Ode to Siargao

Dear Siargao,

It was a case of serendipity meeting you. I was journeying into an endless void and running around in circles, until I found a home in you. For the first time, I felt like a part of something; I felt like I belonged.

I was a stranger, yearning to see; and you embraced my jaded soul like your own child. With you, I was not only able to see the beauty of the world, I was also able to see the beauty in me.

Selfless, that’s what you are. You shared with me your glory, so I shared with you my dreams. I told you my secrets, one after another. You told me they were as vast as your skies and as deep as your seas, full of hidden glory.

Life slows down when I’m with you. Time feels nothing but a mere illusion. I listen to your blissful silence and reflect in the stillness of the moment. You touch my heart in profound ways no human being has done. I see God in your form.

Siargao, I am blessed to understand your true meaning. Beyond your fame lies appreciating the simplicity of living, the joy that comes for free. You have taught me to love better, to laugh more and to dream deeper. These are your gifts that gold can’t buy.

As I turn the page near the end of our journey together, I can’t help but smile; I know I will be leaving with a heart so full. Words and photographs will never be enough to detail your dazzling wonders, yet I’m glad you opened my heart to see beyond what my eyes couldn’t see.

When I come back, I hope you’d still be the old Siargao I met. Vibrant, humble and welcoming. Then you would remember me as your old friend, the one who kept wandering all over, until she found a home in you.

Adios, my friend! Salamat, Siargao!

* * *

Juna Alyanna Grimaldo, 25, works as a government employee. She is beguiled by the beauty of the provinces in the Philippines, especially Siargao.