"I thought I'm going to lie low in traveling this 2016 but I was wrong. I've been motivated even more. The more than 1500 towns and cities in the Philippines are the reasons why I keep moving."

[LUNA, LA UNION, PHILIPPINES]▬ 2015 is gone permanently but the beautiful memories I earned from traveling will always remain in my heart. In fact, those have been part of my system and have integrated to my well-being. Those experiences have taught me many things, hence, coming up with philosophies in life that made me happier and contented. 2016 is another year to create happy and meaningful memories.

[LUNA] ▬ ANTONIO LUNA STATUE IN LUNA, LA UNION (SCREEN GRAB FROM MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL)

▬ My First Town Exploration for 2016 ▬

THE FOURTH DAY OF THE YEAR 2016 marked the start of my travel calendar. I decided to visit the town of Luna in La Union because it's one of the towns up north having unique character in terms of culture and heritage.

This town is home to the Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan attracting devotees and pilgrims of the Roman Catholic faith. Aside from this shrine, it also has the unique cracked Baluarte watchtower and the industry of pebble picking and selling.

For this post, I made a clip focusing on what I saw in the poblacion. This video will serve as a teaser for the upcoming narratives I will be doing in the future about Luna. Watch the video below.

Actually, an idea popped out in my mind so I made this video. I'll be introducing a new section on this blog starting this 2016 that is dedicated to travel videos with original clips from my first-hand travel experiences. I'm going to announce it in the future. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed the first episode of edmarationTV.

▬ Final Words ▬

I THOUGHT I'M GOING TO LIE LOW in traveling this 2016 but I was wrong. I've been motivated even more. The more than 1500 towns and cities in the Philippines are the reasons why I keep moving. I don't basically get money from the personal travels I am doing (I rather spend them). So why the heck I'm still doing this? Some say it is a waste of money (some have frankly told this to me). However, I believe this is still an investment and this will greatly change my life for good in the future at a young age. I mean, I don't want to be hypocrite. Who doesn't want a great reward from doing a hobby? Dang! I don't complain because I love this. This is my life.

I put up this blog to serve as online database of my travels and a diary where I can pour out my emotions when nobody wants to listen and a collection of insights when nobody is not interested. I'm a sentimental person and I usually value the good things of the past. My blog evolved until it hit a 5-digit figure of views monthly (that's thousands of views worldwide!). It was more than I asked for. I just reached one million views in November 2015 by the way.

Now I'm putting up edmarationTV not for a show but to serve as platform in sharing relevant information from my personal travels (for those who care) by telling my insights and what I've learned from the towns I've explored. Happy New Year everyone! ▬ end

[LUNA] ▬ HELLO! WELCOME TO LUNA, LA UNION! (SCREEN GRAB FROM MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL)

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "edmarationTV." This category is a collection of videos of town explorations. To see more posts from this category, scroll down and check the "More Posts From This Category..." below.

[2] This video serves as a teaser to narratives I will be writing in the future about Luna, La Union.

[3] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2 |

Map Showing the Location of #Luna

CLICK HERE TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING LUNA. Map © Wikipedia by Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING #LUNA.

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[FEATURE] ▬ WHAT TO EXPECT ON EDMARATION.COM THIS 2016

So now that 2016 has come and my 5th year blogversary is fast approaching, here's what you should expect this year on edmaration.com!

▬ What to Watch Out This 2016 ▬

FROM THE TRADITIONAL WRITTEN NARRATIVES AND TRAVEL photos I've been posting here on Edmaration.com, this blog will offer new ways of telling travel stories and thoughts through videos. Writing narratives and taking photos are definitely easier ways to tell a story on a blog platform but I want to offer new alternatives for readers with diverse preferences. Speaking of preferences, there are readers who want a short post. There are also readers who love novel-like long stories so I've come up with the Travel Blogserye. For more information, continue reading below.

▬ More Videos this 2016 via edmarationTV ▬

PHOTOS AND NARRATIVES ALLOW EVERY READER to imagine and feel what the writer/s is feeling that time and can lead them virtually to the place where they've been. For videos, it's a different thing. For a video to become effective in telling a story, it must have a concept, relevant clips and a story line to be interesting.

[FEATURE] ▬ WATCH OUT FOR EDMARATIONTV THIS 2016

For 2016, I'll be launching edmarationTV, a new label of this blog that will tell stories in videos, hence, videos of town explorations. This will serve as platform for the followers of this blog who love watching videos.

▬ More Travel Series via Travel Blogserye▬

YES, YOU READ IT RIGHT. FOR READERS who love soap operas and drama series on television, travel blogserye is for you. I'll try to adapt the soap opera format here on my blog via the travel blogserye. These are stories of town explorations with a dose of real-life drama divided into several episodes. The travel blogserye will feature monologues, travel narratives and true-to-life adventure stories in a blog format.

[FEATURE] ▬ WATCH OUT FOR TRAVEL BLOGSERYE THIS 2016

▬ New Logo for Edmaration.com ▬

When I started this blog, I didn't know what branding is all about until I learned its importance later on. My old logo just came out from nowhere without any meaning because it's the only thing I can do due to my little knowledge in graphics. Uh.

Anyway, this 2016, the Edmaration.com will have a new logo. It is composed of a bright green triangle inside a black box. The black box represents uncertainties and doubts while the bright green triangle represents hope and life. It means that if you'll keep your hope alive and live a life full of the brightness of joy and bliss, you will always defeat the darkness of uncertainties and doubts and will eventually spread the positivity from the inside out.

Left: Old Logo | Right: New Logo

The triangle has three pointed edges and these signify that in every direction, there's hope and life. It means that there is still this great hope that I'll be traveling the world in all directions full of life! The triangle also has another meaning. It resembles a play button which represents the newest offering of this blog—that is, the edmarationTV... now playing.

▬ Final Words ▬

FOR THE REGULAR FOLLOWERS OF THIS BLOG, these are the things you should expect this 2016. I'm already 5 years in the blogosphere so I need to level up. And dang no! I'm not competing. My purpose is to give reader satisfaction. From being a hobby where I didn't care if someone reads or not, I'm now treating blogging seriously yet passionately. No stress, it's pure fun. No one will get tired of doing what you love right? I'm a living example. ▬ end

No Applicable Map to Show

CLICK HERE TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES OF THIS BLOG. — CLICK THIS TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES OF THIS BLOG.

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[VIGAN] ► CANDLE FLOATERS AT MESTIZO RIVER IN BEDDENG DAYA

▬ Mestizo River ▬

MESTIZO RIVER PLAYED A GREAT ROLE IN the history of our little city, Vigan. It's been a portal of entry for people of foreign lands who fell in love with the charm of the old town. Chinese traders and the Spanish colonizers utilized this river centuries ago. Then these people settled here plotting an urbanscape and culture that's so unique. UNESCO has spoken. No place in Asia can parallel the substance and character of this town.

For the information of those who are not yet aware, the city of Vigan offers a MESTIZO RIVER CRUISE. It's actually a fun way of learning the history of Vigan.

Mestizo River is also the site of the annual candle floaters offering ceremony. It's one of the events of the Raniag Twilight Festival. The site of offering is specifically located at the river cruise dock in Celedonia Garden of Brgy Beddeng Laud.

[VIGAN] ► CANDLE FLOATERS DRIFTING

[VIGAN] ► SO YEAH, THIS IS NIGHT IN MESTIZO RIVER

[VIGAN] ► ADDING COLOR TO THE RIVER

[VIGAN] ► DRIFTING AWAY

▬ The River is Back to Life! ▬

I'VE JOINED THIS EVENT MANY TIMES BUT it's only now that I have the time to blog about it. Hundreds of people gathered in the river cruise dock including some politicians and our friends from the media.

[VIGAN] ► A CHILD HANDLING A CANDLE FLOATER

[VIGAN] ► CANDLE FLOATERS

[VIGAN] ► THE RIVER WAS SO CALM. THIS MAN HELPS THE FLOATERS DRIFT AWAY.

[VIGAN] ► A CANDLE FLOATER

[VIGAN] ► PEOPLE WENT TO THIS BOAT TO RELEASE THEIR CANDLE FLOATERS

The dark space turned to a spectacle. I always say this, light will always find its way to stand out in the darkness. It will always win.

It's nice to see that Bigueños are reviving this river. Its story has long been forgotten but through events like this, this river is getting the attention back that it deserves. ▬ to be continued...

THINGS/PLACES INCLUDED IN THIS BLOG SERIES

[UP NEXT] ▬ EPISODE 05

► BLOG SERIES: RANIAG TWILIGHT FESTIVAL 2015 COVERAGE

This is the Episode 04 of this blog series. Watch out for the later episodes to follow the flow of the event.

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Night Exploration." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and look for the "More Posts from this Category..." section below.

[2] Photos here were taken on 27 October 2015.

[3] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

Map Showing the Location of #Vigan

CLICK HERE TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRY COVERING ILOCOS SUR. Map © Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRY COVERING ILOCOS SUR.

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[PUERTO PRINCESA] ▬ HELLO! WELCOME TO PUERTO PRINCESA!

The beauty of the place comes with different activities from different perspectives. In the middle of the Puerto Princesa Bay fronting the West Philippine Sea, there's a secluded party happening.

With such great set of seafood, the ocean zephyr, inspiring night view of the Puerto Princesa baywalk and a cultural performance to spice the atmosphere with a hip vibe, I couldn't ask for more.

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ▬ PUERTO BAYWALK DOCK AREA Photo taken by Edmar Guquib on 11 November 2015 Camera: Canon IXUS 105

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► LEAVING THE DOCK AREA

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► BOATS DOCKED NEAR THE BAYWALK

▬ The Start ▬

IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT IN PUERTO Princesa. I've just enjoyed the street dancing a while back and the clock turned so fast. The night has come. Sea waves' sound play the music of nature as they smash the shore gently. Neon lights lit up the baywalk lined with hawker stalls. The bay area was so alive that I never felt indifferent, uninspired. There's no baywalk in my hometown and what a joy for me to spend a lively night in an open air seaside park.

The sound of nature was being vanquished by the loud pop music playing from different points in the baywalk. Some people released a sound by shouting in joy. Some squealed in laughter. Indeed, this is fun place.

When it's time to leave the place (I was waiting for the instruction of the event organizers), I positioned my head for the final glance of this lively night space under the moon. I approached the sandy shoreline and stood near the edge of the boulevard that runs parallel with the beach line. I was enjoying the lovely seaside air, Palawan version, that's letting my brain bleed with beautiful memories of the past.

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ▬ PUERTO PRINCESA BAY Photo taken by Edmar Guquib on 11 November 2015 Camera: Canon IXUS 105

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► THE SEASIDE BOULEVARD AS SEEN OFF THE COAST

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► SAILING THE DARK SEA, HE IS THE KEEN WATCHER

Guests excitedly boarded in the white boat. A piece of durable wood served as a short footpath connecting the boat and the land. A little caution is needed not to fall to the water but I think the chance of falling is minimal since it was well-secured. Besides, the crew was so caring for us guests.

After all the guests occupied the seats, the boat is ready to sail. A tour guide started telling great facts and trivia about Palawan that I think helped alleviate the worry and/or fear of sinking. Well, personally, I crazily thought about it.

It was a dark space, no visible horizon to enjoy, no sunset, just plain darkness with occasional light coming from other boats on the bay. After around 15 minutes of sailing, I'm seeing a well-lighted stationary floating structure from afar. Eventually, I learned it's our destination.

On how the floating restaurant managed to stay still amid waves is such a big deal for me since I've never seen like this before. I was told it's anchored somewhere at the ocean floor—I didn't know if this was true, a joke or a sarcasm but my ignorance really doesn't have any idea and I have no choice but to become gullible.

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► WITH FELLOW BLOGGER KIRA ON BOARD THE BOAT

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► ARRIVING TO OUR DESTINATION

▬ Seafood Party in the Middle of Nowhere ▬

I LOST MY ORIENTATION FOR DIRECTION WHEN we finally reached the place. I didn't know where was the north, the south, the east and the west.

So we occupied the space prepared for us. The long table is in the middle filled with seafood. The ocean breeze turned to regular wind and we're literally isolated from any structure.

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► THE TIRED AND HUNGRY PEOPLE

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► THIS CHICKEN WIRE PREVENTED US FROM ACCIDENTAL DIVING.

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► OH WELL...

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► THE LONG TABLE

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► CRUSTACEANS!

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► SEA GRAPES

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► MEATY FISH

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► THIS WAS MY PERSONAL WINNER.

▬ Konek-tibo Percussion Group ▬

FOR ME, ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF this dinner is the cultural show I watched. They offered a non-mainstream genre of music that admittedly, pleasing to my ears.

They mainly used percussion instruments and what an amazing way to create a lovely sound by just tapping and smashing the instruments together.

The name of the group is Konek-tibo.

[PUERTO PRINCESA] ► KONEK-TIBO CULTURAL TROUPE

▬ The Operator ▬

IF YOU LIKE A SETTING LIKE THIS, you can actually book a night with your family or friends. This dinner party is operated by Dolphin and Whales Travel and Tours.

For more information and booking, contact Angelo E Cayabo at 0915-263-2105 or visit their office at 399 Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City 5300. You can also email them at dwhalestraveltours@yahoo.com. Included in the package is a firefly watching tour at Sicsican River. / end

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This dinner was made possible through the LGU of Puerto Princesa and its City Tourism Office during the PPUR Day's Bonggang Bakasyon. Thanks Heather Tejada and your team for the kindness!

[2] This post is filed under the category "Night Leisure." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and look for the "More Posts from this Category..." section below.

[3] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2 | - Thanks geeks! You're making the blogosphere cool!

Map Showing the Location of #PuertoPrincesa

CLICK TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING PALAWAN. Map © Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING PALAWAN.

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[BANTAY] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO BANTAY!

On a hot afternoon of 01 February 2016, I went to the Quirino Stadium in Bantay town to witness for myself what has always been missed by me every year—the Agri-pinaka Contest.

Well, Kannawidan Festival is not all about this. I mean, this is a week-long festival that features a wide variety of events and programs from beauty pageants, music, culture, street partying, trade fair, street dancing and more! Basically, this day was all about the superlatives in the agricultural world, specifically the record setters in our province Ilocos Sur.

The photos below are some of the entries vying for the "pinaka" title.

[BANTAY] ▬ KANNAWIDAN FESTIVAL: AGRI-PINAKA CONTEST Photo taken by Edmar Guquib on 01 February 2016 Photo uploaded on 02 February 2016 Camera: Canon EOS 1200D

[BANTAY] ► ENTRIES FOR THE LARGEST GABI AND PAPAYA

[BANTAY] ► ENTRIES FOR THE LARGEST CASTRATED BULL

[BANTAY] ► AN ENTRY VYING FOR THE LARGEST CASTRATED BULL RECORD

[BANTAY] ► AN ENTRY VYING FOR THE BIGGEST PUREBRED BUCK

[BANTAY] ► ENTRIES FOR THE LARGEST CASTRATED BULL

[BANTAY] ► AN ENTRY VYING FOR THE BIGGEST GRADED DOE

[BANTAY] ► ENTRIES FOR THE BIGGEST CARABAO

[BANTAY] ► ENTRY FOR THE BIGGEST CARACOW

[BANTAY] ►DOES AND BUCKS

[BANTAY] ► AN ENTRY FOR THE BIGGEST DOE

[BANTAY] ► AN ENTRY FOR THE BIGGEST SQUASH - 12 KGS!

[BANTAY] ► ENTRY FOR THE BIGGEST AMPALAYA

[BANTAY] ► ENTRIES FOR THE BIGGEST CABBAGE

[BANTAY] ► ENTRY FOR THE BIGGEST WATERMELON - 7.5 KGS!

[BANTAY] ► ENTRY FOR THE BIGGEST GARLIC, GREEN BEANS (UTÓNG IN ILOCANO) AND JACK FRUIT

[BANTAY] ► ENTRY FOR THE BIGGEST TURNIP (SINGKAMAS)

[BANTAY] ► ENTRY FOR THE BIGGEST UBE

[BANTAY] ► ENTRIES FROM DIFFERENT CATEGORIES

[BANTAY] ►MALUNGGAY AND KABATITI

The superlatives in the agriculture world are here! This is just one of the regular programs happening in Kannawidan Festival yearly.

There are more entries from different categories but I was not able to see them all. Actually, the agricultural yields and livestock came from the Ilocos countrysides. Anyway, I'm greeting all the people of Ilocos Sur a happy foundation day and let's all enjoy our Kannawidan Festival!

Note: The Kannawidan Festival happens in different parts of the province. However, the town of Bantay is the location for most activities./ end

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Special Feature." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and look for the "More Posts from this Category..." section below.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2 | - Thanks geeks! You're making the blogosphere cool!

Map Showing the Location of #Bantay

CLICK TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING ILOCOS SUR. Map © Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING ILOCOS SUR.

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[PASAY] ► FILE PHOTO: NAIA TERMINAL 3

I am shaking, quite speechless for outspoken words but the voice within me is speaking too much that it's so hard to handle; speaking so loud and clear that it hits bullets right to the target.

I reached Partas bus terminal in Pasay at around 6 AM. I planned to walk from the station to the airport (around 2-3 km, this isn't a suicide, I even hiked for 3 days and 2 nights with only food, pee and sleep breaks) but I realized it doesn't hurt to spend a little buck for the tricycle since I've been used to paying 300-400 pesos for taxicab from Cubao to NAIA everytime. The bus terminal is way closer now to NAIA compared to Cubao.

Anyway, a tricycle driver approached me and quoted 100 pesos to NAIA Terminal 3. It was very early in the morning and he was even handling this bag of pandesal. He hurriedly swallowed what he was eating when I approached him as I haggled down to 80 pesos. The deal was done.

At NAIA Terminal 3

I HAVEN'T TAKEN ANY BREAKFAST YET and my mind was preoccupied with food. I saw Wendy's inside the terminal complex. I don't know but I suddenly became interested having a breakfast here—probably because I saw many people (including foreigners) having their breakfast. For 109 pesos, I got a cup of rice, a regular sotf drinks and 1 piece of chicken. It was quite expensive for me but what can I do? I got to stick with this choice. I didn't know it will turn out to be like this either.

After the breakfast, I have to wait for the check-in counter to open so I decided to sleep in one of the corners inside the terminal. I was able to sleep in a sitting position. That was amazing! In front of me is a Caucasian backpacker woman who happens to manage a sleep better and longer than me. I saw her, so don't ask me why I said she managed to sleep better and longer.

When I woke up, I saw that the check-in counter is already open. The queue is already long so I rushed down to fall in line. On a side note, the woman (a lady guard) didn't allow me to enter. She asked me for the 'boarding pass' and I can't present any since I still have to check-in. It was weird. So I walked again to the other side. The security guard allowed me here finally. So what's wrong with the lady guard?

In the counter, the pretty lady who just got pissed-off by an Indian national before she attended for me asked if I've paid for the travel tax. I said no so I paid for it. It was 1,600 pesos and I got shocked! What? 1,600 pesos? BIR must be so rich now. Like a freakin' easy rich now!

At the Immigration

YES. IT'S MY FIRST TIME TO TRAVEL abroad so I was scrutinized by the immigration officer if I can really establish a rightful reason why I am leaving the country.

I was asked for my work, my income, my itinerary, passport and many more! I didn't know it could be this stressing. The immigration officer was not convinced that I can fund my travels abroad given that the salary I told her is the minimum provincial rate. I was initially denied so I was told to meet a second-line assessor.

This time I'm getting anxious with many 'what ifs' in mind. I'm now nervous thinking that I might not be allowed to exit the country. I filled up a form then passed it to the second immigration officer.

After about 15 minutes of interview, the officer was convinced this time and she checked the "allow" box! Yehey! I'm allowed to leave the Philippines now!

At first, I thought this hassle in the immigration will cause me to be left by the plane. It was just long and taxing. Thank God anyway. My passport was stamped for the very first time.

Arriving in Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2)

I'VE WANTED A WINDOW SEAT BUT BECAUSE I don't want to spend more bucks getting a window seat on the booking website, I chose not to. In the plane, my seat was in the middle of a 3-seater row at the right side of the aisle (a total of 6 seats in a row including the 3 seats, left of the aisle). Surprisingly, no one came to sit beside me so I transferred to the window seat! Whew! Great thing I didn't spend bucks for this. It came for free. It was destiny.

In front of me are two good looking Filipinos and God forgive me for judging but they looked like a gay couple. They were just so sweet. A typical male Filipino buddies don't act this way. At my back are white men.

[MALAYSIA] ▬ MALAYSIA FROM THE AIR Photo taken by Edmar Guquib on 16-February-2016 Camera: Canon 1200D

[MALAYSIA] ► A FIRST GLIMPSE OF MALAYSIA FROM THE AIR

In KLIA2, I was amazed. It was a huge airport with a big terminal with a shopping mall called gateway@klia2, better-looking than NAIA. Dang! Welcome myself to Malaysia!

Where is my next stop? Where shall I exit? Shall this province-grown boy relatively phobic for big cities survive his first backpacking outside his comfort zone? / to be continued...

[SOUTH EAST ASIA] ► TRAVEL BLOGSERYE 01

STORIES OF TOWN EXPLORATIONS - BLOGSERYE 01:
"On the Road Outside My Comfort Zone"

EPISODE 01 |

SERIES TEASER: FIRST TIME TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE MY COUNTRY, THESE ARE STORIES OF FACING THE FEAR OF LEAVING A COMFORT ZONE. WILL THIS MAN RELATIVELY AFRAID OF BIG CITIES SURVIVE HIS FIRST DAY IN THE BIG FOREIGN CITY OF KUALA LUMPUR IN MALAYSIA? JOIN ME IN THIS BLOGSERYE AS I SHARE TO YOU MY STORIES OF TOWN EXPLORATIONS.

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "En Route Stories." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and look for the "More Posts from this Category..." section below.

[2] The map I used below is under Wikimedia commons. Source: 1

Map Showing the Location of South East Asia

CLICK TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING SOUTH EAST ASIA. Map © under Wikimedia Commons — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING SOUTH EAST ASIA.

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[VIGAN] ► KANNAWIDAN FESTIVAL STREET DANCING 2016

A portion of Quezon Avenue that's sandwiched by the Plaza Salcedo and the Ilocos Sur Capitol was the cultural rendezvous. The street flashed with colors. My favorite part is when the mountain tribes (particularly Bago tribe) occupied the streets to show their tradition and culture through dances in front of a predominantly Bigueño crowd. For me this is a good introduction of the culture of the other side of our province to the quite ethnocentric Metro Vigan people, who oftentimes, don't even know that these tribes exist in our province. It's time to show them that we have indigenous people with culture as colorful as the heavily Spanish-influenced culture of Vigan.

A Brief Background

THE KANNAWIDAN FESTIVAL WAS PUT INTO EXISTENCE by then Governor DV Savellano. This is what I love about the latter governor. He has many projects devoted for tourism and preservation of our cultural heritage. Take note that I am not related to this politician and neither he knows me. I rave politicians that satisfy my taste of governance. Since I love things related to travel, culture and heritage, he is by far my most favorite politician in Ilocos Sur. On the other hand, Governor Ryan Singson also deserves my applause for making the street dancing (with showdown in the Quirino Stadium) the highlight of this year's Kannawidan Festival. Basically, Saniata ti Ylocos—a beauty pageant—used to be the yearly highlight until the street dancing and cultural performance showdown came. I appreciate Gov Ryan for making this happen (Disclaimer: Again, I'm not connected to any politician in Ilocos Sur. I rave them if it's worth my rave. I also rant on them if they suck).

Here are some of the documentary photos I took during Kannawidan Festival's first ever Street Dancing and Cultural Performance Showdown.

Erratum:All photos were taken on 07 February 2016. I made a mistake watermarking my photos with a wrong date. I have no plans of re-editing the photo watermarks so sorry for that.

[VIGAN] ▬ KANNAWIDAN FESTIVAL STREET DANCING Photo taken by Edmar Guquib on 07-February-2016 In Vigan, Ilocos Sur (Province), Philippines

[VIGAN] ► KANNAWIDAN FESTIVAL STREET DANCING 2016

I would say this is Ilocos Sur's festival of all festivals. Each town has its festival to show. So basically, the festivals from all the participating towns were brought to Vigan to gather as a single festival. This is first time in my province and I'm so happy for this move.

Note:I didn't include yet photos of the Vigan Longganisa Festival performers because I made a separate coverage of them which will be published on this blog separately.

My Thoughts, Observations and Some Notes from This Festival

THE MAIN PERFORMANCE STAGE FOR THE STREET dancing is in front of the Ilocos Sur Capitol.
Twenty two (22) towns participated in this Kannawidan Festival Street Dancing. The towns that didn't join are the following: San Juan, Magsingal, San Ildefonso, San Vicente, San Emilio, Galimuyod, Quirino, Cervantes, Suyo, Salcedo and San Esteban. I hope all the towns of Ilocos Sur will join next year!
I noticed that the predominantly Bigueño crowd didn't cheer for the performances of the mountain tribes. I noticed that some in the audience improperly laughed and I didn't see anyone displaying a Wow!-facial expression when they performed. I think the people of Metro Vigan don't appreciate [just yet] the mountain culture the way I do. The traditional Metro Vigan area which is composed of 4 towns and the city of Vigan has no mountains (well, except for the town of Bantay, which has mountains in its remote border near Abra) so the culture here is influenced by our geographical location and topography—significantly different from the upland towns of our province.
It seems like the performers from Gregorio del Pilar town were not prepared. Gregorio del Pilar is an upland town and they performed a tribal dance. It would have been a good introduction of the Bago culture to the people of Metro Vigan who are not so familiar about them.
For me, my personal favorites were the Papaya Festival of Nagbukel and the Longganisa Festival of Vigan. They won the heart of the crowd. I love the polka dots costume of the Nagbukel street dancers. The contenders from Vigan are from Ilocos Sur National High School. They won the last Longganisa Festival street dancing competition and showdown so they represented Vigan in this event. Of course, the tribal town of Sigay also did well for me but sorry to say, no applause from the crowd.
I was surprised with Alilem and Sugpon's performances. I thought they'll perform a Bago tribal dance since these two are parts of the Bagolandia (a term we use here to refer to towns inhabited by the Bago people). They opted to perform a traditional lowland festival. Anyway, these two towns also have a significant Ilocano population and maybe they wanted to perform an Ilocano festival dance since they're competing here in Vigan which is the heart of the Ilocano culture.
Thank you for the organizers because you were so friendly to photographers! Photographers were allowed to take shots beyond the designated area for spectators.
Sigay performed an amazing Bago tribal dance! I just feel sad that Bigueños are not yet used to seeing tribal rites in the form of dance with performers wearing g-strings while they smash their gongs to create a sound. This is I think one of the reasons why most Bigueños don't know the deeper meaning of their dances, hence, they don't appreciate them the way they appreciate the lowland festival dances. (These are just my sentiments and personal observation. I don't exactly know what these people are thinking so I based my judgment on overt suggestive behavior of the crowd. I compared the response of the crowd. The crowd was silent when tribal dances were performed. It seemed like it's new to them and they are probably figuring out what they were doing since dances like these are uncommon in Vigan streets before this Kannawidan street dancing was brought to Vigan. They cheered to death when the lowland festivals took the stage.)

Watch out for other posts I'll be publishing on this blog about Kannawidan Festival. Don't worry, I will put the links of all my posts related to this year's Kannawidan Festival so that you can follow the series. See you! / end

RELATED POSTS FOR THE KANNAWIDAN FESTIVAL 2016.

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Festivals." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and look for the "More Posts from this Category..." section below.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

Map Showing the Location of #Vigan

MORE TOWNS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE

[SEPANG] ► FILE PHOTO: KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 2 (KLIA2)

I didn't want to expect that I'll be capable of traveling outside the Philippines someday because I don't want to get hurt and be frustrated if it will not come to reality. But now it's happening. So just imagine that—getting something you badly wanted when you least expect it. Bliss!

At Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2

The plane landed to terrestrial Malaysia. It was more than an hour late from the expected time of arrival that was emailed to me when I booked the flight; so the planned itinerary I printed on a bond paper was ruined for the very first hour.

The airport is really big. Malaysia's successful industry in aviation is inspiring. Due to heavy traffic in their airport, Malaysia built two airports under one code (KUL). KLIA2 was made for low-cost airlines and AirAsia—a Malaysia-based airline—seemed to be the favored airline here (well this is just me because I saw a lot of AirAsia planes here).

Of course, I tend to compare between anything I see here in Malaysia and the Philippines. In terms of airport, Malaysia won this time for its big, organized and busy airport. NAIA is nice too though. But KL has transformed to be one of Asia's busiest low-cost airline hub—flying to many destinations more than any other city in Asia could offer. Indeed, it's so inspiring.

KLIA2 has a mall called gateway@klia2 that serves as a one-stop shop for almost everything you need. It was not my thing though. Food, goods and services here are quite expensive. It's all about the convenience.

The next thing I should do is to face the immigration officer. This part is where everything sank into reality—the reality that I'm no longer in the Philippines after couple of minutes of disbelief that I'm already outside my beloved country. I said it sank to reality because I'm seeing an unusually huge crowd of Indians. I've never seen a big crowd of Indians like this before in a public place. Some are Chinese though and there's also a big group of white men. I am only seeing a few people with the same features as me so I'm starting to feel that I'm a foreigner.

For a first-timer like me, I'm nervous. I don't know what are the things the immigration officer shall ask. Remember, in the EPISODE 01 of this series, I almost didn't pass the stringent requirements of the Philippine immigration officers for me to leave the country. Right now, I am so afraid they might see something inside my bag that may forbid me in entering Malaysia. Well, all I know is that I didn't bring any illegal drugs, smuggled goods or anything self-incriminating but I was paranoid that someone—a member of a syndicate—might have inserted something so that I may bribe them for freedom sake or collect a fee from me. I really was a paranoid lad and please don't tell me I'm overacting because this is no longer inside the airplane where I can imagine my own fairy tale and fantasize. This is no longer a day-dream zone. It's already a zone where I need to have presence of mind, be smart and alert. I'm now inside a territory I do not call my home and I only have two choices: be a loser or a winner. My anxiety as a first-timer almost escalated to panic level. So there's no such thing as overacting—like in the fictitious movie created by my imagination back in the cabin—because sticking to reality is the name of the game here.

There were 6 counters with long queues as far as I remember. I joined one of the longest queues. I can actually queue myself to the shorter line but I thought the long line where I am now is extra special that's why it's long so I joined them. I've warned myself to prioritize safety and for security reasons, I have to go where most people go.

For a change of heart, I saw two ASEAN lanes with shorter queue. Amazing! The Malaysian immigration bureau recognizes the importance of its neighbors. My ASEAN pride prevailed over paranoia. I joined the shorter ASEAN queue with conviction that I'm safe here. I looked back to the long line where I came from and I realized that majority of them are white people.

It's my turn already and the immigration officer I faced looked like an Indian and I can see how stressing his job is yet he stayed cool and fresh. Anyway, he requested me to show my passport and asked how many days I'm going to stay in their country. He checked my passport. Afterwards, he looked to me eye to eye for a few seconds. Maybe he is making sure that I am the right person on the photo in my passport. It was pretty seamless and less taxing compared to my experience in Manila's immigration bureau. I was allowed to enter Malaysia and my passport was stamped!

Leaving the Airport and Getting Ringgits

I've researched greatly for this trip so I am aware that there are couches going to KL Sentral from KLIA 2. I also booked a hotel that is near the train stations to save time. So from KLIA2, I looked for the way out of the airport terminal.

On my way, I was looking for an ATM where I can withdraw Malaysian notes (ringgit). I asked another Indian security guard where is the ATM machine and he politely pointed the direction where should I go. I chose the HSBC and the machine told me I'm not going to be charged by this transaction even though I am using a bank card issued outside this country. How nice HSBC! However, it later warned me that my own bank could charge me for a transaction done outside the Philippines.

Before this trip, I've called all the banks that issued my bank cards regarding possible charges in every transaction I'll be making outside the Philippines. For UnionBank, they do not charge. So I don't have to spend an extra buck here. I withdrew some ringgits and this is my first time to handle such.

After getting ringgit notes, I saw a booth that sells bus tickets so I inquired there if I can get a seat to KL Sentral.

I'm starting to get nervous again yet quite excited. I grew up and lived my entire life in the province so I have a relative phobia to big cities like Manila—a city where street crimes and pickpockets are plenty. Sorry, but as a child then living in the province, this is the image of Manila our local culture wanted us to believe. Whenever someone from our town travels to Manila, elders would always warn them to be aware of pickpockets and avoid walking on the streets because of the presence of drug and hold-up syndicates. Also, the movies of FPJ and Lito Lapid have become a part of local culture. Their movies back in the 90's would make every premier night a blockbuster hit in our local cinemas (before we have Consuelo, TAJ and Lyric). Their action movies would always portray Manila as a place for kidnappers, killers, drug syndicates and notorious gangsters. So don't blame me. As a person who grew up in and never lived in , this is the image of Manila registered in my mind since then and it never changed.

Anyway, I'm entering another metropolis! Boom! What I'm doing here??! Ginusto ko ito eh. For Kuala Lumpur, I don't want to judge this city the way I judge Manila (as I explained above, my judgment of Manila is personal, cultural and subjective: Mañilenos don't hate me for this—however, I'm learning to love Manila, bittersweet though).

Thinking how I will roam around this city the moment I leave this airport is stressing me. It's a big city and I'm not accustomed exploring a concrete jungle. But like most of my travels in the Philippines, I have to enter Manila first because it is my gateway to the many destinations in the south. For Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is my gateway. My main fear here is getting lost—and the fact that in case of emergency, there's no one I know whom I can ask for help. Be good to me Kuala Lumpur. Please be good to this old-fashioned traveler who usually ditch big cities. I hope we can be good friends. I hope I'll find peace of mind in your arms. I hope you'll let me feel loved. I'm entering into a short relationship with you and I hope this is worth it. See you! / to be continued...

[SOUTH EAST ASIA] ► TRAVEL BLOGSERYE 01

STORIES OF TOWN EXPLORATIONS - BLOGSERYE 01:
"On the Road Outside My Comfort Zone"

| EPISODE 02 |

SERIES TEASER: FIRST TIME TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE MY COUNTRY, THESE ARE STORIES OF FACING THE FEAR OF LEAVING A COMFORT ZONE. WILL THIS MAN RELATIVELY AFRAID OF BIG CITIES SURVIVE HIS FIRST DAY IN THE BIG FOREIGN CITY OF KUALA LUMPUR IN MALAYSIA? JOIN ME IN THIS BLOGSERYE AS I SHARE TO YOU MY STORIES OF TOWN EXPLORATIONS.

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Airport Tales." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and look for the "More Posts from this Category..." section below.

[2] The map I used below is under Wikimedia commons. Source: 1 | 2

Map Showing the Location of #Sepang

CLICK TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING SELANGOR. MAP © UNDER WIKIMEDIA COMMONS — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING SELANGOR.

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[KUALA LUMPUR] ► TURISTA SELFIE WITH THE ICONIC PETRONAS TOWER

Since this is the last selfie I took during my first backpacking outside the Philippines, it is very memorable, sentimental and significant for me that it filled my brain with a lot of thoughts and reflections. I don't want to forget these thoughts in the future, hence, this write-up. This is originally a facebook post but it became too long for a facebook post so I decided to publish this on my blog. Besides, I don't want my friends on facebook to think that I am posting on a wrong platform to share a too personal musing like this. Yeah, I transferred the written thoughts here on my blog. At least it's my own blog and I can write anything I want. Unlike facebook wherein people might not agree with the things you are posting. Anyway here are the thoughts that came out my mind when I saw this photo.

I thought it will just remain as a dream but it came true. This is my humble beginning. This is also how I celebrated my travel blog's 5th anniversary and my 6th year in the vagabonding world since I fell in love with traveling in 2010. I quit the law school and ditched the opportunities to work abroad in my early 20's when I got hooked in traveling because it changed my perspective in life greatly when I was exposed to the places I've been. I realized my 20's should be spent investing in inner-worth, doing what you love, learning and exploring new things and possibilities because these will serve as an additional weapon in entering a more tricky and challenging 30's (family, raising kids). Traveling and blogging also opened new opportunities for me to be paid while doing my passion. It's so overwhelming to receive a blessing by just doing your hobby.

Traveling also changed my concept of wealth—that being rich is not having a fat bank account, it's about getting contented with what you have and being happy with it. Yeah, I've been exposed to different societies, different cultures and different tribes and the concept of wealth differs. I've long stopped shopping expensive clothes and other material things that are not useful and don't contribute to my well-being and contentment (Well, I may still shop expensive goods in the future if I'll TRULY AFFORD them).

I've learned not to crave for a big house and a posh car because traveling taught me to invest in knowledge, skills, kindness, understanding, awareness and meaningful memories first—material wealth will follow. These will become my armor in my fight in this judgmental, materialistic and unfair world and my ticket in managing a money-based wealth in the future which I believe will follow if you're already ready to deal with them. Like the unseen wind, it can wipe out a whole city when it strikes. So my weapon are the unseen qualities traveling taught me. As my blog 'About Me' page says: "I travel because I want to learn. I want to learn because I want to search for the truth. I want to search for the truth because I want to change the world." So this. Changing and influencing the world the right way is my definition of wealth.

OMG! Ending my first backpacking abroad made me sentimental, hence, this essay. 'Til we meet again KL. / end

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Photo Essays." This is a category here on my blog where I pour out my thoughts for a single photo that has great significance for me. This is my first post under this category so watch out for more in the future.

[2] The map I used below is from Wikipedia. Source: 1

Map Showing the Location of #KualaLumpur

CLICK TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING MALAYSIA. MAP © BY USER CIA WORLD FACT BOOK via WIKIPEDIA — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING MALAYSIA.

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[KUALA LUMPUR] ► MOTORCYCLE LANE

At the Counter and the Sign Language

After withdrawing ringgits from the ATM, I went back to the ticket counter I noticed a while back. I asked the girl inside the counter who is wearing a headscarf if the bus ticket I am going to buy can bring me to KL Sentral and she answered me affirmatively. "Yes" - with Malaysian accent.

I asked how much is the ticket. She answered, "&#@#@^*&#^!"

I said, "What? Come again, please?"

She replied. "&&**(^#@&^"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Can you say it again, please?"

I think the girl is getting annoyed with me. She started to speak very slow emphasizing every syllable. "Uhh - luhh - vuhhnh - ringgits." I still didn't get it at first until she did a sign language. She put her two forefingers together and I finally got it.

"Uh! It's eleven (11) ringgits!" I happily squealed.

'Yes!." She happily replied [that I finally understood her out-of-this-world accent] then I gave her 50 ringgits. Of course, I waited for the change. So this is it. I paid eleven ringgits (around 130 Philippine pesos) for this more than an hour travel to KL Sentral from Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 where I am now. This is my first ever person to person business transaction in Malaysia.

[VIGAN] ▬ AEROBUS TICKET FROM MALAYSIA Photo taken by Edmar Guquib on 14-March-2016 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines

[VIGAN] ► SO I TOOK THIS PHOTO AT HOME (AFTER MY TRIP) BUT THIS IS THE TICKET ISSUED TO ME IN KLIA2 BOUND TO KL SENTRAL. THE PRINT IS ALMOST GONE NOW. I FORGOT TO TAKE PHOTOS OF THIS WHILE IN MALAYSIA SO YOU'RE SEEING THE 'VIGAN' INSIDE THE BRACKETS AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CAPTION.

[VIGAN] ► CLEARER VERSION: THIS IS THE TICKET ISSUED FROM MY SECOND AEROBUS RIDE. FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES, I TOOK THIS PHOTO AGAIN IN VIGAN AFTER THIS TRIP. THIS TICKET NOW BOTH HAVE THE 'SKYBUS' AND 'AEROBUS' LABELS. THE BRACKET AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CAPTION IS THE NAME OF THE PLACE WHERE I TOOK THIS PHOTO SO DON'T BE CONFUSED. THIS POST IS ABOUT MALAYSIA.

The bus where I am going to board is SkyBus. At first, there was confusion because my ticket says "AeroBus" which is different from SkyBus. I panicked because the ticket I got is a bus that will leave 05:40 PM. I don't want to spend more time figuring out where to find that bus. I spent about 10 minutes personally examining all the buses from point to point but there's nowhere I can find this SkyBus. The time now is 05:30 PM. Finally, I saw someone from the couch crew if Aerobus and Skybus are the same. He answered me "yes" then he took my ticket and tore it. Viola! I'm boarding! This will be my first land travel in Malaysia and the first outside my country Philippines.

Inside the Bus and the False Feeling of Discrimination and the Time Zones

Inside the bus, no one seemed interested to seat beside me. I got upset because I felt like I am discriminated in another country. I am thinking this because I've read several articles about discrimination in Malaysia. I am not sure though if they know I'm a Filipino but many have told me that I look like an Indian or a Thai (sometimes I'm Nepalese, ridiculous). I know I also look like a Malay though but never Chinese. At least my appearance is kinda universal here in SEA and it can cross cultural barriers. Anyway, after a few minutes, an old Chinese man came to sit beside me when there's no longer space left inside the bus. My feeling of being discriminated is I think not true in reality. Blame these heaps of articles I read lambasting the government for favoring Malays and discriminating Indians, sometimes Chinese. They are giving me a not-so-good impression about Malaysia. I believe I'm not discriminated. I was just carried away by the media news hype about discrimination. If ever true, this won't stop me from exploring this beautiful country.

I was showing physical awestruck signs overtly while inside the bus because I was seeing different races. There are Malays, Indians, Chinese, black and white men. This country is so multicultural! This is my first bus ride in Malaysia!

The bus started to run and I spent my remaining energy seeing the view along the road for a few minutes. I was able to sleep in the bus until we reached a point where I saw a motorcycle lane. I was thrilled because of my love in driving motorbikes and this will be very helpful for me whenever I'll plan to explore Malaysia using a motorbike.

I managed to sleep inside the comfortable bus and I looked at my watch, It's already 7 PM. We're now more than an hour inside this bus. Based on my research, this travel would only take approximately 40 minutes but this is the reality now. I'm traveling within the bounds of rush hour and after more than an hour, I'm not yet in KL Sentral. My time-obsessed itinerary is useless now.

At first, I didn't believe it's 7 PM because the sun is still up there and the sky looks like afternoon-ish only to find out later that Malaysia and the Philippines belong to the same time zone so I made my own theory. Geographically, the Philippines is closer to the Pacific (the east side of the planet) so even if Malaysia and the Philippines belong to the same time zone, the sun rises first in the Philippines. So for example, if the sun appears in the Philippines at 6 AM, in Malaysia it's still dark. Well this is not a serious issue anyway. I am not just accustomed of the possibility and reality that I can get sun burn in Malaysia while seeing my watch that it's already 7 PM (already evening in the Philippines). Unbelievably real.

Reaching KL Sentral

When I woke up, I'm now in the midst of traffic jam (this is more manageable than Manila though, back-off ). I was consistently looking outside from the bus window to spot for the first time the ultra famous and iconic Petronas Twin Towers I learned when I was in Grade 4. I didn't learn this in school though. I learned it from the trivia section printed on the world map I used to study back then and that time, this building was still the tallest building in the world (Taipei 101 stole the crown, then these super-rich Arabs didn't know where and how to spend—or maybe how to waste—their surplus wealth. Klinggg! The Burj Dubai!). Anyway, I didn't see the Petronas Towers—one of my childhood fantasies—this time around. Accepted.

It's getting dark (well not too dark) and I'm starting to see bulbs and lamps lighting up the houses and buildings and neon lights for the streets. We reached a part where I saw a vibrant night scene! There are lots of Indian restaurants, bazaars and business establishments with Indian labels. Uh! I had goosebumps because I am fascinated with new cultural encounters like this not to mention that India is my dream destination. Sadly I can't alight here. The bus slowed down in this area because of the crowd and the traffic jam so I had few minutes of visual feast (I later learned that this is KL's Little India).

[KUALA LUMPUR] ► FILE PHOTO: LITTLE INDIA

[KUALA LUMPUR] ► FILE PHOTO: KL SENTRAL

I'm now in KL Sentral. It looked like a mall. After alighting from the bus, I looked for my way to the monorail station. This is already the big city scene I'm not accustomed with. Everywhere is concrete structure and it's my first time to ride a train alone in my life. This is ridiculous but I've only tried to ride the LRT in Manila twice but with my friends—and they did all the process. Sorry, this may sound very easy for train commuters but it's ignorance for me. I'm so nervous right now to ride a train by myself and I don't know what to expect. I'm relatively afraid of squeezing in the crowd while commuting in a train station because I only did this in my life in the scale of never to rare. I can explain to you the pathophysiology of AIDS, lecture about Illuminati's influence in pop music for hours, recite chronologically all the books of the Old and New testaments of the Bible or recite all the provinces of the Philippines with their capitals but dealing with big city life is my waterloo because as I have always said, I never lived in big cities and I don't know yet how to live and roam in big cities. My probinsiyano ignorance is prevailing and now I'm here in a big city of another country outside my comfort zone.

Now that I'm already in KL Sentral right in the heart of , what are the things I learned and discovered for the first time here? Did I find the train station? Did I get lost? Did I survive? The real adventure starts now. Welcome to Malaysia! / to be continued...

[SOUTH EAST ASIA] ► TRAVEL BLOGSERYE 01

STORIES OF TOWN EXPLORATIONS - BLOGSERYE 01:
"On the Road Outside My Comfort Zone"

| | EPISODE 03 |

SERIES TEASER: FIRST TIME TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE MY COUNTRY, THESE ARE STORIES OF FACING THE FEAR OF LEAVING A COMFORT ZONE. WILL THIS MAN RELATIVELY AFRAID OF BIG CITIES SURVIVE HIS FIRST DAY IN THE BIG FOREIGN CITY OF KUALA LUMPUR IN MALAYSIA? JOIN ME IN THIS BLOGSERYE AS I SHARE TO YOU MY STORIES OF TOWN EXPLORATIONS.

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "En Route Stories." This is a category here on my blog where I write my stories of commuting, sailing or flying from one place to another. For more stories under this category, there is a section below named "More Post from This Category: *En Route Stories*.

[2] The map I used below is from Wikipedia. Source: 1

Map Showing the Location of Malaysia

CLICK TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING PENINSULAR MALAYSIA. MAP © BY USER CIA WORLD FACT BOOK via WIKIPEDIA — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING PENINSULAR MALAYSIA.

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[BAGUIO] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO AZALEA HOTEL AND RESIDENCES!

I've always visited Baguio solo (occasionally with my brother) so I've only visited places that are easy to reach without spending too much money for a taxi ride from point to point. Well, thanks to Azalea Residences. This hotel hosted me in Baguio with free tours! From here, I realized that the best way to explore the classic destinations of Baguio is through an organized tour like this especially if it's your first time. It's not just convenient, you can also save a lot of time, hence, minimizing the time you should stay in Baguio if you're planning to cover all the destinations.

AZALEA RESIDENCES HOTEL - BAGUIO

[BAGUIO] ► AT THE HALLWAY OF AZALEA HOTEL, THIRD FLOOR

Anyway, if you've followed my 'Azalea Summer Getaway' blog series, you would probably have read where I've been in Baguio—some destinations are my first time to see—all courtesy of Azalea Residences Hotel. That organized tour brought me to places I've always wanted to see and made me love Baguio more because I learned many interesting things from its beautiful history.

Well, since I've already narrated my experiences in the destinations we've covered through the earlier posts of this series, this installment would focus on my personal experiences in this hotel. Here's a review of the Azalea Residences Hotel.

Accessibility

AZALEA RESIDENCES AND HOTEL IS LOCATED IN Leonard Wood Loop near the Teachers Camp. I sent them message online asking how to go to their hotel since this is relatively new and I didn't know how to get here. I was advised to just get a cab and tell the driver I'm going to Azalea Residences. Apparently, for someone who is not familiar of the routes and roads in Baguio, getting a cab is the best option. I followed their advise and based on my experience, it worked! The taxi driver knew the location of this hotel. It seemed like this place is now a popular landmark in Baguio.

On accessibility, there seems to be no problem. It's 2 kilometers away from Burnham Park.

Hotel Staff

UPON ALIGHTING FROM THE CAB, SOMEONE APPROACHED me with big smile and took all my baggage. Ahh! I was a bit shy letting him carry my stuff because I'm not used to the pa-importante thing. However, I knew that the usher's action is a matter of service and let's say part of his job. For me I was not just comfortable being treated like a VIP because hindi ko kayang panindigan. I cannot even pronounce caffè macchiato correctly when I first encountered the word. I still can carry my things though (well I would definitely ask for help if I think I can't carry everything). Anyway, my first few minutes in this hotel was impressive so far. I felt like I was so special.

AZALEA RESIDENCES HOTEL - BAGUIO

[BAGUIO] ► CEILING OF THE HOTEL

[BAGUIO] ► WAKING UP WITH THIS VIEW

[BAGUIO] ► PINE TREES OUTSIDE THE HOTEL FENCES

[BAGUIO] ► HOTEL LOBBY

[BAGUIO] ► HOTEL PREMISES

[BAGUIO] ► HOTEL INTERIOR

Upon entering the hotel, someone asked what do I need so they immediately coordinated to the other hotel crews upon telling them my purpose. While waiting, I was offered with something to drink so I opted to have a cup of coffee.

Generally speaking, the hotel staff is great, professional and attentive to all my needs.

The Rooms

THIS IS SO FAR MY MOST LAVISH experience for a hotel stay. One call to the front office and they'll come quick to provide your hotel needs and the services you ask. Ok, let's go back to the lavish thing. The room where I stayed is even bigger than our house—complete with a kitchen, a dining area, a sala (with a couch and a twin bed) and another two rooms within the room. Swanky!

Upon checking in, someone called me if I've taken my breakfast. I said 'not yet.' So I was expecting a breakfast coming soon and it came after few minutes.

AZALEA RESIDENCES HOTEL - BAGUIO

[BAGUIO] ► THE SALA ROOM INSIDE THE ROOM, MAKES SENSE?

[BAGUIO] ► MY BREAKFAST

[BAGUIO] ► AZALEA RESIDENCES HOTEL

[BAGUIO] ► RELAXING

[BAGUIO] ► CAPTURING MYSELF ON THE MIRROR

[BAGUIO] ► SELFIE-ING INSIDE THE POSH ROOM

[BAGUIO] ► FELLOW BLOGGER ENRICO DEE WITH HIS SHINING MOMENT

[BAGUIO] ► THE KITCHEN

[BAGUIO] ► DINING AREA AND SALA ON THE OTHER SIDE

[BAGUIO] ► TERRACE

[BAGUIO] ► JUST WOW!

[BAGUIO] ► THE PRESIDENTIAL SUITE'S SALA

[BAGUIO] ► PRESIDENTIAL SUITE'S SALA TAKEN FROM THE UPPER LEVEL OF THE ROOM

[BAGUIO] ► BEDROOM IN THE UPPER LEVEL OF THE PRESIDENTIAL SUITE

[BAGUIO] ► AUTHENTIC WORK

[BAGUIO] ► ROOM 614

That feeling when you don't want to get off your bed because it's just so lavishly comfortable and soft.

On my last day in this hotel, we were toured by the hotel staff to some of the rooms we've never seen yet. The rooms (especially the presidential suite) are extravagant. The photos above might have given you an idea but I would say it won't justify my actual experience.

8 Degrees Bar Lounge

THIS PLACE IS WHERE I HEADED FIRST upon arrival. It was here where I was served with a hot cup of coffee while taking a rest after my 6-hour travel from my hometown . This bar lounge is spacious with comfortable couches to sit—just appropriately placed near the front office where one could rest after tiring travel hours.

Of course, this is not just a place to have a short rest upon arrival. You can chill here if you want some vodkas or tequilas. Connecting to the cybersphere here is free by the way for checked-in guests.

[BAGUIO] ► 8 DEGREES BAR LOUNGE

"Tradisyon" is the name of Azalea Hotel's cafe and restaurant. I'll be posting a separate post about it.

Finally! I'm done with my "Azalea Summer Getaway" series. Yasss! See you on my next travel series. For now, this is the finale! / end

INDEX: INSIDE THIS BLOG SERIES

[END] ▬ FINAL SERIES

► BLOG SERIES: AZALEA SUMMER GETAWAY

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Resorts and Accommodations." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and check the "More Posts From This Category" below.

[2] This experience was made possible through Azalea Residences Hotel in Baguio City. I was invited to experience the Azalea hospitality.

[3] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

Map Showing the Location of #Baguio

CLICK TO DISPLAY LATEST ENTRIES COVERING BENGUET. Map © Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY LATEST ENTRIES COVERING BENGUET.

[VIGAN] ► SHOP AND SURVIVE THE CROWD. MAKE THIS A PART OF YOUR BUCKETLIST.

Bargeynan, etiology

IN VIGAN, WE CALL THIS HAWKER STREET as bargeynan. I'm not exactly sure where this word bargeynan came from but my theory is that it came from the word 'bargain." Basically, this hawker street is a place for bargain goods (a thing bought or offered for sale more cheaply than usual or expected). So we Ilocano Bigueños have called it bargeynan. The word bargain evolved to its Ilocano spelling bargeyn then the suffix -an was added. The latter suffix is used in Ilocano grammar to turn its root word as 'a place or the location for something.' For example: empanadaan (empanada + an: a place to eat/buy empanada), sinanglaoan (sinanglao + an: a place to eat/buy sinanglao), computeran (computer + an: a place for computers—computeran or kompyuteran is our Ilocano term for an internet shop/café).

Take note that not all Ilocano words follow the same grammar rule and some words follow a different rule by adding prefixes ka- (like ka-longboy-an, ka-mangga-an, ka-buslig-an), pag- (like pag-parti-an, pag-panday-an, pag-tienda-an) or repeating the first syllable with the prefix ka- (like ka-kaykayu-an, ka-banbantay-an, ka-taltalun-an, ka-balbalay-an). Ok, enough for this Ilocano 101.

Bargeynan for Holy Week

THE BARGEYNAN DITOY VIGAN (BARGEYNAN HERE IN Vigan) usually appears in our streets at least four times a year. Its first appearance is during our week, (the bargeynan is located near the carnival grounds though) then followed by the Holy Week (March), Viva Vigan Festival of the Arts Week or the every May and the World Heritage Cities Solidarity Festival every September. If there are special occasions, it may appear again. The used to have its own bargeynan also in Vigan until it transferred to the Quirino Stadium featuring more of OTOPs.

For Semana Santa (Holy Week), the bargeynan is located in its traditional location: Burgos Street (south of the Ilocos Sur capitol and the ) and Florentino Street (south of ).

[VIGAN] ► SHOPPERS' PEAK OF ARRIVAL IS FROM 5 PM TO 7 PM

[VIGAN] ► THIS MERCHANT TRIES TO CONVINCE POTENTIAL BUYERS.

[VIGAN] ► A FOOD STALL ALONG BURGOS STREET IN FRONT OF NATIONAL BOOKSTORE VIGAN

[VIGAN] ► ANTIPOLO DELICACIES BROUGHT TO VIGAN

Merchants from as far as secured a coveted space in these seasonal hawker streets to grab the opportunity to attract buyers from the huge volume of tourists.

Dry goods sold cheaper than usual ala Divisoria attract locals while the section for OTOPs and local Vigan products attract the tourist crowd.

[VIGAN] ► THIS VENDOR ATTRACTS THESE CHILDREN

[VIGAN] ► FLORENTINO STREET CROWD

[VIGAN] ► AN OLD BUILDING AT THE BACKGROUND

[VIGAN] ► TOY VENDORS ARE EVERYWHERE.

[VIGAN] ► AL FRESCO ON FLORENTINO STREET

Florentino Street

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES HAWKER style, Florentino street (south side of the Plaza Burgos) is the place to be. You can dine here al fresco, have some bottles of beer if you wish, enjoy sizzling food, spot for mouth watering bagnet and Vigan longganisa or simply indulge yourself to familiar grilled street food.

On a Maundy Thursday, my brother and my cousin joined me to see what's new here. It was the same bargeynan we've known before. Unfortunately, there's power interruption this day so the hawker street and the Plaza Burgos as a whole went dark. It's also noisy around due to gasoline-run power generators.

On a Good Friday

BEING A RESIDENT OF VIGAN MYSELF, I would attest to the common local observation that Good Friday is the most crowded day in Vigan in a year because of the annual pursisyon. Vigan is a predominantly Roman Catholic city that used to be the center of Roman Catholicism in Northern Philippines during the Spanish colonial era as evidenced by the presence of the last/only surviving Spanish-era archbishop palace in the Philippines, the transfer of the seat of the Nueva Segovia under King Philip II of Spain and the centuries-old churches within and around the city.

[VIGAN] ► BARGEYNAN ON A GOOD FRIDAY

[VIGAN] ► WELCOME TO VIGAN'S BARGEYNAN

As expected, the bargeynan on a Good Friday is also crowded. To get inside the shopping tents, you have to survive the crowd by squeezing yourself in between strangers, literally.

Are the Street Foods Safe?

FOR HEALTH-CONSCIOUS INDIVIDUALS, THEY MAY HESITATE joining the street crowd in giving the street foods a try. So are the street foods safe?

Like any other street foods and street dining areas in the world, 'trust' is a big word. We cannot control the conscience of the vendor if he/she didn't prepare the food cleanly. However, in terms of food safety and health regulations, the city of Vigan is probably one of the most strict cities in the world. Every person who has food-related job is required to undergo chest radiologic studies and laboratory exams annually just to make sure they are free from any contagious or communicable diseases. This requirement from the city government is infamous among businesspersons and minimum-wage earners in the service industry because they think this is an additional burden to them (I know this because I work in a hospital and I usually take part in their medical screening and sometimes they share their sentiments to me as a health care provider) but they have nothing to do but to comply with the strict requirements of our city. Even dishwashers, taho vendors, fish ball vendors and balut vendors are required to undergo laboratory and radiologic exams every year or at least more than once as the case may be. As proof that they are free from diseases, the city government issues a yellow health ID to them. They will be fined or penalized if they engage in food-related business/job without health clearance.

[VIGAN] ► CALLE FLORENTINO HAWKER FOOD STREET

[VIGAN] ► SOME FOOD CHOICES IN THE STREETS

[VIGAN] ► ANOTHER FOOD STALL

[VIGAN] ► THE RICE WE ORDERED

[VIGAN] ► BAGOONG WITH CALAMANSI + TINUNO NGA BANGUS

[VIGAN] ► OUR FOOD, ALL CONSUMED

[VIGAN] ► SWEET CORN STALL

If you observed, we did not use plates to eat. We rather placed our food on a banana leaf inside a basket to safeguard ourselves from diseases that can be acquired from shared utensils or reusing public plate. This wasn't our request but this is the practice being observed by street food stalls as imposed by the city health unit and related legislations. The use of reusable spoon and fork is not prohibited though but you have the option to eat with bare hands. Non-biodegradable disposable eating paraphernalia aren't encouraged though because this may add to the bulk of garbage made by tourists daily in the expense of our city and its people. So tourists should also be responsible. In fact, the city government imposes the rule that every waste brought to our city should be brought back home.

2016 Highlights and Remarks

HERE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS I observed in this year's Holy Week bargeynan that don't usually happen so I made notes about it so that I may have a personal database of the unusual happenings or observations that are unique or remarkable for each season. For bargeynan 2016, here are my notes:

It's campaign season so expect campaign streamers. Around the bargeynan and the hawker street, you can see streamers of Bongbong Marcos—probably a manifestation of the Solid North Marcos movement. Well, you're in Ilocandia and this is something to expect, didn't you? (This scene may never happen again in the future unless BBM will run again for VP, hence, this note).
This year's bargeynan is a little bit less nicer. There was power interruption on a Maundy Thursday so the usually vibrant and lively Plaza Burgos and the Florentino hawker street went dull and dark. Tourists weren't able to see their food well because there were no lights inside some of the covered dining areas. (It's rare that the seasonal hawker streets of Vigan, especially during Holy Week, experience a black out. So this deserves a note for future reference.)

Ending Notes

I don't usually leave Vigan during Holy Week for holiday tours because I expect that the other tourist destinations are crowded too (unless the trip I'm going to do is worth the time and effort). The only time I left Vigan on the course of the Holy Week for the purpose of leisure traveling was in 2014 wherein I thought it was a worthy Holy Week travel when me and my friend Hazel Ramos embarked to a tandem motorbike adventures from Vigan to Sta Ana, Cagayan with side trip Fuga Island of the Babuyan archipelago. Well I also have several travels within the Holy Week but they are all one-day adventures wherein I also go back home within the day.

I always opt to stay in Vigan during Holy Week and I love documenting the culture of our city during this season. Agyaman 'ak, Vigan nga nakaiyanakak ken dimmakkelak, ta ditoy ko nga nasursuro nga apresiyaren iti nabaknang nga kultura ken kannawidan nga isu iti nang-inspirar kanyak nga ag-viahe ken ag-ballog tapnu bumirok iti lugar nga kapadpadam. Daksang-gasat, awan pay iti nabirukak ta iti kinapintas mo ket naipadpaduma. Itatta, haanakon nga agbirbiruk pay it kapadam no diketdi itultuloy ko it ag-viviaje tapnu ipannakkel iti nasudi nga lugar nga dimmakkelak ken nakasursuruak nga agsao nga kasla kalding (meh, meh, meh). Angaw ko lang diay naudi nga imbagak. Agpayso met, 'di ketdin? / end

Have a blessed Holy Week everyone!

[VIGAN] ► ME AND MY BROTHER AT FLORENTINO STREET WITH BONGBONG MARCOS STREAMER AT THE BACKGROUND

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Urban Life." This is a category here on my blog where I write my stories about city lifestyle, city events, shopping, food trends and related topics.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

Map Showing the Location of #Vigan

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[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO VIGAN'S GOOD FRIDAY PROCESSION.

I think it would be safe to say that Vigan is a major tourist destination now. But I would say tourists do not contribute a significant percentage to the Good Friday crowd because most of the people are locals. Even before Vigan became a major tourist destination, this has been the scene my bare eyes have always seen. The locals are passionate for their (our) Holy Week traditions and Vigan's ~55,000 population is composed mainly of Roman Catholics. Metro Vigan, a recognized district composed of cluster of towns adjacent to Vigan has more than 100,000 population and many Roman Catholics in this district also go to Vigan to participate.

Religion and Economy

HOLY WEEK IN VIGAN IS A DREAM wonderland of sort. It's one of the most awaited and anticipated days for most people. , they cash in a big amount from selling their palaspas every . The at 70+ years of age even expressed to me how she wished Palm Sunday to happen more often in a year so that she'll have more opportunities to sell palaspas. Indeed, Vigan is a wonderland for them to earn way bigger than they usually do.

For hotel owners, all their rooms are occupied and how they wish it's Holy Week everyday because hotels are greatly benefited. Restaurant owners, market vendors, fish ball vendors, empanada makers, royal bibingka manufacturers and more from the different industries benefit a lot. For most employees, it's a long weekend and they try to have a vacation to their real and true dream wonderland.

It's Holy Week, a very special day observed by the Roman Catholic religion worldwide; and in Vigan, it's a brisk economic boom!

[VIGAN] ► KUTSEROS NEVER RUN OUT OF PASSENGERS THIS DAY.

[VIGAN] ► GOOD FRIDAY CROWD, MOSTLY LOCALS.

[VIGAN] ► CANDLE VENDORS ARE HERE TO STAY.

[VIGAN] ► CANDLES FOR SALE FOR THE PROCESSION

[VIGAN] ► THE BELFRY SOARS OVER THE DENSE CROWD.

The Scene I've Always Seen

AROUND TWO HOURS AFTER THE PROCESSION, PEOPLE already gathered in front of the Vigan Cathedral—not all of them are here for the procession though. There are onlookers. Some are here to take photos. Some just opted to watch and observe. Some are unlucky people trapped in the sea of crowd figuring out how to escape. Some are pious devotees. Some don't care. Some believe this religious tradition isn't appropriate. Whatever level of faith and belief these people may belong to, you can't take away the fact that Good Friday is Vigan's most crowded day and Vigan's religious culture is the phoenix. The minority creeps out in oblivion—its powerlessness revealed.

No one can seem to fight the strong force of this religious and cultural gathering that has been embedded on the crust of the people's existence. It's so deeply penetrating that these practices seemed to have become an integral component of their lifeblood—I'm referring to the conformers of these traditions and customs.

[VIGAN] ► SCENE: INSIDE THE VIGAN CATHEDRAL ON A GOOD FRIDAY

[VIGAN] ► SEEN: DEVOTEES EXPRESSING THEIR FAITH BEFORE THESE SAINTS' IMAGES

[VIGAN] ► SIN: SOME DEVOTEES BELIEVE THEIR SINS WILL BE FORGIVEN IF THEY'LL DO A LITTLE SACRIFICE THIS LENT.

[VIGAN] ► A MARIAN IMAGE STANDING ON THE PERIMETER FENCE OF THE CATHEDRAL

Religion, Culture and Tradition in the Procession

ROMAN CATHOLICS POSITIONED THEMSELVES IN A PLACE where they can easily move out whenever their carroza-of-choice comes out. When the carroza they want to follow comes out from the cathedral through its huge main door, they follow suit.

The sequence of the coming out of the carrozas (or karro in Ilocano) is based on the Roman Catholic's version of the the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was near the gate of the cathedral because I wanted to feel how the Roman Catholic followers feel while awaiting for the release of the karro. I squeezed myself while trying to approach the karro. The way for the karro was made clear by the members of the religious brotherhood Knights of Columbus who can be distinguished easily because they are dressed uniformly guarding the way of the karro being released from the cathedral to make their way around the city of Vigan.

I still remember when my late grandfather's youngest brother (I call him 'uncle' though) would bring us in front of the Simbaan-a-Bassit to watch the procession with his son (same age as me whom I grew up with in our barrio). I would see the huge crowd and pursisyon joiners with their candles and prayers. I thought it was just a normal parade but when I tried to experience it myself, I realized that my fellow Bigueños who are Roman Catholics consider this as part of their being. There's effort. There's passion. There's sincerity. I don't mind if their drive for this event is their faith or just a conformity to a tradition and culture. The thing is, Vigan Roman Catholics treat this seriously. However, in some cases, there is a little hypocrisy and I believe this is always present everywhere.

I would like to post a disclaimer here that I am not a Roman Catholic and the teachings that I believe conflict with what I am seeing now but I am not blaming anyone. These people grew up with these beliefs, enforced by tradition and plastered by culture.

As I always say, I watch and observe religious rituals not that I'm changing what I believe but because I want to learn—and one of the best ways to learn is through experience. I wanted to know why these people are very religious and what drive them to be this religious only during Holy Week. I also wanted to experience their situation before, during and after the procession so that I may have a personal account for this event. See? I always believe that the best place to learn a culture or tradition is experiencing it and religious events like this is the best place to go if you're a culture buff.

What I was seeing wasn't pure religion. I know tradition and culture have a big part in activities like this under the guise of Roman Catholicism. I believe it's safe to say that some activities go beyond the limits that even the Roman Catholic church is against (if you have heard about those people who crucify themselves during Holy Week). That's one of the reasons why I'm so fascinated in seeing religious rituals and events of the Filipino Roman Catholics because they often mix with the culture of the place and on how religion and culture intertwined is a good question that gives you the drive to travel more because you want to find for the answer by weaving the details and correlating them from one place to another, one experience to another and one perspective to another.

[VIGAN] ► SCENE: THIS KARRO HAS FINALLY COME OUT OF THE CATHEDRAL

[VIGAN] ► SEEN: AN INFANT JOINING THE CROWD OF PILGRIMS/DEVOTEES

[VIGAN] ► ANOTHER KARRO IS COMING OUT AS SEEN FROM WHERE I'M STANDING.

[VIGAN] ► TRYING TO GET A GOOD POSITION OF MY CAMERA TO TAKE THIS PHOTO.

[VIGAN] ► THIS PERSON TOOK PHOTO OF THE KARRO USING A SMARTPHONE.

[VIGAN] ► A MEMBER OF THE RELIGIOUS BROTHERHOOD WEARING THEIR SIGNATURE HEADDRESS

[VIGAN] ► A SCULPTURE ADORNED WITH WHITE FLOWERS

[VIGAN] ► RELIGIOUS BROTHERHOOD

[VIGAN] ► ONE OF THE KARROS

[VIGAN] ► WHEN THE NIGHT FELL INTO ITS PLACE, THE LIGHT CAME IN.

Each karro for this pursisyon has a sponsor. An announcer mentions the name of the sponsor while a karro leaves the cathedral. Usually, the sponsors are Vigan residents who used to have or presently have an influence in the city whether in politics or business.

These sponsors take charge of beautifying the karro they chose. Some sculpture are dressed with newly sewed clothes while the others opted to retain the old dress. They also decorated the karro with flowers so that it may stand out and look pleasant.

When the night fell into its place, each karro was beautifully lighted.

[VIGAN] ► THE SKY DIMMED, NOT THIS KARRO.

[VIGAN] ► THIS CROSS WITH A WHITE FABRIC STANDS OUT AS THE SKY TURNED DARKER.

[VIGAN] ► IT WAS ALREADY DARK WHEN THIS KARRO HAD ITS TURN.

[VIGAN] ► THE GLARING WHITE BELLFRY.

[VIGAN] ► THE CATHEDRAL SHINES BRIGHT.

[VIGAN] ► THE PROCESSION PASSING BY THE ILOCOS SUR CAPITOL.

[VIGAN] ► A WELL-LIT KARRO

[VIGAN] ► THE PROCESSION PASSING BY THE CAPITOL

[VIGAN] ► DRESSED WITH ORNATE CLOTHE

[VIGAN] ► CANDLE LIGHT STARTED TO APPEAR.

[VIGAN] ► "MAKIGUYOD"

[VIGAN] ► PROCESSION JOINERS

The Traditional Procession Route

THE PROCESSION STARTS FROM THE VIGAN CATHEDRAL then runs through Nueva Segovia Street, a left turn to Quezon Avenue passing by the Ilocos Sur Capitol, then right turn to Burgos street passing by the National Museum of Vigan then left turn to Rizal Street (the longest distance), then left to Liberation Boulevard passing by the Simbaan-a-Bassit, then left turn to Calle Crisologo then back to the Vigan Cathedral.

[VIGAN] ► THE SIMBAAN-A-BASSIT

[VIGAN] ► THE PROCESSION PASSING BY THE SIMBAAN-A-BASSIT

Palm Sunday

PALM SUNDAY IS CONSIDERED THE START OF the Lent. A day before Palm Sunday, palaspas weavers from the town of (Lapog) travel to Vigan and station themselves in front of the Simbaan-a-Bassit along Liberation Boulevard. They sleep here for a night while waiting for the Palm Sunday.

At the night of Palm Sunday, there is also pursisyon.

[VIGAN] ► PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION

[VIGAN] ► PALASPAS WEAVERS IN FRONT OF THE SIMBAAN-A-BASSIT

The Bargeynan
[VIGAN] ► Holy Week's Bargeynan (Hawker Street) and Hawker Food Stalls

TEASER▬ To get inside the shopping tents, you have to survive the crowd by squeezing yourself in between strangers, literally.

and the Food Stalls

THE BARGEYNAN IN VIGAN, A PERENNIAL HAWKER street shopping occupying Burgos Street is a mainstay every Holy Week. Bargeynan comes along with street food stalls in Florentino Street featuring Vigan delicacies and street foods that are already familiar to us. In the 90's, Florentino Street (specifically the segment south of ) and the rest of the food stall section used to be the haven for dalangdang. The latter is the Ilocano term for a sun-dried salted fish. Since there is this belief that eating meat during Holy Week is a sin or a taboo, these dalangdang vendors here are the superstars. My great grandma (lola sa tuhod) used to be a dalangdang vendor when she was still alive and I used to stay in her station while she sells. She had a lot of suki then even though dalangdang is ridiculously expensive for this season.

Now, the section for dalangdang vendors is no longer here. Most of them are now in the Vigan Public Market. So if you wish to buy, the streets I mentioned above are no longer the right place to go.

[VIGAN] ► THE BARGEYNAN

Ending Notes

ANOTHER HOLY WEEK IS DONE AND GONE. I made this post for those who haven't been in Vigan yet during Holy Week so that I may give them an idea what to expect here whenever they plan to visit the city during Lent.

I hope this would guide and help you in your next Holy Week visit to our city. / end.

Vigan Holy Week Through the Years

SEE POSTS ABOUT VIGAN HOLY WEEK THROUGH THE YEARS. TRACE HOW IT CHANGED BY TIME AND READ MY PERSPECTIVE, NOTES AND INSIGHTS SPECIFIC FOR THAT TIME.

TRAVEL STORIES TIMELINE► | | |

[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO VIGAN HOLY WEEK (YEAR 2013)! - WITH MY BROTHER AND COUSINS

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Customs and Traditions." This is a category here on my blog where I write my stories about cultural events and activities, intangible culture and heritage, rituals and everything that is related to the norms, local practices and beliefs of a place and its people. There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

[3] All photos are mine.

[4] The insights I wrote herein are based on my perspective as a local who was born, raised and currently residing in this city.

Map Showing the Location of #Vigan

MORE POSTS FROM THIS CATEGORY: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

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[KUALA LUMPUR] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO KUALA LUMPUR!

KL Sentral is Kuala Lumpur's central hub for trains. All trains from Kuala Lumpur's systematic railway system stop here and you can reach all the major destinations in KL (Kuala Lumpur) from KL Sentral. It's officially known as the Kuala Lumpur Central Railway Station.

Entering KL Sentral for the First Time

After alighting from the bus, I searched the way to the KL Sentral train station only to find out that there are many train stations within KL Sentral that service different destinations in Kuala Lumpur. The KL Sentral is I think attached to a mall. There are restaurants, banks, business centers and boutiques around.

This is a pleasant looking transportation hub that's so conveniently accessible from the airport and other popular tourist attractions in Malaysia. So well-planned.

Anyway, for a first timer, I'm finding it hard to look for the monorail station (where I will ride). Basically, KL has several trains. They have the LRT with different lines (service routes). They also have BRT and the Monorail. Gosh! I find this stressing. At home, I only ride a tricycle or a motorbike then in a few minutes I'm already in my destination. But here, I still have to choose where to. So, where to?

My small city with less complicated transportation system is my comfort zone. Big cities like Kuala Lumpur with complicated transportation system for a first-timer like me is resurrecting the fear in me of roaming in a highly-populated urban jungle. Getting lost is my main concern here and I don't want that to happen.

My back is already aching in carrying my backpack while I'm still figuring out how to exit this place called KL Sentral. Uh. Taxing. I actually packed light for this trip but I can't let my backpack hanging there for long—it would mean backache if I insist so I need to get out of here quick.

[KUALA LUMPUR] ► I REACHED KL SENTRAL BY RIDING A BUS FROM KLIA2.

Finally, I saw a guard (Malay-looking) who is shorter than me with dark brown skin wearing a cap that signifies he's part of the security team. "Where is the way to the Monorail Station?" I asked.

He answered me quick in English with his Malaysian accent. His accent was strange that it was hard for me to understand at first. He was able to help me find the direction though. Ahhh... The search for the Monorail station didn't stop here. OMG. Am I getting dumb for this? There are signs both written in Bahasa Melayu and English, but these signs disappear when you've reached another fork inside the KL Sentral Station + mall in one. I decided not to rely on these signage and I opted to ask random people along the way until I found the right place. Yes! I've reached the monorail station. This would become my first train ride outside my country Philippines IF I'm gonna pursue this.

I'm confused

I approached a counter to get a ticket but no personnel was there. I was surprised that in spite of the busy rail stations in KL, I was wondering why there's no long line at this counter. In fact, I'm the only one waiting. I'm so confused!

I waited for several minutes until an Indian woman with long black curly hair arrived. She entered the office, sat in the counter and asked me what do I need. I told her I need to buy a ticket for Imbi station but she didn't give me a ticket. She instead instructed me to go somewhere where I can get a ticket but I cannot understand her English. After a moment of clarifying things, I finally got it. There's a self-service machine at the other side that brings out token, not ticket.

[KUALA LUMPUR] ► THE EMPTY COUNTER: WHERE ARE YO' PEOPLE?

Before this trip, I booked a hostel that is near the Imbi monorail station so that I can easily find it. I have a screenshot of the Google map where the hostel is located to guide me on my search for this hostel. Since my hostel was near the Imbi station, I purchased a token for Imbi using the self-service machine that drops a token including your change.

Dang! You may not believe this but I felt so ignorant about this. There's no train station in our province so encountering a self-service machine like this in actual setting is new to me. Because I didn't know how to operate it, I opted to let the other people do it first so that I can observe them how they do it. Yes, there are instructions but I don't want other people to laugh at me whenever they see me doing the stupid thing so I have to study first how do they do it.

[KUALA LUMPUR] ► LINE #1: I'LL BE USING THIS LINE TO REACH IMBI STATION.

[KUALA LUMPUR] ► SELF-SERVICE MACHINE: IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE HEADING, YOU'LL PROBABLY GET CONFUSED TO USE THIS IF IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME.

[KUALA LUMPUR] ► FINALLY, THE MONORAIL STATION.

Almost everyone was in rush and they were able to get a token in less than a minute while I'm still figuring out the step-by-step procedure of purchasing a token. When it was already my turn on the machine, I instructed the people at my back to just do it first. Some are hesitant to overtake me since I came there first and waited patiently but I insisted they'll do it first. They laughed and spewed words I cannot understand to the person beside and behind them. Well, I didn't care if they're saying things against me or whatever but at least they do not know who I am. So I'm targeting the monorail station now. Interestingly, "mono" in my native language means "dumb."

After a couple of observations, I was able to operate the machine correctly like a pro! Now, I went to the waiting area and I'm ready for my first ever train ride outside the Philippines! / to be continued...

[SOUTH EAST ASIA] ► TRAVEL BLOGSERYE 01

STORIES OF TOWN EXPLORATIONS - BLOGSERYE 01:
"On the Road Outside My Comfort Zone"

| | | EPISODE 04 |

SERIES TEASER: FIRST TIME TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE MY COUNTRY, THESE ARE STORIES OF FACING THE FEAR OF LEAVING A COMFORT ZONE. WILL THIS MAN RELATIVELY AFRAID OF BIG CITIES SURVIVE HIS FIRST DAY IN THE BIG FOREIGN CITY OF KUALA LUMPUR IN MALAYSIA? JOIN ME IN THIS BLOGSERYE AS I SHARE TO YOU MY STORIES OF TOWN EXPLORATIONS.

17 FEBRUARY 2016: KUALA LUMPUR SENTRAL RAIL STATION
THE TRAIN HAS ARRIVED. THIS WOULD BE MY FIRST TRAIN RIDE AS A FOREIGNER.
[KUALA LUMPUR] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO KL SENTRAL RAIL STATION.

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Train Stations and Railways." This is a category here on my blog where I write my experiences, note down my insights and post photo essays about train stations I've seen or visited then I weave them into travel stories. There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category. However, this is my first post under this category so the section is still empty as of this writing. Come back soon!

[2] The map I used below is from Wikipedia. Source: 1

[3] All photos are mine. You may not use it without my permission.

[4] The insights, conditions and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you visit KL Sentral. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

Map Showing the Location of #KualaLumpur

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[BATANGAS] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO BATANGAS!

When I am about to write my travel stories covering Batangas, this idea suddenly popped out from nowhere. Kling! It's expectation versus reality. This is a new category on my blog where I'm gonna share my expectations of a place based on what I read and seen online (and on what I heard from the news) then share the reality (my real experience) of the place—and if the expectation was met or not. For the first edition of this series, I'm sharing to you my expectation vs reality moments in Batangas.

It's my first time to explore Batangas and like many fellow travelers, it is the first time travels where we have a lot of expectations for a certain place. Take note that I didn't visit all the towns in Batangas just yet. I only covered four (4) so the answers to my expectations were based on what I encountered from these four towns: Santo Tomas, Balete, Lipa City and Taal. So Let's Begin!

[LIPA] ► EXPECTATION: BATANGAS HAS NO FOOD THEY CAN CALL AS THEIR OWN IDENTITY.

#1 Reality: No, Batangas has local cuisines too! They are just less popular in PH.

When we say bangus or pigar-pigar, it's . When we say bagnet, it's . When we say sundot kulangot, it's . When we say pancit batil patong, it's Tuguegarao. When we say sisig, it's Pampanga. When we say batchoy, it's Iloilo. When we say durian, it's Davao (durian isn't a cuisine but it's still a food that's often associated with Davao). But for Batangas? I can't think of any dish/cuisine that when you mention it, you'll automatically think Batangas as the rightful owner.

So my expectation was Batangas has no food which they can associate themselves with. When I visited Lipa City, I discovered a food they call goto Batangueño. In fact, it was my first time to learn that such food exists.

It's a beef soup dish that is very popular in Batangas as said by a local kiosk owner. The locals around also claimed that the best goto Batagueño is found in Lipa. So my expectation was wrong. I'm pretty sure there are other food that can be associated with Batangas but I still have to meet/taste them. I think their local cuisines are not popular in the Philippines compared to the foods I mentioned above. Should they've been popular, being a travel blogger, I should have known them well the way I've known the foods I mentioned above even without traveling to Batangas.

Apparently, it's the balisong that is often associated with Batangas. It is not a food though. It's a deadly weapon if you don't use it properly. Batangas is known for bravery partly because of this. #

[TAAL] ► EXPECTATION: BATANGAS DOWNTOWNS HAVE MANY OLD HOUSES.

#2 Reality: Batangas downtowns have many old/ancestral houses.

The province of Batangas is often mentioned in our history textbooks. In fact, I can still remember Gen Miguel Malvar, a son of Batangas. He is the last Filipino general who surrendered to the Americans during the Philippine-American War.

Since Batangas is a historical province with a great role in Philippine history, I was thinking that its towns were among the earliest to flourish, hence, those early establishment that survived until now. When I visited Taal, my expectation was met. I did see many old houses lining Taal's narrow streets. No need to argue. (PHOTO AT LEFT COURTESY OF CLAIRE BLAXLAND / WWW.LAKWATSERADEPRIMERA.COM) #

[LIPA] ► EXPECTATION: THE URBAN CENTER OF BATANGAS CITIES LOOK LIKE METRO MANILA CITIES.

#3 Reality: No, it's the same provincial feel.

I thought the poblacion areas of cities in Batangas look like those in —wide yet traffic-jammed streets, malls are everywhere and with high-rise buildings.

These expectations I had in mind are based on the fact that Calabarzon (Region 4-A) is an industrial region and its proximity to Metro Manila is an advantage. I had this thinking before that because Calabarzon (Batangas included) is an industrial region connected to Metro Manila with expressways that aren't found elsewhere in the Philippines, its cities must be Manilaesque. I was wrong with my expectations.

The reality appeared before me and saw for myself that some cities in Batangas have this familiar provincial feel based on what I saw in Lipa City and while passing through Tanauan City. Yes, there are malls but the setting still lacks the Manila characters. Lastly, no high-rise buildings yet. I haven't visited Batangas city (capital) as of this writing but what I saw in Lipa and Tanauan cities are already enough to conclude that not all cities in Batangas look like what I was expecting. #

[TAAL] ► EXPECTATION: I CAN SELFIE AT TAAL CHURCH ALL BY MYSELF.

#4 Reality: No, it was crowded when I went there.

Photos of Taal Church I see online and even from the Facebook feed of some of my travel blogger friends show a majestic Taal Basilica devoid of crowd.

In my case, my expectation was not met. Taal Basilica was crowded and never ran out of people so I can't have a Taal Basilica selfie all by myself. Take note that this was my situation and it can be different in some ways in other people's case. Anyway, it was just so paasa. I've really waited for this opportunity to have a solo selfie but sadly, the reality has spoken. (EXPECTATION PHOTO COURTESY OF TAAL.PH) #

[LIPA] ► EXPECTATION: I WOULD HEAR PEOPLE SPEAK ALA EH AND WITH BATAGUEÑO ACCENT.

#5 Reality: No, I never heard anyone say "ala eh!"

Batangas is uniquely popular for their expression "Ala eh!" One of the things included on my bucketlist is to hear Batangueño people speaking (with their intonation of course). Unfortunately, I never heard anyone say "ala eh!" and for that, I'm feeling unaccomplished. I think I was just in a wrong place and in a wrong time. In Santo Tomas, Balete and Lipa, not all spoke with the intonation I was expecting.

The case in Taal is different though. How I loved the town of Taal, it's really a town rich in culture that its populace speaks so purely Batagueño. I felt like I'm in a balagtasan event. The people here speak so lovely and poetic. But still, I haven't heard anyone say the "ala eh!". #

___________________________________________________

Alright, all of the foregoing are my initial taste of Batangas. Some may sound silly, naive expectations but those expectations have been informally residing in my brain for a long time now. Those will be granted a permanent residency privilege once their status is verified. Some expectations were actually the reality giving them the right to settle in my brain's trivia section. | end |

04 APRIL 2016: BATANGAS PROVINCE
SELFIES TAKEN FROM EACH OF THE FOUR TOWNS MENTIONED HEREIN. FROM UPPER LEFT CLOCKWISE: SANTO TOMAS, LIPA CITY, BALETE, TAAL.
[BATANGAS] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO BATANGAS!

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Expectation vs Reality." This is a category here on my blog where I write a comparison or contrast of my expectation on a certain destination and its reality. This is the first post for this category so hang on for more.

[2] The maps I used below are from Wikipedia and Wikimedia. Source: 1 | 2

[3] The insights, conditions and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you visit Batangas. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

Map Showing the Location of Batangas

CLICK TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING CALABARZON. MAP © Eugene Alvin Villar, Roel Balingit The areas highlighted in green are the towns mentioned herein. — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY THE LATEST ENTRIES COVERING CALABARZON.

MORE TOWNS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE

[TANAY] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO TANAY!

Nuns who were originally based in Metro Manila run this place. Their desire to own a property they can call their own was not a prayer instantly answered. It was a bumpy ride to their destination called success but everything was worth the bumpy ride. They were able to acquire a 13-hectare property in Sitio Aguho, Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal because they didn't give up. That blessing wasn't in disguise. It was a result of their faith mixed with hard work and prayers. So basically, they worked hands on to acquire this blessing.

This is the fourth installment of this series and if you cannot relate to some of the things I'm saying here, I would advice you to read the EPISODE 01 so that you can understand the flow of the story.

Anyway, the people who manage this place believe in vegetarianism. They respect nature so much (they don't want pollution - more on this below) and lastly, this is a pilgrimage site for Roman Catholics.

Vegetarianism

While exploring and touring the expanse of this 13-hectare property, my stomach is dying to grab some food to keep my physical body sane and working.

Within the property, there are helpful sign boards to assist visitors. In my case, I found the direction to an area they call as handong, an Ilonggo word for "a shady area."

[TANAY] ► HANDONG IS REGINA RICA'S AREA FOR DINING.

[TANAY] ► PLENTY OF TALL TREES MAKE THE AREA SHADY.

[TANAY] ► ME WHILE WALKING AROUND HANDONG.

I finally reached handong after a brisk walk-in-the-park moment. I started to feel a cooler atmosphere with fallen browned-by-time leaves all over the ground where I'm stepping on.

I felt closer to nature really; and what a gorgeous idea to dine under the trees (though there are gazebos or huts where you can dine). But it seemed like the gazebos were for visitors who brought food with them. In my case, I'm looking for a restaurant or a store where I can buy food.

I continued to walk until I found a restaurant.

[TANAY] ► THIS SCENE WELCOMED ME IN THE RESTAURANT.

As I enter the restaurant, a wooden box filled with green grass (or herbs, I'm not sure) welcomed me. The floor is also made of wood. I didn't bother to ask what is this but my theory is that this will attract insects, hence, keeping them away from the visitors dining inside the restaurant.

There were other customers inside, mostly in group. Me? I'm all alone. Anyway, I asked for the menu and one of the crew informed me that their restaurant doesn't sell meat, so it's a vegetarian restaurant. Well, it's not an issue for me because I prefer vegetables over meat 75% of the time.

[TANAY] ► THEIR MEATLESS LOMI, NO PORK

[TANAY] ► MEATLESS LOMI, MY MEAL THIS TIME

[TANAY] ► A COMMUNE WITH NATURE

Nature and Religion

One of the interesting things I learned in this destination is their love for nature. I mean, they do not want pollution. I said they do not want pollution because they prohibit smoke-spewing vehicles to go beyond a certain point. They want the air inside this sanctuary fresh and clean. Aside from the latter set-up I am talking about, it's really part of their advocacy to protect nature and you'll learn about this if you visit this place because every visitor is encouraged (if not obliged) to attend the visitor orientation.

Their love for nature reflects to this restaurant I am featuring now. It's vegetarianism on its face. No killing of animal life—it's primarily based on sustainable farming.

[TANAY] ► RELIGION: THIS DEVOTEE BELIEVES THERE'S HEALING IN THIS FOUNTAIN.

[TANAY] ► RELIGION: A WELL WITH HEALING WATER, AS SOME BELIEVE

[TANAY] ► NATURE: A THICK VEGETATION OF TREES

[TANAY] ► NATURE: AUTUMN FEEL

[TANAY] ► A HILL WITH MAHOGANY TREES

It's also worthy to note that this is a religious place. It is managed by nuns who consider this property as sacred. Basically, their religion (Roman Catholic) interconnects with nature and vegetarianism. This only applies to this sanctuary though. It's just a matter of concepts put together as one.

It's time to leave Tanay and I'm off to my next destination. I have this instinct that the next destination would be the opposite of Regina Rica: different set-up, different location, same pilgrimage site. | to be continued...|

[LUZON] ▬ Faces of Pilgrimage Sites: Tanay and Quiapo

[LUZON] ► TRAVEL BLOGSERYE

STORIES OF TOWN EXPLORATIONS
"Faces of Pilgrimage Sites: Tanay and Quiapo"

| | | EPISODE 04 |

SERIES TEASER: PILGRIMAGE SITES WERE ALL MADE FOR THE FAITHFUL. THEY HAVE THE SAME PURPOSE BUT THEY MAY DIFFER IN MANY THINGS. JOIN MY TRAVEL TRAILS FROM TANAY TO QUIAPO AND DISCOVER THE INTERESTING THINGS I PERSONALLY LEARNED FROM THESE PILGRIMAGE SITES. TANAY AND QUIAPO ARE TWO OPPOSITE VARIABLES ON THEIR OWN.

14 MARCH 2015: REGINA RICA
ME INSIDE REGINA RICA, A PILGRIMAGE SITE IN RIZAL PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES.
[TANAY] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO REGINA RICA!

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Restaurants." This is a category here on my blog where I write my experiences, note down my insights and post photo essays about restaurants I've seen or visited then I weave them into travel stories. There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

[3] All photos are mine. You may not use it without my permission.

[4] The insights, conditions and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you visit Regina Rica. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

Map Showing the Location of #Tanay

CLICK TO DISPLAY LATEST ENTRIES COVERING RIZAL. Map © Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez — CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY LATEST ENTRIES COVERING RIZAL.

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[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO VIGAN!

The Miraculous Santo Cristo de Vigan is enshrined in Simbaan a Bassit. The fiesta starts with a holy mass in front of Simbaan a Bassit in honor of Apo Lakay.

To witness this event, I woke up early. Seriously, I didn't take a bath. Worse, I didn't even wash my mouth or wash my face. I was rushing.

I knew I am already late and I would not want to miss this opportunity again. I've been wanting to witness the Tres de Mayo mass every year but I've never done it.

Actually, I want to take photos of the holy mass happening before sunrise so I really have to be there very early.

[VIGAN] ► THE SCENE THAT WELCOMED ME: VIGAN'S MAIN ROAD IS CLOSED.

[VIGAN] ► SCENE FROM THE WEST SIDE OF SIMBAAN-A-BASSIT

[VIGAN] ► PRIESTS OFFICIATING THE HOLY MASS

The mass actually starts at 6 AM every year. The south end of Quezon Avenue was closed to traffic because traditionally, the mass happens in front of the church. The T-junction of Quezon Avenue and Liberation Boulevard served as the mass ground.

When I arrived on the mass ground, the mass has already started. I was 30 minutes late. The façade of the church (especially its espadaña) was the first one to catch my attention. The rising sun is hitting it. It had this beautiful glow that's hard to get unnoticed.

While the surrounding area is still dark, the top of the façade glows beautifully—basically due to the sunlight (sunrise). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a photo of that great short moment when the church is the only one being hit by the sunlight because the area was crowded and I was looking for a place where I can park. Sadly, the sun was already high when I found a parking space—the whole area was already bright. The sweet moment just passed so quickly.

It was an awkward moment when I have to bring out my camera and take photos while everyone is silently listening to the preaching of the priest. I tried to creep in the crowd until I reached a point where I'm now near the temporary altar especially made for this occasion.

[VIGAN] ► THE IMAGE OF SANTO CRISTO MILAGROSO PERCHED BEHIND THE ALTAR

[VIGAN] ► PILGRIMS AND DEVOTEES OF THE SANTO CRISTO MILAGROSO

[VIGAN] ► CHAIRS WERE SET UP IN FRONT OF THE SIMBAAN-A-BASSIT

[VIGAN] ► THE COMMUNION

[VIGAN] ► THIS PRIEST DESCENDED FROM THE ALTAR FOR THE COMMUNION.

I believe this is an important moment for the Roman Catholics here in Vigan because there was a big set of priests on the altar all wearing a cream-white dress. From afar, it seemed like they were adorned with embossed golden prints.

Usually, whenever I see masses in Vigan, there's only one priest. This time, it's a team. The image of Sto Cristo Milagroso de Vigan was placed behind the middle of a temporary altar that was especially set up for today's use. The altar was on a platform accentuated by ornamental plants. Fruits were hanging from the ceiling covered by a deep green fern-like leaves.

After a couple of minutes, everyone said "peace" then they raised their hands and sang Ama Mi (Our Father). I left the crowd after the singing and went to the other side. Fruit vendors started to appear until my friend saw me. She approached me and she was talking to me but I felt more awkward now. I didn't want to talk. I didn't know how to react. I didn't want to open my mouth. I think you know the reason why. It was so awkward. I was talking with pursed lips, ridiculous.

[VIGAN] ► A DEVOTEE RAISES HER HANDS AS SHE SINGS 'AMA MI' ON TOP OF ISIDRO BUILDING.

[VIGAN] ► THE CROWD WHILE SINGING 'AMA MI'

This mass is just the start of this fiesta and I have more to come. I'll write a separate post for each event so come back soon on this blog! I'll also write a comprehensive article about the Tres de Mayo fiesta in the future. This is just an introduction for now. | end |
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More posts related to Tres de Mayo ► |

03 MAY 2016: HOLY MASS OF TRES DE MAYO
DEVOTEES AND PILGRIMS FLOCKED IN FRONT OF THE SIMBAAN A BASSIT FOR THE HOLY MASS OF TRES DE MAYO.
[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO TRES DE MAYO DE VIGAN!

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Customs and Traditions." This is a category here on my blog where I write my experiences, note down my insights and post photo essays about customs and traditions I've seen or experienced then I weave them into stories. There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

[3] All photos are mine.

[4] The insights, conditions and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you experience the Tres de Mayo in Vigan. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

Map Showing the Location of #Vigan

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[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO VIGAN!

First Time to Watch a Lion Dance

ON VIGAN'S TRES DE MAYO (REFERS TO the festive 3rd day of May), I discovered something. In fact, I've never encountered an event like this all my life in person. I know it exists because I watched it on television but it's my first time to watch this in person.

As a resident of Vigan since birth who is utterly passionate in studying the culture and heritage of this beautiful little city, it's so emotional to learn and discover something new that is related to my identity as a legit Bigueño. Well, what I discovered is actually more of the Chinese cultural heritage but this is not all about the Chinese per se. This is about my hometown Vigan and us Bigueños, her people. The mixture of culture in Vigan makes my city unique in Asia. UNESCO has spoken. Our culture and townscape are distinct that it cannot be paralleled anywhere else in Asia!

So what's this? It's a lion dance. Don't think this is something ridiculous because I know lion dance can be seen everywhere, BUT... This is not about a lion dance done for entertainment or for the Chinese New Year. This is about Vigan's culture and heritage.

Vigan's Chinese roots shouldn't be set aside. So every Tres de Mayo, a lion dance team performs the dance ritual in the properties of Bigueños who have Chinese roots.

[VIGAN] ▬ TRES DE MAYO'S LION DANCE Photo taken by Edmar Guquib on 03 May 2016 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines

[VIGAN] ► THE LION WITH AN OPEN MOUTH.

[VIGAN] ► THE LION WITH CLOSED MOUTH.

While driving my bike, I passed by the Ruby Pottery in Brgy Pagburnayan. I heard percussion sounds and there's a crowd build-up. I got curious so I joined the crowd and saw a lion dance ritual.

At first, I got confused because I didn't know this has something to do with our cultural heritage. I just watched it and observed the dance ritual with thoughts in my mind that this is a private event with nothing to do in our Bigueño culture.

The lion dance happened inside the property of Fidel Go, a Philippine National Folk Artist. Fidel Go is a burnay maker, a skill he learned from his grandfather who came from China. He owns the Ruby pottery in Brgy Pagburnayan, one of the few remaining jar factories in the city.

Actually, there are two lions inside his property. One is red. The other one is golden. I only saw the golden lion doing the dance ritual. I observed their move.

There were two people clang together to execute the lion dance. One is the base who holds the lower half of the lion costume. The other one sits on the shoulder of the base and hold the head and the upper half of the lion costume.

[VIGAN] ► THIS GOLDEN LION IS COMPOSED OF TWO PERFORMERS CLANG TOGETHER AS ONE.

Lion Dance in Pagburnayan

It was in Brgy Pagburnayan where I first witnessed this lion dance for the Tres de Mayo. As I said above, I saw this inside Fidel Go's property, a folk artist who has Chinese roots.

The sound of the percussion instruments caught my attention that I really had to stop and be a curious onlooker. I saw the sons and daughters of Fidel Go watching the dance ritual but mostly, the crowd was composed of curious tourists and locals.

Those who are hitting the percussion instruments were at the back. The two dance ritual performers were fronting the entrance of the property.

At first, I thought this was a private event exclusive in Paburnayan's Chinese potters with Chinese heritage.

The Lion Dance Execution

THERE ARE TWO WOODEN BENCHES ON THEIR dance site. I wasn't able to watch the start of the rite so what I only documented was the last part of the dance. I actually captured in photo the execution of the last parts of the dance rites.

[VIGAN] ► (1) THE PERFORMERS ARE GETTING READY TO STEP ON THE BENCH.

[VIGAN] ► (2) THE DANCE PERFORMERS ARE ABOUT TO STEP ON THE BENCH.

[VIGAN] ► (3) THE PERSON HANDLING THE HEAD OF THE LION IS ABOUT TO LAND ON THE BENCH.

[VIGAN] ► (4) STEPPING ON THE BENCH, THE BASE WILL FOLLOW SUIT.

[VIGAN] ► BOTH ARE NOW ON THE BENCH.

[VIGAN] ► THE HEAD REACHES THE RED FLAG HANGING ABOVE.

[VIGAN] ► THE RED FLAG IS ALREADY GONE.

The golden lion tandem performers have this end goal of getting and/or touching the red flag hanging over the bench. This is based on what I observed. Take note that I am not an expert on this certain tradition in Vigan so what I only can do is to observe keenly and document for future reference.

The tandem performers attempted to step on the benches for a few times. After a few attempts, they both finally elevated themselves on the bench.

When the head reached the red flag, the dance ritual was over. The execution was not easy. It actually requires expertise and experience to execute the steps. I noticed that the man sitting on the shoulder of base eventually stood up and stepped on the shoulder of the base. That was an act that requires thorough practice so that you can maintain a balance with a costume covering you.

Take note that they attempted to do this stunt a few times until they succeeded. There are support people watching over to make sure that the two performers would not fall. Upon the stepping of the base on the benches, someone held his waste to prevent him from falling. Also, there's a team holding the benches so that they would not move.

The performance was over when the lion reached/touched the red flag hovering above. After the performance, I noticed the red flag is no longer there.

[VIGAN] ► THE TWO LIONS AFTER THEIR PERFORMANCES

Stalking the Lion Dancers

AFTER THE PERFORMANCE, THEY LEFT FIDEL GO'S pagburnayan (jar factory). I was really curious why they were doing this. This point of time, I still had no idea that this is related to the Tres de Mayo fiesta in Vigan that honors our cultural heritage whether it's an Ilocano or Chinese in origin.

The performers were all wearing a yellow shirt with Chinese character prints. When I took Rizal Street, I saw the group walking with all their props so I decided to talk to at least one of them. Since the road is very busy, I can't find a place to park my bike so I just followed them. When they were about to turn left to Alcantara Street going to the Vigan Public Market, I stopped in front of the gate of the former Adora Clinic and Hospital back of the former Lyric Cinema. I parked my bike in front of the gate.

I crossed the busy street rushing. I saw one of the performers (the one who held the head of the lion costume). I talked to him while he's walking and he was a bit surprised with my ambush interview.

I introduced myself, what I do in life and explained to him the reason why I am doing this. I asked if he and his companions are Bigueños. He told me they aren't. They came from Manila. So I asked him why they are doing that lion dance and he answered me that they came to Vigan to perform the lion dance for the Vigan fiesta (Tres de Mayo). From there, I learned that their performance was related to the fiesta of Vigan and not exclusive in Pagburnayan but I'm still confused why they are doing this. On my follow-up question, he answered me that the performance they did in Fidel Go's property is just one of the performances they will be doing this day.

"Where else are you going to perform?" I asked. He answered me that they will perform to some more properties/houses owned by Bigueños with Chinese lineage. Since we're now getting far, I opted to cut the conversation because I'm planning to get back my bike and follow where they're going. I told him I have to go and get my bike. When I was already with my bike, I rushed to the place where we last talked but sad to say, they were no longer there. The group is gone. However, I have high hopes that I'll be talking to them again next year.

I wasn't satisfied yet with the things I learned because I still have questions in mind. This would mean that I'm not going to stop my search and research.

This is Vigan. I thought I already know a lot about its history and culture but I realized that the more I discover new things, the more questions leave me hanging. The search for answers will continue. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of articles online discussing deeply the essence and significance of lion dance but what I want to do is to learn it by myself, obtain first-hand information and hear answers from real Bigueños who directly take part in this tradition. The internet may provide the answer but I want answers based on the perspective of a true and authentic Chinese who has embraced our traditions and proud himself to claim that he is from Vigan and that he is a proud Bigueño. At this point, the search isn't over.| end |
_________________________________________________
More posts related to Tres de Mayo ► |

03 MAY 2016: LION DANCE ON TRES DE MAYO FIESTA
A LION DANCE PERFORMANCE IN PAGBURNAYAN
[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO TRES DE MAYO LION DANCE!

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Customs and Traditions." This is a category here on my blog where I write my experiences, note down my insights and post photo essays about customs and traditions I've seen or experienced then I weave them into stories. There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

[3] All photos are mine.

[4] The insights, conditions and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you experience the Tres de Mayo in Vigan. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

Map Showing the Location of #Vigan

MORE POSTS FROM THIS CATEGORY: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

MORE TOWNS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE

[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO VIGAN!

The historic Mestizo river is the place to see. For the very first time, I witnessed an event called rakit race. Basically, it's a competition aiming to determine who is the most skillful and fastest in manipulating the rakit.

The event happened on 04 May 2016 in Celedonia Garden in Brgy Beddeng Laud as part of the Viva Vigan Festival. Well, I don't have more words to say this time so I'm bombarding this post with photos and allow these photos to speak a thousand words.

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

Four sectors of the community were here and each sector had their contender. The sectors who participated are the NGOs, DepEd, Vigan LGU employees and the City Scholars. The winner received five thousand pesos. | end |

04 MAY 2016: RAKIT RACE IN MESTIZO RIVER
THIS MAN SKILLFULLY MANIPULATES THE RAKIT
[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO MESTIZO RIVER!

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Customs and Traditions." This is a category here on my blog where I write my experiences, note down my insights and post photo essays about customs and traditions I've seen or experienced then I weave them into stories. There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

[3] All photos are mine.

[4] The insights, conditions and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you experience the rakit race in Vigan. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

Map Showing the Location of #Vigan

MORE POSTS FROM THIS CATEGORY: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

MORE TOWNS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE

[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO VIGAN!

These ramadas are usually set up in Vigan's poblacion barangays (Brgys I to IX). I live outside the poblacion barangays of Vigan but I've been seeing these ramadas ever since my brain started to store memories.

Each ramada is made for the feast of Sto Cristo Milagroso de Vigan or locally called as Apo Lakay. It's a tradition here in Vigan that every barangay or village in poblacion should set up a ramada. The main event falls every third day of May (Fiesta del Tres de Mayo honoring Apo Lakay) where traditional games happen under the ramadas.

Actually, I've never blogged about ramada before and honestly, I didn't know its significance in our Bigueño culture. But when I started documenting and sharing my love for culture and heritage, a huge curiosity developed in my system that in every little thing I see or observe, many 'whys' occupy the corner of my mind that is hungry for answers, facts or trivia. So last May 3, I decided to document this ramada thingie so I made rounds in the city.

[VIGAN] ► THIS IS HOW A RAMADA LOOK LIKE.

[VIGAN] ► THIS RAMADA WAS DECORATED WITH FRUITS AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCES THAT ARE COMMON IN ILOCOS LIKE THE ILOCOS GARLIC AND THE VEGETABLES FOR PINAKBET.

[VIGAN] ► A RAMADA SET UP ON JOSE SINGSON STREET, SANTA ELENA VILLAGE, BRGY VIII

[VIGAN] ►THIS RAMADA WAS BEING SET UP FOR BRGY I.

[VIGAN] ► RAMADA IN BRGY I

I asked my grandma and my mom why there are ramadas in Vigan's poblacion district but they too didn't know the answer. My mom was kind enough to ask his friend (tito Ted) living in Cabasaan (a village in Vigan's poblacion district in Brgy VIII) who has been into this culture since childhood.

So I learned that the ramada is about thanksgiving. If you notice, there are fruits hanging under every ramada. It signifies prosperity and a form of giving thanks to God for the blessings He showered to the people.

According to tito Ted, during their childhood days, longganisa, bagnet and even litson were also hung under the ramada. Traditionally, these food I mentioned are all brought down after the ramada games for the community picnic. Usually, the rich families of the community donate these stuff but as time passed by, no one seemed interested to donate anymore.

Today, only fruits, toys and sometimes cash placed inside a transparent plastic bag are hung. On the third day of May, children of the poblacion barangays gather under these ramadas to play traditional games.

The ramada traditional games happen every Tres de Mayo. As we all know, Tres de Mayo is a feast day honoring Apo Lakay or the Sto Cristo Milagroso de Vigan who is believed to have saved Vigan from a plague in 1882.

The Tres de Mayo feast starts with a mass in front of the Simbaan a Bassit where the image of Apo Lakay is enshrined. If you notice, the mass platform and the altar is also placed under a ramada with fruits hanging signifying the bountiful blessings received by the people of Vigan.

[VIGAN] ► A RAMADA HOUSES THE ALTAR AND THE PLATFORM FOR THE TRES DE MAYO HOLY MASS

The things I shared above are, I believe, just a little part of the rich culture of Vigan during Tres de Mayo feast day. I haven't made further research and study about the ramada tradition so I only have a limited information to share. Next time, I will post additional photos featuring the children of Vigan playing traditional games.

If you want to correct something on this post, feel free to share them. You can email me at edmaration@gmail.com or you can also contact me using my social media accounts (fb.com/edmaration, twitter: @edmaraition, IG: @edmaration).

If you want to share your knowledge about the Vigan ramada tradition, I would greatly appreciate it. I envision this blog to be a reliable source of information about the rich culture and heritage of Vigan so for my fellow Bigueños who are knowledgeable in this field, I hope you could impart to me your knowledge so that I can improve the contents of this blog, especially the posts related to Vigan. At the end of the day, my goal is to educate the world about the culture and heritage of my hometown Vigan as accurate as possible. | end |
______________________________
More posts related to Tres de Mayo ► |

03 MAY 2016: RAMADA IN SANTA ELENA VILLAGE, BRGY VIII
THIS RAMADA WAS COLORFULLY DECORATED WITH BANDERITAS.

[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO THE RAMADA OF TRES DE MAYO

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Customs and Traditions." This is a category here on my blog where I write my experiences, note down my insights and post photo essays about customs and traditions I've seen or experienced then I weave them into stories. There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category.

[2] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

[3] All photos are mine.

[4] The insights, conditions and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you experience or see the Tres de Mayo ramada in Vigan. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

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