Church of the Immaculate Conception and Fort Culion (Culion, Palawan)

Posted on 16 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 6 Comments ↓

The Church of the Immaculate Conception

From the town proper, we all boarded tricycles to take us, up a high promontory, to the town’s magnificent Church of the Immaculate Conception, originally built in 1746 by the Recollects. It is located within the quadrilateral Fort Culion which was built in 1683 by Fr. Juan de Severo and renovated in 1740.

The church promontory

The fort was partially demolished in the 1930s by American Jesuit Fr. Hugh McNutty to build a larger church, with some of the fort’s original coral rock used for the nave. The church was completed in 1933. Both the fort and church share the same main entrance.

Royal seal of King Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain

Royal seal of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain

AUTHOR’s NOTES:

The church’s 2-level Baroque facade has semicircular arched main entrance flanked by pilasters and seemingly topped by the royal seal of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The entrance, in turn, is flanked by niches with statues of angels.

The church’s interior

The second level has a centrally located niche with the statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception flanked by semicircular arch windows. Above is a segmental (half-moon) pediment with a centrally located oculus. On the church’s right is a bell tower.

Part of the remaining fort walls

The painted ceiling inside the church is obviously new, but before it was repainted, the original ceiling was painted in 1978 by leper patient Ben Amores, based on the design of Jesuit Fr. Javier Olazabal. To do the paintings, the handicapped Amores, who had no hands, had brushes tied to his arms and was lifted up. In 2003, Jesuit Fr. Gabriel Gonzalez initiated the restoration and renovation of the church.

One of the fort’s two remaining cannons

Today, only a round bastion (turned into a lighthouse), with two carriage-less Spanish-era cannons (one I noticed had 1762A stamped on it, probably indicating the year it was cast), located behind the church sanctuary, and part of the wall are all that remains of Fort Culion. Here, the view of the ocean and Culion town is spectacular.

Our media group at the fort’s remaining round bastion

View of the town and sea from the bastion

Culion Tourism Office: mobile number: (0921) 394-7106 (Pastor Hermie Villanueva). E-mail: herme_1670@yahoo.com.ph.

How to Get There: Culion is a 1.5 to 2-hour motorized outrigger boat ride from Coron town.

How to Get to Coron: Skyjet Airlines has 4 times weekly (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, 10:30 AM) flights from Manila (NAIA Terminal 4) to Coron (Francisco Reyes Airport). Travel time is 30 mins.

Asia Grand View Hotel: Governor’s Ave., Jolo, Brgy. 5, Coron, Palawan. Tel:(+632) 788-3385. Mobile number: (0999) 881-7848. E-mail: gsd@asiagrandview.com. Manila sales office: Unit 504, Richmonde Plaza, 21 San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Tel: (+632) 695-3078 and 531-8380. Mobile number: (0917) 550-7373 to 75 Fax: (+632) 695-3078. E-mail: info@asiagrandview.com. Website: www.asiagrandview.com.

Skyjet Airlines: Manila Domestic Airport, Parking A, Terminal 4, NAIA Complex, Brgy. 191, Pasay City, Metro Manila. Tel: (02) 863-1333. E-mail: sales@skyjetair.com. Website: www.skyjetair.com.

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts (Vietnam)

Posted on 13 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

HCMC Museum of Modern Art

On our third day in Ho Chi Minh City, we decided, for a change, to sample Vietnamese art and culture by visiting the HCMC Museum of Fine Arts, the major art museum of Ho Chi Minh City and the second largest in the country after the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi.

An antique wooden lift

Originally the classic and elegant, mansion of the Chinese-born businessman Mr. Jean Baptiste Hua Bon Hoa (1845-1901), the wealthiest man of Saigon at the time (he owned the famous Majestic Hotel and Tu Du Hospital), was built between 1929 and 1934 as the Saigon headquarters of the Société Immobilière Hui Bon Hoa. On September 5, 1987, the 3-storey building was reformed into a museum, as the result of a decision of the City’s People’s Committee. However, it was not officially opened until 1991.

Modern Arts Exhibit

The museum houses contemporary Vietnamese art works (much of it, unsurprisingly, focusing on resistance to colonial rulers) on sculpture, oil, silk painting and lacquer painting, as well as traditional styles including woodcut paintings in the Hàng Trống, Đông Hồ, and Kim Hoàng styles; Vietnamese ceramics; a collection of ancient Buddhist art and historical pieces dating back to the 4th century, including elegant Funan-era sculptures of Vishnu, the Buddha and other revered figures (carved in both wood and stone), and Cham art dating from the 7th to 14th century.

Uncle Ho with Children – Diep Minh Chau

One room is devoted to a collection of totem-like funeral sculptures from the Hill Tribes of the Central Highlands. The museum focuses on collecting, keeping, preserving and displaying fine artworks typical of Vietnamese people, especially Ho Chi Minh City and the South.

Mother & Child – Nguyen Phu Cuong (1953)

Even before entering the museum, we already admired statuary scattered around the grounds. We entered a huge hall with beautiful, exuberantly tiled floor, some fine (albeit deteriorated) stained glass and one of Saigon’s oldest wooden lifts. Though not airconditioned, the museum had airy corridors and breezy verandas. Hung from the walls is an impressive selection of art, including thoughtful pieces from the modern period.

Display of sketches and materials used by wartime artists in the field,

It comprises three floors of exhibition space. The first floor features a changing exhibit of contemporary domestic and international art while the second floor exhibits both contemporary oil paintings, sketches, lacquerware and sculptures of leading Vietnamese (Thái Hà, Quách Phong, Nguyễn Sáng, Hoàng Trầm, Tú Duyên, Nguyễn Thanh Châu, Trần Văn Lắm, Nguyễn Hải, Dũng Tiến, Phan Mai Trực, Hồ Hữu Thủ, Nguyễn Trung, Trịnh Cung, Đỗ Quang Em, Diệp Minh Châu and Nguyễn Gia Trí) and foreign artists of the last 50 years from its permanent collection.

The museum courtyard

The third floor displays an interesting collection of historic arts ranging from 7th century to early 20th century. They include Cham kingdom and earlier civilizations such as Óc Eo archaeological site in Mekong Delta and 17th-20th century decorative Vietnamese furniture.

Statuary at the courtyard

The central courtyard in the center of the building, accessed from the rear of the building, has more statuary scattered around the grounds. We checked out a cluster of 3 small commercial galleries in the basement. One shop has a selection of lovely prints for sale (costing from around 80,000 VND) while Building No 2 hosts lesser known works and stages exhibitions. The contemporary Blue Space Contemporary Art Center, located near the entrance, is run by the museum.

Blue Space Contemporary Art Center

The Fine Arts Museum, indispensable for those who are keen on Vietnam arts and culture, is not big and modern but its abundant collections more than make up for it. Conveniently located near the Ben Thanh Market, the massive but beautiful French villa that houses the museum, a combination of French and Chinese styles, is an attempt to meld elements of Art Deco with local decorative motifs and spatial principles.

Commercial galleries

Through its marble floors; elegant columns; wrought-iron work on its windows and balconies; Chinese-style roof tiles; and spacious, airy rooms, it brings about a typical colonial feeling. It is considered as a work of art itself by most people.

The author

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts: 97 A- Pho Duc Chinh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Tel: +84 8 3829 4441. Website: www.baotangmythuattphcm.vn. Admission: 10,000 VND (adult), 3,000 VND (child). Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4:30 PM.

Church of St. Francis Xavier (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Posted on 12 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

St. Francis Xavier Church

From Thien Hau Pagoda, we again boarded our van and proceeded to Church of St. Francis Xavier, one of the most popular attractions in Ho Chi Minh City. Located at the center of Cho Lon (Chinatown), this pleasing light-caramel and white painted church, built for the Chinese in Saigon, exudes a sleepy, tropical feel.

The spacious church compound

In 1898, Fr. François Xavier Tam Assou (1855–January 24,1934), a Chinese-born vicar apostolic (delegate of the pope) of Saigon, was sent to Cho Lon by the local bishop to take care of the city’s Chinese Christians. His first act was to build a church for them and construction of the church began on December 3, 1900, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, when Lucien-Émile Mossard (October 24, 1851-February 12, 1920), Bishop of Saigon, placed the first stone for the church.

Tomb of Fr. François Xavier Tam Assou

On January 10, 1902, the church was inaugurated and dedicated to St. Francis Xavier (whom Fr. Tam was named after). After that, Fr. Tam also built a school, a kindergarten, a boarding house, and houses for rent in the church. In 1990, the church steeple and the sanctuary were refurbished.

Plaque commemorating Vietnamese martyrs

However, any discussion of this church’s history needs to include its darker side. On November 2, 1963, then South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu were seized inside this church. They sought refuge here in a doomed effort to escape a coup attempt after fleeing the Presidential Palace (now the Reunification Palace) through a secret tunnel network.

When their efforts to contact loyal military officers (of whom there were almost none) failed, Diem and Nhu agreed to surrender unconditionally and revealed where they were hiding. Another version states that an informant recognized the brothers as they walked across the church’s courtyard on the morning of the 2^nd. The coup leaders sent an M-113 armored personnel carrier to the church and, around 10 AM, the two were taken into custody while they were praying inside.

The plan was to transport them to the Vietnamese Joint General Staff Headquarters, then exile the brothers to a new country, far from Southeast Asia. However, before the vehicle reached central Saigon, the zealous and angry soldiers had killed Diem and Nhu by shooting them at point-blank range and then repeatedly stabbing their bodies. Diem was subsequently buried in an unmarked grave not far from the US ambassador’s residence. What followed was a political scandal, an attempted cover-up and an international investigation that ended with no one being prosecuted for the killings.

When news of the deaths was broadcast on radio, Saigon exploded with jubilation. Portraits of the two were torn up and political prisoners, many of whom had been tortured, were set free. The city’s nightclubs, which had closed because of the Ngos’ conservative Catholic beliefs, were reopened. Three weeks later the US president, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. As his administration had supported the coup against Diem, some conspiracy theorists speculated that Diem’s family orchestrated Kennedy’s death in retaliation.

The church compound (which can be accessed even when the church is closed), covering a large area, offered a good space for us to stroll around. An interesting plaque here commemorates Vietnamese martyrs. This Gothic-style church is somewhat unique in that it’s decorated with horizontal lacquer boards and wood panels with inscriptions much like the surrounding Chinese style temples. Pretty red lanterns adorn the church walls.

Statue of Fr. François Xavier Tam Assou at the church steeple

The centrally located, 38 m. high tower has a peculiar statue of Fr. Tam and his tomb is located at the entrance wall of the church. The church is often called Cha Tam (Father Tam) Church (Nha Tho Cha Tam).

The rib vaulted church interior

The mint green and white interior, with its rib vault ceiling, is decorated with images of the Stations of the Cross, while holy water is dispensed from huge clam shells. A pew in the church is marked with a small plaque identifying the spot where President Ngo Dinh Diem was seized. Today, the church, one of Saigon’s more active, is far removed from the brutality of yesteryears and has a very active congregation of 3,000 ethnic Vietnamese and 2,000 ethnic Chinese parishioners.

L-R: Jandy, the author, Kyle, Cheska and Grace

Cha Tam Church: 25 Học Lạc St., District 5, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam. Tel: +84 8 3856 0274. Open daily, 7 AM – 12 noon, 2 – 6 PM and 7 – 9 PM. Masses, in both Vietnamese and Chinese (Mandarin), are held daily.

Thien Hau Pagoda (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Posted on 12 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Thien Hau Pagoda

After our lunch at Pho 24, we continued with the afternoon leg of our day-long city tour, first dropping by the beautiful Thien Hau Temple, one of Cholon district’s (Chinatown) most popular and most active pagodas, located right on very busy Nguyen Trai Street. The temple, also known as Chua Ba Thien Hau (literally means “Pagoda of the Lady of the Sea”), was originally built in 1760 (the oldest Chinese temple in Saigon) by the Cantonese Congregation as an expression of gratitude by Chinese immigrants coming from Tue Thanh Province, Quang Dong, for Thien Hau’s protection during their initial trip to Saigon by sea.

All the materials used for its construction were brought from China. The pagoda was then continuously restored in 1800, 1842, 1882, 1890 and 1916. On July 1, 1993, the pagoda was recognized as a National Architectural and Art Monument.

Wooden model of a Chinese theater above the entrance

The deity Thien Hau, , the goddess of the sea and protector of sailors and fishermen (also known as Tuc Goi La Ba and Mazu, is a traditional Chinese goddess who is not specifically Buddhist or Taoist. Revered by seafaring cultures, she has the ability to travel over the sea, on a mat or the clouds, to wherever she pleases, to protect or rescue stranded seafarers on the high seas. This very popular goddess’ temples are included on so many tour-group itineraries in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The inner courtyard

The pagoda houses over 400 meticulously crafted antiques including seven god statues, six stone statues, nine stone steles, two small bells, four copper censers produced in 1886, one stone censor, 10 horizontal lacquered boards, 23 parallel sentences and others.

A fire pit for burning money, paper clothes or gifts to send to ancestors

Large incense brazier

We entered the temple by entering an iron gate and then crossing a small, partially covered courtyard. Though there are guardians on each side of the entrance, it is said that the real protectors of the pagoda are the two land turtles that live there. Lanterns and wooden models of Chinese theaters hang over the entrance.

The exposed portions of the courtyard contain large braziers, pots where burning joss sticks are placed. Near the braziers are two miniature wooden structures in which a small figure of Thien Hau is paraded, on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, around the nearby streets. To one side of the temple is an alcove containing a pool of fish, among which, is a giant.

Porcelain dioramas at the roof

Above the roof line of the interior courtyard are remarkable friezes decorated with small, delicately fashioned porcelain ceramic figurines manufactured by two famous pottery kilns (Buu Nguyen and Dong Hoa)) in 1908, all elaborate dioramas that express whimsical themes from Chinese religion, customs (such as “fighting in an arena”, “kowtow before ancestor’s altar”, etc.) and legends. In one scene, actors depict a duel on horseback between the revered, halberd-wielding general Guan Yu (of the epic novel Three Kingdoms) and another fighter.

Another scene depicts the three Taoist sages representing longevity, fecundity and prosperity. They also show scenes from a 19th-century Chinese city, including such colorful figures as actors, demons, dragons, turtles, Persian and European sailors and traders, musicians playing instruments, couples conversing on balconies, wise old men in earnest discussion and even a white crane, seated on a rocky ledge, loping past people.

Altar of Thien Hau

The three statues of the goddess Thiên Hậu

At the end of this gorgeous pagoda’s courtyard is the altar dominated by the three statues of the goddess Thiên Hậu on the main dais. The statues, one behind the other, have bronze faces and multi-colored clothes and crowns. Incense burners are all about, filling the open area with swirling pale white smoke and the pungent aroma of burning incense. The three figures of Thien Hau are all flanked by two servants or guardians, one can see very far while the other can hear very well.

Of special note is a scale model boat, to the right, that commemorates the first Chinese arriving from Canton. On the far right is the goddess Long Mau (protector of mothers and infants) while to the left of the dais is Thien Hau’s bed.

The pagoda also has alcoves dedicated to other Chinese gods such as the Money God (it is said that good luck in doing business will be granted after some money is offered to him), Meh Sanh (the goddess of fertility) and the Mermaid. Several women were busy lighting bundles of incense sticks and then praying within the alcove at the rear of the temple.

While the Thien Hau Pagoda isn’t the largest or most elaborate in the city, it is most popular, with worshippers from the local Chinese community and visitors, for its dozens of large amazing coils of incense suspended from the ceiling rafters over the main worship area, in front of the altar of Thien Hau. Some are quite large, with a diameter of more than a meter, and can burn for upwards of a month.

Conical incense coils with red tags

All coils are attached with a red tag with prayers that get sent when the incense burns out at the top of the coil. For luck, good health and good business fortune, the buyer’s name is written on the prayer tag after an incense coil or bundle is purchased. With a small donation to the pagoda, you can have your own coil lit and hung. Several people inside and outside sell incense, with 20,000 VND enough to purchase a large quantity.

Thien Hau Pagoda, probably the finest largest and most popular pagoda in Saigon and easily one of the most favorite tourist destinations in the city,is a valuable work of history, architecture and sculpture as well as an important religious site of the city’s Chinese-Vietnamese community. It truly has an atmosphere of otherworldly reverence owing to the smoking coils of swirling incense hanging from the room and majestic interior and furnishings. When visiting, be sure to keep an eye out for (bring binoculars) the intricate porcelain dioramas that decorate the beautiful roof.

L-R: our guide, Kyle, Grace and Cheska

Thien Hau Pagoda: 710 Nguyen Trai St., District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Open daily, 8 AM -4:30 PM. Admission is free but, if you wish to give something towards the building’s preservation, there is a donation box inside. It will cost 5,000 VND to park.

Jade Emperor Pagoda (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Posted on 12 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

Jade Emperor Pagoda

From the War Remnants Museum, we again boarded our van for the Jade Emperor Pagoda, one of the more colorful temples in HCMC, hidden in a small street, between high buildings. The facade of the Jade Emperor Pagoda is made with brick painted in pink and had exquisite and elaborate woodcarvings on tablets decorated with gilded Chinese characters. Its very striking and unique YinYang-shaped roofs are also works of art, with characteristic sharp peaks and sprinkled with numerous sculptures of dragons (the symbol of the divine) and completed with structures of red wood bound with elaborate, green-colored ceramic tiles.

The pagoda gate

Built from 1892 to 1909 by the Cantonese (Quang Dong) Congregation from Guanzhou, this spectacularly atmospheric pagoda (Vietnamese: Chùa Ngọc Hoàng; official name: Ngọc Hoàng Điện) is dedicated to various Taoist and Buddhist gods, especially to the supreme Taoist god Ngoc Hoang (the Jade Emperor or King of Heaven), the emperor monitoring entry through the gates of heaven by deciding who will enter and who will be refused. Originally known as Pagoda Ngoc Hoang, this pagoda was renamed in 1984 as Pagoda Phuoc Hai Tu (“Luck Sea Temple”), a new Chinese name which it still retains to this day.

A small shrine with a steel safe

We entered the temple via Phuoc Hai Tu, the only door to the temple, passing under a red porch into a courtyard where we were greeted by a huge banyan tree, after which we passed a small shrine with a steel safe (a reminder that, though admission is free, donations are accepted). Within the courtyard are benches for sitting.

The incinerator

To the left of the entrance to the Jade Emperor pagoda is the so-called incinerator, a chimney-shaped structure where believers burn offerings of paper. According to religious beliefs, smoke from the burning paper reaches the ancestors and deceased in heaven.

Grace, Cheska and our guide at the pagoda courtyard

To the right of the entrance is the shelter for hundreds of turtles (the temple is also called the “Pagoda of Turtles” or “Tortoise Pagoda”). Turtles, in Asian culture, represent longevity. In Vietnam, they are also considered as a symbol of fortune and good luck.

Turtle pond

Kyle’s close encounter with a land turtle

In decorating the pagoda, the Cantonese community was inspired by many Buddhist legends and myths. The pagoda is filled with towering and really impressive statues, made with wood and reinforced papier mâché, of phantasmal divinities and grotesque heroes which represent characters from both the Buddhist and Taoist traditions.

The Jade Emperor

Undoubtedly, the best of the Jade Emperor Pagoda is in the main building. Beside impressive carved wooden doors with human and divine figures, to the right, is Mon Quan, the God of the Gate while opposite him is Tho Than (Tho Dia), the God of the Land.

Mon Quan, the God of the Gate

Against the wall are two 4 m. high, especially fierce and menacing figures of demons flanking the main sanctuary, both guardians of the gate. On the right (as you face the altar) is the statue the general who defeated the Green Dragon (depicted underfoot), while on the left is the general who defeated the White Tiger (which is also being stepped on).

The general who defeated the Green Dragon

Straight on is an altar on which are Phat Mau Chuan De, who gave birth to the five Buddhas of the cardinal directions; Dia Tang Vueng Bo Tat (Ksitigartha), the King of Hell; the Di Lac Buddha (Maitreya), the Buddha of the Future; Quan The Am Bo Tat; and a portrait of the Thich Ca Buddha. Behind the altar, is the Duoc Su Buddha, or Nhu Lai Buddha.

The altar of Phat Mau Chuan De

The air inside is thick with the pungent smell of incense smoke from burning joss sticks. Presiding over the main sanctuary is the Jade Emperor Ngoc Hoang (easily recognizable by its large mustache typical of Cantonese culture), draped in luxurious robes, flanked by his guardians, the Four “Big Diamonds” (Tu Dai Kim Cuon). They are so named because they are said to be as hard as diamonds.

Four Big Diamonds (Tu Dai Kim Cuong)

In front of the Jade Emperor, on the left, is Bac Dau, the Taoist God of the Northern Polar Star and Longevity, flanked by his two guardians; and, on the right, is Nam Tao, the Taoist God of the Southern Polar Star and Happiness, also flanked by two guardians. To the right of the Jade Emperor is 18-armed Phat Mau Chuan De.

On the wall to her right is Dai Minh Vuong Quang,reincarnated as Sakyamuni. Below are the Tien Nhan (the ‘God Persons’). To the left of the Jade Emperor sits Ong Bac De, one of his reincarnations. On the wall, to the left of Ong Bac De, is Thien Loi, the God of Lightning, who slays evil people. Below him are the military commanders of Ong Bac De and Thien Loi’s guardians. At the top of the two carved pillars that separate the three alcoves are the Goddess of the Moon and God of the Sun.

Guardian demon of the Hall of the Ten Hells

We then went out a door, on the left-hand side of the Jade Emperor’s chamber, to another room. To the right is a semi-enclosed area presided over by Thanh Hoang, the Chief of Hell, while to the left is his life-sized effigy of red horse. Closest to Thanh Hoang are Am Quan, the God of Yin, and Duong Quan, the God of Yang. The other four figures, the Thuong Thien Phat Ac, are gods who dispense punishments for evil acts and rewards for good deeds.

Hall of the Ten Hells

Thanh Hoang faces in the direction of the Hall of the Ten Hells, usually filled with the smoke of incense sticks as well as multitude of candles, fruit offerings and lucky money. Ten interesting and magnificently carved wooden panels, lining the walls on the sides of the room, represent the 1,000 torments or storms awaiting evil people in each of the Ten Regions of Hell. Each panel is topped with a representation of a King of Hell perusing a book that details the very evil acts perpetuated by the dead. This depiction of the horrors awaiting the ungodly is the equivalent of “Judgment Day” in Chinese mythology.

Quan Am Thi Kinh on a lotus blossom holding her “son.”

On the wall opposite Thanh Hoang is a wood panel depicting Quan Am Thi Kinh on a lotus blossom holding her “son.” To her left is her protector Long Nu while to her right is her guardian spirit Thien Tai. To the right of the panel of Quan Am Thi Kinh is a panel depicting Dia Tang Vuong Bo Tat, the King of Hell.

Kim Hoa Thanh Mau

Facing the Chief of Hell, on the other side of the wall, is a fascinating little room with ceramic figures of 12 women wearing colorful clothes, overrun with many babies and sitting in two rows of six. They are presided over by Kim Hoa Thanh Mau, the Chief of All Women and the protector of all mothers and children. Each figurine exemplifies a particular human characteristic, either good or bad (as in the case of the woman drinking alcohol from a jug), and also represents a year in the 12-year Chinese astrological calendar. Childless Vietnamese couples often visit this small chapel to pray to be granted a child. Off to the right of the main chamber, stairs lead to a second floor sanctuary and balcony.

Figurines of 6 women in a row with babies

The rather interesting Jade Emperor Pagoda, a lovely and quiet place of worship, is a gentle and exotic little spot full of character. I liked looking at all these rather nasty and mean statues (they may scare very young children!) but also liked seeing the young and old local worshippers who came to pray, make offerings and burn incense. Set within a calm leafy courtyard with a rare spiritual glow, this island of tranquility in the sea of frenetic activity that is HCMC is definitely worth a look.

A pagoda worshiper

Jade Emperor Pagoda: 73 Mai Thi Luu Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Tel: +84 8 3820 3102. It is open daily, 6 AM – 6 PM.

How to Get There: City buses 36 And 54 stop in the vicinity of the pagoda. Bus 36 leaves from the Ben Thanh bus station (just opposite Ben Thanh Market) and stops along Tran Quang Khai Street while bus 54 departs from the Mien Dong bus station and stops closest to the pagoda along Vo Thi Sau Street.

Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Posted on 11 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater

Upon our arrival at the Elios Hotel in the Pham Ngu Lao area, I checked out pamphlets and advertisements for various tourist activities in the city. Among the pamphlets is one for the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater, the pre-eminent water puppet theater in Ho Chi Minh City, which outlandishly claims that you “haven’t really been to Vietnam until you’ve seen a water puppet show.” This 50-minute long show features marionette puppets in water.

The theater seating area

The exact time when water puppetry (múa rối nước), began in Vietnam is not known. However, the oldest record mentioning water puppetry is found on an inscription on a stone stele called Sùng Thiện Diên Linh, dating from 1121, which was found in Đọi Sơn Pagoda, Duy Tiên District, Hà Nam Province, about 50 kms. from Hanoi. It eulogized the merits of King Ly Nhan Tong and describes a scene: “A golden tortoise, with three mountains on its shell, was seen on the rippling surface of the water. It showed both its carapace and four legs… the cavern’s entrance opened and fairies in the play appeared…Flocks of precious birds and herds of animals sang and danced…”

The water stage

From the 11^th to 14^th centuries, after a period of rapid development, the art of water puppetry escaped the confines of the royal palaces of the Le and Nguyen dynasties and began showing up at village festivals and ceremonies in the Red River Delta, thus jump-starting the development of the country’s traditional stage arts. This art form, unique to Northern Vietnam, was first displayed in Hanoi in 1958 and, in 1973, the first state-run puppetry troop was established to serve the public audience. In 1984, as a result of normalized relations with the West, Vietnamese water puppetry was introduced to the world stage for the first time (in France).

Waiting for the show to start

During the early 1990s, the country’s three foremost companies, the National Puppet Theatre (Nhà hát Múa rối Trung Ương), the municipal Thăng Long Puppet Company (Nhà hát Múa rối Thăng Long) of Hanoi and the Hồ Chí Minh City Puppet Company (Đoàn Nghệ thuật Múa rối Thành Phố Hố Chí Minh) gained increased international attention. Today, the main venues in Vietnam are the Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi and the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater in Saigon.

Musicians and singers on the left

Musicians and singers on the right

After a short rest at our hotel and lunch at a nearby noodle house, Grace and I checked out a nearby travel agency where we booked ourselves for the last 7:45 PM show (other show times are 5 PM and 6:30 PM). The regular admission per person at the ticket booth is US$7.50 and since the theater hosts three shows a day, obtaining tickets is not difficult. However, to facilitate things we paid the travel agent US$9.00 per person which included our taxi fare going there.

Uncle Teu – the master of ceremonies

We arrived at the theater, which is just a short distance from the Reunification Palace in the Labour Cultural House, half an hour before the start of the show. The red velvet-covered auditorium seats around 200 visitors but, though we weren’t in the first few rows (which is definitely a splash zone), we were seated at the back rows which was quite far from the stage. Luckily, the theater wasn’t fully booked that night and, minutes before the start of the show, we were allowed to transfer to the middle row.

The show, with no intermission, was performed entirely in Vietnamese. It is about the ancient origins of Vietnam and its rural upbringings, with a splash of the mythical goddesses, dragons and talking fish that go along with the traditional stories.

The orchestra of this modern theater consisted of professional musicians and singers, sitting in their traditional au dais, are set off to the left and right sides of the stage. They play traditional musical instruments like drums, clarinets, cymbals, Chinese guitars, bamboo flutes, zithers, two-stringed violins and, the most noteworthy instrument of them all, a monochord with a single string which can create wonderful tune. The singers not only accompany the orchestra but also converse with puppets, especially with the humorous and intelligent puppet Uncle Tễu which functions as the master of ceremonies. The show is split into around 12 acts, each telling a separate story.

As in other traditional Vietnamese performing arts such as chèo (popular opera), tuồng (classical opera) and cải lương (renovated opera), the program started with a boisterous music composition to attract attention and create a joyful atmosphere. The colorful puppets danced and performed numerous interesting items on the shimmering water surface of the water stage in the theater, accompanied by animated music and singing. They even performed acrobatics, spectacular acts which cannot be done by modern robots. We saw no puppeteer, no machines, instruments or controlling strings and poles. By grandson Kyle was spellbound by the performance.

A lot of the scenes were easy to understand, even for non-Vietnamese speakers like me, but there were scenes that were quite hard to follow. Sometimes, an entire act finished and I only had only a slight idea of what happened. I can understand why some people would dislike the show. However, this traditional but highly developed Vietnamese art form, handed down for nearly 1,000 years, is full of joy, lighting and colors, myriad charms and shocking surprises and is enjoyable to watch. Watching it, we immediately experienced the boisterous and joyful atmosphere of a real folk festival. The jubilant and sweet puppets particularly enchanted us with their hilarious games. This is the power which can only be found in a water puppet.

The puppeteers

Though we can watch the water puppet show on VCDs, DVDs, television programs or on YouTube, none of these can replace the real live performance in which we sat near a sparkling water surface. The handling of the water puppets was ingenious and the puppet’s voice actors are truly skilled and multi-talented. Both contributed to a fascinating performance. Most shows do get pretty full so, to get the best seats in the house, show up early. To be less confused, read the pamphlet which is distributed outside the theater. It briefly explains what each scene is about.

Grace, Kyle, Cheska and Jandy

Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater: 55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Tel: +84 8 3930 2196(booking office) and (84) 0913874808. Email: nhahatrongvang@gmail.com. Website: www.goldendragontheatre.com. Daytime performances are by special arrangement.

Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Malilipot, Albay)

Posted on 30 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

The town’s church was first built in 1789 by Fr. Simeon Vasquez. The present church was started in 1851 and completed in 1877.The church grounds have a good view of Mayon Volcano.

The Baroque-style, 2-level facade

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

Its 2-level Baroque façade has a semicircular, recessed arched main entrance, in varying widths, flanked, on each side, by 3 pilasters (the center one taller and wider than the other two), all mounted on pedestals. These, in turn, are flanked by semicircular arched windows.

A trio of columns

The main entrance with recessed arches in varying widths

The second level has a semicircular arched niche with a statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (below which is stamped the year “1877”) flanked, on both sides, by a pilaster and a semicircular arched window. All throughout the façade are decorative scrollwork while the statued niche has a fleur de lis keystone. The triangular pediment has a centrally located oculus.

Niche with statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Detail of decorative scrollwork

The whole façade is flanked by two 4-storey, hexagonal bell towers topped by domes. The two levels are separated by an entablature with a frieze of decorative, alternating diamond and floral patterns which continues around the bell towers.

The modern church interior

The bell tower with Mt. Mayon on its left

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church: Poblacion, 4510 Malilipot, Albay. Tel: (052) 325 8965 and 558-2379.

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, 4510 Malilipot, Albay. Tel.: (052) 820-7950

Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr (Tiwi, Albay)

Posted on 30 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr

Tiwi’s present church, built in 1829, replaced the town’s original church which was built in 1776, by Franciscan Fr. Pedro de Brosas at the mouth of a site called Tuytoy (“bridge”) Swamps. The church was burned by Moro pirates and later abandoned due to its vulnerability to typhoon-induced tidal waves.

The centrally located, square bell tower and triangular pediment

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The church’s dark, simple but charming façade is dominated by a centrally located, square bell tower, and it’s gently protruding, semicircular arched main entrance, flanked by coupled columns, is topped by a triangular pediment with a centrally located oculus.

Superpositioned coupled columns with pinnacles

Flanking the main entrance are two statued niches and another set of coupled columns capped by pointed pinnacles. The first level is separated from the triangular pediment by an entablature.

The modern church interior

Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr: San Lorenzo St., Sitio Basag, Brgy. Tigbi, 4513 Tiwi, Albay. Tel: (052) 488 5107. Feast of St. Lawrence the Martyr: August 10.

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, 4513 Tiwi, Albay. Tel.: (052) 435-4866.

Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (Tiwi, Albay)

Posted on 30 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 15 Comments ↓

After lunch and some special halo-halo at DJC Halo-Halo & Snack Inn, we again boarded our van for the short, 7-km. drive to the quiet, little coastal village of Putsan, touted as the birthplace of pottery in the Philippines. The barangay is said to be rich in red clay and feldspar which are the basic materials in pottery making.

Philippine Ceramic Craft Arts (PhilCeramics)

Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (PhilCeramics)

Here, we were to visit Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (PhilCeramics), a state-of-the-art terra-cotta production center in the Bicol region which has been identified as a tourist destination by the Department of Tourism. The building, situated on a 1,500 square meter lot donated by the Barangay Council of Putsan to DTI-Albay, has a total floor area of 1,000 sq. m..

Clay being hand molded

PhilCeramics introduced the modern technology of pottery making in Tiwi which is now the leading terracotta ceramic industry in Bicol Region. This project of Department of Trade and Industry, allocated P15.7 million under the General Appropriations Act of 1994, started operating in January 2001.

A pair of steady and trained hands working on the potter’s wheel

The village then formed a cooperative, the Putsan Ceramics Manufacturers Association (PCMA), whose role was to process clay, through the PhilCeramics facility, and to sell them to the entrepreneurs. PCMA now has 57 members from Brgys. Baybay, Bolo and Putsan. Three were able to put up their own display centers of their products. It now provides a sustainable livelihood through pottery making.

Various patterns being smoothly and uniformly carved out

Many potters, though, not yet ready to adapt to the modern processes, still choose to abide by the traditional method of pottery. Traditional potters dry clay and molded pots under the sun along the sides of road or in front of their houses, and use the conventional way of baking, burning piles of hay and chaff on their yards, with the molded items underneath.

Painting designs in warm and vibrant colors

Of the 80% of households in Putsan that were into pottery, 20%used the PhilCeramics service facility while 60% stuck to the traditional methods of production. However, the two groups have different markets and there never was a competition between the traditional and modern potters. The traditional potters produce pots and big jars while the modern potters invest on decorative items. The peak season of the industry is from December to March.

Aromatherapy burners

Specifically, PhilCeramics is mandated to undertake research and development activities and serve as a training center that will hone the skills of the local producers, giving rise to new breed of TC entrepreneurs. Today, it has developed 25 new entrepreneurs in Putsan who are active users of the service facility.

Stars and crescent moons carved into the jars

As a production center, it provides access to common state-of-the-art service facilities for clay processing, kiln firing, casting, use of spray booth, and electric throwing machines, thus enabling local producers to manufacture export quality products.. It is also a display center providing a space to interested local producers who wish to maintain an exhibit of their products. Through the transfer of appropriate technology, it also seeks to improve the quality of products.

As a product development center, it conducts continuing product development activities in coordination with the PDDCP and other agencies. A training center, it provides a series of basic and advance skills training to potential and existing TC workers, producers and entrepreneurs. For trade development, it conducts trade seminars and forums, trade fair participation and market matching activities that enhance the marketability of the terracotta wares.

Upon arrival, we observed the pottery making process within the factory. The process begins with heaps of red clay being dug out. The clay then undergoes a long, meticulous process to make them fine and ready for shaping. Then, these chunks of red clay are ground, milled, sifted and pressed into finer lumps with a bit of water and white clay blended in the mixture. Three mixtures are used in making a pot – red clay (himulot na pula), black clay (himulot na itom) and feldspar (baras). Water is added to complete the formula. An average of 20 to 40 kilos of clay is produced daily.

The processed clay is then distributed to the parahurma (the local term for potter) of Putsan for them to mold right inside their homes, making modern pottery a communal enterprise in the village. Jars and pots are then hand-molded in delicate shapes, by men, on top of an electric-driven throwing machine. A pair of steady and trained hands works on the potter’s wheel, molding clay into the shape of pots or jars.

Pots being dried under the sun

Then creativity kicks in, with various patterns (butterflies, flowers, moon, stars, etc.) smoothly and uniformly carved out. The molded and carved out jars and pots are then placed into petroleum gas-powered ovens and baked. Women paint the designs in warm and vibrant colors. A tight watch is made over the oven as too much heat can also break the pots and jars.

Display center of finished products

Product prices vary depending on size and design but most do not exceed PhP500. The products made are mainly for local consumption since bringing them to Manila would be expensive due to the high cost of freight services from Albay. However, the local government is also extending financial help to the pottery industry with the long-term goal of penetrating the export market.

Ceramic key chains

Products include elegant vases (PhP50-250), ash trays (PkP50-100), pencil holders (PhP35-60), miniature jars cut and holed to become candle holders (PhP50-65)and aromatherapy burners (PhP65-300), key-chains (PhP10), ref magnets (PhP35), candle holders, decorative wind-chimes featuring butterflies and flowers (PhP75) and lamp shades (PhP65-150). Coffee mugs and tea cups are made-to-order.

The ceramics from Tiwi, because of its improved quality and design, is now gradually being introduced to the world of fashion and interior design. Some ceramic-made accessories are now being fashioned into accents for bags, curtains and blinds. Ceramic accents that looked like cookies are used for wall frame products.

Horoscope key chains

While we were in the facility, we met up and chatted with Japanese Ms. Yukiko Takiguchi, Ms. Chiaki Koyama and 27 year old Mr. Yuji Ueno. Yukiko, who arrived in Albay early this year, was studying pottery making in the facility. During her training, she learned the Bicolano dialect. When we arrived, she was assisting Chiaki at molding a pot at the potter’s wheel, with Yuji, a volunteer by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), looking on.

Yukiko and Chiaki at the potters wheel

Yuji, now working with Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO), also teaches students the concept of town watching, a popular activity on disaster education in Japan. Ueno is also bringing to Bicol the Iza! Kaeru Caravan, a famous Japanese fun-filled learning workshop and game on DRRM developed by PlusArts, a Japanese non-profit group, and the Japan Foundation.

PhilCeramics Arts and Crafts Center: Brgy. Putsan, Tiwi, 4513, Albay.

How to Get There: Tiwi is located 12 kms. from Tabaco City, 39 lms. from Legazpi City, and 538 kms. from Manila. Brgy. Putsan is 2 kms. from the main road.

Sinimbahan Ruins (Tiwi, Albay)

Posted on 30 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

Along the road opposite the town’s market, our media group made a stopover at the Sinimbahan Ruins, the roofless remains of Tiwi town’s original church which was built, in 1776, by Franciscan Fr. Pedro de Brosas at the mouth of a site called Tuytoy (“bridge”) Swamps, The church was burned by Moro pirates in 1846 and later abandoned due to its vulnerability to typhoon-induced tidal waves.

Sinimbahan Ruins

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

All that remains of this single-nave church are the crumbling volcanic stone walls, and the buttresses that support it, and the equally sorry-looking bell tower on the church’s left. The walls are heavily overgrown with foliage and enveloped by roots of banyan (locally called balete) trees which cling to the cracks and crevices of the walls, making the ruins look charming but, actually slowly destroying it.

A child lounging by a church window

Three remaining church buttresses

The interior walls once had a glass-encased, embedded niche which contained human bones but the glass and the bones have long disappeared. The niche seems to have been used as a grilling oven. Other walls, probably that of the adjoining convent, now form part of a pottery factory.

Remains of the bell tower

An attempt has been made to reuse it as a chapel, evidenced by the presence of a lava boulder altar and an image of the Blessed Virgin hanging on the wall but, probably when there are no services being held (or probably abandoned altogether), the interior is used for other purposes.

The lava rock altar

During our visit, a tricycle and an owner-type jeep were parked inside and a badminton net and a basketball backboard were also installed for recreation. There were no church pews or other furniture save for two loungers beside the shade-giving walls.

A balete tree slowly making the walls crumble

The niche that once contained human bones

The ruins is listed as a “tourist attraction” in the town but, from the looks of it, neglect, indifference and the corrosive effects of rain and wind will finish what tidal waves failed to totally destroy. I truly hope that plans for its restoration, similar to that done to the Bancurro Ruins in Naujan (Oriental Mindoro), are in the works.

Part of the church walls used by the pottery factory

A jeep and tricycle parked inside

Sinimbahan Ruins: Brgy. Baybay, 4513 Tiwi, Albay

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, 4513 Tiwi, Albay. Tel.: (052) 435-4866.

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.