The EAZY Traveler "One's destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Philippines | Friday, October 15, 2010 | 5 photos

Last month, I traveled to the northern province of Kalinga in the Philippines to explore the region’s remote villages and emerald rice terraces, which can be reached from Manila by an arduous 16-hour journey by bus, jeepney and motorbike.

Once the fiercest headhunting warriors of the majestic Cordillera highlands, the Kalinga tribespeople are on the brink of completely losing their ancient way of life to modernization and evangelization, including their exquisite art of tattooing. Symbols of status and beauty, tattoos are donned by both men and women who earned the respect of their tribal community. Sadly, most of the tattooed Kalingas today are elderly women in their 70s to 90s, since younger generations now shun the practice.

I hope these photographs will not only capture their vanishing way of life but, more importantly, encourage others to do their part in protecting irreplaceable cultural treasures.

Travel photography can be a powerful catalyst for change. Winning the scholarship to mystical Bhutan will equip me with the professional tools and indispensable training necessary to not only capture beautiful images, but create ones that impart a meaningful story. Moreover, it will also give me the rewarding opportunity to communicate my own perspective and insights of the world - most especially its overlooked corners - to a much wider audience.

As writer Henry Miller once said: “One’s destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things.”