Tao Expedition, Day Three
Landing at the Tao base camp.
With two days under our belts of our five-day expedition, it's time to visit Tao's home camp. There was excitement in the air, not least from I... we've experienced a little of the magic that makes up Tao and now it's time to see what they're made from.
Upon landing on their island-base we were greeted by a table of mangoes, stacked 4-high. A taste of the islands, the best mangoes we've ever tasted. The taste of success perhaps? As we gathered around the bar, Eddie one of the founders of Tao made himself known and encouraged us to feast, admitting the mangoes were the result of the local farmers picking their entire crop for Tao. Not just a few, not staggered over weeks, as asked. But all. This table presented just the tip of the harvest, both success and failure.
Eddie spoke of his beginnings, from the north, of mountains not islands. Of his lack of knowledge of building a boat let alone an organisation. It was a story of making a difference more than a dime. Putting trust in the young not old. Seeking farming knowledge from the educated but finding it in the old experienced neighbour. A story not shared with guests until recently. A delight previously hidden. His entrepreneurial spirit was felt in the surrounding camp and the team of 300 beside him, in Tao's boats, communities, camps and farm. The success felt, more than the failures seen in dried up ponds, gardens withering in the heat and Tao's uniquely shaped huts, reborn and rebuilt to survive typhoons.
As a graphic designer, the question that typically follows what do you do is what do you design? I find this question a difficult one to answer because I design many many things for many different people. Some never seen by the public, some seemingly small and insignificant. At the end of the day I deal in words and images, trade in ideas. It's not rocket science. But there is a little magic in making them not only seen, but felt... the same magic exists in what Tao does.
Goodnight Palawan Islands
