Colours of the Philippines

‘I cannot pretend to be impartial about the colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones, and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns.’ – Winston Churchill.

Confession: I didn’t love the Philippines!

Three weeks in the Philippines before heading back to the UK for Christmas!

The Philippines right before Christmas! This predominantly Christian country would be the perfect place to go before the most magical holiday of the year… I’d read that the festive season was the best time to go to the Philippines. Throw in some strong sunshine, a dose of down time at the beach and some mountain exploration good measure. What’s not to love?

And so many people told me how much they’d loved the Philippines too. Said it was their favourite country in Asia. They were jealous that we were going there and they wished they could go back too. The recommendations on places to go, things to see, stuff to do came flooding in. I was seriously pumped when we finally stepped off the plane in Manila.

So, imagine my surprise when, shock horror, I didn’t actually fall in love with the Philippines. Yep, I said it. I didn’t love it. In fact, I actually found it downright difficult at times.

I really wanted to love the Philippines

It could’ve been the circumstances under which I travelled there. It could have been that the country didn’t quite match up to my high expectations, raised by the praise heaped on by other people who’d visited previously. But there you have it. While I love the Cordillera mountain region in northern Luzon and I enjoyed my down time in Port Barton on Palawan, the Philippines just didn’t live up to the hype for me.

I actually ended up feeling guilty that I wasn’t more won over by the Philippines. The country is insanely beautiful, with a kind and friendly population. We were made to feel welcome everywhere we visited.

The long and short of it is that I felt caught between two worlds. The life I’d made for myself in New Zealand and the life I’d had in Wales, the one I was heading back to after our time in the Philippines. So maybe I didn’t give the Philippines the chance it deserved. My mind wandered and, despite making an effort, I didn’t stay present as often as I should have.

Philippines in Focus

Although I didn’t love my time there, I did have many enjoyable moments in the Philippines and there was plenty to admire. I found beauty across the country. It’s a vibrant, rich and coloured land, from the unreal turquoise of the ocean in El Nido to the brightly painted houses I saw everywhere I turned in Sagada.

I want to celebrate everything that was glorious and rich about the Philippines. As such, I’m bringing the country into focus. Here it is: the Philippines, as seen through my camera lens.

Primary Colours

This bright advert was painted on the side of a barn in Sagada. I love the bold primary colours and asked C to take a rare photo of me against the wall. Sagada was my favourite place that we visited during our time in the Philippines. Everywhere you looked there was something to catch your eye. It was a sensory overload.

Beach Huts

Where the South China Sea meets El Nido, it is a brilliant, unreal turquoise blue. It is so bright that on occasion, it almost looks fake. This quiet beach was one that we visited during one of three boat tours that we took. I love the texture and different shades in this photo and how secluded and pristine it looks.

Shades of Sagada

Snapshots of the vibrancy that seemed to be everywhere in Sagada. I loved the houses. All of them had great clashing colours on their windows, doors, roofs, walls… Even the washing hanging out to dry was bright and cheerful!!

Picture Perfect Postcard

This is my picture postcard to take away from the Philippines. The colour of the water is unreal. I love that the flag is bright red in contrast with the yellow sand, blue sky and blue-green water.

Nature’s Colourful Glory

Even the flowers and foliage in the Philippines were boldly coloured. Canary yellow, flame red, royal purple, sky blue… I love the leaves in the middle photo – they look so delicate and create a cool geometric pattern, green on green.

Dusty Bottles and Recycled Cans

Soft drinks are often served in glass bottles in the Philippines, which are then recycled to be used again. I found these bottles waiting to be collected for recycling in Sagada. They made for a great photo opportunity. A little further down the road, I found these bright old tins, recycled as plant pots and snapped another photo.

Red Doors, Yellow Walls, Blue Window

Graffiti and colours. Another example of a bright building in Sagada. I wandered along the main street stopping practically every second to take photos of all the buildings. There were so many cool colours and shapes to photograph!!

Like a Dolls House

I think that this house, found in Sagada, looks like a dolls house that you’d play with as a kid. Amazing colours and interesting structure too!

Softening the Edges

We visited a monastery on one of our boat tours. It was abandoned and many of the buildings were falling into disrepair. I love how the foliage growing around this building softens its harsher lines and contrasts with the salmon pink colour on the walls and the turquoise on the balustrades.

Into the Blue

I think this photo looks Hockney-esque with the vivid turquoise, red, blue and white contrasts and straight lines. It’s a great shot of the boat, with the blinding white ladder leading into the inviting green water and the deck shining red and blue in contrast.

Red on Blue

I like how most of the photo is blue and grey and my red sarong completely contrasts with the otherwise quite monotonous palate. This was one of my favourite days of the trip. Lots of snorkelling, good food and bright sunshine. You only need to look at this photo to see how chilled out and relaxed I am!

You can read more about my trip to the Philippines in the archives, found here.