The small fishing village stirred as the dawn breaks in Gaspar Islet, the only one with inhabitants in the Tres Reyes islet group. I stood on one of the huge rocks near the shore and watched the children frolicked on the beach while some of the folks prepare their small bancas (outrigger boats) for another day of fishing.


Its amazes me how people chose to live on this islet. They have difficult access to most of the necessities a community requires. The only source of electricity is the community's generator. Fresh water is non-existent and they have to get all their supplies from the mainland. Yet the village is flourishing. They have a small school perched on the side of a hill and I was told that additional classrooms will be built soon.


There is not much of a livelihood here except for fishing and seasonal tourism. Gaspar's sand (or coral?) bar, made of crushed corals and shells, is a popular destination as the surrounding waters are pristine and crystal clear. The locals build nipa huts on the sand bar during the summer especially during the Holy Week when the vacation crowd flocks to Marinduque for its Moriones Festival. There are also several areas in the waters around the island that are protected marines reserves - great for snorkeling and diving.


Its interesting to note that the area on the sides of the sand bar is devoid of any sand, the waves on both directions have cleanly swept all sand materials neatly into this panhandle. The panhandle changes size and form throughout the year as the sea and the wind sculpt it.


I guess it does not really matter where you choose to live. Once you call a place home, it instantly becomes beautiful.

We were looking for Paadjao Falls that day, our last stop before heading back to Gasan for the sunset. It was a very long day (we covered almost every town, save for Mogpog) but I was looking forward to shooting some refreshing silky waterfalls. Ironwulf, one of my travel companions, had been there once several years ago and described it as a nice cascading falls

We asked around for directions but we were given some confusing answers. Most have not even heard of Paadjao Falls but suggested we visit the Kawa-kawa Falls (maybe they have renamed Paadjao to Kawa-kawa, we jokingly remarked). It later turned out we were asking directions in the wrong town: we were in Sta. Cruz while Paadjao is in the nearby town of Mogpog. Quite perplexing that most would not know where Paadjao is even if Mogpog is directly adjacent to Sta. Cruz.

We ended up in Brgy Bangcuangan where Kawa-kawa falls is. Its called Kawa-kawa (pretty common name for a falls) because of its deep cauldron-like catch basin ("kawa" literally means cauldron). Several kids were enjoying a late afternoon dip when we got there. We were also met by the barangay captain who enthusiastically showed us around the falls area.


We learned that they are "developing" the falls and would soon be building cottages nearby to accommodate visitors. I have mixed feelings about developing natural attractions like falls. Building walkways and viewing stations are OK, but turning it into a full-blown "resort" is another thing. I've seen very bad cases like Batlag falls in Tanay Rizal.


We looked around and took shots from different POVs (check out Lagalog's takes). Whats nice with the Kawa-kawa falls area is that you are not limited to a single cascade. There are many mini-waterfalls downstream, some very accessible, some needs short climbs over slippery boulders.


I particularly liked one small falls that intersects Kawa-kawa's downstream in a perpendicular manner. I had go over a moss covered boulder and slide down to a small stream. Lost my balance a couple of times and had to use my tripod for support.

When the Spaniards colonized the Philippine islands in the early 15th century, they did so with the sword and the cross. Christianity, particularly Roman Catholicism, spread quickly across the Luzon and Visayas regions (Mindanao remained a Muslim stronghold even up to the time of the American invasion in the late 1800s). The Spaniards ruled the archipelago for the next 400 years. It is therefore not uncommon to see old colonial churches in most of Philippines 7100+ islands.

It was overcast that day when we went around Marinduque to see the sights including the old churches in several towns. From Gasan in the western side, we rode a rented jeep down south to Buenavista. Buenavista's parish church is relatively new (town was founded in 1954) so we decided to skip it.

From Buenavista, we traversed Mt. Malindig going to Torrijos in the south eastern side. I was already getting drowsy and the cool mountain breeze and the overcast weather were not helping at all. Soon we found ourselves in the sleepy town of Torrijos and went straight to the parish church. The town of Torrijos was founded in 1880s but I cannot find any reference as to when the church was built. However, from the church's architecture one could surmissed that its relatively new.


After taking a couple of shots of the church's facade, we made a detour to Poctoy White Beach and had a quick look around. The long stretch of fine coral sand was a totally different view from what we saw in Gasan. From beach one has a great view of Mt. Malindig (cloud covered that day).


After the quick tour, we drove further up north to Sta. Cruz. We had a hearty lunch at the public market before going to Sta. Cruz church. It started to drizzle when we got there.

The town of Sta. Cruz was founded in 1609 but it was not until 1714 when the Sta. Cruz church ( titular: Holy Cross) was erected. Much of the tower and the facade remained intact but the church had undergone numerous renovations over the years.


The church's altar is typical of colonial churches: adorned with statues of the saints and intricately designed. Renovations/repairs were being done of the altar area when we were there. It was difficult to take photos of the church interior due to successive funeral masses.


We had better luck with the weather when we visited Boac the next day. The sky was blue and the cloud cover minimal. Boac, founded in 1580, is the oldest town in Marinduque.

The Boac church, built in 1756 in honor of the Blessed Virgin of Biglang Awa (Immediate Succor), is situated on top of a small hill. The church has retained much of its Fil-Hispanic gothic architecture. The interiors of the church: the floor designs and the elaborate altar were beautifully preserved. The stained glass windows were a newer renovation aimed at enhancing the granduer of the church.


The church was much bigger and the aisle much longer than that of the Sta. Cruz church. I was about to take some shots of the interior when a funeral procession started pouring in. I had to gather my gears and quickly head out as the crowd began to swell.


There are other old churches in Marinduque like the ones in Gasan and Mogpog. But our limited time there dictated we will have to visit those in another time.

This is my first entry to That's My World Meme - a site where we can show the world around us.

You have the option to buy from the market in Gasan and have it cooked there (for Php 100.00). The problem with this is that after a long trip exploring the sights in the island I doubt if you still have the energy to go to the market.

Overall I would say our stay there was memorable. I enjoyed the pool a lot.

Contact details
Casa de Azul - (+63)919-206-3358 or (+63)928-488-6679
Club Marinduque - visit www.clubmarinduque.com