The quiet charm of the mangroves

How do you capture the feeling of peace? of stillness? of serenity? How do you immortalize the afternoon light during a calm walk through a canopy of trees by the coast? Do you take photos? videos? write down notes? No amount of capturing can do justice to the experience, but that doesn't stop us from trying.

It was a lazy afternoon when I took these photos. I was in Bantayan, a famous island in Cebu. I've been there many times; the memories of my visits coalesce together like a long fever dream. I have to review the photos and the dates to remember the details correctly. In this one particular trip, I was with my colleagues from work, and we did all the stops. On our first day, we visited the Mangrove Forest. There's nothing really there except, of course, for the mangroves. You go in, walk the wooden bridges, take pictures, and that's it. But why do I still choose to go in again? I could have just stayed outside and waited for the others. But that'd be weird, right?

Trips are supposed to be about making memories and if you're with other people, you make those memories with them, even if you're sick of the place. So that's why I went in. For the people. But honestly, I also want to go in because the Mangrove Forest carries a certain charm for me. Almost magical. Some parts of the Philippines believe that spirits inhabit the mangroves. I can't blame those people. When you're surrounded by these trees, in the midst of the stillness, there's a sense of mystery and calm quiet that creeps on your skin. That's what I felt during this particular visit. The camera I was using to take photos partly captured the feeling and the atmosphere of that afternoon. But the photos are still not enough, I can't put to words the strangeness of it. Maybe on my next visit, I'll take more photos, take videos, and write down exactly what I experience in the moment. So I can try harder to do it justice.

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