Philippine Travel Notes

Their website claims it to be “The Greatest Show in the World”. This is a spectacle that formally started this year (2005) as an “Olympics” where several representatives of some countries fight it out on who has the best of the best in lighting up the sky with fireworks. How did I learn about this event? Well, it being the Christmas Season, sometime in November I was browsing various search engines (google mainly) for fireworks shows in the Philippines. I knew from experience that many a city/town/mall/etc., do have some fireworks shows during December until January. I was actually hoping to catch something of a show in the town of Bocaue in Bulacan as it is touted to be the main source of fireworks in the country. I did not find any. Instead, I came across this website that was all about the World Pyro Olympics supposedly to be staged from 26th to 30th December 2005 at the Esplanade (formerly Promenade) that is actually a very long stretch of sea-wall or breakwater made to be like a p...

Let us continue our aimless-wandering-around of Baguio. After that Haunted House , we drove to Café By The Ruins - ipapasikat as only two of us had been there before. We were sure everyone would love its rustic café ambiance in the middle of the city. Baguio City Hall However, fortunately or unfortunately (that depends on whose view we take) the best parking option for all of us, being a Saturday, was up at the city hall (City Hall Drive). This city hall can be a nice 'sight to see' for many tourists, were it not overshadowed by the city's very own other beauties , which of course, is never wrong anyway, right?! For those like me who're fond of beautiful old structures, this Baguio city hall should already count. It's old (at least as an institution) , since Baguio was chartered in 1909. The building may have been originally wood. Now  (post WWII?)  it is totally concrete. As one friend said "of course this must have been repaired many times ...

We walked the few steps from Teachers Camp to this house popularly called as the White House or Haunted House or Haunted White House . Few call it Laperal House . Ah, for me it's yet another big beautiful wooden old house that's a feast for the eyes . All of us knew what it is or was. It's even mentioned in my Lonely Planet book. What I didn't know or understand was hindi pala kami papasok, magpi-picture lang sa labas ! I was first to arrive at the gate, and immediately called out saying "tao po". No reply. Most of the ladies asid "wag na, di naman tayo papasok" some even cringing hehehe! I continued calling, but still no reply. Then I saw that the gate was padlocked. Thus, I told everyone "there's probably no one inside, except for the resident ghosts" . Hiyawan! Pictorials continued - just on Leonard Wood Road, with the house as background. I tried taking pictures of it from every possible angle I could - also from t...

Let's continue the previous story . So we were in Baguio for no reason at all other than 'roam aimlessly' . Well, since we were in 3 cars (each with a toy walkie-talkie) , whoever said whatever wherever, we went there! At least that, is a semblance of order, di ba? When walking, whoever goes where, we followed. In my mind, I said "why would I not go with the flow, eh I have nothing else to do naman" . I guess we all thought the same. Aw, when others cannot, may not or do not want to follow, we set a time & place ala tour-guide style (e.g., in 5 minutes, all be at this or that) . Example? Nag-CR yung girls! We learned those little tricks from the various guided tours we've joined in the past. Me order naman actually. It's always great bumming around with 'the same feathers'! Teachers Camp Anyway, while some were still at their banyo shower CR morning rituals, we crossed to Teachers Camp for a peep (we already abandoned the idea of...

After 182 days I was back in the country's summer capital . But that trip in May was a bit more business-related, so I did not have much time to see how Baguio has been. This time, with no plans nor even thinking about it, we just took off as a convoy of 3 vehicles on a Friday, after an Eastwood nightout! Drivers ang non-drinkers - all girls! Come what may.., whatever... hahaha! Good that all 3 vehicles have maps. One car even had a "set-of-3 toy walkie-talkies"! So, we got to discuss where to stop, where to go, what to do, while already cruising! Checking all those - of course with unending alaskahan bangayan on the road - was already memorable fun! No plans, but all were ready to go. Ah, that is what happens when travelers suddenly decide to travel. Laging Handa! Birds of the same feather! It was a merry banter by over-over-roger-roger (2-way radio) among 3 cars moving at NLEX during the wee hours. Like what sorts of topics was "walkie-talkied...

O ha?! Ayan, nakasulat na sa pader! Intiendes?! At pag sinabi kahit saan that means KAHIT SAAN hehehe! So, when in Bacolod, hold your bladder. Kahit saan! Interestingly, the adjacent segments of that same wall have these... What caught our attention was thinking that it was just one continuous message on the entire length of that wall. Indi gali hehe! Oh well, the amusing random signs of our times!

So we arrived from our interesting roam of Silay. And straight to the public plaza we went. Oops, not after we had a quick snack at Coffee Station. Hmm, I can’t vividly recall how we got ourselves inside Robinson’s Mall. Probably the jeeps from Silay terminated there and we smelled some interesting wafts or saw some interesting brews. Then again, maybe I also said something about Napoleones. Whatever the reason, we were wise for having done so, because we later realized our next meal was to be way past beyond the normal time. But everything was a rush rush until we were once again at the plaza to witness what was left of the Masskara Festival’s Dance Parade – Open Category. And argh! If yesterday the plaza was jampacked, this day it was OMG superlatively more crowded. But we pressed on. And it was not that difficult. Why? Because, we observed, people would usually size you up from head to toe, and when they sense you are a visitor, they actually make way for you to get nearer - even at...

Even with last night’s crazy fun, we woke up early. Like about 10AM? That’s early, right? Hehe, well, we’re only human! We knew that the festival schedule said 1PM was the start of Masskara Dance Parade – Open Category. And that is the biggest of all parades. But our itinerary said we needed to visit Silay City in the morning. It was still morning technically, albeit late hehe. So we proceeded as planned. To appease our ‘festival mode’ mindsets, we all agreed to forego watching the very start of the parade and would catch whatever was left of it over at the plaza soon as we arrive from Silay. Just like yesterday ehehe. Okay, fine! Ah, we just took a jeep going Silay. I told the group that I’d been there once before and it was just a few kilometers away. Some 10 to 15 kms, I imagined. There were too many jeeps plying the route anyway, so everyone was jolly willing to hop on a jeep. Mind you, near as it is, Silay is not the next city north of Bacolod. There is Talisay City in between...