Its kinda hard to imagine that this sleepy little place played host to one of the most celebrated kidnapping cases in history.

On May 27, 2001, 17 guests were kidnapped from their rooms by a rebel muslim group, known as the Abu Sayyaf, in the middle of the night and whisked away through the largely unprotected waters of Honda Bay.

The longest held captive, Gracia Burnham was detained for 377 days and lost her husband, Martin, during a failed rescue attempt. After her release, she published a book called, In the presence of my enemies.

To date, over 100 of Mrs. Burnham's captors remain at large. They are reportedly funded by the AlQaeda Network of Osama Bin Laden.

Almost five years to the day, I found myself staying in the same resort. Pictured above are the exact rooms that the hostages were taken from. I couldn't help but feel tinges of sadness as I marvelled in the natural beauty of an island that was raped by violence, scarring its serenity for eternity.