Philippine Travel Notes

...and you'll already know where I took this photo, right?! HRP means Holy Rosary Parish. You know where? Yep, mekeni country! Oh well, the Hinteresting signs Hof Hour times, e e e!

This topic started with this article There are only two towns with this name. San Lorenzo Ruiz is a town in the province of Camarines Norte (Region 5 – Bicol) and I would not wonder if after two decades they change that name again. About a dozen barrios were lumped together by congress in November 1970 to become the town of Imelda. In February 1989 they decided they want their town to be named San Lorenzo Ruiz, so congress obliged! What is San Lorenzo to this town? Nothing really. The townsfolk or their leaders just had a kick to rename their town as such. Who knows by year 2010 they will ask congress again to rename their town into something else! Anyway, this landlocked barriotic town is said to be the best source of a variety of pineapples called “queen pineapple” or “Formosa pineapple”. The other San Lorenzo is a town in the island province of Guimaras down in Western Visayas. This is a fairly new resort town on the eastern side of the island. The beach is good and they also have d...

This topic started with this article San Jose! We all know of course that San Jose is the Spanish name of St. Joseph. And, be very specific if your destination in the Philippines is San Jose. This is the mostest in terms of same-name towns and cities. There are twelve! Ready? Well, there are just 9 towns all named literally San Jose, but plus, there is a town named San Jose De Buan, there is the city of San Jose in Nueva Ecija and there is the city of San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan. For whatever its significance maybe, seven of these are in Luzon, four are in the Visayas and only one is in Mindanao – the northern part that is, and still very near to Visayas! Let us start with the city of San Jose in Nueva Ecija as it is the northernmost San Jose. This city is not the capital of the province but is in the heart of the rice granary of the country with vast plains! Like the rest of the province, rice of course is the main produce in this area. However, they have recently risen to be the nu...

I have been to this place some ages ago, and I think that was a school field trip or something like that. Also passed by this place a couple of times on the way to or avoiding heavy traffic going somewhere! This time, I went to Kawit on purpose – for lack of anything else to see or do at Cavite City when I popped in there with no plans whatsoever! The purpose… what really is there anyway! How did I know about Kawit? Which Filipino won’t have heard about this town if they have at least finished their primary school? And living in this country you always watch, hear or read about news that a so and so politician went there to attend the flag ceremony in commemoration of the country’s independence every June 12, right? So Kawit is fairly on the Filipino’s mind. But my ageing brain can’t recall any more details than the above. So, knowing I was already in Cavite City, I asked around if Kawit was still far. The old lady said just about 30 minutes or so by mini bus. Going there Along P. Burg...

Wakas means “The End”. Am not sure what “wakas” is in this context. Maybe the name of the Barangay, or the district or the area, whatever. I was passing by, so I can tell you it was not ‘the end’ hehe. Oh well, the mind-boggling names of our times…

Another accidental find? Probably so! I was just wont on riding that new Metrostar Ferry from the MOA to Cavite City and here I am slowly discovering an interesting province! I have to use numerics in my article titles (Discovering Cavite 01, 02, 03 etc) for I have decided I will definitely return to see and experience more! Here is my story… How did I know about this place? Well, most everyone residing in Metro Manila would know or have heard Cavite (the province) which is just a suburb of the metropolis anyway! So I am one of those who think this way! Of course I have been many times to parts of this province but really just to do specific affairs and not necessarily to learn more about it. How is that? A birthday party of a friend who lives in one of the Cavite towns, a Caylabne or Tagaytay excursion, a tour of Corregidor, a “tripping” c/o a realty company to visit their “new village”, and so on. All those visits were not meant to understand, discern more or admire the beauty about ...