Category Archives: Philippines, Republic of the

New Year’s Countdown at Manila Hotel

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Last New Year, my family and I tried tried something new and different, spending the start of the year outside the country, firecracker-free in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a first for all of us.  We just watched the fireworks at the Petronas Towers.  This year, we still had the same mindset, opting again to spend it outside our home (but not outside the country), this time a New Year’s countdown at the prestigious Manila Hotel for an incomparable evening of feast and festivities in a manner worthy of the country’s oldest bastion of hospitality.

Manila  Hotel – the Grande Dame of Manila

The Manila Hotel was opened for the first time to the public on July 4, 1912.  The original US$700,000 hotel, also the country’s first air-conditioned building, was designed in the California Missionary-style by American architect William E. Parsons in 1910.  At the time, this magnificent, white, green-tile-roofed edifice had 149 spacious, high-ceiling rooms. Its fifth floor penthouse, designed by Arch. Andres Luna de San Pedro (son of painter Juan Luna), was, from 1935 to 1941, the home of Gen. Douglas MacArthur (its first chairman of the board), his wife Jean and son Arthur.

The hotel’s beautiful lobby

The hotel played host to author Ernest Hemingway (who said “Its a good story if it’s like Manila Hotel”), actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Edward (Prince of Wales), playwright Claire Boothe Luceand, during the Japanese Occupation,  Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita.  During the liberation of Manila, it was severely damaged by room-to-room fighting.  Reopened on July 4, 1946, it hosted author James A. Michener; actors Bob Hope, Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Tyrone Power and Burgess Meredith; U.S. Secretary John Foster Dulles; Sen. Robert F. Kennedy; British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, the Rockefeller brothers, Publisher Henry R. Luce, rock star Michael Jackson; U.S. Vice-Pres. Richard M. Nixon, U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson, the Beatles and other notable personalities.

The lobby dressed up for the New Year countdown

In 1977, the hotel underwent a US$30,000,000 renovation with an 18-storey tower designed by the late National Artist Architect Leandro V. Locsin built behind the old building.  The lavish interiors were done by American Patricia and Dale Keller and the renovated hotel reopened on October 6, 1977.

The Sunset Suite

We made our own grand entrance at the hotel’s main lobby on the afternoon of the 31st of December.  The 125 ft. (38 m.) long by 25 ft. (7.6 m) wide main lobby, lined with white Doric columns, was designed, not only for making grand entrances, but for sitting as well, its furniture carved with Philippine mahogany.  The lobby floors were made with Philippine marble while the ceiling is lined with chandeliers made of brass, crystal and seashells. Traditional Filipino art also adorns its walls.

Cafe Ilang-Ilang’s Dessert Station

The hotel that day was 90% booked for the countdown, with a long queue at the check-in counter, and it took some time before we finally checked into our fourth floor Sunset Suite, one of 570  traditionally decorated and elegantly furnished rooms that reflect the hotel’s storied past blended with the conveniences of a modern luxury hotel. Our suite had 2 bedrooms, a dining area and a living area.  Amenities here include individually controlled central air conditioning, remote-control TV with cable channels, minibars, separate bath and toilet with extension phone, and secure in-room safes.

Grace, Cheska, the author and Jandy at Cafe Ilang-Ilang

Once settled in, we then went down for our crossover buffet dinner (6 PM to 9 PM) which extends through all the hotel’s celebrated food and beverage outlets: Cafe Ilang-Ilang, Champagne Room, Mabuhay Palace (an impeccable Chinese restaurant), Tap Room Bar and Lobby Lounge.  That night, it was not a choice of which restaurant to go to, but, rather, which restaurant to visit first.  We chose the famous Cafe Ilang-Ilang which was recently renovated and launched as a 3-period meal buffet restaurant. It opens to the newly renovated Pool and Garden areas and boasts of 9 live cooking stations.

The Tap Room Bar

Here, we faced a stunning and wide array of Filipino and international (Korean, Japanese, Indian, etc.) cuisine, tried-and-true dishes prepared by Filipino and foreign chefs, all backed by years of professional experience in acclaimed restaurants around the world.  To fully enjoy the cafe’s  stellar main courses, we ate small portions of everything.

The countdown begins …..

After our filling buffet dinner, we moved on to the Tap Room Bar for dessert and brewed coffee. We capped our evening with the New Year’s Countdown at the Lobby where, prior to bidding farewell to 2011 and counting the seconds to 2012, we enjoyed live entertainment, with music and dancing provided by the Filipinas Band.

The Filipinas Band
Manila Hotel: 1 Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila: Tel: 527-0011. Fax: 527-0022-24 & 527-1124.  Domestic Toll Free: 1-800-9-1888-0011.  Email: sales@manila-hotel.com.ph and reservations@manila-hotel.com.ph.  Website: www.manilahotel.com.ph.

The Amazing Street Art of Angono (Rizal)

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After our tour of the Ang Nuno Artist Foundation Gallery at Balaw-Balaw Restaurant, Jandy and I again boarded our car to tour the town proper.  Angono’s streets are very narrow and hopelessly riddled with traffic.

C.V. Francisco – Bunung Brazo, 1958 (Charlie Anorico, 2005)

However, upon reaching Dona Aurora St., my exasperation was somewhat mitigated when we caught sight of amazing concrete murals beautifully embellishing and adorning this street, all meant to honor Angono’s artistic roots.

Mt. Makiling in the Eyes of Botong (Carlos V. Francisco)

These extraordinary works of art are bas relief reproductions of local son and well-known Filipino muralist Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s works cast in concrete, all done by Charlie Anorico, Gerry Bantang and Ebong Pimpino.

C. V. Francisco – Merienda, 1958 (Charlie B. Anorico, 1999)

Upon turning a different corner, we were greeted by another mural honoring Lucio San Pedro, another local son, whose most famous composition, the perennial Filipino lullaby “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan,” is depicted on a wall as a music sheet, with cast metal notes jutting out of the concrete.

In fact, these murals as well as sculptures are a recurring theme throughout the town, with a  preponderance of mermaids.  The stone marker of Brgy. Poblaction is a sculpture of “Ang Nuno” (meaning “old man”), the origin of the town’s name.

There’s even a reproduction of the Statue of Liberty, painted in gold.  Angono is truly a town still very much in touch with its unique artistic heritage.

Bayanihan (Carlos V. Francisco, 1960)

Angono Street Murals: Dona Aurora St., Brgy. Poblacion Itaas, Angono, Rizal

Ang Nuno Artists Foundation Gallery (Angono, Rizal)

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Balaw-Balaw Restaurant

After my interview with Nemi R. Miranda, Jandy and I moved next door to the Balaw-Balaw Specialty Restaurant.  This restaurant, made famous by Andrew Zimmern in Discovery Travel and Living’s “Bizarre Foods,” offers truly exotic cuisine such as sautéed ants and crickets, wood worms and frog cooked adobo style, Soup No. 5 (cow butt and testicles),  adobong uok (beetle larvae), among others.

Wooden sculptures of Angono’s higantes

Andrew tried the last two.  However, having already taken lunch, we weren’t there for the exotic food (Maybe next time).  Rather, we wanted to explore the Ang Nuno Artists Foundation Gallery  at the second floor.

Luckily, Andre, the restaurant manager (and also an artist) son of the late artist and sculptor Perdigon N. Vocalan, was there and he granted us permission to explore the gallery upstairs. The dining area is already a gallery of sorts, with colorful paper mache sculptures and paintings (with subjects ranging from basket of fruits to mythical creatures) all around the patchwork property.  Outside, soda bottle lanterns hang from trees.

Upon climbing the spiral staircase, we were ushered into an impressive repository of Philippine treasures that showcases Filipino heritage through colorful papier mache, antiques and artworks by Perdigon, his sons Andre and Rembrandt as well as other independent and budding local artists and craftsmen from Angono and other Rizal towns.

A collection of wood sculpture and furniture

The accomplished Vocalan was influenced by the late National Artist and Angonon Carlos “Botong” Francisco (November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969) and his  various paintings, sculptures and woodcarvings, inspired by Filipino traditions and legends,capture Angono’s rich cultural heritage as well as depict folk stories and characters like the kapre (a menacing creature that seeks refuge in big trees), duwende (goblin), tikbalang (demon horse), manananggal (a woman with the ability to detach the two halves of its body at the waist), and the like. He also depicted women in all their glory and beauty.  There are also several depictions of the Mother and Child.

Dining table with tapayan above it

The gallery, a reflection of Perdigon’s eclectic taste, also has an impressive collection of antiques and religious objects such as statues of saints (some just heads without a body), a complete tableau of the Last Supper and a Santo Entierro (statue of the dead Christ). There’s also a collection of antique furniture including folding chairs, a complete dining table set (with earthen, knee-tall jars or tapayans hanging above it)  and a huge, intricately carved wooden door.

Tableau of Last Supper

I also took a peek, via a spiral stairway, at the third floor which houses a workshop  where huge, colorful masks of the higantes for the Higantes Festival are made. In 1987, Perdigon conceived the idea of the Higantes Festival.

Wooden sculpture of a mermaid

He advocated having more higantes (papier mache giants) in the town fiesta by coordinating with the barangays of Angono to come up with higantes that will represent their barangay. Miniature papier mache dolls, great examples of Filipino folk art, are also made here for souvenir hunters.

More wooden sculpture

Ang Nuno Artists Foundation Gallery: Balaw-Balaw Specialty Restaurant, 16 Doña Justa Subd., Phase I, Brgy. San Roque, Angono, Rizal.  Tel: (632) 651-0110 & 295-2698. Mobile number: (0923) 714-4209. E-mail: balaw2x@yahoo.com. Open daily, 10 AM-10 PM.

Nemiranda Arthouse (Angono, Rizal)

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Nemiranda Arthouse/Atelier Cafe

After lunch at a Shakey’s outlet in Taytay,  Jandy and I proceeded to the next town of Angono, the “Arts Capital of the Philippines.”  Using the only Angono map I had, I tried to find the Nemiranda Arthouse/Atelier Cafe only to find out it wasn’t where its supposed to be in the map.

I finally resorted to asking the locals.  That worked and soon enough we found the place, a lofty old wood, bamboo and concrete house converted into a home-studio with a prominent signage at the street corner.

I entered the arthouse (also known as “The House of Myths and Legends”), via a side gate, into the coffee shop where I was welcomed by Katrina, the painter daughter of 62 year old local artist Nemesio “Nemi” R. Miranda (popularly known in the art circle as Nemiranda), who was currently touring some children around the art gallery.

I was hoping to interview Nemiranda, but Katrina told me that I just missed him as he left on his motorcycle.  She gave us free rein to tour the extensive, 3-floor art gallery ourselves.  A massive, larger-than-life, pastel blue stone mermaid (sirena) is prominently placed above the art gallery’s arched entrance.

Art Gallery entrance

A Fine Arts graduate of  University of Sto. Tomas and a disciple of the late noted Angono artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco, this highly figurative artist’s artworks employ figurative realism  (which he calls “imaginative figurism”) wherein the human form is drawn from pure imagination.

Nemiranda’s work inevitably evolves around the female form and it is vividly seen in almost every artwork that we observed. These include mother and child sketches, mermaids, nudes (Nemiranda is also deemed as an erotic painter) done in different styles, women giving birth, nursing mothers, etc..

Nemiranda’s Imaginary Figurism

Other stunningly beautiful paintings depict random subjects such as rural life (families in pastoral scenes, etc.) and subjects from local folklore such as mythical creatures and nature goddesses.  On display at one section are wood carvings of the “Stations of the Cross.” Also on display are artworks by Nemiranda’s 5 sons and daughter Katrina as well as fellow artists from Rizal.

Wood carvings of the “Stations of the Cross”

We also saw Nemiranda’s impressive collection of local and international awards, proof of his countless unparalleled excellence and achievements in the arts.   At the end of the gallery are some art pieces for sale. This veteran artist has launched over 35 solo art exhibitions in various parts of the world and was commissioned to do monumental sculptures and mural paintings throughout the country.

Sculpture of a pregnant woman

Some of Nemiranda’s popular and impressive commissioned works includes the “History of the Philippine Army,” a relief sculpture located at the parade ground of Fort Bonifacio; the EDSA Shrine Mural (along with 14 other Angono artists), muted murals interpreting and depicting the 4-day  People Power revolution in the main chapel of the EDSA Shrine; the EDSA II Relief Sculptures; “The Way of Mary,” a 20-relief sculpture of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, from EDSA Shrine to Antipolo Shrine; and the 40-ft. high “Crucified Christ” (unveiled in Tacloban City in 2002), the map of Leyte interpreted as a sculptural island shaped by nature into the image of the crucified Christ. His paintings also hang in the many prestigious homes and offices, both here and abroad.

A collection of nude paintings

Jandy and I were still exploring the art gallery when Nemiranda finally arrived.  We were introduced to him by Katrina and I proceeded to interview him at length. As a true-blooded Angonon, Nemiranda has been instrumental in making Angono as the “Art Capital of the Philippines,” making great contributions in promoting the town’s rich heritage.

The Arthouse is also part of Nemiranda’s mission to nurture the artistic consciousness, not just for the Angonons, but for all Filipinos as well, conducting, for years on a regular basis, lectures, guiding services and painting workshops designed to inspire the youth who, by talking to Nemiranda and watching the artist go through the creative process, might see how an idea can grow into a finished work of art.

Some of Nemiranda’s numerous awards

In 1975, Nemiranda  founded the renowned Angono Ateliers Association, the first in the town to popularize sculpture in concrete (started in 1970).  He was also chairman of the Angono Tourism Council and the promoter of the town’s Higantes (“giant”) Festival and the fluvial procession dedicated to San Clemente, Angono’s patron saint. He also institutionalized the Nemiranda Family Art Museum, the Angono School for the Arts and the Nemiranda Atelier Café, all catering to the development, promotion and growth of the Angono art community.

The author with Nemiranda
Nemiranda Arthouse/Atelier Cafe: 10 Doña Elena St., Doña Justa Village, Brgy. San Roque, Angono, Rizal. Tel:  (632) 651-0109-10. Fax: (632) 651-3867. Email: inquiry@nemiranda.net and nemi_miranda@yahoo.com. Website: www.nemiranda.net. Admission fee: PhP30.

Church of St. John the Baptist (Taytay, Rizal)

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Church of St. John the Baptist

The town’s first church (Visita de Sta. Ana de Sapa) was a chapel made of light materials near the shores of Laguna de Bay dedicated to its patron saint, John the Baptist.

Due to frequent flooding from the shores of Laguna de Bay, it was transferred by Jesuit Fr. Pedro Chirino (who documented the Tagalog language as well as the way of life of Filipinos from his interactions with the inhabitants, forming the basis for his book Relación de las Islas Filipinas) to its present site, a higher location in a hill which called San Juan del Monte where the parish has remained to this day.

The Early Renaissance facade

The town’s church, started in 1599 and completed in 1601, was considered to be the first church built by the Jesuits out of stone outside Manila.

Bas-relief of the Holy Eucharist.  The fluted Ionic pilasters are both topped by angels.

In 1630, a larger church was constructed by Fr. Juan de Salazar. In 1632, a typhoon blew away the roofing of the new church, which was soon replaced with the help of the townspeople.

Bas-relief of Crossed Keys. The two symbolic keys form a St. Andrew’s Cross. These keys appear on the coat-of-arms of the Holy See,Vatican City and of every pope since the 12th century.

In 1639, the church sustained significant damage when the Chinese, during their revolt against Spanish authorities, set fire to the church.

Bas-relief of a cross between two lambs. The lambs represent the faithful coming to Christ (represented by the Cross)

St. Pedro Calungsod (the second Filipino declared as a saint by the Catholic Church) once served as an altar boy in the church in 1666 and then serving as assistant to Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores in the Marianas in 1672 (when both were martyred). In 1768 (under secular priests) and 1864 (under Augustinian Recollects), additional works were made to the church.

Statue of St. John the Baptist

During the Philippine–American War, both the church and the convent were reduced to ruins. After the war, the church was reconstructed. Massive renovations in the 1970s left very little of the original Classic façade.

Jandy with the church interior in the background

The present church, built with concrete, shows no traces of the old Jesuit church. In 1992, the National Historical Institute (NHI), now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), unveiled a historical marker in the church.

NHI plaque installed in 1992

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The church’s Early Renaissance facade has three levels of superpositioned, fluted pilasters (the first level is Doric and the other two Ionic).  The first level has a semicircular arch main door with canopy (a later addition), with a semicircular arch statued niche above it and along the flanks.

The walls of the second and third levels are decorated with pairs of huge bas-reliefs of the Crossed Keys and a Cross between two lambs and one of the Holy Eucharist.  The triangular pediment, topped by a cross, is lined with dentils.

The four-storey square bell tower, on the right side of the church, has semicircular arch windows and is topped by a pyramidal roof.  On the left side of the church is a huge statue of St. John the Baptist.

The main altar

Church of St. John the Baptist: J. Sumulong St., Brgy. San Isidro, Taytay, Rizal.  View Map>>> Tel: (632) 8658-6489.  Feast of St. John the Baptist: June 24.

How to Get There: Taytay is located 23.4 kms. from Manila and kms. (a drive) from Antipolo City.

Tejeros Convention Site (Rosario, Cavite)

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From the town of Rosario, we entered the town of Gen. Trias (formerly San Francisco de Malabon).  Just past the boundary marker is the Tejeros Convention Site (still a part of Rosario), the site of the historic March 22, 1897 Tejeros Assembly (or convention).  A milestone in Philippine history, the assembly  established the first Philippine government that replaced the Katipunan with a government that would meet the manifold demands of the revolution.  The site is also considered as the birthplace of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Tejeros Convention Center

Located at the 7,800-hectare Tejeros Casa Hacienda Ruins, the former Recollect estate house, here the warring Magdalo faction of Emilio Aguinaldo and the Magdiwang faction of Andres Bonifacio met to establish a revolutionary government.  Presided over by Bonifacio, the assembly decided to establish a central revolutionary government toward the end of the session.   Aguinaldo was elected President, Mariano Trias as Vice-President, Artemio Ricarte as Captain-General, Emiliano Riego de Dios as Director of War and Andres Bonifacio as Director of the Interior.  While Bonifacio was being proclaimed, Daniel Tirona, a Magdalo, stood up and questioned Bonifacio’s qualifications.  A lawyer, he said, should fill the position.  Bonifacio, invoking his authority as presiding officer, declared the proceedings null and void and left in disgust.  He established his own government in Naic, Cavite.

Casa Hacienda Ruins

The site is now a landscaped park with the Cañas River to the west.  At the northwestern corner of the lot are the ruins of a heavy adobe structure with stairs, believed to be the Casa Hacienda.  Within the ruins is a tunnel, possibly a secret escape route leading to the river.  In 1941, a bronze marker was installed on the site by the Philippine Historical Committee. Two markers, from the National Historical Institute (NHI), in English and Tagalog, were installed in 1973.

Tunnel said to lead to the river

Also within the site is the new 3-storey Tejeros Convention Center (damaged during a recent typhoon) and, in front of it, a standing statue of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.

Interior of Tejeros Convention Center
Tejeros Convention Center: Gen. Trias Drive, Brgy. Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite.
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Home of Another Aguinaldo (Kawit, Cavite)

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After my visit to the Aguinaldo Shrine, Jandy and I returned to our car and retraced our way back to Brgy. Binakayan, also within Kawit, this time in search of the home of where Baldomero Aguinaldo (February 26, 1869-February 14, 1915), Emilio Aguinaldo’s first cousin, lived as an adult.

Check out “Aguinaldo Shrine” and “Liwasang Emilio Aguinaldo“

Baldomero was also a lieutenant-general during the Philippine Revolution (he figured in the battles of Binakayan-Dalahican, Noveleta, Zapote River, Salitran and Alapan), Emilio’s right-hand man and a member of the latter’s cabinet (Auditor General, Director of Finance, Secretary of the Treasury, Auditor of War and Secretary of War and Public Works).  He also helped draft and signed the Constitution of Biak-na-Bato. During the Philippine-American War, he returned to the battlefield as commanding general of the Southern Luzon provinces.

Baldomero Aguinaldo Shrine

Built with narra and molave wood in 1906 and now painted in pastel blue and white, this typical 2-storey country home of a gentleman farmer was turned over by his grandson, former Prime Minister Cesar E.A. Virata (who also happens to be the father of my U.P. classmate Steven) to the Philippine government in 1982. This shrine has a museum on the ground floor with a diorama of the Battle of Binakayan.  On the second floor are antique furniture such as a turn-of-the-century upright piano.  Opposite the house is the former kamalig (storage shed for produce), now a museum showcasing Cavite’s role in the revolution.  On the walls are photographs and drawings of Cavite’s military heroes.

Behind the house, in a quiet corner, is the family plot where Baldomero, his wife (Petrona Fauni Reyes-Aguinaldo), their 2 children (Leonor and Aureliano) and their spouses (Dr. Enrique T. Virata and Liwanag Virata) are all buried.  The shrine is now administered and managed by the National Historical Institute (NHI) which installed a historical marker here on June 12, 1983.

NHI Historical Marker
Baldomero Aguinaldo Shrine: Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite.  Open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 8 AM to 4 PM.  Admission is free.  Lectures and guiding service can be arranged.

Liwasang Emilio Aguinaldo (Kawit, Cavite)

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It was the eve of All Saints Day and Jandy and I, again bored at home, decided to go on a day-long tour of the historic and nearby province of Cavite.  Our first destination, fittingly, was the town of Kawit, home of the Aguinaldo Shrine, the site of the proclamation of Philippine Independence.  After about  2.5 kms. past the Island Cove Resort and Leisure Park, we arrived at the shrine and parked our Toyota Revo at the shrine’s parking lot.

Aguinaldo Shrine and Liwasang Emilio Aguinaldo

On ordinary days, the shrine receives an average of 375 visitors a day and, during weekends, visitors to the museum and the park are usually families from Manila (only a few come from Cavite).  From August to February, visitors are mostly of students from Manila who go there on educational tours.  Jandy himself visited during a Jesu-Mariae School educational tour on March 7, 2000.

Equestrian Statue of Emilio Aguinaldo

The shrine that day was closed, it being a holiday, so we just explored Liwasang Emilio  Aguinaldo, a people’s park  fronting the house. The grounds of the house is bordered by a river on the east and a fish pond to the south. The Aguinaldo house was previously fronted by a busy street.  In 1998, a few shanties were demolished to give way to the park inaugurated on June 11, 1998 in time for the Philippine Centennial celebration held the next day (100 Philippine flags were hoisted during the celebration).

Marble Slab with Act of Proclamation of Independence

It now has a long promenade and used to have 2 long pools (now covered with stones).  It is highlighted by a bronze equestrian statue of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo set on a black marble pedestal.  Around it are 2 black marble wall slabs, one etched with the text of the written manifesto on the “Act of Proclamation of Independence of the Filipino People”and the other with the signatures of the signatories.

Marble Slab with Signatures of Signatories
Aguinaldo Shrine: Kawit, Cavite.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 8 AM to 4 PM. Admission is free.

Ganduyan Museum Tour with Ms. Christina Aben (Sagada, Mountain Province)

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Ganduyan Museum

Jandy and I were now on our third and final day in Sagada and we still had time to kill before leaving on the 10 AM G.L. bus.  After a Filipino breakfast at Ganduyan Inn’s cafe, we decided to visit the next door Ganduyan Museum, managed by Marina Biag’s mom Ms. Christina Aben.   Since the early 1970s, Ms. Aben has amassed a spectacular and meticulous collection of tribal artifacts with a passionate curator’s eye for quality and rarity, all detailing the rich but vanishing Cordillera Igorot culture.  Wishing to share her passion for unique Igorot art and culture with the world, she placed them all in a one-room, second floor museum which she opened in 1984. Because of the museum’s limited space,  Ms. Aben, with a designer’s eye for presentation, carefully chooses what to display and how to display it.

Ms. Christina Aben

The museum closed down in 1986 and it remained so when Jandy and I first visited Sagada in 1998.  It was open that morning and we were personally met by Ms. Aben who escorted us up the stairs to the museum, removing our shoes first at the stair’s foot before going up.  She’s a cancer survivor and a housewife with a high school education who speaks impeccable English. Ms Aben is also an enthusiastic, erudite and well-informed hostess who loves to share the meaning and importance of every museum piece to anyone willing to listen.

Ganduyan Museum – Display

The museum was a veritable treasure trove of antique basketry, weapons, farm tools, trade beads, jars, wooden items and textiles from the Cordillera region, all offering an insight into the rich culture of the Cordillera Igorots.  Ms. Aben gladly explained the history and significance of each individual item on display, starting with her trade bead collection which came at a time when the Igorots traded with the Chinese, Indians, Arabs and other foreigners from the lowlands.   Beads include alligator teeth and mother-of-pearl shells not found in the Cordilleras.  Beaded necklaces from different tribal groups of the Cordilleras (Kalinga, Nabaloi, Ifugao or Igorot)have beading patterns that differ from one ethnic tribe to another.

Ganduyan Museum – Display

We next moved on to the men’s accessories section.  These include a money belt, a warrior’s purse,  pipes, caps (used as pillow and water cup), woven g-strings, anklets, armlets, spoons and amulets (including a snake vertebra believed to increase the warrior’s physical and internal prowess). Drinking  cups for wine, both for men and women, vary in size and kind. Igorots treated status with utmost importance, from clothing (the rich could wear clothes that the poor could not), kitchenware (made from wood,  metal and, sometimes, animal bone, all  classified by social class) and even in death.  Doors, scarves, table runners, warrior’s shields and other accessories are decorated with the lizard (or gecko), animals said to bring luck and longevity.  The many weapons of head hunters of the Cordilleras on display include shields with concave ends (meant to trap the enemy at the neck before the warrior goes for the kill and chops the head off).

Ganduyan Museum: Poblacion, Sagada, Mountain Province.  Open daily, 8 AM-7 PM.  Admission: PhP25.

Ambasing Road (Sagada, Mountain Province)

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After a short siesta at our inn, Jandy and I now decided to hike the now concreted Ambasing Road.  Most of the Sagada‘s inns, restaurants and souvenir shops, a number of them oldtimers,  as well as a number of tourist spots can be found along this road.   As usual, we brought along our jackets and bottles of water.

Ambasing Road

Olahbinan Resthouse and Restaurant, opened in December 1993, is accessed via a stairway.  It has 2 single, 5 double, 2 large double and 2 rooms with bath, a restaurant and a bar with fireplace.   

Stairway leading down to Olahbinan Resthouse

The relocated Shamrock Café, established in 1956, is still one of the most popular places to eat in town.  It offers basic but hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner and its surprisingly international menu includes the Israeli-inspired breakfast dish shakshuka.  Snacks (including homemade yoghurt) and sometimes, a very informal and folksy nighttime entertainment of guitar-strumming local singers are also offered. 

Shamrock Cafe

The relaxing, half log-cladded Masferre Country Inn and Restaurant, a favorite of Manila tourists, serves a variety of meals and snacks, its walls lined with old black and white prints of the late Spanish mestizo photographer Eduardo Masferre.  Also a pension house, it has one 2-bed, three 3-bed and one 4-bed room with common toilet and bath (PhP100-150/pax).   

Masferre Country Inn & Restaurant

The Sagada Igorot Inn, formerly the Sagada Prime Hotel, was opened in March 1997 and is the town’s first hotel.  It has 16 rooms; 12 with private toilet and bath (PhP1,500) and four (PhP1,000) with common toilet and bath.  It also has a restaurant, sing-along (Moonhouse) and offers shuttle and room service.

Sagada Igorot Inn

The 4-storey Canaway Resthouse has 5 rooms with private bath and hot showers (PhP250/pax); 3 in the second floor, all opening to a common living area with sofa and cable TV, and 2 on the third floor with private balcony.  On the ground floor is a kitchen guests can use.

Canaway Resthouse

The 2-storey Yoghurt House, popular with foreign tourists, serves consistently good food such as pasta, salads, vegetarian meals, homemade yoghurt served with fruits, granola or pancakes or mixed as a salad dressing foe fresh vegetables, and drinks.

Yoghurt House

Across Canaway Guest House, on the side of a hill, is the 3-storey Residential Lodge.  It has 14 rooms, some with private baths  (PhP250/pax) and others with shared baths (PhP200/pax).  It also has large common areas, a second floor fireplace and kitchens on the lower ground and ground floors for the use of guests.

Residential Lodge

Next to the Residential Lodge and past the Yoghurt House Restaurant is the no-frills Traveler’s Inn.  It has 2 rooms with private bath (PhP250/pax) and 12 rooms with shared bath (PhP200/pax).  There is a kitchen at the second floor for guest use white downstairs is a general store and a souvenir shop selling pottery.  

Traveler’s Inn

Next to Canaway Resthouse is the new, 4-storey  George Guest House, probably the most colorful and garish building in Sagada.  It has variety of rooms, all with private baths and hot showers: double with cable TV (PhP600), 6 pax room (PhP200/pax), double without cable TV (PhP200/pax or PhP500 for two).  

George Guest House

Canaway Resthouse: mobile number (0918) 291-5063 
George Guest House: mobile numbers (0920) 607-0994 and (0918) 548-0406.  E-mail: george.guesthouse@yahoo.com. 
Masferre Country Inn & Restaurant: mobile number (0918) 341-6164.
Olahbinan Resthouse and Restaurant: mobile number (0920) 268-3555. 
Residential Lodge: mobile number (0919) 672-8744 (Ms. Mary Daoas).  E-mail: eldone21@hotmail.com and standaoas@yahoo.com.
Sagada Igorot Inn: mobile number (0919) 809-4228.  Baguio City booking office: (074) 442-2622, 444-2734 & 619-5032 (Smart).
Traveler’s Inn: mobile number (0920) 799-2960 (Lope Bosaing).  E-mail: aprilmay_25@yahoo.com  and lopebosaing@yahoo.com.ph.