Category Archives: SPECIAL TOPICS

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. 

Yuchengco Museum (Makati City)

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Yuchengco Museum

Yuchengco Museum

This visual arts museum, opened in September 2005, houses the art collection of Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco, highlighting his distinguished career as a businessman, diplomat, collector, philanthropist, patron of the arts and advocate for education in the Philippines and beyond.

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This museum, as an exhibition venue, aims to be a cultural bridge to the regional Asian and Pacific Rim communities. The museum also aims to bring out the excellent artistic and creative expressions of the Chinese Filipinos as well as look at the best attributes of the twin-heritage, namely the Chinese’s hardworking skills and craftsmanship and the Filipinos’ highly expressive and adaptive sensibility.

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Its Masters Gallery highlights three of the most celebrated Filipino visual artists: Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Francisco and Juan Luna.   Also part of the Museum’s permanent collection are key art pieces from the Yuchengco Group of Companies executive offices consisting of works by Filipino Modernists such as Anita Magsaysay Ho and by National Artists such as Napoleon Abueva, Victorio Edades, Jose Joya, Ang Kiukok,  Cesar Legaspi, Vicente Manansala, etc. The YGC Collection also has a sizeable number of works in the folk genre by Angelito Antonio, Manuel Baldemor, and Norma Belleza, and prints by Boy Rodriguez and Manuel Rodriguez Sr..  Some thematic exhibitions periodically presented in the museum feature these pieces.

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To promote better understanding of art and heritage, collections and creative industries, the museum regularly holds educational and extension programs (Young Curators Program; volunteer and internship programs; etc.) that link various sectors and audiences.  Art workshops on Chinese traditional painting on Shui-Mo or “ink and water” as well as calligraphy are also conducted regularly.

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Yuchengco Museum: RCBC Plaza, cor. of Ayala and Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City, Metro Manila. Open Mondays to Saturdays, 10 AM to 6 PM.  Admission: PhP100 for adults, PhP50 for students 15 years and below (with valid ID, PhP25 for accompanied children and senior citizens and free for YGC employees (with ID) and UNESCO-ICOM and media pass holders.  Group tours for children below 15 years old must be accompanied by adults and apply for special permission.  The museum also has education and extension programs that link various sectors and audiences and promote better understanding of art and heritage, corporate collections, and the creative industries.  Curator: Ms. Jeannie Javelosa.  Tel: (632) 889-1234.  Fax: (632) 887-5144.  E-mail: info@yuchengcomuseum.org. 
Website: www.yuchengcomuseum.org.

 

This museum, as an exhibition venue, aims to be a cultural bridge to the regional Asian and Pacific Rim communities. The museum also aims to bring out the excellent artistic and creative expressions of the Chinese Filipinos as well as look at the best attributes of the twin-heritage, namely the Chinese’s hardworking skills and craftsmanship and the Filipinos’ highly expressive and adaptive sensibility. 

Its Masters Gallery highlights three of the most celebrated Filipino visual artists: Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Francisco and Juan Luna.   Also part of the Museum’s permanent collection are key art pieces from the Yuchengco Group of Companies executive offices consisting of works by Filipino Modernists such as Anita Magsaysay Ho and by National Artists such as Napoleon Abueva, Victorio Edades, Jose Joya, Ang Kiukok,  Cesar Legaspi, Vicente Manansala, etc. The YGC Collection also has a sizeable number of works in the folk genre by Angelito Antonio, Manuel Baldemor, and Norma Belleza, and prints by Boy Rodriguez and Manuel Rodriguez Sr..  Some thematic exhibitions periodically presented in the museum feature these pieces.

To promote better understanding of art and heritage, collections and creative industries, the museum regularly holds educational and extension programs (Young Curators Program; volunteer and internship programs; etc.) that link various sectors and audiences.  Art workshops on Chinese traditional painting on Shui-Mo or “ink and water” as well as calligraphy are also conducted regularly.

Yuchengco Museum: RCBC Plaza, cor. of Ayala and Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City, Metro Manila. Open Mondays to Saturdays, 10 AM to 6 PM.  Admission: PhP100 for adults, PhP50 for students 15 years and below (with valid ID, PhP25 for accompanied children and senior citizens and free for YGC employees (with ID) and UNESCO-ICOM and media pass holders.  Group tours for children below 15 years old must be accompanied by adults and apply for special permission.  The museum also has education and extension programs that link various sectors and audiences and promote better understanding of art and heritage, corporate collections, and the creative industries.  Curator: Ms. Jeannie Javelosa.  Tel: (632) 889-1234.  Fax: (632) 887-5144.  E-mail: info@yuchengcomuseum.org. 
Website: www.yuchengcomuseum.org.

Profiles of Pinay Heroism

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The author with 3 gutsy ladies

During a visit to Club Balai Isabel (Talisay, Batangas) I met, in person, 3 women who exemplify the Pinay spirit at its best: the Kaya ng Pinay Mt. Everest Team composed of Janet Belarmino, Carina Dayondon and Noelle Wenceslao.

These 3 Filipinas, all members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), made history by becoming the first Southeast Asian women to reach the summit of 8,848-m. (29,028-ft.) high Mt. Everest (also called Mt. Qomolangma), the world’s tallest mountain (literally the top of the world) and the ultimate challenge to human endurance (it has now been summitted 3,067 times).

Janet Belarmino

Everest sits on the border of Nepal and the Tibetan region of China. In 2006, Filipinos Leo Oracion, Erwin “Pastour” Emata and Romy Garduce successfully climbed from Nepal on the shorter but arguably the more dangerous, so-called South-East route. 

The 3 women are the first women in the world to traverse or cross Everest from the less treacherous North side (with its earlier summit window) to the South side, crossing the mountain from Tibet to Nepal, a feat done by a handful of mountaineers – all of them men. The traverse poses a bigger challenge for the women as they will be passing an unfamiliar route to come down the mountain.

Carina Dayondon

Janet, from Nueva Vizcaya, is a member of the University of the Philippines Mountaineers, a fitness instructor for the Moro Lorenzo Fitness Gym in Ateneo and an excellent sport climber, lawn tennis coach and champion triathlete.  Noelle, a prized member of the Dragonboat team, is also an expert biker, extreme adventure athlete and mountaineer.

Both women were consistent winners in the Philippine and Hong Kong legs of the AXN adventure races. Carina, a formidable sport climber and the youngest member of the team, has been scaling mountains in her native Bukidnon since she was 17 when she was studying at Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City.  She climbed 7,548-m. (24,758-ft.) high Muztagh Ata in China-Pakistan, the highest peak ever reached by any Filipino, man or woman, before Everest.

Carina and Noelle, plus team doctor Ted Esguerra, documenter Fred B. Jamili, Emata and team leader Arturo Valdez, were to leave on May 19 to participate at the 42-km. 6th Hillary-Tenzing Mt. Everest Marathon, the highest marathon in the world (commemorates the 55th anniversary of the Edmund Hillary–Tenzing Norgay climb), from the 17-149-ft. level Mt. Everest Base Camp at Nepal (South side) to the town of Namche Bazar in Nepal (11,300 ft.), over rough and treacherous trails with two steep uphill sections. Ten days later, on May 29, Carina finished first, among foreign female climbers and behind 7 Nepali women, in the aforementioned marathon, with a time of 6 hours and 45 minutes. 

Noelle Wenceslao

At a presscon held at the resort’s function room, all 3 recounted their hardships and sacrifices in the face of what appeared to be insurmountable obstacles. Janet had to battle personal problems prior to the climb, giving birth, in December 2006, to a healthy baby boy named Himalaya, just one month before their training for the Everest climb started (she was thus, the first woman to summit Everest just months after giving birth). She said it was emotionally a very difficult thing to leave her small son at home with her husband Ricky and join the expedition, putting her life at great risk at the mercy of the mountain.

Noelle, on the other hand, lost her mom to a stroke as she was on her way to the airport to pick up Noelle who successfully climbed 20,320-ft. Mt. McKinley (also called Mt. Denali) in Alaska, the highest in North America.  Carina, on the other hand, was the family’s breadwinner.  During the climb, they also missed their families in the Philippines – something that proved to be an additional burden for them. At the Himalayas, Noelle also suffered from acute mountain sickness (AMS) and pulmonary edema while climbing (she had to descend to 5,000 m. to recover).

Their skin, especially on the face, was damaged due to the extreme cold and heat. All came down with blotches and sunburn on their faces. Theoretically, the 3 women’s route was longer and the journey much more difficult. During their climb, the weather was not too cooperative. They carried backpacks weighing 50 lbs, an ice axe that is at least 2 lbs. and wore high altitude boots and down suit that acted like thermal blankets.

Janet wearing her Mt. Everest outfit

The Filipinas also had to negotiate the dreaded Khumbu Icefall (where 3 Sherpas recently lost their lives), a large slab of ice that covers the lower part of the mountain’s south face. Ice seracs (pointed masses of ice), deep crevasses and ever-shifting masses of ice make for a dangerous trek. Climbers usually use metal ladders to cross crevasses, making sure that the anchors on their ropes are secure.  Down the mountain, at Camp 2 (which has a reputation as the “Death Zone” where extreme cold can sap a climber’s strength), the Filipinas will encounter the Lhotse Face, a steep and narrow ice-laden ledge.

Combining hard work, dogged determination and a positive attitude, they all conquered these obstacles by training to be tough mentally as well as physically. They went to New Zealand to train for alpine climbing.  On the Himalayan range in Nepal, they climbed the lower, 5,500-m. high Gokyo Ri (which had a full view of Everest) so that their body could adjust to the lower oxygen level (50% compared to sea level) at higher altitudes.   

In spite of strong support from sponsors and a solid team behind their backs, they still worked on a tight budget.  Their route, aside from being relatively safer, was also cheaper as the permit for climbing, per person, from Tibet is about $4,000 compared to $10,000 on the Nepalese side. They did their laundry in very cold rivers and, to save on shower expenses, they did not take a bath for more than 60 days.

A small window of good weather (very clear with winds in between 20-30 kms./hr.), a little good luck, prayers back home and a lot of determination, they reached the top of Everest to once again plant the Philippine flag on the highest point in the world. Noelle (with Sherpa Lakpa Gyalzen) was the first to reach the summit at 6:10 am Nepal time (8:10 am in Manila) followed by Carina (with Pemba Choti) 10 minutes later.  They stayed on the summit for 20 minutes.   Janet, who reportedly initially lost radio contact with the Philippine team at the Everest’s base camp, was delayed because she had to wait her turn among the climbers wanting to reach the summit. She arrived at around 7:45 am, Nepal time, with Pasang Norbu.

All three Sherpas guided Leo Oracion and Pastor Emata in their historic climb to Everest.  This was no small feat for three tough-as-nails ladies whose childhood exposure to ice, until three years before (in India), was limited to ice cubes, sorbetes and halo-halo.  Again, they proved that if we set our minds to it and unite in a common cause, we can climb whatever heights and reach whatever distance we imagine. They didn’t just do it for themselves, but for all the Filipinas around the world struggling to conquer their own mountains.  In doing so, they have again made the country proud and left a legacy of hope, faith and triumph of the human spirit.  The real victory is conquering, not Mt. Everest, but ourselves, our fears, our insecurities and our differences.

Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption (Maasin City, Southern Leyte)

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From Hilongos, Maasin City was just a further 37 kms.away, past the towns of Bato and Matalom. Doods and I finally reached city by 12:30 PM and Doods conveniently parked the car in front of the city’s Spanish-era Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption.  This church was started in 1771 by Jesuit Fr. Serapio Gonzalez, continued by Fr. Jose Paco from 1839 to 1852, destroyed by fire in 1884 and later rebuilt.  In 1968, the church was made into a cathedral and, in 1993, the cathedral was made a National Shrine by the National Historical Institute.

 Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption

Its simple, sparsely-decorated Early Renaissance façade has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by narrow paired columns, a pediment with a centrally located a statued niche flanked by square windows and topped by a circular window.  On its right is a tall and slender 3-storey bell tower and surrounding the church is a fortification with quadrilateral bulwarks at the corners. Part of the fortification has been demolished to give way to a school. A bulwark on the western side of the site has the inscription “San Carlos Año de 1781.” Inside the cathedral are Spanish-era images and santos found in its altar and ceiling.

The cathedral’s interior

Peak Tram (Hong Kong)

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Upon arrival at the Lower Peak Tram Terminus, we bought our tickets for the Peak Tram, a 1.352 km. funicular ride through upper Hong Kong that will take us  up to around 396 m. up the 522-m. high Victoria Peak, the highest peak in Hong Kong.

Lower Peak Tram Terminus

Opened in May 1888  for the exclusive use of the British Governor and Victoria Peak residents (the first mechanical public transport in Hong Kong), this historic service remains, to this day, the steepest funicular railway in the world.  The trams were originally steam-driven.  In 1926, an electric cable haulage system was introduced and the current modernized enclosed, 2-car trams were introduced in 1989, using a 1520 mm. rail gauge.  Until the 1960s, there were 2 classes of tickets, one for the rich and the other for servants.

On Board the Peak Tram

The Peak Tram operates from 7 AM to midnight, departing within 10 to 15-min. intervals. The journey, from lower terminus to upper terminus, up the peak took us only 7 to 8 mins. but, during that short time, we were offered, as the tram ascended, an unfolding canvas of stunning views over Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and Victoria Harbor.

Cityscape View From the Peak Tram

Each red tram has a capacity of 120 people (95 seated and 25 standing). There were immediate stations at Cotton Tree Drive Terminal, Kennedy Rd., MacDonnell Rd., May Rd. and Barker Rd. though, at busy times, it may not be possible to board as the trams may be full.

Peak Tower Terminus

We arrived at the upper terminus at the distinctive, ultra-modern, 7-storey Peak Tower by 12:30 PM.  The tower’s wok-shaped upper storey looks not unlike a Japanese Shinto Gate.  The tower was designed by architect Zaha Hadid and was completed on August 29, 1972. The current tower, designed by renowned British architect Terry Farrell, was officially reopened to the public on May 1997.

Peak Tower

Upon arrival, we first had our lunch at the tower’s Burger King outlet. After lunch, we proceeded to its view platform where we had a stunning cityscape view of Hong Kong’s skyline.  With over 7000 skyscrapers built in past 2 decades, it is the world biggest, larger than New York City and, many say, the most beautiful in the world.  Also best appreciated at night, when the neon lights of Hong Kong’s giant skyscrapers are most majestic, it remains one of the greatest man-made views on Earth.

Hong Kong’s Magnificent Skyline

The tower’s retail and entertainment complex features a number of top attractions, including Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium (2nd and 3rd floor), the Peak Explorer Motion Simulator (4th floor) and Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks Museum. Though we didn’t enter the wax museum, we still had a blast posing beside the available wax images of late martial arts start Bruce Lee and actress Cecilia Cheung.

Bruce Lee in Wax at Madame Tussaud’s

The tower also boasts of shopping arcades, 6 snack bars and cafes and 4 fine-dining restaurants including Hong Kong’s highest restaurant, Mövenpick Marche. After 1.5 hrs. on the tower, we decided it was time to leave for our next destination – Ocean Park, this time taking the taxi.

Peak Tram Lower Terminus: 33 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2522 0922. Fax: (852) 2849 6237. Website: www.thepeak.com.hk. Email : info@thepeak.com.hk. Fares: Adults (HK$28 single, HK$40 return), Child (HK$11 single, HK$18 return), Senior (65 and over, HK$11 single, HK$18 return).

Enroute to the Peak Tram (Hong Kong)

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After our breakfast at a MacDonald’s outlet along Nathan Rd., we all returned to our hotel and prepared for our day’s main activities – the Peak Tram in the morning and Ocean Park in the afternoon. We planned to all go the former via the very efficient Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system.  From the hotel, we all walked all the way, from Kimberley Rd. to Nathan Rd. and, from there, to the nearby Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station.  Here, we took the MTR to Central MTR Station.

Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station

Upon our arrival at Central, we made our way to the J2 Exit and walked up to the ground level. It was a pleasant walk from Central to the Peak Tram Lower Terminus. Turning right, through Chater Garden (a gathering place for many of our Filipino kababayans), we crossed Queen’s Road Central and made our way up Garden Road. Along the way, we passed a few famous Hong Kong landmarks such as the Bank of China Tower and Citibank Plaza on our left and St John’s Cathedral on our right.

Central MTR Station

The cross-shaped, Early English and Decorated-Gothic styled St. John’s Cathedral (or the Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist), a declared monument since January 5, 1996.  Located along Garden Road, it is the oldest surviving Western ecclesiastical building in Hong Kong and is believed to be the oldest Anglican church in the Far East.  It was built in 1849 and houses 3 beautiful stained glass windows, as well as a collection of British military colors, standards and guidons. An eastern extension was added in 1873.  During the Japanese occupation, the cathedral was used as a social club for the Japanese community.  It suffered heavy damage during the war and most of the present interior and furnishings are post-war.

St. John's Cathedral

Next to the cathedral, along Battery Path, is the Former French Mission Building, built by Sir Henry Pottinger, the first governor of Hong Kong. This granite and red brick structure, completed between 1842 and 1843, is one of Hong Kong’s oldest surviving colonial buildings. Acquired by the French Mission in 1915, it was extensively rebuilt in 1917 and was finally sold back to the Hong Kong Government in 1953. Reputedly the location of the colony’s first government house, it has green shutters, black wrought-iron details and a chapel on the northwest corner, topped by a cupola, added by French Catholic missionaries. Today, this Neo-Classical styled building is used as the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal and was declared as a declared monument on September 14, 1989.

Former French Mission Building

Built in 1950, the 17-storey Old Bank of China Building, Hong Kong Building was, for some time, one of the masterpieces of Hong Kong architecture. Contemporary in style, it was completed only a year after the Communist Party came to power in China. The new party endeavored to make it one of the grandest buildings in Hong Kong and, at one point, it towered more than 20 feet over the neighboring Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building (HSBC), which was their goal.

Old Bank of China Building (left) beside the newer HSBC Building

No longer home to the Bank of China, the attractive building is – ironically – now one of the shortest in Hong Kong’s Central District, was replaced in the 1990s by I.M Pei’s stunning Bank of China Tower. However, during its heyday, the old building served not only as bank headquarters but also as a way to encourage Hong Kong citizens to disregard their colonial rulers and pledge allegiance to China. It is said that during the 1960s, loud speakers were placed on the exterior of the building to broadcast “patriotic” messages to locals.

Bank of China Building

The Old Bank of China was designed by P & T Architects and Engineers Ltd., established in 1868. Also known as Palmer and Turner, the group has, throughout the decades, designed a number of other well-known Hong Kong landmarks, including the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (Bank of China’s rival) and a number of other office buildings, hotels, and condominiums worldwide.

Clock Tower, Hong Kong Cultural Center, Hong Kong Museum of Art and Hong Kong Space Museum (Hong Kong)

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From Kowloon Park, Jandy, Cheska and I walked along Canton Road until we reached the red brick and granite, 45-m. high Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower, located near Victoria Harbor at the foot of Salisbury Road.  Topped by a 7-m. high lightning rod, it is the only remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Built in 1915, it marks the start of the scenic Waterfront Promenade and remains as a photogenic monument to Tsim Sha Tsui’s rail heritage. The tower can be reached by a wooden staircase located within. Another landmark, the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, is located nearby.

Clock Tower

The Clock Tower reused the clock from the now demolished Pedder Street Clock Tower. However, only one side had a clock, and it was not until 1920 that the remaining three sides of the Clock Tower were installed. They began operation in the afternoon of March 22, 1921, and have run ever since except during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II.  In 1975, the Kowloon Station was moved to the present-day Hung Hom Station, on the newly reclaimed Hung Hom Bay. The old building of the station was demolished in 1977 but the Clock Tower was preserved. Since July 13, 1990, the tower has been listed as a declared monument in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Cultural Center

Today, the site of the historic railway station is now occupied by the multipurpose Hong Kong Cultural Center, its curving roof and futuristic features creating an unusual background to the Clock Tower. Home to the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the center has an oval, 2-tiered 2,019-seat Concert Hall with adjustable acoustic canopy and curtains and finished with high-quality oak.  It also houses an 8,000-pipe pipe organ (Asia’s largest, built by the Austrian firm Rieger Orgelbau), a 1,734-seat, 3-tiered Grand Theater for large scale opera, ballet and musicals,  a 300-496-seat Studio Theater for smaller-scale theater and performance works, an  Exhibition Gallery, 4 foyer exhibition areas and 11 rehearsal and practice rooms.

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Flanking the Hong Kong Cultural Center are the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong Museum of Art.  The Hong Kong Museum of Art, a museum for Chinese cultural heritage, and local and international art in Hong Kong, houses 14,000 art objects, mainly Chinese paintings of historical significance, sculpture and calligraphy works and antique Chinese treasures.  The museum also presents a great variety of thematic exhibitions drawn from local and overseas sources. It was first established in the City Hall in 1962 and moved to the present premises in 1991.

Hong Kong Space Museum

The 80,000-sq. m., dome-shaped Hong Kong Space Museum, built in 1980, has 3 sections: the Hall of Space Science, the Hall of Astronomy, and one of the world’s largest and most technical planetariums, the Space Theater, where thrilling wide-screen Omnimax and Skyshows are presented.

How to Get There: From MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit E, walk towards Salisbury Road, turn right, take pedestrian next to YMCA to Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Then turn right and walk straight ahead towards the waterfront.  Take Star Ferry from Central or Wan Chai and follow the signs. The Clock Tower is located next to the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier.

The Pugutan (Gasan, Marinduque)

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After our Nagtangco Island hopping tour, we returned to our resort, had dinner and then left again for the next town of Gasan to watch the Pugutan, the re-enactment of the beheading of the Roman centurion Longinus, which was held at an open-air stage.


The past days, the physically draining habulan (chase) was re-enacted wherein Longinus merrily races through rice fields and the streets, pursued by moriones, to the delight of onlookers.  Part of the play is a simulated fight between the escaping Longinus and the moriones.  He is captured three times, escapes each time and is eventually captured on the fourth try and brought before Pilate.  


The Pugutan we were watching is the continuation of this play.  Longinus is escorted up the open-air stage by a brass band  where he is presented to the people and subsequently tried.  The dialogue is in Tagalog.  As Longinus refuses to renounce his faith, he is ordered executed.  He is given the opportunity to say some last words and a prayer before his beheading (pugutan).  At his funeral, Longinus’ body is borne on a bamboo stretcher by moriones devotees.  

The Good Friday Parade of Carrozas (Torrijos and Boac, Marinduque)

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From Poctoy White Sand Beach, we again boarded our Tamaraw FX for our return trip back to Boac.  At Sta. Cruz town, our progress back to Boac was substantially delayed by a parade of carrozas (carriages) of saints, another Good Friday staple, gathering at the town’s Church of the Holy Cross (built in 1714, has 1.5 to 2-m. thick walls and was renovated except for its original tower) and was just getting underway.  

A Good Friday parade of carrozas at Sta. Cruz

Approaching Boac, we again encountered another parade of carrozas.  In both cases, instead of fretting, we just got down the Tamaraw FX and patiently watch the parade’s progress.  The parade at Boac was somewhat different than the other parades I’ve attended in the past as, aside from carrozas carrying statues of saints and the Sto. Entierro (bier of the dead Jesus Christ), it included a contingent of moriones (some riding Roman chariots).

Carroza bearing the Sto. Entierro
Chariot bearing 2 moriones

It was just about evening when the parade finally passed us by and we were able to proceed to our resort.