The night was pitch-black in the middle of the sea, except for the light of the ferry crossing though the deep; and save for the crashing sound of the water breaking against the rumbling engine, there would have been silence too great to bear. Thankfully, there is that noise, lest the loudest sound in the room would be the voice that only I can hear.

ETD — 08:25 PM

After a long day of barnstorming the stretch of Zamboanga Peninsula from Zamboanga del Norte, we were finally back to Zamboanga City shortly before sunset. We just had a quick stop in the city to grab food and drinks, then we headed to the Port of Zamboanga.

The Port of Zamboanga, where a whole new adventures began.

Yes, the port. No hotel, no inn, no homestay for accommodation. We would spend the night in the middle of the sea, aboard a vessel, on our way to a place long stigmatized because of history of conflict, violence and often misunderstood fight for self-determination.

We were bound for the island province of Sulu.

We got to the port by 06:44 PM, just in time for our 07:00 PM ferry trip. While Ran and I have taken the ferry before when we went to Cebu from Bohol, boarding one for a long sea travel that would take the entire night was a first.

The dormitory aboard M/V Kristel Jane 3 of Aleson Shipping Lines.

The vessel did not leave as scheduled though, and it took a little less than an hour and a half before we finally set sail.

Unlike Ran who has the special skill for falling asleep fast, I was not really able to get some sleep during the sea trip. It was not brought about by anxiety or sea sickness, but more of the urge to make the most out of the novelty of the experience. Looking back, if I just slept my way through during the sea journey, I would have not been able to experience for myself the pitch-black darkness of the night sea, and would have not been able to spend some time observing other people who, with their own reasons for travelling, were practically like me: stuck in the middle of the sea in the middle of the night instead of being somewhere else. At that particular rupture in time, M/V Kristel Jane 3 of Aleson Shipping Lines was the center of our universe.

ETD — 05:37 AM

I was expecting that as we reach the Port of Jolo, we would be welcomed by the golden tint of the sun breaking through the horizon, where the skyline and the sea meet. Well, that still somehow happened, but as we got closer to the dock, the tangerine lining in the sky slowly disappeared, replaced by what nature has planned for us. A downpour was awaiting us instead.

TTL — 09 hours, 12 minutes

The rain that welcomed us in Jolo Port was too strong that we had to make a run for it until we got to the service vehicles waiting for us. We settled down, and as soon as we were seated inside the van, Bhenny, our official tour guide for Sulu approached us. Bhenny is the proprietor of Bhenny Travel and Tours and he teamed up with Aura Adventures in order to give us a memorable experience in the island province.

We were given a very quick orientation by Bhenny that Sulu is a highly conservative society, strongly adhering to the teachings of Islam. As such, propriety is highly expected in all facets of action and communication. The women, in particular, were told that while wearing the jihab is not mandatory, sleeveless and hanging tops are definitely not allowed and bottoms should not be shorter than knee-length, even when swimming.

The entire group then headed to Shara’s Cafe where we were scheduled to have our breakfast. Of course, no bacon and egg there. No Sausage either. Definitely no complaints, as it was the real deal—living the halal way of life.

Shara’s Cafe located in Airport Road, Jolo, Sulu.

For our first meal in Sulu, we were served with Bangbang Sug, a traditional Tausug basket of various delicacies, most of which will give one more than enough sugar to energize one’s self for the day ahead. What is rather unique with the Bangbang Sug arrangement is that all kinds of delicacies will be served on a tray, but one would only pay for what was actually consumed.

Bangbang Sug, which literally translates to snacks of the Tausug.

While the breakfast that we had was unique compared to the typical breakfast that we are used to, there seems to be universality, however, with the beverage that it would perfectly partner with. The Bangbang Sug was served with Kahawa Sug, the traditional coffee grown in Sulu.

Even the coffee, however, did not fall short of a touch of uniqueness with the way it was served. When served, two cups will be handed over but only one will be filled with coffee. One is then supposed to transfer the coffee repeatedly between the two cups so that it cools down a bit before drinking.

From the moment we boarded the ship the night before to the point that we had our breakfast in Sulu, we were already breaking barriers in Renegade Junctures. Let alone the first time we spent the night in a sea vessel, the Sulu experience that we were about to start was something that did not cross our thoughts to happen so soon since we started our duo travels and our online travel journal. I guess for many, Sulu was just out of the equation for so long, and we cannot be thankful enough for being able to make it to the island province that remained off limits to visitors until recent history.

Making it to Sulu was achievement already. The next challenge was to make it count.