Philippine Travel Notes

Like many spectators, I silently wondered why they were selected , picked , singled-out , elected , voted , whatever ah ... to be the handsome and beautiful pair for this lovely heavenly float... Scroll down for the probable reason… ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ Try reading the company name written on the truck's door. Click it to enlarge if you still can't see the name. Uhuh, your guess will always be as good as mine - ayokong sabihin - ay hihihi! This was at the Dinagyang's Float Parade. Ever heard of the expression " Model Ng Funeraria "? Ayan na, there you have it. Authentic sample. Literally and figuratively. And without a doubt! Oh well, the 'eternal' signs of our times...! #WesternVisayas #TravelPhilippines #Dinagyang

Still on the Iloilo Dinagyang. See the notes that the drummers must play! What a creative memory enhancer hehehe! Talagang isinulat sa face ng drum nya! Bakit naman hindi di ba?! Cool pa nga eh, di bala?! Oh well, festival music in these our times... #WesternVisayas #TravelPhilippines #Dinagyang

This is THE reason why I'm not that crazy taking so many pictures and/or videos at festivals in the Western Visayas region. This was at the famous " Dinagyang Festival " of Iloilo City. Oh yes, tribes usually paint their bodies black or dark brown for that native effect. Effort ba! However, directly painting brands or logos (of the sponsoring companies) on every dancer's body, comes out 'too desperately aggressive'. They make the rituals tasteless & classless. Nag-effort ka pa magpa-native look kunohay. Perhaps baka nag-research ka pa nyan on our native ancestors' dress and movements. Only for the total look of your "tribe" to look stupid! Anyway, if you look closely, the back of that one dancer says “Cup Needles” instead of a “Cup Noodles”. Meron palang Joke Category? If so, why does it have to be assciated with a celebration of the Sto Nino, tribes and rituals? Cheap. Kahuluya. Kung wala naman palang 'Comedy ...

A common sight: rolling carts selling fishball, kikiam, french fries, siomai, siopao, betamax, & just about anything, right? How about this? Well yep, it’s a cart, in the middle of the street, selling fruit shakes in various flavors. See the osterizers? They have four, no less! Eh, did I say “in the middle of the street” ? Yes palangga, in da midol gid sa tunga sang dalan! This was Dinagyang day and the streets were closed to vehicular traffic - it became a lively place to roam around with many folks selling everything. Those fruit shakes were a hit. How did that husband-and-wife team make their blenders churn when they were in the middle of the street? Scroll down to see… ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ Here here, look at this picture! Its actually a trike! And the ingenious manong loaded his generator set along, to provide the needed electricity for him an his wife to make those blenders whirr! No wonder, as I approached, I could hear that as if a ‘...

I kept glancing at this decorative wood carving. I just knew there was something that caught me, though I could not make out what it was. Finally stood in front of it and took this photo. The lady asked “you like the spelling sir?”. Then I said “aw ah, amo na gali, kaina pa ko gapaminsar ano may-ara sini nga carving man”. With a light whack on my arm the lady said “ahahay Pilipino ka gali, sir?” She then confided that the piece I was looking at was the 4th of such. Previous 3 pieces were purchased by 3 separate visitors because of the spelling. ‘Te man! This is at that the Roxas City Display Center. Yep, near the capitol, just before you go up the bridge.

This is Part 2. Let's continue my experience at this fairly new airport that I started in Part 1 (transiting on my way from MNL to CEB) . This second part was my 'return trip'. Ang pagbabalik! Just transiting again actually, after 3 days in Cebu (for Sinulog). Monday Arrival This was different. My arrival 3 days ago , on an Airbus A320 from Manila, was 'usual'. Y'know, plane docks at a gate with an aerobridge, we pile out to the arrival area , tapos! This time though, I flew-in via a turboprop (ATR-72) from Cebu, plane stopped in the midst of the apron, we walked to the building, palikuliko, voila baggage carousel na! No stairs nor escalators. Just plain walk at ground level. Same with all new airports actually (when riding propeller planes) , but this wasn't that far, as it is in CEB or MNL. So, oks lang I think, that there is no bus (at malakas pa naman ang tuhod ko)! Happy na. I planned well. In a matter of 3 days, I was able to experie...

“EconoLight” fares as we all know is Philippine Airlines' attempt to compete head-on with the Zero or Low or whatever fares that Cebu Pacific has pioneered via internet bookings. Sadly, “EconoLight” does not only fail but even puts PAL's reputation in a bad light. “EconoLight” looks like a product of old (no, make that aged ) and backward thinking folks who probably have not heard about market research and market behaviours. Thus, I can boldly predict that this facility will fizzle any time soon or they’ll be forced to change it into something else. Hey, you might be surprised to find that at times, your “Econolight” from PAL is way cheaper than Cebu Pacific’s “GO Fare” even with “GO Lite”. But that is talking about money matters – only. And for those of you who think your flight isn't all about the money, then you might want to consider the rest of this article. A first hand experience! When I heard about this “EconoLight” thing – which is not really that widespread a...

I was back, and happy! This was a Friday, two days before Sinulog 2009. I don't know (yet) what it is in this church that I like. Maybe it is the energy - that mix of easily visible fervent devotion and physical movements that you can see and feel at everywhere you look - whether it's during Sinulog season or an ordinary weekday. We arrived by taxi from Gorordo Ave. at 5:23PM. Just in time for the 5:30PM mass. Da! Mala-fiesta na ang atmosphere! But lesson learned - you need to get off a block or 2 from the church, then walk (aw, wade your way) in a sea of ambulating humanity ! Not recommended for the elderly, little children, pregnant, and those who can't walk long distances or stand for about 2 hours. Avoid jewelry or carrying non-essentials. Oy, those banderitas create cute 'flappity flap' sounds when the cool January winds blow. But don't take my word for it because... it usually rains or drizzles sporadically ! Quick & light showers really...

No walking this time. Malayo daw (actually, just about 2km) from the Osmeña House . But this was exciting for most of my companions because.., we rode a jeep. O diba? We crossed Osmeña Blvd. (better known as Jones Ave.) , to wait for a jeep in front of 'McDonald's Jones' (the 1st McDo branch in Cebu, in case you didn't know) , that could take us north to Gorordo Ave., where this Sala Piano Museum is located. Crazy fun! Yes it was fun, especially when I told my friends to holler "lugar lang", if it was time for us to get off! A KJ girl kasi butted in to tell them "actualy you can just say "para"! Anyway, we arrived at the house with its gate open, but a guard told us they already "closed for public viewing" since noontime due to a private event happening tonight. My friends begged that we be allowed to at least take photos at/of this grassy front. Permission granted hahaha! I think that guy in white was part of event prepara...

"Since we've been talking about streets named Osmeña, I just remembered there is an old house a bit down this road, that many people call Osmeña House. Let's go see that" . Everyone agreed that we even skipped entering Fuente Osmeña Circle (aka "fuente") . It's less than a kilometer walk (I'm sure of that), and on this festive Friday (sa Sunday na ang Grand Sinulog whatever) no one gets tired walking around "uptown". All is fun. This is President Sergio Osmeña Sr.'s post-war & semi-retirement residence, built in 1947 - now also commonly referred to as the CAP House , or even CAP Building . I say that because I read some accounts, and even heard from the caretaker herself saying highly improbable "facts" - such as "he was born and raised in this house" or "MacArthur slept here during his visits". It is an admirable old house, just the same. What is being highlighted here (I think) are the m...

From the previous story .., one of us saw this building, so we trooped to it, and what a good find, I must say. Few travel stories / guides tell us about this historical place. How many times ever have I passed this way, and I didn't really know what this was. There are many names that can be seen from the street. Well, we just assumed that "the biggest lettering" must be the building's name. And we were correct. Yeyhehehe! The Cebu City Tourism Commission; Cebu City Public Library & Information Center; Cebu City Museum; A realistic monument of Rizal reading a book with two children; and An unperturbed healthy brown dog, are what you'll see from down the sidewalk. Oh about those faces? Miss Cebu 2009 hopefuls on a new horizontal tarp, mounted on a wooden frame about 3 feet in height, that I can't estimate how long. Basta lang isinandal dyan sa dingding, and we couldn't guess if 'already used' or 'still to be used' . Nearby and...