I hate to say this, but every good thing must come to an end. This will be the last leg of my ZamBaSulTa adventure covering the Province of Sulu. Just like Basilan, Sulu is accessible via ferry ride from Zamboanga City but this time, it's not a quick ride but an overnight one.
Moving around in this 9-day backpacking has been easy except for that grueling 18-hour boat ride from Tawi-tawi to Zamboanga. Right from the start, I made it clear that ZamBaSulTa is infamous for a lot of reasons (kidnapping, bombing, war, etc.). But among all the Provinces in this backpacking, Sulu was the strictest.
A few weeks before this trip, I called their Tourism Office and learned that I needed to send a letter of intent to their Tourism Head for this trip. This is back in mid-2019 so I'm not sure if this still holds true to date.
My email:
Content of my attachment:
When I arrived at Zamboanga Port from Basilan, I bought a ticket immediately, securing my overnight bed on the lone ferry sailing to Sulu. The ferry was mostly loaded with passengers who were going home to Sulu; it's a rarity to see tourists flock to Sulu.
Another thing I learned to love when solo backpacking is that I get to meet a lot of people along the way. On this particular trip to Sulu, I made friends with this group heading back home, they even gave me hot instant noodles. 🍜 If you travel, be friendly, and get to know the people that surround you especially if the trip extends to hours.
Scared to death!
The night went by fast and before the sun could rise, the ferry's captain announced our arrival at the secluded Province of Sulu. With all honestly, I didn't sleep so well; no one word could describe what I felt that night. It was the last Province and my 8th day of backpacking and who knows, I might not return alive in Cebu. But if I die doing the thing I love, I won't regret anything.
I texted the tourism staff who was in charge of accompanying me that day.
"Don't go out of the pier; I'll come and get you!" That was the one instruction that set all the alarms off! I was calm on the surface but deep down, anxious thoughts were starting to pile one over the other.
"What is she talking about?" "Is it that unsafe to get out of the boat without her waiting for me outside?" I asked myself. But knowing a handful of stories about tourist abduction and kidnapping in Sulu, I listened to her instructions and waited in vain inside the now-empty boat.
There was technically nothing else I could do inside the boat so I took my mobile phone and roamed around the ferry; I was mesmerized by the morning activities that took place inside the port premises. It wasn't as busy as Cebu Port but I noted unloading of goods from the ferry I was in. Porters who saw me might have noticed my unconcealable fear.
From atop the second deck of the ferry, I had a good view of the entire port, including the entrance and exit points where several soldiers were stationed, and a few military vehicles that roamed around the port as if expecting the worst.
Now we're talking!
One text message broke my budding fear. "I'm already outside; get off the boat and head directly to the passenger exit point."
I grabbed my bags and walked towards the soldiers. I was happy to see her but when she saw I was wearing shorts that exposed half of my thighs and my entire legs, she suddenly panicked: "You can't wear that here!" "Do you have any cover-up?", she added. Thankfully, I bought cotton pants in Tawi-tawi; I wore it on top of my shorts.
Our first order of business at 7:30 in the morning was, of course, breakfast!!! We visited Shara's Cafe and ate our breakfast. What we ordered was very similar to the ones we had in Tawi-tawi.
You are not obliged to pay anything to the tourism officer who will accompany you so the least you could offer is to buy them food and be nice to them! 🥰
What a bummer!
Our stomachs were full and we had a long day ahead of us. The tourism staff picked the destination we visited in Jolo, the capital of the Province of Sulu. There are other municipalities and even islands in Sulu that you can visit but in my case, I opted to visit Jolo only. I was short in time and cash; if you decide to stay longer, make sure to hop in other islands that are home to amazing white beaches in Sulu. I heard you'd be accompanied by soldiers on the boat ride going to and from the islands.
I knew that there were only a handful of destinations in Jolo but it's better than not visiting this Province at all. Our first stop was a public beach that the tourism officer was so proud of. I mean if you don't live on an island surrounded by beautiful beaches everywhere you look, you'd probably be proud of this beach but I live in Cebu and my standards for beautiful beaches are a bit high. I wasn't particularly happy with this beach bumming attempt; also, forget about wearing your favorite two-piece here. As you can see from my photos, I swam in my black leggings; not a single part of my legs was exposed.
Now taking a bath?
After dipping in their public beach, there were no comfort rooms around so they took me to their capitol and here we go again doing extraordinary things on solo trips! If you could remember my hilarious experience of falling asleep at Basilan's Governor's Office, well guess what, I did something crazier this time. I took a bath at their capitol; it wasn't the Governor's comfort room tho. 🤣😂
It was a Saturday so no one was around to witness another shameless activity of the lone backpacker from Cebu and truthfully, I couldn't be thankful enough for the timing. What would people think of me if they saw me all dripping wet as I came inside their capitol? Hilarious and one for the books! 🤣
After changing into my last pieces of dry and clean clothing, I roamed around the Sulu Provincial Capitol. I've seen countless government headquarters in my years of traveling around the Philippines and without sugarcoating, Sulu's Provincial Capitol has the most commendable architecture. It's designed like a huge mosque that reflects the main religion in this area, Islam. By far, this is my favorite Capitol and one that I'd certainly not forget. How could I when it became my shower for a few minutes, right? 🤣
What else is in Sulu?
We also passed by Masjid Tulay (Tulay Mosque), Jolo's biggest and oldest mosque but we didn't bother to go inside. A few months before this trip, another nearby mosque was blown into ashes. If you want to go inside, it's best to familiarize yourself with the dos and the donts of the area.
It was like we had a city tour of Jolo; right after dropping by Tulay Mosque, we went to Jolo Town Hall or Municipal Hall. Unfortunately, since it was a weekend, it was close and we couldn't go inside.
Here are photos of downtown Jolo. It's livelier than you imagined,right? Business is booming in this part of the Philippines too.
We had a lot of free time; we thought of other things we could do and naturally, we thought of thrifting in Sulu because why not? My tour guide led the way and I found myself in one of the largest thrift stores I've been to. And the assortment was surprisingly complete from Muslim traditional clothing to rubber shoes, we came to the right place!
Free! Free! Free!
I had a lot of freebies during this trip. Since we'd exhausted all possible destinations in Jolo, the tourism officer decided to drop me off at the port where I'd wait for my boat trip back to Zamboanga. I was still early but who am I to contradict her? I didn't want to neglect her warnings so I stayed inside the port premises.
With my bubbliness and friendliness, it took a couple of minutes to befriend every single person in the port, including soldiers, construction workers, and other people in the area. They were all curious about my stories and why I was traveling alone; I was obliged to share my story.
One of the heads of the ongoing port renovation/construction asked me to come with him and give me another tour of their town. I hopped in and we were back near the capitol to check some things. Another free tour! 🤣
Perhaps, it was the first time in a long time that these on-duty soldiers saw a beautiful backpacker that when they had the opportunity, they were happy to pose in a photo that now looks like a remake of the famous Korean drama Descendants of the Sun LOL! 🤣
As if keeping me safe inside the port wasn't enough, they fed me dinner before I departed for Zamboanga. They were the most hospitable gentlemen of this country! Another free stuff on my list! At this point, I was already questioning what was with this entire backpacking that I had been offered a lot of things for free! Am I that charming? 😂
The end
I wasn't that impressed with the destinations I visited in Jolo but the warm smiles and hospitable gestures of the people of Jolo made this trip remarkable and like the sun that slowly faded in the background that afternoon, I will forever carry their kindness in my heart. They reminded me that strangers could be reliable even trusted.
On the same day, I rode an overnight ferry for free (I know, these people are ridiculously generous and considerate!) back to Zamboanga City.
"Life is never short of adventure; you just have to be there when it happens."
I once said this during a speech I delivered in my club, MEZ1 Toastmasters Club. You can continue living in your dreams and hopes or you could go out there and live your dreams once and for all. Since then, I've been courageously backpacking more around my country. At times, I'm with friends, my awesome boyfriend, and of course, I still backpack alone.
This might've started as a moving-on escapade but it healed me in ways I never thought I needed. This trip taught me that I am strong and independent, and whatever life throws at me, I can always turn it to my advantage. As Geo would always say "We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond." I am honored to have met Geo and to have learned what I needed to learn in his company. 🥰
Living life intentionally every single day, she believes that there’s no limit to one’s potential. Right now, she’s on the loose for the pursuit of endless holistic self-growth and development. She wants to light the way for others. She believes there’s no better way to leave a legacy than to pay it forward.
Her ultimate goal in life is to reach the state of enlightenment where there’s nothing but peace, love, happiness, and contentment - nothing more, nothing less.
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Wow. Such an amazing place. Very appealing views and nicely built infrastructures reveal how skilled the builders are. But my fear of losing my life there surpasses all the beauties and wonders that place can give. Keep safe on all your trips ma'am @patsitivity.
Couldn't agree more @edver143 :)
Such a beautiful place and the dangers make it even more exciting! I'm glad you got the chance to tell us your story :)
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Very amazing place that you show today, I think it's a very nice place and very worth visiting. Thank you very much for sharing with us the moments of your trip.
The buildings and views are very beautiful and the food is also very delicious.
Your friend who wears a head covering looks very elegant 😉
What an amazing place to visit. I’d love to travel to Philippines one day. You are very brave and adventurous to be traveling on your own and you remind me a bit of @jane1278 with that mindset ☺️
!ALIVE
Right now I am so envious of you as I really want to go on such a trip or even a vaction. I am so stressed that having such an experience is just what I need to make me happy. All the same I am happy you had a swell time, we all need to unwind once in a while and least I forget, you are pretty, you have a nice dentition and have a beautiful smile🥰🥰
You rock my lady!
So many colors! I would be scared too if someone told me that I should not wait outside. That would made me scared to wait inside too 😂 Those photos with locals are so cute and I love your pants! 😍
Wow! Such a beautiful place... enjoyed it a lot 😀
Awe it’s great that you could visit Sulu and meat many people along the way! What a trip! A very long one! And it worth the effort because the landscape is incredible and you had a lot of fun!! That’s amazing!
Wow, this is an amazing solo backpacking experience. Wish I would be braver just like yours to step into the unknown place and mingle with others and befriend all the people around you. Have a wonderful day! Thanks for sharing how beautiful Sulu is.