They say progress paves paradise. Here in Aloguinsan, my haven on Cebu's coast where the Spaniards first landed centuries back, new roads slice through the island. But it's the old trails, the wrinkled 4x4 scars, that set my soul alight.
This video is a lament for one such path, the vanishing coastal route from Aloguinsan to Barili. My trusty Toyota Hilux and I, we crawl low and slow, tires clawing at the sun-baked earth. The sun hangs heavy, sweat stinging my eyes. Beside me, my wife's hair whips in the wind, the salty spray from the Tanon Strait Protected Seascape a welcome kiss on our sunbaked skin.
Two stories fight over Barili's name. One says it's for the fat tuna, thick in the water, the ones the Visayans call barilis. The other, the one the old timers believe, says it's named for the balili grass. Sounds blurred back then, L's and R's dancing on the same tongue.
This is Cebu, Philippines, raw and untamed, and for a stolen moment, on this disappearing trail, it's all mine.
Join me, dust off your own sense of wanderlust, and let's see where the next bend leads us.
In the dusty twilight, after the engine fades to a rumble, there's a quiet satisfaction. The road yielded her secrets, and we emerged, a little worse for wear, maybe, but richer for the journey.
That's what this is about, after all. Sharing the road, the stories etched in every twist and turn. So, if you've got a hidden trail whispered on the wind, a forgotten path yearning for a challenger, let me know in the comments. There's a whole damn country of dusty tracks waiting to be explored.
Until the next bend,
Duffy Romerica.
Music in this video:
River Meditation by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Artist: audionautix.com/