Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Part 1: Shenandoah National Park

The mountains are always calling. They said that you can take the girl from the mountains, but you can never take the mountains from the girl. Does that make sense? Being born and bred in the Cordilleras has instilled in me great respect and utmost love for nature and culture. My heritage of mix Sagada, Bontoc, and Ilocos, Sagada being the dominant one, makes me proud and blessed that I grew up with a strong belief of who I am.

My recent visit to Shenandoah National Park reminded me of the Cordillera mountains. Although geographically speaking the terrain looks different, the mountain feel is unquestionably the same. The air up in the mountains felt cooler, fresher and cleaner, and when you gaze at the neighboring mountains and further, the view is beyond beautiful and breathtaking. As I closed my eyes and breathe in the mountain air, every breath and every beat of my heart  took me back to the places near and dear to my heart - the Mt. Provinces.








To be continued...

14 comments:

  1. You can never take the mountains (or put another noun here) from the girl. - I very much agree. Our roots define us.

    Those are nice photos. One shot has much resemblance to the manmade forest in Bohol. (Though I'm yet to visit that.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have never been to Sagada, but I say it's a must visit place, as others have recommended, I hope they try to save and keep the wonders of the area.

    ReplyDelete
  3. isn't there some sense of calmness and peaceful feeling when going to the mountain versus going to the beach. IMHO.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ wits, You said it so well. I hope you'll get to visit that place in Bohol.

    @ Sheng, There's been some move to preserve the wonders of Sagada. I hope they'll keep doing that.

    @ Photo Cache, I agree. There's absolute peace up in the mountains. I could hear my thoughts clearer up there :).

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wanna go back to Sagada and Bontoc soon too. The Igorot in me is craving for some fresh air. Though lately I've noticed lots of new houses there ha. More mountain people! :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. awwww... ang gaganda. the first one is so similar with the one i took from sagada.

    para ka bang nag-astral projection? :D

    any plans of going back here anytime soon?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful, I love parks. One of my dream destinations is Sagada. I very much hope that it'll come true. Nice photos, Kayni.

    ReplyDelete
  8. now i know how this mountain looks like. thanks for sharing the photos Kayni..

    i just love mountains. alex was so surprised too that i don't actually whine or complain whenever he says we're going on a short or long hike/walk..

    ReplyDelete
  9. @ Cza, I "always" miss Sagada. It really has a hold on me. I hope you visit Bontoc or Sagada soon.

    @ Eks, Tama, parang astral projection nga...lol. No definite plans yet but there's a high school reunion next year day. Hopefully I can attend.

    @ Lene, I hope you do get to visit Sagada soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. i believe that we see bits and pieces of the familiar in places unfamiliar. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. paramdam ka pag umuwi ka. let's have coffee or something. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. @ eks, will do. i would love to meet my blogger friends back home. i think that would be great.

    ReplyDelete
  13. nakaka twilight mode naman yung 1st pic! ahihihi :P

    ReplyDelete
  14. great foliage, kayni. benguet and mountain province were more deep green color, but it has beauty of its own. never been to sagada but my 2 kids went there last summer and they've been telling me of a cave they've toured and the hanging coffins...

    ReplyDelete