It really all began in Daet, Camarines Norte, the first stop in my southward trip through the Bicol region.

The island felt rugged, distant and painfully beautiful.

In Catanduanes, I connected with the landscape around me in ways I had never before.

In the town of Camalig, where specialists reside, pinangat is an emblem of the local foodways.

Under the perfect cone’s gaze - as the communities around it grew, over centuries - people thrived within it, too. From Legazpi City, I took day trips to the towns of Ligao, Guinobatan, Camalig, and Tiwi in the foothills of the still active Mayon Volcano.

A list of the provinces of the Philippines, with places I’ve visited marked in bold. Map courtesy of the wildly popular My Philippines Travel Level!