Snapshots of Siquijor

The most serene vacation I've had on any Philippine island. 

I don't know what everyone was so frightened of. 

Siquijor provided some much needed downtime for me. I caught up on my reading and meditating in the morning. Then, I had hearty meals and lots of drinks at night. The resort was  amazing. It was quiet and secluded but it had all the amenities  to keep a rambunctious group entertained. By all, I mean a foosball table and a swimming pool with a bar. The service people addressed us by our first names. So if you're headed to Siquijor, I recommend  Coco Grove Beach Resort. 

Baguio Back in the Day

I visited Baguio last year with my good friend Foxy and other lomo friends to celebrate the LCA’s 25th birthday.  I learned quite a bit about it.  A historical rumor goes to explain how Baguio was built because the top ranking US official of the time was so annoyed by the country’s tropical climate, he wanted to move the capital elsewhere. Baguio, having an elevation of 1500 meters, became the prime target. That’s why Baguio is now known for being the summer capital of the Philippines.

The Americans had quite the grand plan for Baguio. They had it designed by the preeminent architect/city planner of the 20th century, Daniel Burnham. His famous works include Washington D.C., Chicago, and Manila. If you look around those capitals, you’ll find it laden with classical influences. Burnham took a lot of inspiration from Greek and Roman styles and wanted everything to be grand. Burnham envisioned the city with a healthy population of 25,000 people but as of 2010, Baguio residents are numbering 301,000 up. Maybe that’s why the nippy air has disappeared. Without the wonderful cold weather and the airiness, Baguio has become just like Metro Manila.

Still, if you look closely, you’ll find there’s still some magic to the mountain.  Hidden in the congestion and overpopulation, are spots of fun. Like PNKY Café and Inn – a bed and breakfast with personality, Oh My Gulay Bar and Resto, and Bencab’s Museum. If all else fails, there’s always ghost hunting.

Photos care of Foxy Yambing.

Mother Nature's Way of Forcing Boracay to be Green

A recent article from the New York Times hailed Boracay as the next Phuket.
This is what I think about that. These photos were taken last April - peak beach season here in the Philippines.

I loved Boracay the first couple of times that I went. But each time I returned, the trash kept multiplying. On my last trip, I couldn’t take it anymore. I started picking up plastic bags and cigarette butts from the shore. Not really my idea of a vacation.

This year I was thinking of going because of the Kidlat Advertising Awards. I wanted to hang out with my ad agency friends, have fun in the sun, and get very very drunk. That changed when everyone’s Facebook pics started popping up. Boracay is one hot mess. If the provincial government of Aklan want their little island to become a top tourist destination, they’d better find a way to clean up their act.

Photos care of Tim Villela.

The Aetas Today

Since I posted about my life-changing trip to Pinatubo, I think I want to write about the people I met on the way. They looked really bedraggled and poor from afar but when you meet them, you don’t feel pity. Masters of difficulty, they've survived the worst conditions possible without my sympathy. My history professor once told me that the American military even hired Aetas to teach their soldiers jungle tactics.

They are Aetas (pronounced as “eye-ta,”). Indigenous people who are believed to be among the very first inhabitants of the Philippines. Characterized by their small stature, brown skin, and kinky hair. Their wild-eyed tattered exterior reveals very little about them. They are a fiercely proud people.

Even after the Aetas lost their ancestral lands because of the eruption of Pinatubo, some of them chose to remain on this barren land to continue a way of life they’ve had hundreds of years before the Spanish. Their resistance to change has preserved their culture and way of life. But today’s economic activities like mining, deforestation, and illegal logging have caused their numbers to dwindle to thousands.

The Aetas live a simple life. They care not for possessions or even permanent homes. They are nomads that are directed by necessity. They only take what they need. And that hasn’t changed for thousands of years.

Trekking Up Mount Pinatubo in a Dress

 The View

Mount Pinatubo – this is the mega monster volcano that erupted in 1991 wiping nearby provinces off the map.  The largest eruption in the living world’s memory, it dislocated thousands and powdered places as far as Manila with volcanic ash. But now all that dust and fury has settled. The settling is quite a site.

Traveling to the top, we made a slow scenic walk through what seemed like different continents: passing by strange rock formations, a dry crackled riverbed, hills that looked like melted Toblerone bars. All fascinating textures to keep trekkers gaping. It was nothing compared to the unearthly lake on top.

Yes, that blue water is real.

Mineral rich blue waters lure you in to wade and explore. It had a mesmerizing serenity that made you forget what it was underneath- the mouth of an active volcano.

I wish I could say that I had planned to wear this dress on the mountain but I didn’t. After an on-the-spot swimming session on the sulfuric lake, I got really sticky and begged my friend Lea for a change of clothing. She lent me a dress with a color that mirrored the hue of the lake. It inspired many photo junkies to click away. That day I came to be known as, “The girl who climbed Pinatubo in a dress”. In a way, that day inspired me to put up this blog.

Thank you to my wonderful friend Yambs for the photos.