snapshots

day 5 post yolanda.

a lot of devastated people still can't escape ground zero...

paying respect, grieving, surviving. might be too much to take in all at once...

aid, gratitude to nations that unite as one, faith in God first, then faith in humanity...

survivors helping survivors...

love letters, sending ripples of hope, communication in its most basic form, as if mocking the so-called high technology - all gone in an instant...

innocence, ecstasy in tiny packets, tiny children who will someday know what their purpose in life is...

scavenging to survive, no time to cry, no time to be weak... 

(but looting for cellphones is a different thing)

desperate...

day 5 post yolanda - so far, donations have been made, news has been monitored. and yet there are still a lot of people hungry, thirsty, sick, dying. 

what to do next?

yolanda

- "I am a decent person. But if you have not eaten in three days, you do shameful things to survive," Gualberto told AFP as he dug canned goods from the debris and flies swarmed over the bodies.

"This typhoon has stripped us of our dignity... but I still have my family and I am thankful for that."

- "My husband tied us together, but still we got separated among the debris. I saw many people drowning, screaming and going under.... I haven't found my husband."

- "There is no security personnel, relief goods are too slow to arrive. People are dirty, hungry and thirsty. A few more days and they will begin to kill each other," she said.

"This is shameful. We have been hit by a catastrophe and now our businesses are gone. Looted. I can understand if they take our food and water, they can have it. But TV sets? Washing machines?"

- “Ma, just let go. Save yourself,” said the girl, whose body was pierced by wooden splinters from houses crushed by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

source: yahoo, inquirer

teardrops

go go j j waterfalls

so said wawin in his feel-na-feel-na-sounds-like rendition of tlc's waterfalls. hilarious! wawin was about 9 then. nauso ang kantang ito ng tlc. it's a good song! cool! nakakaindak ng balikat!

i was reminded today because i heard it on riot wednesdays on rx. love riot wednesdays! daming memories na nabubuhay sa old songs! 

from metrolyrics.com:

waterfalls by tlc 

(ang haba pala nito! pero maganda ang kahulugan!)

A lonely mother gazing out of the window
Staring at her son that she just can't touch
If at any time he's in a jam, she'll be by his side
But he doesn't realize he hurts her so much

But all the praying just ain't helping at all
'Cause he can't seem to keep his self out of trouble
So he goes out and he makes his money the best way he knows how
Another body layin' cold in the gutter

Listen to me
Dont go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers
And the lakes that youre used to
I know that youre gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you're moving too fast

Little precious has a natural obsession for temptation
But he just can't see
She gives him loving that his body can't handle
But all he can say is, "Baby is good to me"

One day he goes and take a glimpse in the mirror
But he doesnt recognize his own face
His health is fading and he doesnt know why
3 letters took him to his final resting place

Y'all, dont you hear me?
Dont go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers
And the lakes that youre used to
I know that youre gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you're moving too fast

Y'all, dont you hear me?
Dont go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers
And the lakes that youre used to
I know that youre gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you're moving too fast
Come on

I'd seen a rainbow yesterday but too many storms have come and gone
Leaving a trace of not one God giving ray
Is it because my life is ten shades of gray?
I pray, all ten fade away, seldom praise him for the seven days

And like his promise is true
Only my faith can undo the many chances I blew to bring my life to anew
Clear and blue and unconditional skies
Have dried the tears from my eyes

No more lonely cries, my only bleeding hope
Is for the folk who can't cope with such an endurin pain
That it keeps them in the pourin' rain
Who's to blame for tootin caine into your own vein

What a shame, you shoot and aim for someone elses blame
You claim the insane for this day
And time for falling prey to crime
I say the system's got you victim to your own mind

Dreams are hopeless aspirations in hopes of coming true
Believe in yourself
The rest is up to me and you

krabi day 4

so on to the last day! we did some last minute shopping for pasalubongs during the morning. yes, aboard that cool, cool scooter.

any aches, pains? don't worry there's a druggist pharmacy nearby :)

and they have a concrete bench too where you can take the drugs that you just bought hehehe.

after the resort checkout, it was time to bid farewell to the bike that served us well. 

and a quick lunch - tomyum (a staple in our every meal) and chicken satay.

then the resort shuttle took us back to the airport for our flight back home. we learned from manong driver that the day after our departure was the start of the peak season. there would be a number of upcoming festivals. i'm glad we missed the crowded season :) 

while we were at the airport waiting for our flight, it rained heavily. glad our vacation was over by then. 

one thing i found odd was that there were no weighing scales in the airport. before checkin, you might want to do a quick check if your bag weight is still ok. well, they don't seem to have this is krabi airport so you'll have to pay 10thb PER BAG in one of the luggage wrapping shops. yes, you have to pay. and yes, per bag :) 

all in all, the vacation was great! one of the best so far. :)

we are contemplating on exploring the philippines first for the upcoming trips. love your own, right? and i'm sure we have far better spots if only we know where to go :) 

krabi day 3 - roaming in scooters

day 3 was a free day :) mike wanted to try the scooters and roam around aonang. so living like free-spirited creatures, we rented one scooter and rode like rockstars (in helmets) woohoo!

it felt so good! wind blowing on your face, seeing the sights without barriers, catching falling helmets, and at same time hanging on to your dear life!

sad to see trash on the sand. so human desire to destroy nature is really inescapable. :(

the beach on a low tide. you can go on for miles and the water is still just knee-deep. 

a weird shot. can't find words. zzz.

life is simple. we saw a lot of families huddled up like this. just enjoying the shade and the beach with their packed lunches... and hammocks.

nopparat thara beach: these people are as crazy as we are, making a good stroll at the beach - at noon when the sun is at its deadliest form. 

we were drawn to this food market for lunch. 1- there were a lot of people eating. 2- food looks authentic hahaha (as opposed to fake?)

look at the local coke! we got fried rice, green curry chicken, chilli shrimps. food was perfect!

here's the row of food stalls. there's even halal and vegetarian options. everybody could eat here!

above pic looks so busy compared to this empty posh restaurant!

and we were off to roam around again. and look for a gasoline station... that actually looks like this:

during the afternoon, we went off to watch the sunset again. we can't get enough of sunsets :)

riding a bike is a liberating experience. i never thought i would ride one again in my lifetime. i remember my childhood days, when lolo would let me ride with him on his motor. i was about 4 or 5 then :)

we ate dinner in our favorite street market. in this pic, kuya tinderong ma-pr is at his best again. love him! 

we ended the night with a not-so-good massage. people are so forgiving! we were short by 10thb and there's no forex open at that hour. they let us go :) 

day 3 rocks!!! 

krabi day 2 - rainbow and sunset

after the island hopping adventure, we went back to the resort to swim at the pool (can't get enough of water, can we?) and rest for a few hours. we had grand plans of chasing the sun during sunset at aonang beach. when was the last time i've seen a beautiful sunset? can't remember :)

rainbow and sunset - probably two of the most wonderful things in this world. blessed to have witnessed both in one day!

spotted some tourists looking up and taking pictures of something. being the ultimate uzies that we were, we also looked up and found a magic rainbow in the sky :)

then we marched on to aonang beach to see the sunset. i could not select which one is the best photo. i'm posting them all!

really blessed :)

and on that hour, we made a vow - we will go to manila bay on december to witness a sunset :) hehehe manila, my home, manila!

krabi day 2 - maya island

next stop was maya island - where the movie "the beach" was shot. 

some of the sights on our way there:

the viking cave: jim, our tour guide, told us that the exotic bird's nest could be found here. authorities prohibited public viewing to preserve the limestones in the cave. good to know :)

more lovely views:

and finally the maya beach! it was crowded! people were all around taking pics, roaming the island, swimming. there were too many people it almost felt sad. hehehe. something as beautiful as this deserves serenity. and yet we joined the bandwagon and took pics! hehehe.

as for relaxing on the sand on a place as lovely as this, i could only imagine for now. it's a very busy spot.

krabi day 2 - bamboo island

this is us in the speedboat going to the first stop, bamboo island. 

the feeling was so tourist-y. you get to sit down and relax with other tourists, most came with family and significant other. i had an urge to make friends with them. there were chinese, french, americans, malaysians, local thais, germans. it's like ubs in one boat hehehehe. but i let them drown in their own world, like mike and i did in ours. aiyee!

under the sea with unexplainable faces

snorkeling! 

where the boat, sea, marine life, sand, sky, clouds, sun, people meet: