Spending Ondoy in Tawi-Tawi

It took a whole eighteen hours before the ship finally docked in the southernmost part of the country. Tawi-Tawi, it seems, is like any other province: noisy, mountainous and polluted. What sets this apart from any other region, however, is the Badjao village that guards around the port area. Immediately throngs of Badjao children came up to the passengers on board the ship to help carry their cargo. Tricycles ply their usual route and people and visitors from all walks of life and ages make traffic along the roads. Smoke belches out of cars and even the shrill voices of vendors fill the air with their boisterous sales pitches, much like the market places in Metro Manila.

But that is until one escapes the port area. The city proper in itself defines the Tawi-Tawi as sober and calm as people just tend to their own needs. The establishments such as carinderias, computer shops and hotels line up along the main thoroughfare. And in the midst of the serene atmosphere, lies the Governor's house somewhere along the plains and fields of the province. Interestingly the next house is miles away.

The Governor's house is a sprawling two-storey mansion with a guard house the size of a palace beside it. There were guards scattered around with real rifles and guns just in case trouble brews. But even with the ammunition in full force, it's a quiet and serene atmosphere as their laughter and talkative stance fill the place. Outside a brick road directs the path of the visitors to the entrance - with a small garden and a statue of a giraffe in the middle of it all. Once inside gold metals in sofas and chairs greet the visitors and a spiral staircase would lead to three bedrooms on the second floor. There is a veranda and a terrace for relaxation.

Tawi-Tawi indeed breeds an experience like no other. To read more about this adventure, click on this link: http://www.officiallyphilippines.com/the-mystic-gateway-to-the-south-4132