I love great season enders, and in my teleserye life, I think today is the best season ender for Biyaheng Bakawan Season 1.
Remember, I started this blog almost a year ago. Episode 1 was 'The Big Move', when I flew to Bangkok on the eve of my 30th birthday. Only the hotel front desk officer wished me happy birthday then, because no one in this land knew I was celebrating my third decade that day. Episode 2 was 'Clear as Mud', when I was unsure of what I was doing in Bangkok chasing my mangrove dream (sabi nga ni Lourd Ernest deVeyra, "Nakaka-t*ng*n* this, di ba?"). Episode 3 was 'Sri Lanka: The Emerald Isle'; then, Episode 4 'Buddha Bless You' immediately followed by 'Pilipinas Kong Mahal'.
'Pas de parle Americain' (I and II) was a two-part episode concluded by 'BS kayong lahat!!!' (I was having a very uneasy first and second quarters). Ilang episodes na ba? I think I have at least 13, complete with a season break when I went back home to Manila this June ('Time Out'). There was also this most tumultuous time in Phuket when I went through my Eureka moment ('Joie de Vivre'). Then came the Season CliffHangers, 'Oui, Je T'aime Aussi' and 'Route 66' (remind me to write about these later). I think today is the best day, though, and today is the Season Finale.
I call it "I, Mangrover."
Yep, I've come full circle in my mangrove-chasing career. I've reached my pinnacle. Today, I reconnected with one of the mangrove world's foremost mangrove heroes (Dr. Norm Duke, the original Dr. Jones of the mangroving world). Tomorrow, I celebrate my 100th* visit to a mangrove forest, and it's in the Krabi estuary, a RAMSAR site. I've been chasing mangroves since I was 10, and for 20 years, it's been a great journey. Since devoting my early career to mangroves, I've been all over the Philippines, and almost all over the world. I've been to Singapore; to Viet Nam; to Malaysia; to France; to New Zealand; to Sri Lanka; and to Thailand. Ibang klase talaga ang buhay kasama ng mga bakawan!
Tapos na ang Season 1. Ano kaya ang darating sa Season 2?
Abangan!
*indicative of how I lost count of how many mangrove forests I've seen and visited in the past 10 years
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