Our Swampy Place

n  wilderness of our swamps everyday lies a secret nook  where me and my friends then use to perch  when hunting. A setback of an old fish pond. My  All Saints Day itineraries swayed from different scheduled time. Visiting that again after 25 years, a place to behold and still take my breath away . Nonetheless I manage to throw in 2 hours and immerse my feet in that swampy pit,  I was mesmerized by the place, indeed looks like a  tiny Everglades.

I watched Leonilo for a couple of rack from a billiard pool nearby . Leonilo was one  of the buddies that frolic in that murky water and we used to play  jumping to and pro on a dilapidated sluice gate of that old fish pen. When his done with his game I told him, ” ‘ Want to reminisce the days when we’re setting trap on that rail bird and that pesky monitor lizard?”. I went back to my house to get my things.

I sling my DLSR again and took a telephoto and wide lens and put it on both side of my cargo pants’ knee pockets. . Oops I forgot to bring in my tripod, Forgetful now a days, I left it in the city.   Never mind, I will rely on clipping elbows and try to be still.We passed by an easement shared by shanties and Arieta’s pigpens and a small wood paths with thick spattered of rice husks(to hardened the soft soil) thru the swamp. This area belongs to continuous wayside area of  Calimpac and extended to Brgy Manlayo only cut off by the public road. It’s just one of the narrow paths among the many. We were hoping that’s the easiest way to get to  that meandering small labyrinth thru the swamp where we used to hang out  every weekend.

Pack 4 bottles of light beer and snacks Leonilo and I set to  a vantage point where we use to rest after setting the trap for tikling heron. This time no traps, because. I don’t know how to set it  anymore. The one who was expert with these was my friend Romano, he is now living and working in Japan. We missed him this time, readying my lens and setting my starting f-stop the sunny 16  to be ready. Open 2 bottles of light beer for  him and mine. We were thirsty for a long walk,  I started taking shots from our vantage point while my friend Leonilo keep on my instructions, “If you see egrets, monitor lizard , rail bird(tikling) and my favorite to bird-watch the kingfisher, once you locate it and I will take a shot”Komprende?.

Another egret is coming gliding to land at the crown of a small bush like mangrove. Change my lens to telephoto, light metering… ready to shoot..(ring ring ring) what? A phone call in the middle of the swamp? That was memorable I took the call and was  happy to talk to her. A different perspective of my life was realized there, the last time I seated there, the most famous electronics gadget was VHS video player. Amazing speed of time that I didn’t mind that, though of course that thing is understandably possible, its just the settings that pause me for a while. Then I smile when I saw tower of Mobile telecommunication are visible from that distance. Peek again to eyepiece, where is the egret, its gone. We sit down again and continue chatting with my friend. Reminiscing the days I still recall this damped place, the water stream flowing against the fallen branches of mangroves, nipa and coconut husk that grounded by backwater. I took still photos I hope I can infuse some reminiscing, I’ve seen my shots and it did.

I gave up ambushing a shot for a rail bird(tikling), that is an awesome fast threading bird. And I got a cheap slow telephoto lens… that’s the fuzz. Ever watched the cartoon character “Road runner” (beep beep) yes that fast. Romano, Leonilo and I used to set traps in between stalks of bushes  and swamp grasses where that bird  always pass hunting small crustaceans and tiny stream dwelling fish. I was contented to take a shot of distant springing stalagmite looking growing mangroves. That shots bring sullen moments to my eyes and return seated, slumped.Leonilo started to tell his story of failure marriage, while I keep answering SMS messages to an overseas love that seems to grow everyday. I almost cant heed what Leonilo was saying but all I know, a happy marriage is hard to find now adays after all what is not to dislikes. I associate it with the wilderness of egrets and that frigging fast rail bird. All is but a methaphor of impossible to catch and  to reckon. I am sweating and remove my rubber ionic necklace. Half the bottle of beer finally a kingfisher came, very far I try to manage and again to take a shot,before I metered it it flew like it knows me I am there. That elusive crustacean hunter will make me visit this place again this December.

My dream of shot like this close, I cant wait this December

We tried to move and set to a new vantage point,  and finally I saw the old beauty of this swamp, the still water , inundated water trapped from ebbing tide that becomes a biomes of everyday life. A small prairie of saw grasses  accented the orchard like lines of mangrove trees.The surrounding faura and fauna seems to benefits from that small pond, and I was amazed with nearing setting sun, a bluish water reflected to my lens and it’s beautifully captured, You will almost scratched your head where in  Guinayangan you would find such a quiet place like that. Bird chirps and cracking noise of amphibians the cricking sound of swaying trees, Sigh this is the best vacation I ve got so far. One day I hope I can live here if a fortune maybe bestowed upon  me or hitting a lottery, such amount of money to spend. I ll build a small barn here and make this place my vacation place from time to time.

A small stream, near Calimpac formerly a fish pond

My dream of shot like this close, I cant wait this December

So many years just past I haven’t visited this place and my life seems to be in a turmoil of post separation stage of a wasted relationship seems to be abash, I need new reflections somehow. It’s the greatest value of human emotions that we back to nature to respire. They never return what your asking whispering to its wind, but its beauty returns a favor of forgetting things at least for moment. Tiny everglades I called it maybe just to make other people understand the things I haven’t captured minus the alligator and wild reptiles I think. Everything is wrapped in blue and green, a yellow that accented the murky soil and the brown that set and brought them all.

Collecting the empty bottles and pack a small garbage from snacks we brought in, and I said. “I need to come here again”. Were almost out from the swamp and flock of egrets, squawking and landed, ah I save it for next time. I will return maybe with an a good fast telephoto, at least that will save the day. A smile is the rarest thing that I often wear at this stage of my life but, I have it the entire moment I came in there. SMS Text I received that moment added things to ponder, indeed my new  life has a lot to offer.

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