Magical Mount Bulusan: Ms Rica and the white rainbow

Magical Mount Bulusan. This is not a cliche. This is real.

I saw the magic unravel in the photos of Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio and her fellow trekkers.

They might not know it but they have stumbled upon a very rare phenomenon known as a fog bow during their recent trek to Mount Bulusan.

A fog bow is a 'white rainbow'. White because the colors are so faint it appear whitish. Almost ghostly. But yes the colors are there. And to add to the magic: the white rainbow appeared in a 360 degree form-- meaning a circle. The gaping crater of  Bulusan Volcano appears like in the act of swallowing a  giant Holy host from heaven.

They always say that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But this one is not the end of the rainbow (as the photo shows). This one is right at the HEART of a rainbow with the faintest colors of pink, yellow and blue.

More than a pot of gold I am sure is in there-- though not literally.

Whereas a rainbow is the result of the optical effects caused by  droplets of rain meeting the rays of the sun at a specific angle (42 degrees according to scientific journals), the fog bow on the other hand is caused by a mist of fog smaller than rain droplets not strong enough to reflect and refract colors vivid enough to the eyes. Thus a whitish arc or in this case a circle is formed instead.

The sight is truly magical and almost spiritual. It looks like an apparition of nature.

I have checked the web for similar photos of a crater with a white rainbow but none so far yielded to my virtual search. Arctic white rainbow. Yes, sighted by an expedition team. Golden Gate Bridge white rainbow. Yes, as captured by a photographer. But not this kind of a gaping mouth of a volcano with a giant 'host', the Eucharistic bread from heaven in a suspended  freeze frame waiting to be swallowed by the magnificent Bulusan Volcano from the hands of the  holy sky.

To the trekkers and to the beautiful Ms. Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio:

All I can say is: wish I was there!         (Photos: realrica.com)

For the complete set of photos from Ms Rica Peralejo Bonifacio with the white rainbow: realrica.com