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Freedom Riding at U.P.
I’m back to work from a three-day long weekend. Monday was declared a holiday in celebration of Philippine Independence Day. I took full advantage and had my most liberating, not to mention one my cheapest Sunday gimmicks ever. If ever you’re looking for a great way to unwind and you’re low on dough, then head to the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus.
U.P. is the largest university in the country with its own jeepney system, fondly called, “ikot” and “toki”. This place is where students from all over the country converge and create a microcosm of the Philippines. Usually, the sprawling campus is bustling with bright eager minds. Because it’s the seat of education for a lot of liberal minded youth, it can sometimes get riotous. But on Sundays, it empties out and the people who go to U.P. are laidback characters. People from all walks of life converge at Osmena street to jog, run, bike, skate, and rollerblade.
I went over there to skate because of the supposedly long stretch of smooth pavement. It didn’t disappoint but it definitely attracted a ton of other pavement chasers. There you can see kids as young as 3 riding as well as the 20 yr. olds. A father with his short shorts exposes his pale thighs while his son hides his with long basketball shorts. You’ll also observe a weird divide between the two factions of skaters. The easy-going longboard skaters and the trickboard skaters stay in their separate unmarked zones. You’ll have people who are there just to be part of the scene, lovers and families frolick about while photographers and picnickers get their fill of eye candy.
A U.P. Sunday is not complete without sampling roadside culinary treats. You’ll find the famous Filipino dirty ice cream being sold by the wandering Sorbetero. Don’t worry, it’s not dirty, more like dirt cheap. Then, there are vendors that sell fishballs, squidballs, and kikiam. There is also the traditional street food that’s called bananaque (Basically fried bananas coated in sugar). On this trip, I gathered the courage to try out Mang Larry’s isaw. Isaw is a grilled delicacy made up of animal intestines. Seeing all the unusual animal parts like liver, ear, and even blood being sold can get someone squimish, but don’t knock it until you try it. What do you have to lose? Most of these foods sell for less that P10.
Overall, I spent less than P50 and had an amazing time. Liberating indeed.
Down South Part 4: Donsol Firefly Cruise
We got back on land at around 3pm and settled down to share our personal butanding encounters in between sips of juice and occasional bouts of hysteria. We talked it out all the way to sundown. The multi-colored sunset only magnified the magical quality of the day. As soon as the light disappeared, we were off to go to go on our final Donsol adventure, the firefly cruise.
The cruise is set down the sea at the mouth of the river where mangrove trees thrived and attracted fireflies. For only P250 a head, we experienced something that only three other countries in the world offered. As the boat set off, we felt the quiet and the calm of the dark sea.
Unlike our fully manned butanding boat, this one had one boatman and he sat silently throughout the journey. Maybe, that was for the best because it was a ride meant for lovers. Good thing, the romance of the moment wasn’t wasted completely because my two girl friends brought along their significant others.
We chanced upon a small group of fireflies at first. They were shy, but as the night thickened, they really let out their sparks. Soon, we’d see entire trees lit up with mesmerizing blinking lights. It seemed as though the fireflies were blinking on cue, as if they were dancing to a beat we couldn’t groove to. It was nice imagining that these tiny things were raving at their own forest party.
The highlight of the cruise was the lucid night sky, filled with billions of sparkling stars, resembling fireflies that have wandered off too far.
Down South Part 2: Mayon Volcano
The next day, my group and I woke up early to go on a three-hour drive to Donsol, the whale shark capital of the world. Luckily, you get a great view of the Mayon Volcano on the way. What better place to view it from then the historical Cagsaua church?
The Mayon Volcano stands out not just as the most active volcano in the country, but also because of its almost-perfect cone. The beauty of the volcano conceals a fierce temper, one that is capable of sinking the entire country. On February 1, 1814, it buried the entire village of Cagsaua in 9 meters of lava and eradicating more than 2,000 people in the process. The only thing that survived was the church’s bell tower where we stopped for a quick look-see.
The place is essentially an ancient burial ground, but the quiet sanctity was diminished by the touristmongers of the area. As soon as we parked, young boys were foisting their postcards and memorabilia on us. The place, ashen but beautiful, was filled with volcanic rocks that contrasted with friendly flowering plants. It just begged for a certain solemnity. All I wanted to do was take in the breathtaking view of the Mayon and absorb the beautiful sadness of the place. But no, not with the amateur photographers tailing my every move and begging to take “trick” pics of me. (You'll find out when you get there)
The upside of it being a tourist trap is that we didn’t leave with just an experience, we left with bags of goodies. We were able to bring home banig mats, woven bags, and mazapan de pili bars which are dessert delights made from roasted pili and sugar.
National Museum Part 3: John Silva
The thing that made this tour extraordinary was no doubt our tour guide and the senior consultant to the museum, John Silva, who provided the insights that coherently brought the museum pieces together.
Imagine a male version of Edna Mode of the cartoon, “the Incredibles”, and you’d get a pretty accurate picture of our tour guide for the day. If Edna is passionate, snappy, sometimes fanatical about fashion, John is the same about Philippine history and arts.
Despite his dimunative stature, he spoke with the force that only someone who went out to accomplish something could. He was proud of his work for the museum and you felt it with his every step and gesture. He said, “Three years ago, the museum only averaged 250,000 visitors a year. That’s how many visitors Glorietta shopping center gets in one day. Now, with the help and backing of Tony Boy Cojuangco, we average a million a year.” I looked around me and the tour group was indeed an impressive one made up of more than 30 eager faces. 80% of whom were Caucasian. (It boggles me how foreigners are more interested in Filipino culture than Filipinos. )
What struck me the most was how John would talk about doing reconstruction in the museum like he was talking about doing house repairs. That’s the difference between someone who has helped build the museum and a tourist guide for hire.
Proceeds from the tour fees (700 pesos for adults, and 500 pesos for children up to 18 years) will go to John’s I LOVE MUSEUM PROGRAM, which brings public school teachers to the National Museum and to their local museums. The tours are three hours in duration, and begins at 10:00 am sharp (ending at 1:00 pm) at the rear entrance of the Museum of the Filipino People, (former Finance Building) Agrifina Circle, Rizal Park.
Text or call John Silva at 0926 729 9029.
National Museum Part 1: A Great Jumping Off Point
One lazy Saturday, I decided to join a tour group for the Museum of the Filipino People. To my delight and horror, this 3 hour experience taught me more than all my years studying Filipino history. (Granted, a good part of my education was not in the Philippines.) Regardless, I still believe that the museum is a great place to build a trip from. This crash course will definitely whet the appetite of Pinoys and foreigners alike.
The museum’s fifteen galleries detail the archaeological past and the anthropological present of the Philippines. Travelling through them, I kept getting goose bumps. I guess when your whole being senses something life changing, your body reacts accordingly. Something told me that I was connecting with an important side of me.
Instead of describing what I saw, I’ll just share some tidbits I picked up. Facts like- the Philippine Islands are actually a composite of lands from mainland Asia and as far away as Australia. Evidence of which are fossil remains of mammoths. It’s interesting how these unrelated pieces of lands, clumped together, and formed what would be our nation.
I also never knew that our national hero, Jose Rizal was an avid museum lover. A prolific letter writer, his shortest letter supposedly said something like, “Hi Mom and Dad, I’ve arrived safely. Now, I’m off to the museums!” He believed that a beautiful experience becomes more meaningful when shared.
The museum had a room that housed pieces from the 1904 World Fair at Saint Louis. The U.S. built a 47 acre mini-Philippines were they had an Intramuros and even representations of the different provinces. This human zoo had actual inhabitants living and working in the area. The most popular attraction was a tribe’s noontime dog eating show. That’s how Pinoys came to be known as dogeaters, even though most Pinoys are abhorred by the practice.
There is so much more I can write about, but I’ll leave the rest for you guys to discover on your own. Visit the Museum of the Filipino People. It’s the most worthwhile way to part with P700.
What's Up with Rockeoke?
What do you get when you bring a group of people in a room with TV that plays songs with lyrics at the bottom? Boring old videoke. But what if you make those people disgruntled yuppies, rebels and emos, in a bar with a live band and a ready mic? You get rockeoke!
So, if you’ve been aching to act out your rockstar fantasies… it’s time to throw out the tie, smear on the black eyeliner and get smashed at Mag:net. Just be warned that you’ll be in bar full of like-minded, equally untalented singers. It will get loud! So it’s best you just sing along and join in the communal desire to live as gloriously and as drunkenly as you mumble the lyrics,
“Twenty - five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
And I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means
And so I cry sometimes
When I'm lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What's in my head
And I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream at the top of my lungs
What's going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what's going on?”
That’s exactly what I did onstage and it’s been one of the best gimmicks I’ve had this year. I’ll have to thank the 4 Non Blondes, San Mig Light, Quark Henares and the other Mag:net part owners for thinking up Rockeoke. It certainly lives up to the hype.
Rockeoke happens in Mag:net Café on scheduled Mondays. They have different activities lined up for each night. Aside from Disneyoke, Broadwayoke, they often have arts galleries and even comedy acts. Mag:net provides an awesome alternative for non-clubbers who are more culturally inclined. The place has a great vibe that manages to bring out the un-shy in people.
Check out their site for more info.
WWW.MAGNET.COM.PH
Call 856-3400 or 0920-9793400
For WHAT'S ON TONIGHT text
magnetcafe and send to 2948 for Globe/Sun users
and 3940 for Smart users.
2/F B3, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Metro Manila. It's in the building across Krispy Kreme, right beside the Nike Store.
Boracay Part 2: Blow or Bow
Here’s a creative list of To Dos in Bora. To make it interesting, I thought of providing the option of blowing your money big time or a bowing down to your budget.
1. Arrive
i. Blow- Fly into the island via a private helicopter. Just drop a cool $200 for a truly memorable entrance.
ii. Bow- Taking the $3 ferry like everyone else isn’t that bad. In fact, it’ll give you a good idea of the kind of people you’ll be mingling with on the island.
2. Lounge
i. Blow- Stay at the soon to open Shangri-La Boracay and just drown yourself in the luxury. It has its own community with a private cove and tree top villas to get totally in tune with nature. Discover a new kind of Boracay for an average $1000 a night.
ii. Bow- Find the dingiest hotel, somewhere along the back roads, far away from the beach. $25 a night isn’t bad for just a place to crash. Who can stay in when the outside is so glorious?
3. Sunset
i. Blow- Ride a parasail for a sunset experience that’s above everyone else’s. $50 dollars isn’t bad when you feel that you can almost touch the orange red horizon.
ii. Bow- Go sailing on a paraw and savor the sea breeze and
choppy waters under your feet for only $5 a head. Besides, a sunset is the same whether you see it from the sky or from the water.
4. Massage
i. Blow- Troop over to the multi-awarded Mandala Spa for an out of this world spa day. Those who’ve tried it keep coming back. Expect to shell out at least $60.
ii. Bow- Try out the traditional Filipino hilot massage by the walking masseuses on the island. It’s still totally relaxing at a cost of just $7.
5. Shop
i. Blow- D’ Mall, located almost in the middle of the strip, is an easily accessible place to buy supplies, swimwear, and souvenirs.
ii. Bow- D’ Talipapa though a tricycle ride away is much cheaper and good for buying bulk. You can even buy meats and have it cooked for a full-blown fiesta for half the price!
6. Party
i. Blow- Party at the exclusive Tides Boracay Hotel, the chicest party hotel on the strip. This hotspot was conceived by the owners of Embassy Super Club, one of the most happening clubs in Manila.
ii. Bow- Bar hop all night and to make sure you get the most of your money by alternating between chi-chi bars and the more moderately priced ones. Also, start drinking at happy hour (as early as 5 pm) when drinks are buy one take one.