Philippine Travel Notes

I roamed around this little village, where Araw Beach is a part of. Not for any special reason, but just a go-see really, at its present-day look , before more changes happen. Why? What changes are happening? Aw, just like everywhere else in this country. By and by , yes, even if too slow, remote rural areas do get upgrades. That's what I mean. Examples: 1) on arrival, I saw that streets are fairly newly-paved; 2) above Nathalie's (since it's a hill, at the back), the street is being extended to 'above the beach'. O ha! Signs of progress. And, I think it will be more towards that situation, as Araw Beach becomes more and more visible, to the local and even international tourist markets. Who knows, baka pag balik natin eh this barangay could already be a crowded area of highrises! O, optimist di ba? It'll be best if we visitors have memories of the past! Ayay, take it from me, I always say now: "if only meron nang phone camera or kahit na digit...

Two blocks away from the municipal hall , I chanced upon the 'also fairly young' Our Lady of the Angels Parish Church of Mapanas , commonly called Mapanas Church . I hope you get the drift of these "fairly young" pronouncements that I keep saying. It is because this town was created from 7 barangays of Gamay only in 1966, and this church was created as a parish only in 1975. So it's rather young compared to many! So I did not expect to find historic things here, like I did at Palapag . It was closed (churches are like that now) . But to my left, there was an open gate. Beautiful new fence & gate. Mala-eskwelahan ang arrive! Thank you sa mga donors! Syempre, enter da dragon na agad - baka mag-automatic close pa yan - malay natin! Like at many churches, I suspected I'd find an ajar side door. Ay, just as I said above, nowadays churches normally close their many entrances, leaving just 1 open or ajar . We already know the rationale behind that, r...

Let's roam around town. I'm like new to this place, since the last time I've been here was many years ago, via a different route, and connecting various transport modes! This time, I traveled direct - Tacloban to Palapag . Just one ride but a story enough! First I visited was the old and new Palapag Church or the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption . This is a historical spot, with both edifices standing beside each other. The old church ruins is at left (never 'built-over'), while the present church is at right. I remember there was a belfry tower to the left-of that old church. It was taller than the new church. I guess It must have been the ruins now in between the 2 buildings. If you notice, there are now 2 historical markers on the front wall of the old church. Although now old too, the white cross on foreground was not part of the old church. It was a later addition, together with those two white pedestals that each had a bell. I wonder where now ...

In the previous story , we ended with the two icons I saw on the taxi dashboard, and I said: I was not sure if those were for two different Buddhist-based religions or not. Counting The Religious You probably already know that Vietnam is an Atheist country. That means majority of the population don't believe in a God, therefore not many have a religion. Ganoon! 74% of Vietnam say they don't have any religious affiliation. 14% practice Mahayana Buddhism. 10% are Catholics. The rest are a scattering of various sects and beliefs. But in Danang City with a population of about 1.2 million, only more than 6.3% have a religion. Catholics are the "maniest" at about 42,000 or 3.5% of the city population. Meaning: of Danang folks who say they believe in God, many of them are Catholics. Though in all Vietnam, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) has the most number of Catholics. The Cathedral So yes there's Christianity, notably Catholicism ! Yes, in Vietnam. Oh ye...

After all the news, the craze and the fanfare about their return to Balangiga, after a little more than a century, by the Americans, I went to see these 3 bells, uncrowded! Now what? Hahaha, I don't know! They are bells, like many other old, historic or historical bells you see everywhere on earth. You and I knew, that upon return, they were not to be kept (again) in a box and forgotten for another century. They were/are to be used again or displayed forever . So, why was everyone (except for Balangiganons) so crazy about being there during the actual return/arrival of the bells? Because Duterte was there? Wheh! Para saan? I'm saying what I said above because... days ago, many friends, family, subscribers, colleagues kept asking where I was, why I was not there to see the bells, and so on. One said "lumipad pa kami galing Cavite, nakita naman namin, but we were not able to take photos w/ the bells, andaming tao, you could have guided us kung andito ka "....

Arrived ! And, I stealthily made my way out of that airport, while everyone was still busy with the arrival ceremonies. I knew where I was going, Bantayan. No no, not the island in Cebu heheh! Just a main (longest) thoroughfare of San Jose De Buenavista (SJDB). The arrangement was: to drop my bags at a hotel (I choose not to name it for now), because I was still very early, then come back at 12NN for check-in (overnight stay). Tricycles Fares Are Prominently Displayed It was even this hotel that taught me how to commute from the airport, via tricycle. I like cities that have transparent transportation fares, and that are strictly enforced. They're cities that seriously embrace honesty and fairness, that travelers love . Bawal ang nanlalamang na driver. That, is a mark of mature and progressive communities. There are not many of them in this country. I can even only remember Cauayan and Puerto Princesa. Now let's add San Jose De Buenavista, Antique. Worth emulating ...