Foot and Fire

  It has been in my mind for quite some time now the fact that one day, I will be telling my readers about my travels through the necklaces and braceles I bought along the way. Here, I quickly run down some favorites. I divide the story into two, Philippines and outside the Philippines. This is the first of the two-part story.  In 2015, I had a chance to observe four ordinary days of the Panay Bukidnon of Calinog, Iloilo. It was an immersion of sort. Nothing is extraordinary at face value unless one looks closely with one's heart. The community struggles to survive amidst the challenges of modernization. But I am happy that the tribe still try hard to preserve the culture like the Panubok or embroidery and it is still hand-made as opposed to all things made by machines and the easy entries of ukay-ukay. I bought a set of sash, bracelet, choker and arm band which at that time I am thinking of wearing as accent to my office clothes. And I am happy I did. Found a remar...

The Karsts lining the Campomanes Bay is verdant unlike the ones I saw in Halong Bay, Vietnam and Coron and El Nido, Palawan... One can't appreciate the karsts immediately because they appear to be a forest except for a few bald area as photographed above... Of course, this is a good news because greens still grow in the rocky mountain... We left our home base temporarily for a boat tour. We went to Obong Cave in Hinobaan first which took us 45 minutes by small boat. We passed by many areas, including the "Pulo" which is the first stop for most boat tours. The photo below is the pulo and the next two photos  are the shots of an opening from end to end. I observed that there is still a live portion of the rock in the "cave." One tourist touched it, a no-no action because it has the tendency to die after being in contact with human sweat, skin and human bacteria. There should be a warning of sort. Tour-guiding is not yet a commodity here. Lastly, I should neve...

Writing Home: 19 Writers Remember Thier Hometowns Edited by Ruel S. De Vera Anvil Publishing 191 pages, An anthology of essays, poems and short stories As of writing this review, I am yet to finish four more entries: The Bacon vendetta by Eileen R. Tabios (Santo Tomas, Candon, Ilocos Sur), The Adopted Hometown by Alfred Yuson (Dumaguete), Habit of Space by Karina Africa Bolasco (Lipa) and Outward Journey by Jaime An Lim (Cagayan De Oro). Just immediately before I sat down to write this review, I read one which is closer to home: EBJ Freedom Park by Alex de los Santos (Antique) which is a poem that remembers how the park came to be when "we heard the volley of gunfire that made this park a tomb. " EBJ stands for Evelio B. Javier who was a much-beloved Antique Assemblyman and governor who was assassinated in 1986. In the poem's opening lines, the park for Antiquenos is "here is where we rise, here we bury victories." And as closing lines, the...

This is one of the many photos I got with karsts on it.  The pristine beach, the fine white sand and the smiles of the tour guides  will always be the feature of this tour. This is from EL NIDO, Palawan, Philippines! *** This is one of the many karsts I photographed in Halong Bay, North of Vietnam.  The monstrosity and the number of karts will amaze any traveller. ** I decided that my El Nido Trip vs Halong Bay Cruise are two different experiences. I encourage all Filipinos to take the El Nido trip as one can really appreciate the truest sense of the word archipelago when one gets to see the beaches and karsts there; it also made me prouder of our natural riches. Friend Doc Judy Ann, a certified traveller and top-notch photographer, says, "One should see El Nido in his lifetime... Truly a wonder of nature... God's gift to mankind... I would want to visit El Nido again and again..." Meanwhile, my multi-awarded photographer friend Bernadet...

TWO DAYS IN PUERTO PRINCESA We had a City Tour in Puerto Princesa and experienced the Firefly watching in Iwahig to cap the day. We started the tour in the Japanese-donated Crocodile Farming Institute, then headed to Rancho Zipline Adventure to inhale some farm air and have some pastoral view. From there, we headed to the Baker's Hill, a bakeshop popular for its Hopia. After grabbing some pasalubong, we had a quick round of the garden and had a good time there. After Baker's Hill, we went to two pasalubong centers. From there, we went to Plaza Cuartel located just across the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and had the chance to get inside despite it was dark already. Thanks to the kind caretaker who also explained the marker to us. Plaza Cuartel is the site where American prisoners-of-war during WWII was burned by the Japanese. One survivor, made a sculpture immortalizing the pain and sorrow of the war experience. After Plaza Cuartel, we went to...

TWO DAYS IN EL NIDO El Nido beachfront is inviting especially that we reached the place just before sunset. We swam just a little after sunset which starved us and sent us searching for a good dinner thereafter. We want to have dinner in the beachfront but it is full house and for a company of nine, we have to be waitlisted. We found a Thai-inspired resto that we chose because they can accomodate us right away and we seem to like the reggae band on the resto next door. The discomfort of town's regular brown-out from 6 am to 2 pm and limited water supply which we woke up to in El Nido kicked our patience out. But once we started the tour and as we approached the karsts and the same got clearer and clearer, our memory of the discomfort also got blurry. We started the day with Tour A. We rented the boat for P2,500 for the whole day, mask and snorkel (P75 each) and two kayaks (P700 each). We started the day with the secret lagoon, then the small and big lagoon which ...

Plaza Cuartel. Sa pook na ito na dating tanggulang militar noong ikalawang digmaang pandaigdig naganap ang pagsunong ng mga sundalong Hapon sa humigit kumulang 150 amerikanong bihag ng digma noong 14 Disyembre 1944. Ilang nakaligtas ay lumangoy sa dagat patungong Iwahig. Ang mga labi ng mga nasawi ay dinala at inilibing sa St Louis County sa isang pangkalahatang libingan sa Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri, Estados Unidos, 1952. ***  Plaza Cuartel. *** Plaza Cuartel. *** The commemorative marker with the sculpture of Don Schloat, an American veteran  and was once a POW in Palawan.  More story here.  http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2009/Dec/13/veteran-wont-let-massacre-be-forgotten/ *** Valley Center artist Don Schloat is a World War II veteran who recently dedicated a memorial in the Philippines to 139 American POWs massacred by their Japanese captors Dec. 14, 1944. Prisoners at the camp, on the...