Into the Sulu Archipelago
Traveling in a region dismissed by many as too risky for foreigners to explore, I was lucky enough to witness some of the unique customs and ways of life belonging to the Sama-Bajau and Tausug people, from traditional dance, to mat weaving and shipbuilding.
One week prior to my departure for the island province of Tawi-Tawi I received an email from the U.S. Embassy in Manila: “We strongly advise that U.S. citizens should continue to defer non-essential travel to the Sulu Archipelago, due to the high threat of kidnapping of international travellers and violence linked to insurgency and terrorism.”
This region of the Philippines never gets good press and even among local Filipinos has a very negative reputation.
If you mention you are going to Mindanao many will look at you with genuine concern. Mention Sulu, and most won’t even comprehend it, as if the place doesn’t really exist. Yet, for the longest time, I have wanted to visit this region of the country.
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