LEAVING SULU

Previously: Mauboh Beach

After my visit to Mauboh Beach, my driver-guard-guide drove me back to downtown Jolo. When we departed near the port, I took my time strolling at the public market interacting with the vendors acting like I know the place so well.

When the sun started to gentle down, I headed to the port and bought a ticket for Zamboanga. I looked for a seat and observed the locals living normally like anyone else in the country. The people of Sulu are good friends. They smile, they talk, they understand. 

My eyes got refreshed at the parcels of islets amidst blue serene waters. I waited for the sunset before going onboard. Sulu's got a really awesome sunset!

When I stepped onboard, my soul was so fulfilled to have visited the most feared and misunderstood paradise. Really fulfilling! My heart was a bit saddened upon the thought of leaving the province. At 7pm, my heart waved goodbye to Sulu. I rested myself on a deck I found most comfortable. But the loud music, the smell of dried fish and cigarette smoke domineered the whole place and again made my night sleepless. By 5am the next day, we docked at the port of Zamboanga.

That was my Sulu experience, just 12-hour short but decades will never be enough to erase my memories of a place I always call a paradise.

Here are my SIMPLE TIPS IN TRAVELLING TO SULU:

Have sufficient cash on hand.

Be sure to have a contact.

Don't wear something attractive.

Avoid asking questions except to police officers. 
Expect to have police escorts.
Be culturally sensitive.
Act as if you know the place. 
Lastly, don't do what I did (traveling alone, no contact and no IT). 

Being afraid of Mindanao is so unfair to the Mindanaoans. So is to the Suluans. Don't be afraid of Sulu but rather be afraid of the fear that enslaves your narrow mind.