Philippine Travel Notes

This was it pusit! My roam of Gamay's central area - with no itinerary! I like doing this kind of walk, where I don't know which way to go, what to see, what to expect. Come what may or where my feet lead me to . Here I said: "which way now" ! Natawa ako sa sarili ko, as if I was asking St. Michael for directions! Eh on that shot I was standing at the church door , facing outside. That, is where I came from earlier. That big building is their municipal gym (or whatever it's called nowadays). I started my walk there going leftwards as I earlier saw a row of big houses both old and new. Ancestral Houses I was certain some would still be made of wood and old-era-style. Like this one: Still big and beautiful, right? But as we said in many past stories, they are difficult to maintain, mainly because wood is expensive and even by-and-by already prohibited. I went closer. Oh, the big doors are still made of wood, but the walls are 'corrugated galvanized...

Let's continue roaming . I was done with the church . What else was worth my while? A lot! That's too typical when we go to places (even if for the n th time) 'no? Like this: People's Center . What is that? Ah, that's just how Palapag calls their Municipal Hall. Like many in our country, it's growing bigger & wider, to cater to a growing populace. That's why you'll notice, both flanks of the building are also buildings-in-the-making. As constructions and repairs were obviously on-going here and there, I didn't bother to go near, much less enter the building. I didn't want to be an extra burden to them. Municipal Park Behind me as I took that 'munisipyo picture' was their municipal park (town plaza). There still is a Bandstand I saw a bandstand and it was hard for me to tell in which direction it really is facing! I forgot to take a photo of the area, but thanks to googlemaps (where I grabbed that screenshot), it becomes ...

Wonderful Khmer Architecture! Everywhere is " instagrammable "! But let's start from the very beginning! Visit Times & Duration Foremost, you may encounter a 'minor issue' on the web, about opening and closing times for palace visits. Some say 7-11AM & 1-4PM ; some say 7AM , 8AM and so on. On this visit, it was written everywhere, 8:00AM~11:00AM AND 2:00PM~5:00PM . Heads up to my boldly written AND above. It can make or break your satisfaction! It means that: at 11AM the palace closes (for lunch?), so all guests will have to leave. Di ko alam kung me loudspeaker yan or megaphone na ipagtatabuyan kayo, o baka me mga guards na umiikot para sabihan kayo, o maybe the paths are cordoned-off. Basta ang sa akin, isang tanga at kalahati ka, kung papasok ka pa ng 10AM. Eh ang laki kaya ng compound na yan! Many tour groups aim for the earliest entry - at 8AM. I surmised, sangkaterbang busloads siguro ang tourists entering at 8AM. Hiyay! So, I ...

My bus ride from San Jose De Buenavista in Antiqué, to Iloilo City. Yeah! Finding My Ride This was as I have intended ( to ride a bus, not a van ) for 2 reasons: 1] bus seats are more spacious than the vans (more leg space), 2] best views of the world outside. And I knew even from long ago, there are Ceres buses (both "Aircon" and "Ordinary") going to Iloilo or elsewhere. So, I took a tricycle from downtown to the bus terminal. Not here, these are the vans for Iloilo! Not here too, these are going to Anini-y! The yellow buses here! Note: the red sign at that back building says San Jose De Buenavista Bus Terminal . Behind the buses is a street. Driver brought me there, saying it's nearer . True! Here! That man in shorts told me the 2nd bus, behind the 2nd tree, was the next for Iloilo. That's the one in front of him in that photo above. This: So I went for it. Yeah! Look! There is that prominently displayed trashcan right upon getting on ...