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Friday, April 13, 2007
Before I start blogging about our 3rd day there I just want to make a few corrections regarding my previous post. I’m too lazy to edit them so I’mma just tell it here.
We arrived at Isabela on a Thursday, not Wednesday. So we had our Visita Iglesia on a Friday. K.
We had lunch with some of my gram's childhood friends. The buffet was overflowing, but I didn’t like most of it. After that, went again to our Mama Letti’s place to wolf on some buko, play with the well where I almost fell once when I was a kid, and scare our "pet" turkeys. After that went back home for the oldies’ siesta coz they were all drained. By 5p we fixed our things coz we’ll be going to Ilagan and stay there for the night.
Ilagan. I never liked that place. Sure, the house is big and all but it’s kind of skimpy. I dunno about them, but they have like 3 helpers there but the ambiance isn't that homey. I’m not comfortable there. I wasn’t able to sleep coz Kam and I had to sleep in this grimy room with cobwebs, worn out cabinets, and an unkempt bed. I was actually waiting for a ghost to appear. Haha. And the smell… man! Spraying like a whole bottle of perfume won't do any good. We really didn’t wanna go there but we have to coz my grampa’s sister was the one who asked us to stay there. So in short, we have no choice.
Fast forward…
Next day, went to church (Church of Tumauini or the Church of St. Matthias), then visited our rest slash picnic house on top of the hill with a great view of the “mini-rice terraces”. It was soooo gorgeous! I would love to go back to that place. It’s so peaceful. It’s a great place to hang out if you want to be alone and ponder on things.
After that, went to this place… darn! I forgot the name! It’s like a small waterway. Pretty pretty. The water was so clear you can even see the bottom of the river though you’re on the deep part na. Didn’t swim that long coz I don’t wanna burn… the sunspots and sunburns… eeeeek!! Scary.
Next, we went to the Victoria Caves located inside a Virgin Forest; frightening yet beautiful, one of God’s greatest masterpieces. It’s like everything around there was carefully planned, the way the trees will grow, the kind of wild flowers, the positioning of the stalactites and stalagmites. It was an awesome sight! We weren’t able to visit all 7 caves coz it’s getting late and there are many wild animals lurking around.
We also went to this place that’s like paradise. Swear guys! Better than that clear water place and the Victoria Caves. Mineral water yung water (duh). Basta it’s hard to explain eh. There were also caves in it but were already closed coz it’s too dark and dangerous daw.
And you know what guys? All of those places that I’ve mentioned (except for the churches) are being maintained by the Aetas. Well… that was before their mayor was murdered. Mayor Albano was a great guy. He preserved the natural beauty of Isabela by taking care of the Aetas who took care of the forests. He is so against deforestation and never allowed illegal logging there. But after his death, almost everything has changed. Sayang.
Enough about that. So after that, we went back to Ilagan to pack our things coz we’re going home!!! Hahaha!
The Church of Tumauini
mini rice terraces
hello, clear water
Virgin Forest
Victoria Cave
Welcome to Paradise
Entrance to the falls
Don't forget to smile! :)
-XOXO-
We arrived at Isabela on a Thursday, not Wednesday. So we had our Visita Iglesia on a Friday. K.
We had lunch with some of my gram's childhood friends. The buffet was overflowing, but I didn’t like most of it. After that, went again to our Mama Letti’s place to wolf on some buko, play with the well where I almost fell once when I was a kid, and scare our "pet" turkeys. After that went back home for the oldies’ siesta coz they were all drained. By 5p we fixed our things coz we’ll be going to Ilagan and stay there for the night.
Ilagan. I never liked that place. Sure, the house is big and all but it’s kind of skimpy. I dunno about them, but they have like 3 helpers there but the ambiance isn't that homey. I’m not comfortable there. I wasn’t able to sleep coz Kam and I had to sleep in this grimy room with cobwebs, worn out cabinets, and an unkempt bed. I was actually waiting for a ghost to appear. Haha. And the smell… man! Spraying like a whole bottle of perfume won't do any good. We really didn’t wanna go there but we have to coz my grampa’s sister was the one who asked us to stay there. So in short, we have no choice.
Fast forward…
Next day, went to church (Church of Tumauini or the Church of St. Matthias), then visited our rest slash picnic house on top of the hill with a great view of the “mini-rice terraces”. It was soooo gorgeous! I would love to go back to that place. It’s so peaceful. It’s a great place to hang out if you want to be alone and ponder on things.
After that, went to this place… darn! I forgot the name! It’s like a small waterway. Pretty pretty. The water was so clear you can even see the bottom of the river though you’re on the deep part na. Didn’t swim that long coz I don’t wanna burn… the sunspots and sunburns… eeeeek!! Scary.
Next, we went to the Victoria Caves located inside a Virgin Forest; frightening yet beautiful, one of God’s greatest masterpieces. It’s like everything around there was carefully planned, the way the trees will grow, the kind of wild flowers, the positioning of the stalactites and stalagmites. It was an awesome sight! We weren’t able to visit all 7 caves coz it’s getting late and there are many wild animals lurking around.
We also went to this place that’s like paradise. Swear guys! Better than that clear water place and the Victoria Caves. Mineral water yung water (duh). Basta it’s hard to explain eh. There were also caves in it but were already closed coz it’s too dark and dangerous daw.
And you know what guys? All of those places that I’ve mentioned (except for the churches) are being maintained by the Aetas. Well… that was before their mayor was murdered. Mayor Albano was a great guy. He preserved the natural beauty of Isabela by taking care of the Aetas who took care of the forests. He is so against deforestation and never allowed illegal logging there. But after his death, almost everything has changed. Sayang.
Enough about that. So after that, we went back to Ilagan to pack our things coz we’re going home!!! Hahaha!
The Church of Tumauini
mini rice terraces
hello, clear water
Virgin Forest
Victoria CaveWelcome to Paradise
Entrance to the falls
Don't forget to smile! :)
-XOXO-
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Woke up at around 7a, took pictures around the house, got ready for our Visita Iglesia.
Before leaving, Papa Jonel gave us a tour around the town, through our cornfields, then to our Isla. Despite the heat, I had so much fun coz I get to ride at the back of his truck. Awesome! He drove through the bumpy roads, over the hills, under the low trees... major roadtrip! He parked somewhere beside our mini-nipa hut then we have to treck this hill-like thingamahibla. It wasn’t like that before but a few stupid people thought that Yamashita’s treasures were buried beneath it so they started quarrying through it but found nothing. FYI: they didn’t even ask permission from us. So now, the road was kinda rough and sandy.
The corn stalks were super tall so I have a few scratches on my palms and feet, but it’s all good. We had loads of fun. Our Isla was beautiful! There were no carabaos present. The island in the middle was a breathtaking view. We weren’t allowed to go there coz the water’s high and "wala pa daw nakukuha" -- just some old superstitious crap. The pictures weren’t that good either coz our Isla’s kinda far and I’m not that good in taking pictures.
After savoring the beauty of our Isla, we went back home to get ready for our Visita Iglesia.
our home
Kam sa terrace
Tita and I sa truck
Kam and I with Ate Gayle
Our precious corn field
Ang ISLA
Look at what they did! Now, where are the treasures??
We went to the 3 oldest churches in Isabela. The oldest was the San Pablo Cathedral, the 1st church in Isabela, built during the 17th century. Half of it was already destroyed, maybe cuz of the war, but it’s façade was preserved. There was no ceiling, which just shows the beauty of the church, but they also made a mini-church that you will see once you’ve entered it. The other 2 churches weren’t that significant at all coz… uhmn… I don’t know! Haha! That’s it…
After our visita, someone invited us for some snacks, and someone also invited us for dinner so hello food again! Haha! We also passed by our Mama Letti’s house to taste her ever famous Binalay and Pancit Cabagan which was oh so delish! I was really trying to control myself. Really. She also made me taste the Singkamas with Ilocos Vinegar. Yum-yum!
After that non-stop eating, I wandered around, tried to climb a tree but failed, played with the well and scared the turkeys. Haha! They’ve got loads of pet turkeys. I was insisting that they cook one of those, but they don’t want to. Awww… Sad.
We got home at 8 and that’s the end! Haha!
Me, Mum and Kam
ruins of an old church
San Pablo Cathedral
the tower
Don't forget to smile! :)
-XOXO-
Before leaving, Papa Jonel gave us a tour around the town, through our cornfields, then to our Isla. Despite the heat, I had so much fun coz I get to ride at the back of his truck. Awesome! He drove through the bumpy roads, over the hills, under the low trees... major roadtrip! He parked somewhere beside our mini-nipa hut then we have to treck this hill-like thingamahibla. It wasn’t like that before but a few stupid people thought that Yamashita’s treasures were buried beneath it so they started quarrying through it but found nothing. FYI: they didn’t even ask permission from us. So now, the road was kinda rough and sandy.
The corn stalks were super tall so I have a few scratches on my palms and feet, but it’s all good. We had loads of fun. Our Isla was beautiful! There were no carabaos present. The island in the middle was a breathtaking view. We weren’t allowed to go there coz the water’s high and "wala pa daw nakukuha" -- just some old superstitious crap. The pictures weren’t that good either coz our Isla’s kinda far and I’m not that good in taking pictures.
After savoring the beauty of our Isla, we went back home to get ready for our Visita Iglesia.
our home
Kam sa terrace
Tita and I sa truck
Kam and I with Ate Gayle
Our precious corn field
Ang ISLA
Look at what they did! Now, where are the treasures??We went to the 3 oldest churches in Isabela. The oldest was the San Pablo Cathedral, the 1st church in Isabela, built during the 17th century. Half of it was already destroyed, maybe cuz of the war, but it’s façade was preserved. There was no ceiling, which just shows the beauty of the church, but they also made a mini-church that you will see once you’ve entered it. The other 2 churches weren’t that significant at all coz… uhmn… I don’t know! Haha! That’s it…
After our visita, someone invited us for some snacks, and someone also invited us for dinner so hello food again! Haha! We also passed by our Mama Letti’s house to taste her ever famous Binalay and Pancit Cabagan which was oh so delish! I was really trying to control myself. Really. She also made me taste the Singkamas with Ilocos Vinegar. Yum-yum!
After that non-stop eating, I wandered around, tried to climb a tree but failed, played with the well and scared the turkeys. Haha! They’ve got loads of pet turkeys. I was insisting that they cook one of those, but they don’t want to. Awww… Sad.
We got home at 8 and that’s the end! Haha!
Me, Mum and Kam
ruins of an old church
San Pablo Cathedral
the tower Don't forget to smile! :)
-XOXO-
Hey folks! I’m baaack!!! At long last… back to civilization. For 5 days, I’ve been yearning to surf the net, watch etc, and do the normal stuff a brat like me does. Wait, I’m not a brat.
Only a few pictures here coz I wasn’t allowed to bring my laptop with me so… sacrifice. And my cam got wet... boohoo T_T … clumsy-clumsy. The battery has a lower life span and the mmc's not working well. I was supposed to export the pictures a while ago, but then yung lumabas na pictures were those taken during Kam’s graduation which I’ve already deleted.
Anyhoo, just gonna tell you guys the stuff we did from our departure till the time we get back (which was only yesterday). I’ve been gone for almost a week, so expect a long post.
I went to school first to see B, watched him play RF, had lunch, then went to Glorietta to help Kam buy some stuff for our trip. We arrived home at around 5p, fixed our things, rest, dinner, waited for the oldies to pack their things and… it's goodbye, Manila!
It was a really long trip. Longer than Baguio (12 hrs). And it was so dull, dreary, mind-numbing, tiresome… in short, it was BORING. Totally. When we get to Pangasinan there weren't any radio signal/s so we were in complete silence for the whole trip. I just slept all the way to Isabela. When we got there, we were like foreigners coz all the people were like too anxious to see us and almost every one invited us to have lunch, snack, and dinner with them. Take note, we're not allowed to say NO coz they’ll get nutty. I’m not even allowed to say that I’m not starving or that I’m super full (which was so true) coz they’ll get barmy and they’ll never speak to us, EVER. So goodbye, diet! But I'd rather they get mad at me than gain a bajillion pounds. Haha!
I just locked myself in the van coz I can’t relate to whatever they're talking about. I can’t understand a thing! Finally, after hours of butt-sore, the oldies decided to go out and hear mass at Cabagan Parish. As expected, I didn't understand a thing during the entire sermon cuz the priest was using both Ybanag (native dialect) and Latin. I'm pretty sure he used Spanish, too.
After that, had dinner at Felicitas then went back home. It was only 7:30p when we got home but the streets were already deserted. Swear. Almost everyone, except for the drunkards, were at home watching tv or sleeping. It super creey cuz there were only a few street lights and those frightening sounds that crickets make just make thing worse. I dunno why, but I get goose bumps on situations like that. Haha! Good thing Ate Gayle, our cousin from Manila, was there too coz her family’s staying there. She invited us out with her friends. I was trying hard not to laugh cuz of the BIG difference with they way the hung out there from what we do here in Manila. Instead of going to bars and club and getting drunk till you drop, they were there at a friend's house, merrily chatting with each other, sharing stories and jokes while eating hot soup. Yes, soup. No alcoholic beverages, its either water, coffee, or soft drinks. Yes, they're that nice. Went home before 10p, cuz they said it's too late and they have to be up early the next day to hear mass.
** End of day 1 **
Don't forget to smile! :)
-XOXO-
Only a few pictures here coz I wasn’t allowed to bring my laptop with me so… sacrifice. And my cam got wet... boohoo T_T … clumsy-clumsy. The battery has a lower life span and the mmc's not working well. I was supposed to export the pictures a while ago, but then yung lumabas na pictures were those taken during Kam’s graduation which I’ve already deleted.
Anyhoo, just gonna tell you guys the stuff we did from our departure till the time we get back (which was only yesterday). I’ve been gone for almost a week, so expect a long post.
I went to school first to see B, watched him play RF, had lunch, then went to Glorietta to help Kam buy some stuff for our trip. We arrived home at around 5p, fixed our things, rest, dinner, waited for the oldies to pack their things and… it's goodbye, Manila!
It was a really long trip. Longer than Baguio (12 hrs). And it was so dull, dreary, mind-numbing, tiresome… in short, it was BORING. Totally. When we get to Pangasinan there weren't any radio signal/s so we were in complete silence for the whole trip. I just slept all the way to Isabela. When we got there, we were like foreigners coz all the people were like too anxious to see us and almost every one invited us to have lunch, snack, and dinner with them. Take note, we're not allowed to say NO coz they’ll get nutty. I’m not even allowed to say that I’m not starving or that I’m super full (which was so true) coz they’ll get barmy and they’ll never speak to us, EVER. So goodbye, diet! But I'd rather they get mad at me than gain a bajillion pounds. Haha!
I just locked myself in the van coz I can’t relate to whatever they're talking about. I can’t understand a thing! Finally, after hours of butt-sore, the oldies decided to go out and hear mass at Cabagan Parish. As expected, I didn't understand a thing during the entire sermon cuz the priest was using both Ybanag (native dialect) and Latin. I'm pretty sure he used Spanish, too.
After that, had dinner at Felicitas then went back home. It was only 7:30p when we got home but the streets were already deserted. Swear. Almost everyone, except for the drunkards, were at home watching tv or sleeping. It super creey cuz there were only a few street lights and those frightening sounds that crickets make just make thing worse. I dunno why, but I get goose bumps on situations like that. Haha! Good thing Ate Gayle, our cousin from Manila, was there too coz her family’s staying there. She invited us out with her friends. I was trying hard not to laugh cuz of the BIG difference with they way the hung out there from what we do here in Manila. Instead of going to bars and club and getting drunk till you drop, they were there at a friend's house, merrily chatting with each other, sharing stories and jokes while eating hot soup. Yes, soup. No alcoholic beverages, its either water, coffee, or soft drinks. Yes, they're that nice. Went home before 10p, cuz they said it's too late and they have to be up early the next day to hear mass.
** End of day 1 **
Don't forget to smile! :)
-XOXO-
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Hey, hey creatures! I'm here at Warzone. Bry's playing RF, and I'm... blogging. Just waiting for the clock to strike 12 and I'm off to our family vacation. It's not like the usual vacations we have cuz of the fact that we have to go to our province to visit my grandpa's sister who's... uhmn... getting old and... uhhh... you know... waaah! I'm running out of words! Haven't fix my things yet so cramming nanaman when I get home. Still have to go to Glorietta with Kam to buy a few stuff for Mum, coz she's always on "kuripot mode" when it comes to herself. Haha!
Hmm... just wanna post something before we leave. 5 days! oh-em-geeee!!! No internet, no tv (cable, i mean), no... EVERYTHING! It's so far from civilization! What am I gonna do there? Ride a carabao all day long? And then what? I'mma plow the field, harvest some corns, climb trees, swim at the Cagayan River slash Carabaos' bath tub.
Bry, if you're reading this, I'll make sure na pag-uwi ko, mukhang carabao na ko. Hindi lang yun! Amoy carabao nadin ako! XD Hahahah!
I'll miss you Brylee :( BE GOOD! Hahaha!
Till here creatures! I'll miss my blog :( cheerios! :D
Hmm... just wanna post something before we leave. 5 days! oh-em-geeee!!! No internet, no tv (cable, i mean), no... EVERYTHING! It's so far from civilization! What am I gonna do there? Ride a carabao all day long? And then what? I'mma plow the field, harvest some corns, climb trees, swim at the Cagayan River slash Carabaos' bath tub.
Bry, if you're reading this, I'll make sure na pag-uwi ko, mukhang carabao na ko. Hindi lang yun! Amoy carabao nadin ako! XD Hahahah!
I'll miss you Brylee :( BE GOOD! Hahaha!
Till here creatures! I'll miss my blog :( cheerios! :D
Don't forget to smile! :)
-XOXO-
-XOXO-
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