From our tree house on the beach, I could see another island out into the sea. This is our second day now since we first came here on the ferry and went down the east coast. After we visited the bat caves and spent a stormy night in a tree house in Kaputian, it was time for an easy day to just walk around. I decided to go visit and explore this small island. Talicud is a few kilometers away from Kaputian and the only way to get there is by boat. My Samal adventure continued.
Alray and I asked around and a local fisherman said he would take us there for 200 pesos. We got into the banka and we were off. It took about a half hour to get to the port of Santa Cruz. As we walked up the hill I noticed lots of kids on their way to school. Santa Cruz National High School was just up the road. Being a teacher, I decided to go for a visit and talk to the local teachers about their school and education in general.
When we got to the entrance to the school, I asked the security officer if I could speak to the principal for a few minutes. He said sure sir, and took us to the school office. While waiting in the outer office, I spoke to many of the teachers there and they were very interested to know about my teaching experience and school in Pennsylvania. I spoke to them and found out that this school doesn’t have electrical power until about 4pm. I even tried a little (gamay kaayo) of my Bisaya. They also only have one computer for the entire school. Even though this school had very little technology and other resources, the staff was friendly and professional. All this happened before class time. When the bell rang, classes started and it was our time to leave.
On the way back to the boat -banka, I thought, in the future, I would like to come back for another visit and see how they are doing. Maybe they would have some more electricity and a few more computers to help educate the students for the 21st century.
Before leaving Talicud, we visited a small resort, Clarita Beach Resort, located on the edge of the town. The beach was nice and clean and the water warm and clear. Only problem is that it’s way off the beaten path. They also have rooms to rent on the beach for about 500 pesos per night.
On the way back to Digos, we stopped at the Philippine Eagle Center outside of Davao. While on this trip, I brought my Canon camera which is capable of video and my cell phone which which can also record video but at much less resolution. I see now that I have to make a greater effort to hold the camera still, but this is difficult when recording from a small camera. That is why I think it’s best to keep these videos short. I hope to improve in future posts.
Talicud island from Kevin Smith on Vimeo.
