The C-Spot: A Photography, Travel and Culture Journal

Rating: ★★★★ Category: Movies Genre: Drama Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Based on a novel written by Sébastien Japrisot Stars: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel and Jodie Foster. (Yes Jodie Foster plays a minor role as one of the many characters in the story. And she speaks French). Summary This is a film set in France in the last days of the First World War and one woman's unrelenting search for her beloved fiancé who was among those reported to have died in the war in the most unusual way. In her heart she truly does not believe his death and she has hired a private investigator to search for him. In their search, they discover contemptible practices of the the French army which exposed their own soldiers to their death. They also hear several versions of how he died. My Take: It is both an excellent portrayal of the cruelty of war and the unusual force that binds lovers and make a solemn vow to be together even in death. The flashbacks to the war provide vivid and cle...

The night sights in Igang are as fascinating as those in daylight. I was fortunate (again) to see a quarter moon and her constant companion star, the afternoon star, at dusk. I remember that most of my beach trips gave me the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the quarter moon and the star just after the sun has set in the horizon. This album also shows three sunrise photos which I was able to take because we had to wake up early (around 4:45AM) to catch the 7:30 Cebu Pacific flight back to Manila. One shot taken at Twin Rocks Resort and the two others along the way to the airport. I actually have more night shots but my unsteady hands blurred most of the resulting shots. (NOTE: My camera is a point and shoot 8.0mp Ixus only). Most of the shots were on auto-settings with little or no ISO or shutter speed manual adjustments.

Most popular angle After a day in Twin Rocks Resort, we decided to do a day trip to some of the places we've heard of and read about that a traveler to Catanduanes could visit. We then arranged for a vehicle and a driver that would take us to some of those places. After an early breakfast of the usual Pinoy fare, e.g. daing na bangus, beef tapa and longganisa (all with the usual fried sunny-side-up egg and rice), the driver, Mang Romy, picked us up in a relatively new and air-conditioned 4-wheel drive Isuzu diesel DMax pick-up truck/SUV. Since there were only the three of us, we have enough space for ourselves for the day-long trip. We visited six sites (seven if you include a stop by a place to eat called Blossoms Restaurant which declares itself as "a place for fine arts, good food and good times). We saw two beaches, two churches, a cave and a waterfalls, each one having a unique character that distinguishes it from the others. It was a mix of the spiritual, super-...

We arrived in Virac as the sun was rising and it was drizzling with a bit of wind. As a matter of fact, our plane had to fly in circle twice because of the wind before we were able to finally land. A 20-plus minutes trip by van brought us to Igang. It was no longer drizzling but it was still overcast. Hoping to see a nice sunset on the sea, I asked the beach guard if the rising or setting sun is visible from the beach area. I was told that both are actually not directly visible to viewers from the beach, i.e. sunrise was obscured by the rock on the far left end of the beach while the sun sets down beyond the hills behind the resort. He, however, suggested that we try going up the Zipline tower because there's a bit of a view of the setting sun there. I was quite disappointed upon hearing this. Nevertheless, I and Cecill climbed up the 40-foot Zipline tower (while struggling with our acrophobia) at around 5:30 PM to see what the view really was. Below is what we saw. It was n...

Mostly day-trippers Early in the month of February, we went to one of the two island provinces that comprise the Bicol region (at the lower end of the Philippine island of Luzon) - the island of Catanduanes (the other is the island of Masbate). Catanduanes is located at the eastern side of the the Philippine archipelago. It is an island accessible by watercraft or ferry from the port of Tabaco in Albay province. It can also be reached by plane in just about over an hour from the Manila domestic airport. It is currently served by two airlines - the Cebu Pacific Air and Zest Air and has two flights daily (morning by CEB, and afternoon by Zest). But Catanduanes is known more as the "entrance door" of typhoons entering the Philippines. It is a usual point of reference in most typhoon bulletins, much like Boronggan, Samar. The relative isolation (not being part of the main Bicol peninsula), and it's reputation as a storm-frequented area has somehow positively impac...

Dahican is a coastal area of Davao Oriental located at the southern end of the Davao peninsula. It is part of Mati, the provincial capital. It has a number of beaches known for their strong winds and big waves which are the very conditions for great water sports such as skim boarding, surf boarding and wind surfing. This is because the beach catches the wind coming from the open Philippine Sea which is also a part of the Pacific Ocean. Dahican in fact is in the world map of water sports and is a site of international skim boarding competitions. It is also one of the top surfing destinations in the country along with Siargao, La Union and Bagasbas in Camarines Norte. In Dahican, we found the Dahican boys (who have become sort of local as well as international celebrities - via the internet) doing their thing, surfing. And they treated us to an exhibition which to them was nothing more than just play. Below are some of the photos I took with my point and shoot camera. In the ev...

the waves are suitable for surf-boarding Mati is the capital town of the least known Davao, i.e. Davao Oriental (the two others are Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte). It is a town which seem to have developed much slower than many other Davao capital towns, e.g. Tagum and Digos. I have been there quite a few times the first ever was in the early 70s. And I can personally say that progress and development has indeed been slow in Mati. Save for a few new buildings, it remains pretty much what it was about three decades ago. One notable development however is that land travel to Mati from Davao has been reduced by half, i.e. from 6 hours in the 70s to about 3 at present. But road conditions remains to be a challenge. It's economy remains largely rooted in coconut and copra produce. The little rice production that they have is not even enough to give the place a self-sufficiency status. This is both good and bad. On the one hand, the people's opportunity for economic wel...