In and Around Bongao
Bongao feels more like an island town than Jolo. You can still see a lot of trees, and the topography is hilly. Thus, you don't see a lot of rice fields. Downtown, the action is pleasant and vibrant. Lots of umbrellas in different colors lined up the streets around the public market. We took a short drive around town, starting with the market. We moved to the Chinese pier as they call it, where a lot of Chinese traders have their warehouses and boats filled with various merchandise from Malaysia and Indonesia. In fact, there was a boat sailing to Sandakan in Malaysia. The trip supposedly takes 8 hours, which I think is not bad. Tawi-Tawi is just beside Sabah, so it's practically part of it already. I really didn't feel threatened here, and they don't seem to look like Muslims. It's just like any other Filipino town. I was happy to see more smiles here, than in Jolo. The people don't seem to complain, but you can see that poverty still abounds. We moved uphill to