03-Mar-2010 -- The journey to find 10N124E confluence was part of an adventure to retrace the roots of my deceased father Paulino Fuentes who was born in Getafe, Bohol. We were able to talk to the Barangay Chairman Mingming Fuentes of Getafe whom we confirmed that his father & mine were second degree cousins. The last time I was in this sleepy town was when I was about three years old in 1950. Most of the relatives I knew were dead. Their descendants are still around but we hardly knew them. People die but the town remains, a reminder of our own mortality.

In the morning of Wednesday, March 3, 2010, Santah & I searched for a feeder road from the main highway in Clarin town that could lead us to the coastline about 1 kilometer deep. We find this place in Barangay Bonbon, Clarin where we rented the boat of Rolan Abay to bring us to the confluence. The sea was relatively calm but halfway to the confluence the waves were tricky and choppy due to the shallow waters and contrasting current and wind. Rolan the boatman told us that this part of the sea could be dangerous for small boat because the waves were broken, airy and lacked buoyancy. The boat won’t lift but may plow instead through the waves and the boat may take in a lot of water in an instant and may even sink in seconds. This hazard was also colorfully described by the French girls who visited this confluence earlier. Borne from these experiences, Rolan the boatman avoided this area and swung around the mangrove islet instead to reach the confluence. It was about noontime so it was difficult for me to orient where the North is but with the help of the boatman who described where the sun rises, we took our bearing to get the photos. After that we headed back to the shore.

After a quick shower, courtesy of a resident in the area who allowed us to use their bathroom, we continued our journey south to Tagbilaran City and Panglao Beach.