Vampires in Paradise

Somehow last week had a gloomy edge to it. During the weekend we visited Samal Island and took a motorcycle ride to visit the bat caves there. There is certainly something surreal about peering down a dark cave with 1.8 million bats shrouded in darkness while ten minutes later you are swimming in the hot water of a vanishing island under a radiant sun. Too bad the internet doesn’t allow to capture smells. I’d love to see your noses curl as you look over my shoulder into the bat cave…

But the bats were not the only winged monsters crossing my path this week. Several people told me about a peculiar creature called ‘aswang’ in Cebuano. Local belief has it that some people shift shapes during night time, take on wings and roam the neighbourhood in search of unborn babies. Pregnant women would sprinkle salt on the window panes to protect them from the aswang who has the power to suck the foetus out of a woman’s womb. Unable to enter the house, the aswang would scratch the outside walls of the house or circle the sky in search of blood. Like a vampire, the aswang only comes out at night. Aswangs take on a human shape during daytime, but one particular facial feature gives them away for what they really are: they have a harelip…

PS: for a less gloomy account of our trip to Samal, check out Lilli’s blog :)