Ilocandia, Day 1 - Laoag City

Laoag City. It is the capital city of Ilocos Norte and the location of the region's only airport. 

The Sinking Bell Tower of Laoag. Built by the Augustinians in 1612 on a foundation of sand, this massive bell tower - which looks even more magnificent at night - sinks at around one inch a year. It is an imposing presence in the middle of a busy town. A few steps away is St. William's Cathedral.

A prayer of thanks

Museo Ilocos Norte. The museum is "a learning center of Ilocos Norte traditions, ancestry and legacy." (Source: http://www.museoilocosnorte.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21:museo-ilocos-norte). On our trip, the museum featured A Survey of Conical Skirts Found in Ilocos Norte.

Their shower room, where people had to crouch to avoid indecent exposure

Malacanang of the North. This place was MASSIVE. It showcased the achievements of the Marcos administration.

The Presidential office

PD no. 27 in Pres. Marcos's own handwriting, which decreed the "Emancipation of Tenants from the Bondage of the Soil, Transferring to Them the Ownership of the Land They Till and Providing the Instruments and Mechanism Therefor"

The living room

Paoay Lake. Legend has it that the lake was once a town called San Juan de Sagun whose people became very materialistic so God punished them with a massive earthquake that sunk the town. The lake now takes its place. What's even more amazing is that folks really believe this tale.

Paoay Church. The bell tower is built from corals held together by molasses. Only the facade and the sides of the Church remain from the original; even the main door has been renovated. It is one of 4 baroque churches in the Philippines that have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the other three being San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Santa Maria Church in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, and Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo.

Renovation underway

Marcos Museum and Mausoleum. 

20 October 2012

Coron, Day 3

Calauit Safari Park. We woke up at an ungodly hour and prepped for a three-hour van ride to Calauit Safari Park. There's a lot to be said about the unpaved roads on the way; I felt like I was inside a blender. After a five-minute boat ride, we finally reached Calauit with our internal organs intact. Calauit Safari Park is "a small slice of Africa," said the tour guide. It has a vast open field where animals, imported from Kenya in 1977 by former President Marcos, could roam. While the tour guide went off to get food for the giraffe, I saw Calamian deers which were endemic in Palawan. We stopped to take photos near a cohort of zebras feeding on grass. The eland walked away whenever we went near them. A giraffe eyed us from the distance, and it slowly and cautiously made its way towards our vehicle. It seems that it's been conditioned to associate a vehicle with food. We got to feed four giraffes with branches of leaves. We also saw a civet cat, a python, a sea eagle, a turtle, several porcupines, and a wild pig. :)

Calamian deer

A zebra-eland soiree

Did you know that no two zebras have the same set of stripes? It's like their thumb mark; each one is unique.

Graceful loping

I think it's been conditioned to smile at cameras too

Porcupines

Injured seagull

Bearded pig

Camouflage tree

5 July 2012

Coron, Day 2

Maynuno Beach

Twin Lagoon. We couldn't snorkel because the indigenous people in Palawan, the Tagbanuas, prohibited it due to a misunderstanding with (I forgot who). We also made a quick stop at a sunken Japanese warship, and although fishes infused the water with color, the warship had an eerie vibe, like the Kraken's tentacles would suddenly zoom out of the ship's dark outline and drag our boat down.

The fish, and at the bottom, the ship

Rock formations we saw during the boat ride

Kayangan Lake. My favorite spot. A mixture of fresh and salt water. It was relaxing to lie on your back and float around.

Coron's most photographed view

Calm Kayangan Lake

4 July 2012

Coron, Day 1

Coron, Palawan

Mt. Tapyas. This was a long and steep climb, but at the top you will be rewarded with a 360-degree view of the island. There's also a gigantic cross there for some reason.

Maquinit Hot Spring. We rode a tricycle through muddy, potholed, unlit roads to Maquinit Hot Spring, the only saltwater hot spring in the country. The water temperature ranged from 37 to 41 degrees Celsius, and as it was night time when we got there, it offered the right balance of cold wind to our exposed skin and hot water to our submerged bodies. You have to let your body adjust to the hot temperature of the water. We even sat below cascading waters and let the small waterfalls massage our backs.

3 July 2012

Bohol Countryside Tour

Blood Compact Shrine. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna sealed their friendship through a blood compact. Wikipedia describes the event this way:

Each of the two leaders made a small cut in his arm, drew a few drops of blood from the incision, mixed it with wine, and drank the goblet containing the blood of the other.

What better way to catch HIV, eh?

Also, the actual site of the Blood Compact is still being disputed, but for the time being, Bool District holds the bragging rights.

Kampai!

Bohol Python and Wildlife Park. Their "wildlife park" had less than a dozen kinds of animals.

A lethargic civet cat

Crows. Not the ones from the Wall, sadly.

The monkey knows how to smile for the camera

Loboc River Cruise. This comes with a buffet of fresh seafood and fruits.

Filipinos are friendly from afar.

A cultural show courtesy of the locals.

Chocolate Hills. Brown during summer, green during rainy season. Green chocolate, anyone?

And the highlight of our trip: TARSIERS. We had to talk in hushed voices so as not to disturb these cute little animals. Taking photos using flash was also not allowed.

They can turn their heads 180 degrees, which was kinda creepy to see in slow motion.

The smallest primate in the world, though I think they look more like rodents.

How can you not find them cute?

Baclayon Church. The second-oldest stone church in the Philippines, it was constructed in 1595 by Jesuit priests.

If you look closely, you can see the image of Padre Pio on the slanted post.

The altar was inlaid with gold using egg whites. Amazeballs.

Multi-colored prayers

27 June 2012