One Hundred Islands: The Beginning of More Than A Thousand Journeys

I had been visiting Pangasinan for a year as part of work and I just passed by its highways. I go as far as Alaminos. During a lunch treat, I was brought to that side of town and I was told that those islands I was gazing at are part of what they call Hundred Islands. I felt that that traveller soul in me awakened.

Going to hundred islands was just part of travel wishes on a lunch get together with officemates before. When one gets trapped in the world of work, those islands seemed so unreachable.

At that time, when I saw the islands from the restaurant, I knew I would be seeing those before long.

I rented a small boat. I was “alone” with a friend, who was born and raised in this province, but has not been into any of the islands. Weird, but true. As I stated, “trapped.” Or was that water phobia?

Each of the islands has its unique exquisiteness. What I appreciated the most are the islets, small, silent, and deserted. “No people” was better for me.  

There were big islands with caves. There were medium islands with, still, caves. 

There were mountainous islands, where you can view from the top the other islets. 

Have you been here? Did you see the “kawawa” island? It was the forsaken small rock-like islet with a wilted branch of a tree, all alone under the sun. This was funny. And lonely (for the islet). But it is true, it’s there. And that is how these boatmen call it.

There was this island, where there is a cave with a “swimming pool.” What the other people do is to jump into the water. I was terrified to do that. I did not want to do it. But that brave soul in me was struggling inside me. So I went through the beach to the cave. 

It was a first for me, to again, get soaked with beach water, after many years.

It was a realization that this is exactly what my physical and emotional being had been looking for. Get drenched, dripping wet, with salt water. And be immersed with nature. And feel it. By my skin. By my heart. I was shouting joyously. And I just knew then in my heart that this is just the beginning of my journey. I was wading and my feet were once again swimming. Fascinated. Freed, “untrapped”, untangled.

Though this place is one of the postcards I bought in July, which is posted in the wall of my room; and though I knew that I would definitely land my feet on these islands, it never passed through my mind that after this quick interface with caves, water, and islands, that I would want to see more of similar (or diverse) things out there. Those God's wonderful creations.

This is just a hundred, I thought. There are seven thousand more. Just for this country. And how much more of the islands of this waterworld. I was more than hungry. I was determined to capture further. I was strong-minded to touchdown at every island and become an islander.

I stopped counting if we had arrived at those hundred islands. My mind was overjoyed and already enthralled of my upcoming adventures. This is just the beginning. From a personal blog called Joyous Journeys, gave birth to an Islander in me, authentic, Journeying Pinay.

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This day trip to Hundred Islands 
was on August 13, 2011;
With friend, Mickey.