Category Archives: Shopping

Bona Jade Store (Beijing, People’s Republic of China)

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On our third day, after breakfast at the hotel, we were to proceed to our tour’s piece de resistance, the Great Wall of China.  Along the way we dropped by Bona Jade Store, one of the largest jade stores in China, taking the seventh exit of BaDaLing Expressway.

Bona Jade Store

Bona Jade Store manufactures and sells more than a thousand kinds of gorgeous jade ware and jewelry (necklaces, rings, earrings, pendants) that embodies thousands of years of Chinese culturing. Its 2-storey sales hall covers about 6,000 sq. m. and can accommodate several thousand customers. Its big parking lot covers about 8,000 sq. m..

Bona Jade Store Sales Area

Upon entering the store, we were assigned a store guide who briefed us on everything you need to know about Chinese jade.  Jade was prized by the Chinese for its durability; its musical qualities; its subtle, translucent colors, and its alleged protective powers (it was thought to prevent fatigue and delay the decomposition of the body). Chinese jade, renowned throughout the world, is classified according to their beauty, hardness, mellow color, soft feel and pleasant sound. At the sales area, we all bought some jade pixiu necklaces, said to bring good luck, while  Gil bought a ring.

A Display of Jade Ware

Bona Jade Store: Er Bo Zi Road East, Huilongguan, Changping District, Beijing 102208, People’s Republic of China. Tel: 0086-010-80796761. Fax: 0086-010-80796762. Website: www.bonajadestore.com.cn.

Return to Banaue (Ifugao)

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The narrow streets of Banaue

My first trip to Banaue, Ifugao and its showpiece, the stupendous Batad Rice Terraces (the “Eighth Wonder of the World”), was way back in April of 1998 (http://firingyourimagination.blogspot.com/2011/08/ifugao-day-tour-of-batad-rice-terraces.html) with my then 11-year old son Jandy. Back then there were no celphone signals (making my celphone useless) and the camera I brought with me was an instamatic Canon Sureshot Joy using now rarely-used roll film.  Since then, I have been pining for a return. Well, wishes do come true and I have returned. Though now without Jandy (he had a cold) or my daughter Cheska (she had commitments), I was traveling with seasoned professional photographers –  Mr. Steve Albano, Mr. Jun Bagaindoc, Mr. Jules Capucion, Mr. Nonie Castillo, Ms. Mel Dimapilis, Mr. Rene Enriquez, Mr. Bebet Gaudinez, Mr. Lawrence Bryan Lee and my good friend and frequent travel companion Ms. Rosevie Sevilla; all members of the Ayala Alabang Camera Club.  Our group also included master guide Mr. Lester Susi plus sisters Pearl Giselle and Phoebe Uno, Ms. Ivy Belimac and Mr. Arvic Camua.  To put on some professional air, I brought with me my daughter’s Canon EOS 500D digital SLR which I recently bought in Singapore. However, this was mostly for show as it was set in automatic.

View of the town from People’s Lodge

We left Manila on January 26, 9:30 PM via an airconditioned GV Florida bus at its terminal along Lacson St, near Espana Ave. (near U.S.T.).  One thing nice about this bus was it had its own toilet, convenient for this long-haul  341-km./10-hour trip which including stopovers.  As soon as the bus left the terminal, we all tried to grab some shuteye.  Our trip was uneventful and our bus arrived in Banaue 7 AM the next day.  Our group was picked up by a hired AUV which brought us to People’s Lodge and Restaurant for breakfast. Nostalgically, this inn was the same place me and my son Jandy stayed in during our first visit.  While waiting for our food, we tried out its balcony.  Here, we had a panoramic view of the town, its backdrop of rice terraces and the winding Ibulao River which was traversed by a hanging steel bridge (which, in the past, I tried to cross but chickened out half way).

Ifugao woodcarving

Once done with breakfast, Mel, Rosevie and I explored the nearby handicraft stores for some souvenir shopping.  The shopping options include different kinds of traditional fabric like the woven bark cloth and dyed ikat cloth, wooden objets d’art  such as bowls, trays, oversized spoons and forks, antiques, entirely alien statues of American Indian chiefs and smiling, pot-bellied Chinese gods, and the traditional bul-ols (statues of rice gods).  Curio souvenirs include handwoven wall hangings, crocheted bedroom slippers and pfu-ong (traditional jewelry) representing good luck in hunting or prosperity of children.   Once done, we returned to our group and the AUV for our trip to the jump-off point for our hike to Batad Rice Terraces.

The Strawberry Fields of La Trinidad (Benguet)

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Bernard and Rodel again joined Jandy and I as we proceeded to the Benguet provincial capitol of La Trinidad, where we visited the Strawberry Farms.  The Trinidad Valley is home, aside from vegetable farms and flower plantations, to strawberry fields that are in full bloom between November and May.  We headed for Km. 6, the easiest place to visit. 

Ibaloi farmers hard at work at the fields

Tourist usually go here to pick strawberries, either to bring home or consume while on vacation, alongside hardworking Ibaloi farmers.  Strangely though, the strawberries you pick here cost twice the market value.  The other half is for the activity itself.  Still, its cheaper than the ones sold in Manila. We weren’t into this fun activity though.  Besides, the best time to do this is early in the morning and we arrived late in the afternoon when the best strawberries have already been picked. 

Souvenir stalls

Rather, we were going for the finished products sold at souvenir stalls, selling strawberry products and other Baguio delicacies and souvenir items, within the farm ground, just across the road from the fields.  We bought a couple of jars of strawberry jam, some sweaters and, from an ambulant vendor,  a snakeskin wallet.  Still, the strawberry fields were still a sight to behold, producing the best, disease-free (due to a process of tissue culture pioneered by Benguet State University) strawberries in the country. 

SM City Baguio (Baguio City, Benguet)

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From the hotel, Bernard and Rodel hitched a ride with us to SM City Baguio where they had some business to attend to.  This being our first visit to the mall, we decided to hang around the place.  With a floor area of 107,841 sq. m. (1,160,790 sq. ft.), this enclosed shopping mall, the largest in the Cordillera Region, was opened on November 21, 2003.  Situated on top of Session Road, overlooking historic Burnham Park and opposite Baguio’s City Hall, it sits on an 80,000 sq. m. (860,000 sq. ft.) land once occupied by  Pines Hotel, the grand, old landmark which burned down in 1973 (killing 4 firefighters).  
 
SM City Baguio
On thing I noticed with this 6-storey (including basement parking) mall is that it doesn’t have an airconditioning system (with Baguio’s cool climate, it doesn’t need one) and makes use of natural lighting (some stores are roofed with translucent white fiber, enabling sunlight to illuminate the interior on a clear sunny day).  Being the biggest mall and one of the biggest buildings in the city, this cruise ship-patterned mall houses more stores (300+ including 15 anchor stores), entertainment centers and shops than any other mall located in the city.
 
The veranda of the mall
At its veranda, we had a good view of some of the city’s main tourist attractions (Burnham Park & Lake, the City Hall, the Athletic Bowl, Session Road) as well as towering pine trees and beautiful lush gardens.
 
The mall’s atrium lobby
SM City Baguio: Luneta Hill, Upper Session Rd. cor. Gov. Pack Rd., Baguio City, Benguet. Tel: (074) 619-7838 to 43.

Mena Crisologo Street (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

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After lunch at Laoag City (Ilocos Norte), we continued on our way to Bauang (La Union) but decided to make a stopover at Vigan City and do some sightseeing and souvenir shopping along Mena Crisologo Street.  This cobblestoned street  is lined with a number of shops selling antiques and more recent novelties such as abel handicrafts, miniature furniture, fans and white and colored T-shirts.  Aside from some abel wall hangings and some T-shirts, we bought some decorative burnay pots.  


Mena Crisologo Street


The street also has a number of Spanish-era structures.  Vigan, recently included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List, has 220 Spanish-era structures, 156 of which are old houses.  Many of the old homes of Vigan’s elite, documented by the Vigan Historical Society, were built in the 1850s by Chinese taipans during the profitable indigo trade.   Built in various styles (Spanish, Mexican or Chinese), all have thick brick and stone lower walls with imposing wide arch doorways, piedra china, grand staircases, wooden upper floors with massive, polished narra floors, high ceilings and sliding capiz windows with ventanillas, red tile roofs, balconies with ornate metal grillework overlooking the street and cool azoteas (tiled patio) in the rear. 


The Trappist Abbey (Jordan, Guimaras)

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Trappist Monastery chapel

After lunch at the resort, we all availed of an afternoon sightseeing tour by jeepney.  Our first stop (2 PM) was the Trappist Abbey.  It was founded in 1972 and is the first and only one of its kind in the country and in the Orient.  The Trappist (or Cisterians of the Most Strict Observance) monks, who called Guimaras the “Island of a Happy Man,” follow the rules of St. Benedict and all adhere to a vow of silence. They take care of the Aeta community through the Contemplative Outreach Program, grow Philippine lemon (kalamansi) and pioneer fruit processing in the province.   

The Gift Shop

We dropped by the monastery’s Gift Shop where religious items (crucifixes, prayer books, rosaries, etc.) and excellent processed food products such  as jam, chutney, prunes, wines, marmalade, candies, ginger tea, cookies, piyaya and jelly (all made from mango, cashew, kamias, duhat, kalamansi and guava) are sold.  Grace bought a small crucifix.  We also bought some snacks and soft drinks.  Grace, Jandy, Cheska and I also visited its small but quaint chapel.  At the side of the walkway leading to the chapel are an array of 3 small bells.

An array of small bells

Trappist Abbey: Brgy.  San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras. Fax: (033) 581-3468.

Gems Gallery International (Bangkok, Thailand)

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After our tour of Wat Traimit and Wat Pho, we next moved on to the 7,200 sq. m. (1.8 acre) Gems Gallery International, an ISO certified gems gallery.  Open in 1987, it is said to be the world’s largest jewelry and gems center. Here, we watched skilled, in-house Thai artisans cut, polish and set each precious stone to create exquisite pieces of jewelry.

Gems Gallery International

Its eye-catching showroom also displays thousands of world-class natural gems (diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, topaz, etc.) mined from Chanthaburi and Kanchanaburi provinces; pearls as well as unique bracelets, necklaces, rings, bangles, earrings and other jewelry masterpieces.

Gems Gallery International – Showroom
Gems Gallery International: 198/23-24 Rama VI Rd., Samsen Nai, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.  Tel: 02-2710150.

City Tour – Botanic Garden (Singapore)

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Lastly, from Mt. Faber, we then proceeded to the 74-hectare (183-acre) Botanic Garden. This combination of 4 hectares of primary jungle and elegantly planned and manicured gardens and greenhouses is home to 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids of orchids, including many rare specimens. Malaysia’s rubber industry had its origins here in the 19th century when Henry Ridley successfully propagated and tapped Brazilian rubber trees from London’s Kew Gardens in 1877.

Botanic Garden – Vanda Miss Joachim

A high point of our visit here is the Victorian-style Orchid Pavilion with its 1,200 orchid plants, including the Vanda Miss Joaquim (honoring the daughter of a respected Armenian family), Singapore’s national flower, and a lilac bloom named after Singapore’s four millionth visitor, Jane Deny of Australia. A lake, home to waterfowl, ducks and kingfishers, adds to the serenity of the gardens. We also browse around at the RISIS Souvenir Shop.

Botanic Garden – RISIS Souvenir Shop

After our city tour, we had lunch along Victoria St.

Botanic Garden: 1 Cluny Rd. cor. Napier St., Singapore 259569.  Tel: 6471 7361. Open daily, 5 AM-12 midnight. Admission is free.