A blue lagoon hidden and surrounded by dramatic rock formations and small mountains in Coron Island, Palawan.

Take some photos of beautiful sunset on Coron Island.

A typical ferry boat that accomodates 5 to 6 persons to various parts of Coron Island.

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Jerry Acuzar’s hobby turns into a majestic place for Philippine History. Las Casas de Filipinas de Acuzar is located in Bagac Bataan, it is a haven for colonial houses of which are not being taken care of, can be considered as a national heritage park. This place is one of my most must visited place in the Philippines. Such an expensive hobby this is!

Las Casas de Acuzar started out as a hobby for real estate developer architect Jerry Acuzar who acquired old structures from all over the Philippines and rebuilt these in the new site. Extra effort was made to restore each building to its original glory, and the rain — which was now pouring down in sheets — did not lessen our appreciation of the architecture. (from Flooded on a food trip by Joy Angelica Subido – Philippine Star October 15, 2009)

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This is the 2nd on our series on “Discover Mindanao”.

Certain regular media fed images stick into travelers’ minds when they hear of tales on Mindanao. They either must have heard about the wars spearheaded by the Philippine government against its enemies in the island, or they have been hearing about the confounding natural beauty of the landscape that can still be seen despite all the ongoing wars. This, apparently, is part of the whole mystique why Bukidnon has to be committed to memory of being in Mindanao, and be reminded of how fragile its state can be that maybe gone sooner or later.

In the meanwhile, pioneers and adventurers have discovered and made great gains in making the best productive use of the immense resources they have uncovered in Bukidnon.

Traveling to Bukidnon currently entails a land trip of one and a half hours from the nearest airport in Lumbia, in Cagayan de Oro (CDO) city. Bukidnon’s main city, Malaybalay, can also be accessed by land trip from the third biggest metropolitan region in the country (Davao city) by at least three and a half hours. Of course, there are private airports owned by the big businesses located in Bukidnon, and if you have made the right connections, you may easily fly back and forth Bukidnon from any part of the Philippines. The public airport in Malaybalay is currently not functional, until much bigger number of traffic may probably push the government to open this gateway.

Travelers have, apparently, a long list of places to discover and explore in Bukidnon, depending largely on their preferences. Mostly, travelers who are of the nature tripper-type may probably acquire the most in terms of traveling pleasure when they get themselves acquainted better with the province.

The province stands on an extensive plateau excepting its southern and eastern boundaries. Being landlocked, it’s an interesting study of a province blessed with so much natural resources waiting to be harnessed and developed by brave, uncomplaining entrepreneurs. Bukidnon hosts the cultural lifestyles of indigenous peoples in Mindanao, including the Talaandig (who have their own ancestral territory in Barangay Songco, Lantapan) and the Manobo (who are believed to have inhabited this part of Mindanao even before the period of written history). However, peoples from other parts of the Philippines have migrated and settled on a much faster rate during the 20th century in Bukidnon, thus changing the physical make-up of its current population.

Nature trippers will certainly be fascinated if they get the opportunity to visit Bukidnon’s attractions in its mountain ranges, canyons and plateaus. They include the Kitanglad Range Natural Park in north central Bukidnon, as well as the Kalatungan Range Natural Park in central Bukidnon. It can be described as similar to the Cordillera range in northern Luzon, but the main difference, probably, lies in the fact that Mindanao is very seldom visited by typhoons (making it more ideal to situate agro-industrial concerns here, as discovered by some intrepid businessmen). Also, in these locations, travelers may probably get the chance to experience actual sightings of the Philippine Eagle, the endangered species of raptors that still live in central Mindanao.

Those who seek spelunking pleasure (including natural wall climbing challenges) may find time to laze around such nature sights, after some physical exertions, located in the province. At least 20 sites are listed down in the provincial government website. Check the pages (on caves and rock walls) of this site out for details: http://www.bukidnon.gov.ph/ind ex.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=261&Itemid=339. Those who are fascinated by natural waterfalls and springs may also explore at least 22 sites also listed down in the said government website. They exclude other falls that can be discovered in the mountain ranges mentioned earlier.

Resorts and recreational parks, targeting mainly family and groups, abound also anywhere in the province. They include spring and mountain resorts, even an inland fishing resort (in Manolo Fortich), and being run either by private companies or the local government. Even big agro-industrial concerns in Bukidnon also offer such facilities found in resorts, to include those run by Del Monte Philippines Inc. Pineapple Plantation, and the Montegelo Farms.

Lakes and rivers found in Bukidnon also get their share of numerous visitors, showing how these attractions have been kept and maintained in their best natural state. Sites include the Napalit Lake (in Pigtauranan, Pangantucan), Lake Apo (in Valencia city), Pinamaloy Lake (in Don Carlos), as well the Pulangi River (the portion that runs in Maramag) which is also a tributary of the Rio Grande (the second largest river system in the country) that ends in western Mindanao.

If you’re in that stage of seeking out the religious and spiritual in your travels, Bukidnon also offers sites that attract frequent visitors all over the country. The “Monastery of the Transfiguration,” being run by the Benedictine monks in Malaybalay, with its landmark church designed by Leandro Locsin (Philippine national artist for architecture) is one great refuge for those seeking out the spiritual in their journey down to central Mindanao. Also, there is the Carmelite Monastery, run by another religious order, also in Malaybalay, which is well-known among locals for its retreat and prayer space.

This travel destination in the Philippines certainly does not lack the unexciting being sought out by the audacious traveler. He / She ought to include Bukidnon in next travel plan now.

(Jerome is a freelance writer based in New York. He writes about everything and anything – travel, memoirs, food, spirituality, foreign languages, bilingualism, history, family & relationships, sexuality, among others. You can read his articles at the following links: http://www.jeromebaladad.com/; http://takingleadnow.blogspot.com/; http://angelsindisguise-dyerohm.blogspot.com/; http://dyerohmebmovingon.wordpress.com/; http://whatidreamtlastnite.wordpress.com/.
Read more on Jerome at: http://www.helium.com/users/476257)

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So much for the weather, I have thought of sharing some of the most successful and fun parlour games i have played with my tennis friends and families here over in Northern Virginia.   For three years running, i have been hosting our traditional christmas parties and have been trying to come up with some fun and crazy games to play.  Since our group is pretty athletic, the games are more about movements, quite physical, and is also about endurance as we play and dance the night away until about 2 o’clock the next morning.

Here are some of these fun games with a little bit of their mechanics.  You guys are more than welcome  to make contributions to the list.

1.  Musical chairs – This all time favorite is also called Trip to Jerusalem.  In our school days, we used physical chairs where people dance around the prearranged chairs in circle facing outward.  The people that dance around are one more than the number of chairs.  When the music stops, people race to sit down in one of the chairs and the person without a chair is eliminated and so is another chair to ensure that the chair is one less than the total number of players.  This goes on until there is only one chair left  and the fastest person who can sit is eventually  the winner.

Now that we are older, wiser and naughtier, we sort of changed the mechanics a little bit. Men will race to sit on the chairs while the women race to sit on top of the men.  Or if you don’t have chairs, you can have the men on all fours and become human chairs.  Other ways you can do it, use eggplants tucked between men’s legs while women race to grab them, or use a bottle of beer for women to grab on, and then on the reversal of roles, the women will tuck the bottle while the men race to insert the finger on the bottles.  Yeah, it gets louder, wilder and naughtier.  Just watch the grin on men’s faces.

2.  Animal Sound Game – I learned this ‘ice breaker’  from a Leadership Training course in college and found this game very effective to get everybody in the room to release the jitters and warm up for what can be a long night of fun.  Everybody is given a piece of paper with an animal name written on it.  The person is not suppose to give idea or tell anyone the name of the animal he/she received.  As soon as the moderator says Go, each person is to find his kind(animal) without uttering a word but instead using the animal sound(arf, meow, etc)  until they find their group together.  The moderator needs to make sure he keeps track of how many animals of each kind was distributed, say 5 dogs, 5 cats, 4, horses, etc.  The first group to finish and raise their hands together, wins.  This game is riotous fun.

3.  Egg Breaking Contest -  most suitable to adult groups, no other popular xmas parlour games is naughtier than this one.  Each couple is tied on their waist an egg in plastic bag or zip lock dangling in between their legs.  With arms on their sides and one to two feet away from each other, the couple competes to be the first  to smash or crack open  those raw eggs against each other.

4.  Bring Me – is also called the Treasure Hunt  – I like doing this game during rest periods in between tiring games when everybody barely catches their breaths trying to settle on their seats.  So basically, for a prize you tell them to bring you somethings they can find in the room.  Say for example, a nail, $100 dollar bill, red lipstick, red male or female underwear, a visa card with expiration date of something, a woman with the longest hair, a woman with the biggest chest, a man with the hairiest chest, etc.

5.  Apple Dance Contest – a high school favorite, the contest requires the partners to hold an apple between their faces while dancing to the music.  The longer the couple can keep apple, the better chances of winning.  Of course you may use other round fruits at your disposal.

6.  Newspaper Dance Contest – another classic game we all grew up with, the newspaper dance is also another fun and exciting pairs game.  Each pair dances around a sheet of newspaper.  Once the music stops, the pair needs to be inside the newspaper area.  Then newspaper gets folded in half.  The whole process is repeated until such time that only one foot can fit the newspaper and the stronger partner will have to carry the other.  The pair who can endure the difficult and diminishing newspaper, wins the game.

7.  Group Yourselves -  I don’t know what this game is officially called, but the mechanics is pretty simple.  The people are grouped together with 3 or more members in each team.   The moderator will announce the criteria.  The teams do not move until the moderator says Go!  Let’s say the moderator says ‘Group yourselves according to size of the buttocks from biggest to smallest, 1, 2, 3 Go!’  The teams immediately arrange themselves.  When they finish, everyone stops moving and all the members raise their right arms.  The moderator identifies the top three team finishers.  If the first team finisher didn’t get it right, the moderator checks on the second finisher and so on and so forth.

8.  Maria Went to Town – I’m sure gals will have fun watching guys play this game.  This is a dress up relay game.  Each team member is to wear the whole maria-went-to-town(or mall) garb which includes the woman’s shoes, skirt, blouse, a shoal or scarf and a bag or basket.  After the member is dressed up, he races around  a finish line and then back to his team mate who takes his turn to dress up and do the same thing again until it reaches the last member of the team.  The first team to finish the race, wins the game.

9.  Eggplant Relay – This individual game is an excellent follow-up to Maria Went to Town.  This time, the gals will play a game where the men are better at doing.  Tie an eggplant  at the end of one string while the other end is tied around your waist.  With a bottle cap on the floor, inside out or otherwise, the participant is suppose to take a swing at it or drag it with the eggplant without using their hands towards the finish line.  You can also use, ping pong balls or calamansi for this game.  Whoever wins the game, gets to keep the eggplant. 

10.  Egg Spoon Relay – Who says that egg spoon relay is only for kids and can only be played during Easter holidays?  What’s good enough for kids is good enough for the kids at heart for all seasons and reasons.  One at a time, each member will carry the hard boiled egg with a plastic spoon in their mouth.  Starting from a certain position, the member race to a designated spot and and then back to his teammates where he/she relays the egg thru the spoon.  The first team to finish, well… wins the egg.  You can also use calamansi(citrus) for this relay.

So there!  I hope you get some new ideas from the list to spice up this season of parties, lavish foods, gifts, traditions, wines, laughter and games.  Lest we forget, we celebrate the season for the birth of Jesus Christ.  But whether you believe in the occasion or not, give yourself a break.  Just get yourself up there, sink into spirit of the season and enjoy the music and play the games.  Who cares if you hit the dance floor with your two left  feet.  It is all for good fun.

I hope you’re enjoying the holidays and I wish you a season filled with warmth, joy and wonderful memories to treasure for years to come!

Bong

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Thanks to dmitrivalencia for sharing the video.  Enjoy!

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Ang video ay posted by rocksteddyband sa youtube.com

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Up in northern Luzon (the Philippine archipelago’s largest island), this Hispanic city shows a fantastic preview of how the country’s urbanized areas must have looked like in Spanish times. Vigan seems like an imposing frieze on a multi-dimensional architectural layout displaying how life must have been during colonial times. As such, romantics among us, including those who favor the old and those about culture, will definitely feel at home exploring the city. It has the feel of a transposed time when life was definitely much slower in pace in a hot, humid tropical country.

Travelers can access the city through the bus or by private vehicle, from Manila or any other big cities located in Pampanga, or even those from another major city, Laoag, up in the north. If you have the fortune, you may land by a private plane, as Vigan also has a small airport mainly used by chartered and private planes. The land trip may make the 8 to 12 hours of drive from Manila, or the 5 hours of drive from Dau (Pampanga) uninteresting or worst, boring – as it seems like it takes a lot of one’s vacation time just to get to another destination whenever you travel in the Philippines – that is, if you are going to start your trip in Manila.

Vigan, needless to say, is a gem of a cultural showcase, built and developed by earlier, proud and action-oriented members of past generations – its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1999 makes the destination a must for travelers who are serious about beefing up the list of places they have been into in this part of Asia. And the city continues to be lived in and worked in by the present generation, adapted accordingly to their modern day needs. You will now see many attempts to build modern structures (mostly banks, fastfood places, shopping places) in the city, some of these have looked uncannily fun and updated but a few may be seen more interesting, following the over-all, prevalent theme found in Vigan.

Among must see attractions include those locations that are within some distance from Vigan. Make sure you include in your visit the church tower of Bantay, seemingly built on a mound, which actually was a watchtower in olden times when pirates from other islands would make their raids to capture slaves. If you have the chance to go up the tower, consider it a unique experience. From the tower, you can get a more expansive view of Vigan, the city that lies just next to Bantay, separated by the river.

Vigan that follow a grid pattern that emanates from the main government buildings, the plaza (Plaza Burgos) plus the main church (St. Paul’s Cathedral) down to where the Vigan old houses can be found, and try to imagine how people have led their lives before. Include in your visit the viewing of those ancestral houses particularly along Crisologo Street, with complete masonry works on both floors of these 2-floor houses.

On Plaza Burgos towards the early evening, be more intrepid than usual, as you join the locals in enjoying empanadas (dumpling-like snack food) with Vigan longganisa filling (pork sausages with special spices), dipped in dark and strong local vinegar with garlic and hot chili-pepper. You can buy them from vendors who have been around doing the business for many years. There’s also the fried bagnet (deep fried, large cuts of pork) that you can buy from the nearby market. There are variations of these foods in other provinces up in the north, but Vigan’s will be a good introduction for you on the food fare local people enjoy. And you will also probably notice that pork meat tastes much better up there in the north for some unclear reason.

For other food items, you may also try Vigan’s mini bibingka (small cakes made from a special variety of rice). Other native delicacies include dudol (sticky rice cake cooked in sugarcane juice and coconut milk), patupat (snack food, rice delicacy cooked with sugarcane juice, wrapped in palm leaves), sinuman (its local version of sticky rice cake best served with tea or coffee), and puto (muffins made from rice flour).

Consider visiting, too, the Burgos Museum, which is the National Museum Branch in this part of Ilocos Sur (where Vigan is located) province. It used to be the house where Jose Burgos grew up. He was a priest-martyr during Spanish times, wrongly executed, with two other priests, Mariano Gomez, Jacinto Zamora, by the authorities then. They also served as inspiration to other heroes, including Jose Rizal (Philippine national hero) in their struggles for independence from Spain that culminated in 1898. The earlier mentioned museum showcases artifacts including ethnic (Tingguian or Itneg) jewelry, old weavings (modern woven fabrics, called “inabel” may be bought from stores in the city), plus the notable series of 14 paintings by Vigan-born Esteban Pichay Villanueva (1797 – 1878) on the Basi Revolt that also took place in the Ilocos provinces.

You may decide to stay a day or two in Vigan, and use it as your base city when you venture in exploring other attractions found in the Ilocos provinces. Two other UNESCO World Heritage Sites may be visited during this trip (Sta. Maria Church – also in Ilocos Sur, and the Paoay Church in Laoag). Or you may just stay for brief visit, for a short walking tour to view the ancestral houses in Vigan. For either choice, you’ll still be in for a remarkable cultural experience from this travel destination.

(Jerome is a freelance writer based in New York. He writes about everything and anything – travel, memoirs, food, spirituality, foreign languages, bilingualism, history, family & relationships, sexuality, among others. You can read his articles at the following links: http://www.jeromebaladad.com/; http://takingleadnow.blogspot.com/; http://angelsindisguise-dyerohm.blogspot.com/; http://dyerohmebmovingon.wordpress.com/; http://whatidreamtlastnite.wordpress.com/.
Read more on Jerome at: http://www.helium.com/users/476257)

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Not only in the Philippines can you find the youngest and prettiest stewardesses, it also has the friendliest dancing stewardesses! Cebu Pacific Airlines wants you to hold that sleep for another three minutes and pay attention to the lively and entertaining demonstrations of aircraft’s safety instructions. The skies just got a little friendlier… and hotter! Woohoo! So the next time you feel that slight turbulence in the air, remember Lady Gaga, ready your dancing(er escape) shoes and prepare to shake your way out to safety!
This video was posted on youtube by wingco1129.

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