Prayer for Peace
“May every sunrise hold more promise and every sunset hold more peace.” Stop the War.
“May every sunrise hold more promise and every sunset hold more peace.” Stop the War.
Regatta de Zamboanga is a colorful banca race (carera de vintas) depicting colorful sails designed by the fishermen themselves and proudly displayed during the competition.
“I’m always trying to find ‘connections’ between things. That art is the juxtaposition of a lot of things that seem unrelated but add up to something recognizable.” ~ Pat Metheny
The playful Badjao kids of Zamboanga will jump overboard and retrieve the coins you throw at sea with remarkable agility and ease in a matter of seconds, earning the nickname “sea gypsies” for a reason.
I visited Zamboanga before and after a rebel siege in the city a year ago that left a portion of the central town bruised and battered, and kept many wary visitors away and in fear. Foreign travel advisories stay adamant. I expected to focus on remnants of a combat zone, but there were other things that captivated me more.
The beautiful but endangered Organ Pipe Coral (Tubipora musica) on the Great Sta. Cruz Island in Zamboanga is bright red in color and naturally pulverized among its fine powdered white sands, turning its sandy shore to a magical tinge of pink at daytime, hence the name Pink Sand Beach.
“You have to believe in happiness, or happiness never comes … Ah, that’s the reason a bird can sing — On his darkest day he believes in spring.” – Douglas Malloch