.  And in these churches there was no shortage of murals, statues, or sculptures.  I loved it.

Probably the most interesting piece I saw was St. Rita of Cascia, also known as Black Magic Mary (Siquijor being the bewitched island).  I had read about St. Rita before arriving and I really wanted to see it.  I was surprised to find out that this statue of St. Rita was right behind the lectern at Our Lady of Divine Providence Church.  I had thought it would be hidden, or in a museum somewhere.

The statue of St. Rita shows her holding a skull in one hand and an inverted cross in the other.  But her face… her face is the spookiest part, and it really is downright scary to look at.  The photos don’t do it justice.

But, this post isn’t all about St. Rita.  Here’s some photos of all the main religious things I saw.

See the full photo set here.

Our Lady of Divine Providence Church; Maria, Siquijor:

St. Isidore Church; Lazi, Siquijor:

Goats in the church yard.

You can see the one candle that was still lit when I arrived.

Lazi Convent & museum; Lazi, Siquijor (supposedly the largest convent in Asia):

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Cambugahay Falls was one of the favorite things on my trip.  I had seen pictures before I arrived and I knew what to expect.  However, like pretty much everything I saw in the Philippines, it exceeded every expectation.

Cambugahay was also one of the few places I went where there were other people around.  Several families were having picnics and swimming, and it was quite nice.  I had read about thieves who hide in the bushes waiting for you to abandon your things — I saw none of that (although someone at the resort had had a bad experience).

Here are the photos.  You can view the full set here.

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I just got back from my vacation in The Philippines.  I spent most of my time in the Siquijor province, but also went out to Apo Island, Dumaguete, and Manila.

Siquijor was amazing.  I stayed at the Kiwi Dive Resort (highly recommend), which only has a handful of cottages, and even though there were other “resorts” nearby I was almost always alone on the beach.

It was surreal.  No matter what time of day, I seemed to be the only person around.

In addition, there was a wonderful coral reef just a few meters out, so I went snorkeling several times a day.

It was a wonderful vacation.  Siquijor has won my heart, and I’ll definitely be back.

These are just the first photos… many more are coming.

View the full set here.

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