It’s officially summer now here in the Philippines and if we say summer, we mean beach! In a tropical country like the Philippines, summer is always the best time to go to the beach to take respite from the scorching heat of the sun.

It’s been 3 years since my last hiking romance with nature and I miss it so bad. To be honest, the call of nature adventure remains loud despite the fact that I have shelved the call after my Byaheng Mindanaw team disbanded. The scent of the mountain is a breath of life, a respite, a medicine, an addiction of which I can hardly get over with. And from time to time, I look back at my photographs, wondering when I will have another chance to immerse with the outdoors. Yes, I still wander. I sometimes plan a trek but it can be easily traded with the beach as my set of friends prefer it over an exhausting hike.

"Are we there yet?" Almost everyone expressed the same uncertainty to our young tour guide minute by minute as we continue to tramp deeper into the jungle of barangay Sicao, Tamayong. The supposed 30 minutes hike into the hidden Sicao falls had turned into a daunting and tiring two hours of endless pursuit. Later the tour guide affirmed she lost track of the trail. And we're stuck in the middle of the forest with no food to feed our hungry tummies.

The devastation done by Typhoon Pablo opened up a window of opportunity for me to be of help as we conducted an Art Therapy Workshop for the kids of Cateel. For two days, we spent our time with the kids, teaching them the basics of art and theater arts. Inspiring and healing their wounds from the tragic experiences they encountered.