SM City Baguio |
The veranda of the mall |
The mall’s atrium lobby |
SM City Baguio |
The veranda of the mall |
The mall’s atrium lobby |
Jandy and I, together with United Tourist Promotions (makers of EZ Maps) employees Bernard Gonzales and Rodel Vivas, were on our way to Baguio City when nighttime caught up with us in Gerona in Tarlac. Already hungry, we decided to stop at Fresh Catch Isdaan for dinner. This open restaurant was one huge koi-filled fishpond with “floating” (actually on stilts) cabanas with tables for diners, all connected by bamboo walkways. All over the place are huge, eye-catching statues of Buddhas, mermaids, monkeys, dinosaurs and crocodiles; Disney characters; noted Filipinos (Corazon Aquino, Joseph Estrada, Jaime Cardinal Sin, Ninoy Aquino, etc.) as well as Marvel comic characters such as Batman, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk.
Fresh Catch Isdaan |
Food served here was mostly Filipino, the restaurant being part of the Barrio Fiesta Restaurant Group. Its signature dishes include chicken tinupig, sisig, adobong pusit, bulalo, manok sa gata, kare-kare, sinampalukan, sizzling tanigue, hototai (mixed vegetable soup), Bicol Express, pinakbet, inihaw na liempo, buko pandan, binagoongang baboy, sinigang na hipon, lumpiang shaghai, fried chicken or porkchop, lechon kawali, among others. While waiting for our order to arrived, I went about exploring the place. There were subli dancers as well as roaming singers with guitars serenading guests, all dressed in approapriate Filipiniana attire.
Koi-filled fishpond |
Tacsiyapo Wall |
One big surprise was Tacsiyapo Wall, a cool and neat though not original idea which is bound to bring tourists, looking for stress relief, to this place. Here, you can release your anger by throwing crockery such as cups (PhP15), bowls (PhP18), plates (PhP35), pitchers (PhP100), vases or even a broken TV (PhP2,000) at a wall. According to the attendant, to get the feel of it, you need to shout “tacsiyapo!” (A Kapampangan word meaning, at best, “shame on you” or, at worst, similar to the Tagalog P…I….). Before throwing, you can choose at a selection of targets on the wall such as “Taksil!,” “Sip-sip!,” “Bolero!,” “Bolera!,””Ingitera!,” “Tsismosa!,” etc.
Fresh Catch Isdaan: MacArthur Highway, Brgy. Salapungan, Gerona, 2302 Tarlac. Tel: (045) 931-2196.
Nayong Pilipino sa Clark |
During a lull in the Flavors of Spain Foodfest held at Hotel Vida, Grace, Norma, Ethel, Mitch and I boarded a van and visited the Nayong Pilipino sa Clark Expo at Clark. Formally opened on November 30, 2007 after a PhP40 million rehabilitation, Nayong Pilipino sits on a 3.5-hectare portion of the Clark Expo, formerly Expo Pilipino. This historical and cultural theme park, transferred here from its original site in Pasay City, is divided into two areas: the pre-colonial division and the colonial division. The pre-colonial division proudly shows the culture of the ethnic tribes of the northern Philippines long before the Spanish occupation through exhibits, native cottages and demonstrations that are accurately designed.
Kalinga Village |
Its outdoor museum features the Ifugao Village (features typical Ifugao houses called ulog, under which is an Ifugao woodcarver carving various wooden artifacts for souvenirs), the Kalinga Village, the Aeta Village and the Muslim Village (features the Torrogan House). Adjacent to the Torrogan House is a replica of Tabon Caves. The Labuad Village is where ethnic Kapampangan handicraft and artwork are on sale. There are also replicas of the Banaue Rice Terraces and Mayon Volcano.
Replica of Barasoain Church |
The colonial division, on the other hand, displays the Spanish regime on the archipelago through replicas of Spanish-style houses and other edifices. It includes the far from faithful replicas of Malolos’ Barasoain Church (a mass is held here every Sunday, 10 AM) as well as the ancestral houses of National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo and Apolinario Mabini (a museum for Kapampangan artifacts). The Colonial Plaza, fronting the church, has a 3-tiered fountain. The Hero’s Plaza has a statue of a bolo and KKK flag-wielding Andres Bonifacio.
The Jose Rizal House |
Interspersed between the two areas are clean open spaces. Guests can go boating and fishing at the Lagoon. The Spanish Culture & Religion Museum and the Philippine Museum are 2 separate structures that look like fortresses. Also within the grounds are a 1,000 seat outdoor amphitheater used for social gatherings, theater plays and cultural presentations.
Nayong Pilipino sa Clark Expo: Clark Expo, ClarkField, Pampanga. Tel: (045) 436-1718 and (045) 599-2813. E-mail: nayon_saclark@yahoo.com. Website: www.nayonsaclark.com. Admission: PhP30 (adults) and PhP20 (children). Open 8 AM-6 PM.