When ever Rudy and I visit Batanes, one of the first things we do is to go to Valugan the following morning. Wake up at 4:30 AM, have 3 in 1 coffee and off we go. Since Valugan is facing East, we want to set up before there is light. There are two distinct areas to shoot from. We start shooting facing Mt. Iraya and for our foreground the rocks of Valugan that we find dwindling in numbers every year as evidenced by the growth of the green Morning Glory plants that creeps toward the sea.

When we first visited Valugan it was just rocks and the sea. There was very little green that was growing between the rocks. Constant harvesting of these big rocks have exposed the soil underneath and gave this resilient plant a foothold.

If you observe closely the rocks of Valugan gets smoother as you get closer to the sea. You don’t have to be a scientist to conclude that this was due to the constant pounding of the waves that makes every protrusion and imperfections disappear over time.

But over on the other side which we shoot later, there are no big rocks, instead there are stones. I used to wonder why on one side there were rocks and on the other only stones until an old timer told us that there used to be big rocks on that side where there are now only stones. Constant harvesting of the rocks left only the stones. On this side of Valugan, the land has receded. There is evidence of erosion for there were no big rocks to prevent the sea from claiming the land.

If again you observe closely, the stones are smooth, free of edges and mostly rounded. On the other side where the big rocks are, only the waves make them smooth, but on this side where there are carried by the waves and rub with each other, the process of polishing and grinding the rough edges and corners go at a faster rate.

If the wind is not blowing hard, you can hear the stones ripple when the wave recede. This sound, described by Felice on our first Ots in Batanes, is unlike any sound you’ve heard before. The smooth stones, carried by the wave towards land and tumble back over other smooth stones and in the process ripple like wave and produce a sound that you can listen all day.

In a way, our CCP is like this. Senior members who have undergone a lot of grinding and polishing thru experiences and interaction with others are more “polished” just in a manner of speaking. They rarely react on any of the antics of other life timers. like Mon, Lito Cruz, Niding, Amang etc. for they know what to expect. As the saying goes, been there, done that, heard that before. New members have a lot of edges, some abrasive, some embarrassing. This is to be expected, for they have not yet acquired the required patina of what is expected of them by the group.

This is the main reason behind the one year probationary period. We hope that by the time the applicant is ready, then hopefully most of the rough edges have been at least dulled and that he is ready to start rolling with the waves and produce that unique camaraderie that is the CCP.

So, if you happen to be in Batanes, visit Valugan, see and hear the rolling, singing stones. You will not be disappointed.