Avisala!
Mt. Kanlaon erupted a few days ago and I was reminded that we went to Canlaon City more than a month ago. I have taken a lot of photos that might be forever in my gallery. I was reminded of how tranquil the place was when we went there, which was the complete opposite of what happened during the eruption. As in my thumbnail photo, the background was Mt. Kanlaon, but it was covered by clouds. It was already late in the afternoon, so it might have been understandable. In the foreground is a terraced rice field, which is really amazing. It was not my first time to see rice terraces, but I'm still amazed by the human ingenuity whenever I see one.
Mudflow after the eruption and then rain in the last few days already wrecked havoc on the surrounding towns of Mt. Kanlaon especially at La Castellana. It's just interesting how fast changes happen. It made me realize that I should cherish every single moment of tranquility as we don't know when those moments end.
Trivia: Canlaon or Kanlaon came from "kan Laon" which means "the place of Laon". Laon is an old Visayan deity of creation, justice, and agriculture. The word laon means old or ancient which means that the deity is "the ancient one".
I think Canlaon's name is appropriate for the area. The volcano itself is regarded as sacred and even termed "The Sacred Volcano of Sugar Island". Canlaon is an agricultural land and dubbed as "The Vegetable Basket of the Visayas".
Our visit to Canlaon City was actually unexpected. When 
invited me to visit her boyfriend's place, I thought we would go to Manjuyod Sandbar. I just confirmed because I missed the sea and our first visit to the sandbar was about ten years ago and it was not really an all-good experience. When she finally confirmed that their place was in La Libertad, Negros Oriental, I realized it was really far from Bais City and Manjuyod. Since she has a car, it wasn't a problem. Our problem was that we had work. Manjuyod Sandbar was scrapped and then we thought we could go to Hinakpan Hills of Guihulngan City instead. After consultation with their family, they dissuaded us because it was unsafe. Then, Canlaon City was the last-minute decision and the only spot we decided to visit was the century-old Balete tree.
invited me to visit her boyfriend's place, I thought we would go to Manjuyod Sandbar. I just confirmed because I missed the sea and our first visit to the sandbar was about ten years ago and it was not really an all-good experience. When she finally confirmed that their place was in La Libertad, Negros Oriental, I realized it was really far from Bais City and Manjuyod. Since she has a car, it wasn't a problem. Our problem was that we had work. Manjuyod Sandbar was scrapped and then we thought we could go to Hinakpan Hills of Guihulngan City instead. After consultation with their family, they dissuaded us because it was unsafe. Then, Canlaon City was the last-minute decision and the only spot we decided to visit was the century-old Balete tree.
I'll share the Balete tree experience in a separate post. The reason why these photos were taken late in the afternoon is because we departed from La Libertad at around 2:30 PM and arrived in Canlaon City at 4:30 PM. We had snacks and drinks at the Balete tree and then went back to La Libertad and took these photos along the way.
As has called it, these photos felt like "the calm before the storm". Before the eruption, it was not allowed to climb Mt. Kanlaon due to its volcanic activity. But there are still hikers who would illegally climb to the mouth of the volcano. Good thing there were no casualties during the eruption.
has called it, these photos felt like "the calm before the storm". Before the eruption, it was not allowed to climb Mt. Kanlaon due to its volcanic activity. But there are still hikers who would illegally climb to the mouth of the volcano. Good thing there were no casualties during the eruption.
I guess that's all for this post. Well, that felt weird publishing something after a long time. See you in my next post!
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits remote destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying-hard photographer, so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.
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