From Zamboanga, we flew in to Bongao, Tawi-tawi's commercial hub via SEAir. There were 18 passengers (as of my counting ) in the plane including the two pilots. Flying quite low, the site below was exhilarating: islands laced with sugary white sand in various shapes and forms, water body with various shades of blue, dense and nude mountains.(were there nude ones?). It was all exciting especially when it rained and the aircraft shook.
Bongao airport was seemingly solitary, having our plane as the only aircraft around. :-). But not so far away were the warm welcoming hearts and smiles of our Sama and Tausug friends.
Bongao was not our destination. We were heading Simunul, one of the island municipalities in the Province of tawi-tawi.
Simunul is an important place for Islam in the Philippines. Simunul is the birthplace of Islam in the Philippines when Sheik Makhdumh, a missionary from mideast asia indoctrinated and baptized the inhabitants of the island.
To go there, we boarded a big boat.
There i met new friends Christians and Muslims alike. For our accommodation, we were hosted by some families of the community. As for me, I stayed with Sir Popoy Beyuta. Sir Popoy used to be a teacher in the Municipality of Mapun but as of the moment, the Chief of staff of Simunul. He was also a radio commentator few years back. I had a wonderful stay at their big house. His mother who is also a retired teacher was very gracious as a host. I felt very secured with them.
