Of Batangas Balisongs and Buli's

Aug. 4, 2012.  We are now headed back to Tagaytay, but not without going to Abner's ultimate dream: Barangay Balisong.  We sort of got lost looking for it, but instead passed by a sign that made me jump off my seat.  I just got to take a picture of that!!!

Buli in is one of the baranggays in the municipality of Taal. Incidentally, buli, pronounced as boo-li', means 'ass', 'butt' in Cuyunin, Palawan's native language. I got to reminisce expressions while growing up, like, "buru imong buli", or "imong buli", or "ngitit imong buli!". Hahaha. This is gong to be a real hit with my family, while I went ahead and clicked on 'Share' and posted the picture on FB via my BB. Abner's giving me 'the face', probably wondering why I'm so hyper. Hahaha!

Anyway.. even without the 'Welcome' signs, you'll know you're in Baranggay Balisong when you start to see stalls along the road in displaying these shiny blades in glass cases. The 'balisong' also known as a butterfly knife, fan knife is a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles.

They come in different sizes, from a pretty cute size for a keychain (No it can't cut. It just cleans your nails); to the traditional veinte y nueve because they are 29 centimeters long when opened daw, to a really biggie one.

FB check. Ooohh! 10 comments and 13 likes for my 'Buli' picture.  Nice!

An August weekend: Our Lady of Caysasay and Sta. Lucia Healing Wells

Aug 4, 2012. We asked directions before leaving the Taal Market as we decided to drive instead of taking the tricycle.  Going back down the rows of heritage houses, it is so clear to see that Taal reigns as one of the most culturally preserved sites of the Spanish colonial era. We turned right from Calle Agoncillo to Calle Noble. It was quite a tight squeeze. We arrived at the shrine at around 9:50am and it began to start drizzling again.

There was a young boy and a young girl who kept on following us, offering candles.  My head was starting to ache again, and Abner was the one who entertained them.  They were so well-versed of the story of The Our Lady of Caysasay.  Hands down, boy were they very good!  They offered to walk us to the Healing Wells - via a short-cut, not having to go up a hundred steps.

We were the only ones there plus our guides.  We lighted candles, prayed and offered our petitions.  After that, we were accompanied to the well.  You'll see two wells there.  You'll get to know kuya who fetches water for you to 'bathe'.  I can't remember, but water drawn from a specific well determines which part of your body to can 'wash' with.  It's all about faith healing.  It was raining already, and we were wet.  Both from the rain, and from the water drawn from the wells.

It was here in 1611 that the first apparition of Our Lady to an almost blind native servant girl, Juana Tangui and around 30 women, was recorded by the church ordinario. This was the first recorded Marian apparition in the country. From the miraculous cure of her eyes during the apparition, the well water, now known as “Balon ng Sta. Lucia” and the adjoining stream, now known as “Banal na Tubig” have been known to possess miraculous attributes of healing to this day. An arch you see here with pediment was constructed after 1611 over the wells, which generally marks the spot of her apparitions, and is today called “Banal na Pook”.

Before we left, we were given an envelope for an offering or donation, and was guided back to a small house near the church. We fond out that here lives the towns' healer. We said our pleasantries and gave her our help.  She looked at Abner and I and asked for our birth months. "May", says Abner. "Ay, mag-aabroad ka!", says the healer.  She then turned to me and I said, "March".

"Masipag kang mag-trabaho, iha.".

Aray ko. Kaya ako nagkakasakit. hehe.

An August weekend: Bridal Bliss at the Taal Market

Hu--whaat?!?

That was my initial reaction when I 'inquired' about made-to-order bridal gowns at the Taal Market.

A short walk after the Taal Basilica, passing through th municipal hall is the Taal Market.  Here, we walked around to see what they have to offer.  After buying purong tsokolateng tableas we decided to check the shops.. a colorful array of gowns made of pina cloth, or pineapple fiber.

Out of curiosity, after pulling a reluctant Abner to one of the shops (as if!), I went on to admire the workmanship and embroidery on one of the bridal gowns displayed (ibang klase talaga!).  You'll never believe what I found out:

For 10,000 php, you'll get a hand-embroidered piña bridal gown with complete accessories, plus a  hand-embroidered piña barong for the groom -- your design.  You'll also get to spend between 850php to 1,000php each for the bridal ensemble, your own design, rented out.  Meaning, after the ceremony, your bridesmaids and sponsors will return the gowns.  Renting ready-made bridesmaids gowns fetch between 250php to 400php depending on the design (of course you'll have to consider if it matches your motiff).  Geezz.. and to think more than 10 years ago, my sister-in-law's beautiful bridal gown cost almost 8,000php.  And that's not even piña!  Hmmm....

It's 9:30am, and Abner is now itching to go to the Our Lady of Caysasay.

An August weekend: Taal Basilica

Aug. 4, 2012. We found a parking space at the nearby Taal Market and walked to the Basilica de San Martin de Tours,considered to be the largest church in the Philippines and in Asia, standing 96 meters(315ft) long and 45 meters (148ft) wide.

Its history tells if the church and the old town of Taal relocated after the massive volcanic eruption in 1754 to higher grounds, now its current location, leaving its old location, where the municipality of San Nicholas now lies.

And as practiced, everytime we enter a church the first time, we went on to offer a prayer, and say a wish before we head out.   Outside is what looked like a replica of its bell, said to be the largest in the country. History tells that during the earthquake of 1942, the belfry collapsed, damaging the bell and silencing it. They say that it is now hanging silently on the restored dome.

Beside it is Escuela Pia, established by the Augustinian priests in 1839, and served as a school during the American colonization.

In front of Taal Basilica is the Taal Municipal Hall.  Its facade shows the year the town was officially founded by the Agustinians.

An August weekend: Taal Heritage Town

Aug 4, 2012. After a wonderful breakfast at the Mahogany Market, we went back on Aguinaldo highway en route to Diokno Highway.  The drizzling stopped and we had our windows down to enjoy the cool morning air.  For us, it was a delight when we saw this at 7:32 am:

Whoa! We were like kids-- but only, we were two full grown adults gawking at the sight! Matutuwa ang mga bata nito. We had to drive slow because we don't have fog lights, and we were the only ones on the highway.

I've read so much about the Taal Heritage Town and I admit I'm excited about it.  (I've been wanting to visit Ilocos too).  We reached the town after an hour.  There are several museums that we didn't get the chance to visit, and I made a mental note to come back.

 

There's so much to see.  Coming back to explore will definitely be on our bucket list!

An August weekend: Mahogany Market Breakfast

Some kind of wonderful--  Breakfast.

Last August 4-5 was a trip to Tagaytay and the Taal Heritage Town.  Abner wanted to take me to the Sta. Lucia Wells near the Our Lady of Caysasay Shrine; and to the Tierra de Maria in Tagaytay for their healing mass.  Work has taken its toll on me and I really don't know how I'm feeling recently.

I'm off from work at 8pm and only just started packing that Friday night.  He fetched me at around 5am and off we went.  Abner was all excited about going to the Mahogany Market in Tagaytay.   From Aguinaldo Highway, we swerved right to Mahogany Avenue.  Hmmm.. doesn't look like a place where you'll expect a market to be. If you don't watch for it, you'll definitely miss it. 

The place reminds me of a smaller, one sided Tiendesitas food court.  There were tables and chairs in front of each of the food stalls, each having their own color and character.  We parked right next to the court.  It's already drizzling, and you'll then hear calls like, "Kain kayo?", "Kain dito!", "Ma'am, Sir, bulalo, masarap, mainit!".  We had Sinigang na Tulingan, Papaitan, and kapeng barako.  I've never tasted coffee this good!

This was heaven! Kapeng barako plus the saltiness of the tulingan, and the bitter-sour taste of papaitan with patis, calamansi, and siling labuyo! I can't stop talking about how I loved the coffee. After breakfast, we took a quick detour of the market in search for my treasured barako. We got a kilo for 110 Php. Abner insisted on haggling. I told him, "Teka, ngingitian ko pa so kuya!". Well, it didn't work. hehe. But I'm still happy.

We never got to check the prices of the vegetables in the market. It was starting to rain and we decided to go. Our next stop. Taal Heritage Town.

Honda Bay Island Hopping

(Re posted  from  My Scratch Pad .  August 17, 2009)

Suntan oil and bathing suit? NADA.

Me and my cousins went on an impromptu island hopping the morning after Lola's birthday. I had no plans whatsoever in taking a dip, that's why I didn't bother to bring anything fit for the beach. *sigh* (next time I'd better pack beach stuff WHEREVER and WHENEVER I go to a place near water!)

Anyway, headed off to Sta. Lourdes at around 6:30am where we are to take a motorized boat ride through Honda Bay. The banca costs 1,500Php for the whole day. The one we got can accommodate up to around 10 people. Snorkeling gear is rented out at 100Php. Entrance fee to the islands varies from free to 50Php/person.

Our bankero asked if we have specific islands that we wish to go to. Cousin Ian opted for Pandan Island first, then Snake Island, lunch at Starfish Island, then the last stop is a new spot for snorkeling.

Our first stop is Pandan Island.

 Got its name apparently because the water is green.. not because of a pandan plantation there (LOL) that's what most of us thought. The sand is white and very fine. You'll actually see a lot of what looks like crab skid marks or 'footprints'. And the water is very, very clear.

There was a particular section 'buoyed' out for snorkeling and there where like baskets attached to a couple of buoys. This we found out is where the caretakers keep live rock lobsters and squid for sale for grilling!!!

Ian says that this beach is also operated by the Legend Hotel, so I guess they would have facilities for an overnight stay here.

Second stop was at Snake Island.

It was so called because it's sand bar looks like a snake from the air. While my cousin Lala and her boyfriend snorkels, Ian and I went on a hike up to the snake's tip.

The sand is coarser. There are a lot of sand dollars and other shells, and it was very hot! Mangroves are abundant to the right. There's no crowd too, since it's almost a 20-minute walk from the main beach area. Very ideal for skinny dipping I may say, or nude sunbathing! LOL!

 It's hot, windy, and very tranquil. The wind is all you hear. It's surprisingly very quite..you'll not even hear the waves. At the tip of the sandbar is a house on stilts. You'd imagine seeing just the house during high tide. On our way back to the main beach, that's when I realized that I already have a mean sunburn. OMG. Removing my shirt leaving my bra on should have been better--tan-wise (now why didn't I think of that?!?!)

Our third stop and lunch destination is at Starfish Island.

Starfish Island has been a favorite destination since I was little. Whenever I visit lola, our beach trip would always be at Starfish. But it has changed a lot! The sand isn't as white as I remember.

We were halfway eating our lunch of grilled squid (from Pandan Island) and 'pares' --hehe take-out yun...no time to prepare kasi eh-- when it rained. And it rained hard. We were sort of stranded in an island at Honda Bay in the middle of a storm (I swear you won't see those mountains anymore because of the rain), and there was I calling my mom and buddy about it! MAY SIGNAL ANG GLOBE AND SUN!!!!! Mama said that lola was a bit worried already because it was also raining hard in Puerto. It's past 3pm already and we have one more destination to go before we head home. There is a second party at Lola's house at 6pm.

Unfortunately for us when the rain stopped, and our bankero decided that it is already safe to go on, it began drizzling again and we had to fore go the final stop--which is at a location only for snorkeling. I'm hoping to go back especially to Pandan Island. The soonest.

Meow Lang

After Ondoy, blogging has been placed in the backseat. Everything else since then seemed a priority. Now, after 3 years, numerous restaurants, cafes, and places I've been to, as well as the mushrooming of Groupon sites like, Ensogo, CashCashPinoy, Metrodeal, TCAT, DealGrocer, etc.; going around is easier!

I'll be starting this food and travel blog, transferring a few food and travel posts from my personal blog to share experiences with friends and acquaintances.

Now excuse me while I go through my computer files and locate 3 years of pictures that I've taken from going around the metropolis and nearby provinces with my partner, friends, or family.

Dalawang Pusang Gala. Kasi dalawa kami eh.

Moshi Moshi Katipunan & Serye Cafe

It was a fine Friday for 10 year-old Diego.

Just the day before, he blew his candle on the birthday cake his Tita Angge got for him.

Because he loves Japanese food, read: Teriyaki Boy, we decided to take him to a different Japanese restaurant along Katipunan Ave., Moshi-Moshi, after we saw them on the Deal Grocer site.  We went over for an early dinner.  Moshi-Moshi is located at the 2nd floor of the Regis Center along Katipunan Avenue in front of Ateneo.  They are of the same building with Gold's Gym.  As always, parking can be very tricky. We had to go around twice before finding a great spot (their parking is full).  The restaurant's green and cream interiors are very pleasant to the eye.  Beside the counter, you'll see an array of mini, cute erasers for sale.

Their bento box is very filling, and with unlimited ice cream (with the voucher, you'll choose between unlimited ice cream, or unlimited iced tea), Diego had the time of his life, serving after serving after serving.

Their Bento Set includes Gyudon, Chicken Karaage, Shrimp Roll, and Takoyaki. Andee and Diego caused a stir when they noticed, and described it as 'worm-like' moving on top of their Takoyaki.  It actually looks like very thin flakes.  We explained that it looked like it was moving because since the flakes are more than paper-thin, it moves around with the air.

After dinner, we went on to Eastwood.  Abner and I were here on a date night several days ago.  I never thought that the Eastwood weekend nightlife be so family-oriented.  Diego and Andee had the pleasure of going around a whatchamacallit.... giant beachballs?!?

I like this picture I took of Andee, ala America's Next Top Model shoot. Hehe.  For 100php/ 3 minutes each... hilong talilong sila.  There were the usual cosplay artists there but Diego seemed to not like the idea of posing beside BumbleBee or a Yellow Toy Soldier. Before going home we went to Serye, for coffee and cakes.

My suman latik. Very yummy. Goes well with Peaberry coffee. For Abner, it's leche flan, while the kids got Sans Rival, and Decadent Chocolate cake.