A few days ago, I visited the city of Zamboanga in Mindanao, south of the Philippines. I went there not to tour the famous city, but actually to hand in important items to my uncle who is working for the Philippine Navy based in the Bongao Peak, Tawi-Tawai, the Philippines' southernmost island province of the Sulu Archipelago.
Most airline companies only have 2 flights a day going to Zamboanga and to avoid heftier expenses, I met with my uncle in Zamboanga instead of going directly to him in Bongao, which is accessible through ferries that leaves Zamboanga on a strict schedule which costs almost half of the plane fare.
The items and files were too important and confidential that we decided not to use any courier services. Additionally, it is urgently needed and we can't wait for another day for it to be delivered.
The original plan was to get to Zamboanga as early as possible so I took the morning flight and flew back to Manila in the afternoon. But then delays were encountered so I arrived around 4pm and had to stay for the night in a local hotel and wait for the next flight in the morning.
Although I've been to Zamboanga a couple of times before, I always feel like I'm a first time visitor to the city. The city is unlike many others. It's so alive at daytime and so calm and serene at night. Although there were pubs and other establishments which are open at night, the darkness of the night still dominates the area despite lightning post on most corners.
Nightime in Zamboanga is both lovely and scary. Lovely for the fact that I'm spending a night away from home in a far away place and scary because of the same reason. Plus, the visibility of military personnels and armed patrol guards do not help. I was happy that I'm too tired I easily fell asleep without much thinking of where I am and what's going to happen.
I woke up around 5am and had my breakfast at the nearby cafeteria overlooking the calm, blue waters of the ocean. I enjoyed the morning scenery and witnessed the beautiful sunrise. I haven't appreciated the beauty of the morning sun for so long.
