June 2007 Archives

HERE are photos of her Batanes getaway sent in by reader Jasmin Rose Limbo, a finance and administration coordinator in a maritime company in Makati City. Jasmin writes: "I love to travel the beautiful islands of our country because 'nature tripping' is one of my outlets." The photo above shows Mhel, Glad and Jasmin at the Honesty coffee shop. At the top of a radar station. Mt. Iraya is in the background, and you have a 360-degree view of Batanes. "Marlboro Country" in town of Mahattan. Glad opening the gate of the Pacita Abad Foundation House. White sand beach at Sabtang island. Exotic food (coconut crab). Jasmin at the handicraft store of Aling Adelina together with Glad. At the lighthouse in Basco, enjoying the last day of vacation.

By Marlet D. Salazar, Contributor INQUIRER.net THE LOOK on the faces of the people on board varies. Some are calm; others tense. And one lady grips her rosary as if her life depended on it. But evidently, everyone is quiet. The waves are huge all right, but for a group of islands bounded by the China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, these seem to be perfectly normal. A 45-minute faluwa ride to Sabtang on an overcast and windy day makes things a little more, well, exciting. A faluwa is the motorized boat used for island hopping. A trip to Batanes has always been about fun, adventure, and tranquility. Without this experience, it would have never been as memorable. So much has been said and written about Batanes. Opportunities for magnificent photographs abound. It is the dream destination of shutterbugs because anywhere you look at there is a perfect photograph just waiting to be captured. Almost half of Batanes is made up of hills and mountains enveloped in that breathtaking seascape. Still, Batanes holds such magical mystery. And to borrow one writer’s perspective, it is "a state of mind." Its distance from the rest of the Philippines could very well be its No. 1 attraction. About 860 kilometers north of Manila, it is paradise for city dwellers who yearn for some quiet time. Neither the strong winds nor the dipping temperature (that can drop to as low as 7 degrees Celsius) could stop us from going there. It was February, just nearing toward the end of "really" cold months that usually starts in December. It doesn’t take a while to sink in that we finally set foot on the celebrated small archipelago. The wind breezes through our faces... and caps... and jackets... and we try in vain to gather the stuff that are blown away. Divinely provincial The rural feel immediately seeps through our senses. It is indeed magical. Batanes is most famous for its glorious coastline, vast rolling hills, and centuries-old stone houses. But the town of Basco with its divinely provincial setting is already an object of enchantment. Environment-friendly bicycles are used to get around even in nearby towns although a few scooters have already found their way into the lifestyle of some Ivatans. Of the 10 islands in Batanes only three are inhabited. The population of only 16,000 is spread over Batan, Itbayat, and Sabtang. The province is the least populated in the country. The capital, Basco, is in Batan which serves as the center of commerce and trade. The schools and the parish church are also located there, and the municipal and provincial capitols are just within a few strides away from each other. The islands of Itbayat and Sabtang are part of the six municipalities that made up the whole of Batanes. The others include Basco, Ivana, Mahatao, and Uyugan. In recent years, Batanes has transformed into a must-see tourist destination after being only known to be the point of reference for typhoons. With this development, lodging inns are gradually increasing. Pension Ivatan is the newest inn in the island. A literal uphill climb leads to the best rooms which give a perfect vista of the town of Basco overlooking the Kanyuyan Beach and Port and Basco Lighthouse on the right. Batanes may be a far-flung area but Christianity still found its way to the province. Like most places in the north, it is not short of old churches. The San Jose Church fronting the Ivana seaport underwent three renovations. Its foundation dates back to 1795 but was built in 1814. We are invited to see the ruins at the back of the church. There is an eerie feeling while investigating what has remained of the old church but the photographs proved irresistible. Like churches, Batanes does not lack imposing lighthouses. Aside from their main purpose, they have become perfect subjects of photographs what with the blue sky as flawless background. Naturally polite And can someone let the trip continue without stopping by the Honesty Store? As the name suggests, this famous store will test your truthfulness. The jeepney ride brought many surprises but one thing that really sticks to my mind is the courteousness of the drivers. This is something Greek to me so I try to indulge myself in witnessing their incessant acknowledgment of each other when someone gives way in narrow roads. This refreshing change of atmosphere is spiced up by the wonderful scenery of the ocean on the right and the rolling hills on the left. The faluwa ride to Sabtang is postponed for a day. We are advised that it is impossible to travel because the weather is not cooperating. Thanks to the blessing from the Basco's parish priest asked by one of the members of the group, we’re off to Sabtang the next day. The "slight" turbulence at sea is what prompted a passenger to hold her rosary and pray for our safety. Clueless of what is really happening, I am beaming during the ride amazed by the huge waves that would most likely swallow our boat. As my friend put it: "Ga-bahay yung alon no?! (The waves are the size of a house)." Sabtang is about 41 square kilometers with its central part covered with mountains. While some are still dazed by the ride, we headed to Chavayan. The drive through the dirt road takes us to one of the Japanese garrisons during the Occupation. While Ivatans in Basco is slowly changing the look of their houses, residents of Chavayan are able to preserve the old stone houses. Itbayat intrigues me. The second most populated among the municipalities, it is about 95 square kilometers. I can see a glimpse of the island from the Ivana port. It will take about four hours of faluwa ride to get there. The still uncorrupted natural wonder that is Batanes may have been slowly embracing modernity. The fear of many conservationists and environmentalists is that the culture of the Ivatans may become a thing of the past once they fully embrace the changes that are introduced there. But the relaxing way of life continues to be like an open invitation to become one with the locals. The Ivatans never cease to greet you in the streets, in the stores, in the church, and everywhere you go. If we follow the religious context of heaven which is "a place or condition of supreme happiness and peace where good people are," then Batanes is indeed heaven on earth. Editor's note: Marlet D. Salazar writes for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the parent company of INQUIRER.net.

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net TALK about the world's biggest "marriage proposal." As you can see from the photo, someone posted the message: "Marry Me? Diana" on the world's tallest building, Taipei 101. (This article from UK-based The Inquirer claims it's a fake proposal to drum up business--Ed.) Taipei 101 is one of Taiwan's tourist attractions. While Taiwan does not really market itself as a major tourist destination, it attracts a lot of visitors as one of the world's major electronics manufacturing hub. Usually, foreign investors come to Taipei to discuss business with their Taiwanese counterparts and afterwards leave. However, the few foreigners who do have time to kill find that the country is not just ready for business, but is also a source of pleasure littered with pockets of attractions. The capital, Taipei, itself is big enough to give a sense of wonder to the lucky visitors. Height is might Taipei 101, currently the world's tallest building at 1,671 feet, is a major tourist attraction. As the name implies, it has 101 floors for commercial purposes. From beyond the city's perimeter, tourists will see that Taipei 101 is the only really tall structure and even the other tall buildings are just dwarves, not reaching even half its height. It will be the most familiar structure when coming from the Taipei airport. Like all record-holding structures, Taipei 101 has an observation deck. This is located on the 89th floor and the admission ticket is about US$10 per person. Its main feature is the open air observation deck at the 91st floor, which allows visitors to go outside. However, it closes during bad weather and on these days, only the lower observation area is open. The building is also said to be the world's tallest advertising structure and is also one of the most expensive at NT$4, 000, 000 or US$121, 000 per month. Whale watching A two-hour drive from Taipei is the fishing port of Wushih in Yilin County. It is along the coastline facing the Pacific Ocean. It is also one of the more popular sites for whale watching. Taiwan is home to a third of the world's cetaceans, comprising of whales, porpoises and dolphins. Various cetaceans can be found in Taiwan’s Pacific-side coast from bottlenose dolphins, false killer whales and humpback whales. There would be days when these animals will show some aerial acrobatics but on other days they will quietly slip away from incoming boats to appear in a farther area. Occasionally, lucky visitors will get a chance to see whale sharks. The waters off Yilin are calm, almost glassy with no winds or waves to disturb the peace. Visitors will ride in government sanctioned tour boats with specialized viewing seats at the ships bow to give whale watchers an unobstructed view of the animals. These tour boats usually take around an hour to get to the whales’ feeding or breeding grounds. Unfortunately, trash also litters the seas off Taiwan, especially those near the whales’ feeding spots. Garbage is left off by tourists and some by commercial fishing vessels and could pose a health threat to the animals that eat mostly small fish, krill and other tiny crustaceans. The government of Taiwan has already promised to do something about it in order to maintain Taiwan’s prestige as a destination for whale watchers. Arts and culture Taiwan is also home to Asia's most prolific artists and some are located in the Yilan Culture Center, another two-hour drive from Taipei. Yilan Culture Center is also one of the biggest art-related structures ever made and is set in a sprawling five-hectare property. The architectural design depicts Taiwan's historical legacy from mainland China as the buildings are made with traditional Chinese red bricks. It also provides visitors a sense of Taiwan's own cultural development with its painters, sculptors, writers, puppeteers, playwrights and stage actors. The Yilan Culture Center is complete with a traditional Chinese temple, indoor and outdoor stages for plays and puppet shows, a river tour, at least two indoor theaters, and a huge museum of artwork from famed bamboo sculptors dating as far back as the early 1900s. The photo shows an offering at the traditional Buddhist temple. Nearby shops in at least two buildings also sell contemporary art decorations, trinkets, raditional clothes, stage puppets or marionettes, and traditional Chinese sweets. Home sweet home One place in Taiwan that is so similar to the Philippines’ own mountainous Baguio City and Tagaytay is Jiufen (or Chiufen), a village carved out on the side of a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Jiufen once guaranteed riches for people looking to mine or trade gold in the late 1800s. Once a poor village, the discovery of gold attracted prospectors from all over Taiwan. But it later declined as gold become more difficult to find. For decades, Jiufen remained a wreck until the government stepped up to construct newer establishments in the late 1980s to make it more attractive for local and foreign visitors. Its location perhaps appealed most to the government as Jiufen was on a mountainside and had a huge wharf over the sea. Jiufen was also used as a location for the opular Taiwanese film "A City of Sadness," as well as in the Japanese anime movie "Spirited Away." Jiufen’s houses are built on the mountainside and the roads are mostly one-way streets zigzagging from below up to the top houses. Surprisingly, the roads are not difficult to traverse as the streets only gradate for a few degrees. However, there are shortcuts of steep concrete steps that are almost 50 feet in height. Most of the business establishments sell food, trinkets and clothes but there are specialized shops that sell second-hand books and antiques. There are also multi-level restaurants with the top floor being used for open-air dining. Jiufen is so peaceful that all of the houses do not have porches and the living rooms are separated from the roads only by the houses' front wall. All of these places can be visited in a day but these are surely the most memorable places to be found in Taiwan. There are about a dozen other counties that have picturesque views and it could take almost a week to visit all of the best places in Taiwan. (Editor's note: Check out Alex Villafania's coverage of Taiwan's Computex 2007 for Tech Addicts.)

By Alex Vergara Inquirer WHILE there are still many parts of booming India that remain woefully underdeveloped, New Delhi, especially its tony five-star hotels and restaurants, is more the exception than the rule. Nokia, the Finnish cell phone giant, recently launched its seven new phones in India's bustling capital of nearly 15 million people. It's quite seldom one sees an airport that's worse than the NAIA. But apart from the seeming chaos at the old Indira Gandhi International Airport, the rest of New Delhi is like one big garden consisting of wide, tree-lined boulevards and long stretches of embassies and government buildings. Well-zoned New Delhi is probably what Quezon City would have turned out had our government stuck to its original plan to strictly enforce zoning laws in its bid to make it the nation's new capital. Designed and built by the British, New Delhi is a city that literally rose from the wilderness sometime during the last century. Before it became the country's capital in 1911, the British colonial government ruled from Calcutta. The dearth of people on New Delhi's streets the day we visited was perhaps due to the fact that it was Buddha's birthday, one of 366 holidays and festivals the multi-ethnic, multi-faith country celebrates. In contrast, old Delhi is crowded, more urban and teems with business activities from countless of mom-and-pop shops. But wherever you go, be it in the old or new part of the city, a ubiquitous yellow and green open-air taxi (similar to Thailand's tuktuk) is never far behind. If you can stand New Delhi's heat, these metered tricycles charge half the fare compared to a conventional taxi. The city's open-air buses, a far cry from our air-conditioned buses that run along Edsa, also have the same color scheme. Since it was once the seat of Muslim power (apart from Agra, where the famed Taj Mahal is located), old Delhi has a large concentration of Muslims. It's also home to Jama Masjid, the country's largest and most famous mosque. Completed in 1656 under the rule of Shah Jahan, the mosque is made from a combination of red sand and white marble. Built on high ground, the structure, with its humongous courtyard, imposing domes and lofty minarets, can be seen miles away from almost every direction. The nearby Red Fort is another vestige of Muslim rule in India. So called because of its color (again due primarily to red sand), the fort was where Muslim moguls and later British colonial governors called the shots whenever they were in Delhi. Alas, no one was manning the fort the day we came to visit. India Gate Indeed, if one were to do a whirlwind, day-long tour of both Delhis, it's probably best to limit yourself to the numerous mosques, temples, churches and ruins that abound within and outside the city limits. Aside from photo opportunities at the India Gate, the symbolic epicenter of New Delhi, other noteworthy attractions worth visiting are the Qutab Minar Islamic ruins (with its intricately carved limestone tower and other fine examples of Muslim art), the Laxima Narayan Temple, the Swaminaravan Akshardham complex and the Baha'I House of Worship. The latter is an ecumenical temple of sorts completed in 1986, a millisecond ago if measured against India's rich and storied past. Also known as the Lotus Temple because of its iconic appearance, the Baha'I House of Worship has won numerous local and international awards in engineering and architecture. Bottled or tap Every traveler knows that it pays to choose bottled over tap water when in doubt. Perhaps, nowhere is this cardinal rule more applicable than in India. But if first-time visitors like us were to strictly follow Nokia's warning, such a precaution seemed woefully inadequate. Days before boarding a flight to New Delhi via Singapore, we got an e-mail warning us to refrain from drinking "untreated" water and eating any food product that was "washed or had water added to it." The warning seemed sensible. With intermittent drizzles somewhat tempering New Delhi's energy-zapping summer heat, our reflexes were relaxed, but we still didn't succumb to savoring a seemingly innocuous bottle of ice-cold lime juice available in make-shift stalls and pushcarts found in strategic street corners (the city's version of "sa malamig"). But what really caught my attention, enough to induce in me a mixed feeling of disbelief and fear, was the part that reminded us not to "open your mouth in the shower." Gulp! The water-related precautions didn't stop there. In fact, I would have dismissed most of them as lame reminders (along the line of avoiding dark, unfamiliar places especially at night) if only they didn't sound so surreal. A few more examples: use bottled water when brushing your teeth; don't add ice to your drink unless you're sure it's purified; if you're buying water from roadside stalls, dodgy-looking shops or small towns, check the seal on the cap and "investigate" the bottle for any signs of tampering (time to bring out the magnifying glass). Mind you, in India it seems not all bottled waters are created equal. Aside from finding out the bottled water’s origin, we were also reminded to determine its age. If it leaves you with the impression that it dates back to the time of the Muslim moguls, then by all means drop that bottle! The only exception to the bottled-water rule, is if you're "100 percent" sure that the water has been boiled for 20 minutes. Short of barging into a hotel's kitchen with a timer, it advised us to simply stick to bottled water. So much for alternatives. Four hours But whether or not you have enough bottled water, doing the Taj Mahal, no matter how enticing, is out of the question unless you have an extra day to spare. The place is four hours away by car from New Delhi. Bad news, too, for shopaholic Filipinos, as New Delhi is no place for mall rats. We probably didn't try to look hard enough, but it seemed there wasn't a mall in sight within four kilometers from the Shangri-La Hotel. Since the Indian economy underwent liberalization fairly recently, big brands, from high street to luxury labels, have yet to fully make their presence felt in the subcontinent. Besides, with the abundance of cheap labor and materials, especially fabrics, there's no way overpriced Western goods can compete with locally produced products. Our hotel, however, is a mere three minutes away from a series of small shops and bazaars (where haggling is an accepted practice) featuring Indian handicrafts, fashion accessories and leather goods. A visit to the Cottage Industries Expositions, also in New Delhi, is like going on a virtual trip to India's 27 states, as the air-conditioned shop features anything and everything Indian, including exquisite and hand-made silk and wool carpets from Kashmir. Various types of tea were also on offer, but there were no signs of bottled water on the store's shelves. For a moment there, we were almost tempted to head to the nearest lime juice stand.

By Sharon Robas-Macawile Inquirer WE'VE heard and read so much about Ilocos, its sights, beaches and food. So when the opportunity for us to visit the place comes, my hubby and I pack our bags and prepare ourselves for the Ilocandia experience. We've always wanted to go to Ilocos not only to enjoy the beach but to learn something about the rich historical and cultural stuff the region is known for. After a long and winding night trip, we wake up in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. Dubbed the "Boracay of the North," Pagudpud beaches boast white sand and clear waters. They’re also less crowded than their Visayas counterpart. The excitement grows the moment our feet touch the cool waters. We are warned that the waters can go deep. Why? Because the sand is very soft and the waves can literally wash you away. The Bangui wind farm can be seen visibly from the beach and provides a perfect backdrop to the pristine waters, which are best not only for swimming but for boating and kayaking as well. We then head to the Patapat Bridge and have our photos taken, just like what most tourists do, with its picturesque landscape. We also make a quick stop at the Bangui view deck for a better view of the "giant electric fans" of the wind farm. A first in Southeast Asia, the 15 turbines supply power to Ilocos Norte. The century-old Cape Bojeador lighthouse in Burgos, which still works up to this day, is also a must-see. The magnificent view at the top is simply breathtaking. We exit Pagudpud and its neighboring towns while mesmerized by the beauty of nature surrounding the place -- the lush mountains and trees, the seas, and the countless cows that seem to find solace in their bucolic setting. Bright and clear The capital city of Laoag impresses us with its cleanliness and its maaliwalas feel. Well, it's no surprise since Laoag means bright and clear! It's also often referred to as the "sunshine city of the North." We are lucky to stay near the heart of the city, and what better way to explore the place than by taking a walk. A stone's throw away from the Ilocos Norte Capitol is the famous Sinking Bell Tower of Laoag. Although sandwiched within the commercial area, this landmark never fails to catch the attention of tourists. The remarkably clean Laoag public market is also nearby. Pedestrian lanes are visible enough for us not to miss it. The famous empanada is everywhere. There's also the St. William Cathedral where we hear Mass, in Ilokano! It is our first time to hear Mass in a different dialect, and the only time we get to sing along is when "Kordero ng Diyos" is sung. We also notice that during offertory, churchgoers buy lighted vigil candles inside the church and offer these at the altar. Our second day in Ilocos Norte brings us to the Malacañang of the North in Paoay. There isn't much to see inside except the spacious rooms of the late President Marcos, his first lady and their children except for Bongbong who, the guide says, often stayed in his beach house. The mansion overlooks the tranquil Paoay Lake and golf course. Paoay Church, a Unesco Heritage Site, with its magnificent facade and belfry, is also a sight to behold. The Marcos house and museum in Batac, where photos and memorabilia of the late president are displayed, draw crowds everyday. The late president's preserved body can be viewed here, but no cameras are allowed inside the mausoleum, to the dismay of many curious visitors. In Sarrat, where the late president was born, can be found the equally majestic Sta. Monica Church and ruins. It has become more popularly known as the church where Irene Marcos and Greggy Araneta exchanged vows. Just as with the Paoay Church, the Sta. Monica Church belfry is separated from the church. Our guide says this was to prevent the tower from toppling into and damaging the church in the event of an earthquake. The Sand Dunes of Ilocos is also a popular tourist site. The desert setting became a favorite location of the "Panday" movies of FPJ and its recent remake on television. Historic village After touring the north, we proceed to Ilocos Sur and explore the famous city of Vigan. First stop is the pagburnayan or pottery-making factory where countless jars in different shapes and sizes are made. We also drop by the ancestral house of the Crisologos, a known political clan in Vigan, before we take our kalesa ride to the historic Vigan Heritage Village. Tourists ride the kalesa, the only means of transportation allowed inside the heritage village, to view the centuries-old houses of the city. Souvenir items and pasalubong also abound in the village. A side trip to the sprawling Baluarte of Gov. Chavit Singson is a welcome treat to animal lovers as the place teems with tigers, deer, horses, ostriches and many more. Ilocos is also famous for its cuisine. Aside from the famous empanada and longganisa (by the way, we prefer the Laoag longganisa over the Vigan variety), there’s also the pasalubong staples of chichacorn and Pasuquin biscocho. We have fond memories of the Ilokano pinakbet in Pagudpud, so when we dine at the homey La Preciosa Restaurant in Laoag, we are curious to try out other Ilokano dishes. We are amused by the interesting sound of the dishes on the menu, such as poqui-poqui and warek-warek but in the end, we settle for the famous and easy-to-pronounce bagnet. Ilocos is really sun, sea, sand and a lot more. It is the perfect getaway for weary urban souls.

IT'S Cebu Business Month, and the Queen City of the South aims to strengthen the country's tourism industry as it plays host to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Tourism Congress from June 14 to 15 at the Cebu International Convention Center. The event is being organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Here's an excerpt from Irene Sino Cruz's story for the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

Mila Espina, chairperson of the tourism congress committee, said Cebu was prepared to promote tourism further as it has laid the groundwork for links in the Asian region.

During the congress, local tourism stakeholders and the downstream businesses supporting the industry would learn how to benefit from the growing industry, Espina said during the 888 News Forum held Tuesday at the Marco Polo Plaza. She said this year's event (the congress is on its third year) would be different since the chamber invited other sectors such as the academe, the local governments and the small entrepreneurs so that the benefits from tourism industry would trickle down to the community.

Around 50 speakers and panelists will converge in Cebu for this tourism expo. Here's more information from the press statement:

"We are holding Tour Cebu: CBM Asean Tourism Congress as a follow-through to the highly successful 12th ASEAN Summit, held in Cebu last January," said Dr. Mila C. Espina, chairman of the CBM Asean Tourism Congress. "In addition, this event is also inspired by the fact that 35 percent of foreign tourist arrivals are captured by Cebu, making the province one of the major -- if not the biggest -- tourism hubs in the country." According to CCCI president Francis Monera, the event aims to promote the Philippines -- through Cebu -- as a world-class tourism hub. "We are doing this by making sure that the convention and exhibition components of the confab are truly at par with international standards," Monera said. For the conference, panel discussions have been lined up on the following topics: facilities marketing, building and distinguishing the Asian experience, marketing Asian places and deregulation of the airline industry; and the role of the media in branding destinations. "The biggest names in the international tourism industry have confirmed their participation in the panel discussions, including respected media personalities" said CBM chairman Samuel L. Chioson. Leading the list of speakers in media are travel and tourism journalists Shannon Sweeney of CEI; Margie T. Logarta of BusinessTraveller Asia-Pacific; Greg Hutchison of Agence France-Presse; Zenaida Silva of NBC News; Butch Canoy, national president of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP); and Edward Abad, KBP president-Cebu. The Philippine government will be represented by Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano and Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque as well as Department of Tourism Region 7 Director Patricia Aurora Roa and Col. Francisco Fernando, acting general manager of the Philippine Retirement Authority. They will be joined by representatives from the provincial government, led by Cebu governor Gwen Garcia and Provincial Board member Agnes Magpale. "We will also have resource persons from industry associations as speakers, moderators or panelists," added Chioson. "The roster includes Samie Lim, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Marissa Nallana, honorary secretary of the Asian Federation of Convention and Exhibition Organizers, which is based in Singapore; Dexter Deyto, president of the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers, Inc.; and Won-Gyu Hwang, founding member of the East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Forum." "Finally, joining the local stakeholders are representatives from foreign governments and international industry players such as David de Jesus from the Thailand Tourism Board; Nancy Tan, managing director of Ace: Daytons Direct, Singapore; Eddie Kong, general manager of Cathay Pacific; Dr. Wiendu Nuryanti, executive director of Indonesia’s Yogyakarta Tourism Development Board; Kim Gil-Jong, director of Gangwon's Tourism Marketing Department; and British Consul Moya Jackson. Themed "Inspiring Cebu: Gateway to Asia," the CBM Asean Tourism Congress is being organized in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Board of Investments.

By Augusto Villalon Inquirer I REALLY didn't know much about Guimaras except that it was an island off Iloilo distinguished by its sweet mangoes, a Trappist monastery and, of course, the massive oil slick that still looms down part of its coastline. My recent survey assignment in Iloilo specified checking on surviving urban heritage, but it also called for identifying cultural landscapes in rural areas. After a few days of taking me around to show why he was so proud of his city and province, my colleague and guide, Eugene Jamerlan of the Iloilo Cultural Heritage Council, picked me up in my hotel one morning with the idea of visiting Guimaras that day because he knew we would find the right landscapes there. A few minutes later, we sailed away from the flat coastal landscape of Iloilo and docked in the main port of Guimaras, a compact town built along the lower slopes of the very green, rolling Guimaras landscape. Eugene was right. Guimaras was one surprise after the other. Only a narrow strait separates this largest island in Iloilo’s coastal waters from Iloilo City. The neighboring island protects the city harbor from monsoon forces, a factor that allowed Iloilo to flourish as one of the major Visayan ports, leading to the long history of economic stability in progressive Iloilo. Although an independent province now, Guimaras has not severed its ties with Iloilo. Not only are the two geographically proximate, they continue to maintain such close-knit family and economic relationships that it's difficult to imagine a break ever happening between the two. After a 15-minute banca crossing, we disembarked on the Jordon pier and immediately took off in a rented jeepney, which climbed the winding hillside road that followed the pristine coastline. Peek-a-boo Framed by lush tropical foliage, a panorama of the Iloilo City urban skyline emerged, disappeared and re-emerged in the distance as our vehicle snaked along the narrow road. The paved road eventually ended and changed into a steep stone trail, so we trekked the final uphill stretch to a small barrio where, Eugene said, could be found probably the best examples of traditional bahay kubo of bamboo and cogon perched on steep mountain slopes or edges of limestone cliffs. The dense foliage, slopes, cliffs, and bahay kubo were still there, but not the bamboo and cogon. Corrugated iron sheets now roof the houses and an assortment of plywood and recycled wooden paneling has replaced the traditional intricate Ilonggo bamboo latticework walls. Traditional materials, especially cogon, are now scarce. Constructing with traditional materials is so tedious and time-consuming that they now prefer replacing their cogon roofs with corrugated sheets, residents told us. It’s a sign of progress, they said, as we prepared to trek downhill back to our vehicle to drive to our next stop. Every visitor of Guimaras goes to the Trappist Monastery. The visitors' area next to the chapel was shaded by fruit trees of the monastery orchards; it buzzed with tourists cooling off or busily buying basketsful of homemade preserves, sweets, cookies, fruits and religious items sold at the monastery store. Driving away from the coast on the main highway, the landscape changed into hectares and hectares of mango orchards. Mango trees planted equidistantly cast a noontime shadow of equally spaced, perfectly round polka dots on the ground beneath them, the pattern undulating with the rolling terrain as far as the eye could see. Along the roadside, we found a small sign leading to "Valle Verde." We told our driver to follow the arrow and see where the unpaved road led. Valle Verde turned out to be a modest resort on a hillside with a magnificent view of the Guimaras coast, with a few mountainside cottages arranged around a spring-fed freshwater pool built at the edge of a cliff. Hospitality All she had that day, the owner said, was freshly caught fish that she could either broil or make into sinigang, so we asked for both. She apologized for the limited selection of vegetables in her garden that she could pick for the sour broth. But she cooked us a lunch to remember, made even more memorable by the homespun hospitality Ilonggos are well known for. As we set out on our trip earlier that day, we told our driver Cristobal that we were in Guimaras looking for rural landscapes that had groups of traditional Ilonggo-style bahay kubo in natural settings, seascapes and maybe an old church or two. Cristobal took charge. He brought us to villages nestled under bamboo groves, small barrios along the coast where fishermen lived, hilltop lookout points overlooking stunning seascapes, and to a marvelous Spanish colonial chapel in the barrio of Navelas. Practically hidden from view, with only its bell tower seen at a distance from the road and giving away its presence is the small Navelas Church dating back to about a century and a half to the later years of the Spanish colonial era. The modestly sized churchyard, with the original fence posts still intact from the wall that originally staked off the yard from surrounding open fields, is reached through an arched entranceway piercing through the base of the bell tower that most probably doubled as a lookout for pirates coming from the sea. The simple stone facade of the church survives, but the rest of the structure behind it was replaced with a new concrete structure. We thanked Cristobal for the unexpected surprise of discovering a Spanish colonial fortified church in Guimaras and for providing basic information about the places he took us to. He replied that all drivers in the island were trained as guides by the Department of Tourism, one of the activities of a tourism program for Guimaras conducted by the Canadian Urban Institute. My great surprise in Guimaras was discovering people like Cristobal who give community tourism the respect it deserves. They take visitors to see their home province with pride and dignity, leaving guests with an enjoyable experience and great memories of the place. Because of people like him, I plan to go back to Guimaras to see everything I did not experience in the one day that I spent there.

By Leila Salaverria Inquirer TOURISTS from South Korea can fly directly to Kalibo, Aklan, and need not make a stopover in Manila if they would like to go to Boracay Island, the Bureau of Immigration announced last week. Kalibo town is now a limited port of entry for foreigners after the BI opened its office there to service international flights, according to Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan. Libanan said in a statement that the bureau started its Kalibo operations on May 11, processing the documents of the 65 passengers of the maiden flight of an Asian Spirit jetliner that brought tourists from Incheon, South Korea. Asian Spirit has since been making direct flights from Incheon to Kalibo twice a week, which has been facilitating the arrival of Koreans, according to Libanan. Kalibo is a two-hour journey from Caticlan, which is the nearest coastal village to the internationally renowned Boracay Island, which is popular with vacationers even in the non-summer months. Libanan also said the immigration bureau will increase its presence in Kalibo in the coming months when the Philippine Airlines begins its flights to and from Incheon. Other airlines are also drawing up plans to have direct flights to Kalibo from international destinations like Singapore and Hong Kong. The direct flights to Kalibo arose from the lobbying of local officials in Aklan, who wanted to push the development of tourism in their areas, according to BI boarding section chief Jose Carandang. Carandang said the Aklan provincial government promised to construct a new terminal at the Kalibo airport to cater to foreign passengers and house the immigration office. The BI has established a sub-office in Boracay for foreign tourists on the island who might want to extend their foreign visas. The sub-office was established so that tourists need not go to Manila or Iloilo City for the processing of their documents.

By Joei Villarama INQUIRER.net WE thought the captain was playing a joke on us but the sandstorm turned out to be real -- the plane couldn’t land in Ulan Bator so we made a giant U-turn back to Beijing (not an unusual occurrence for a regular visitor to Mongolia). We waited for hours in an airport hotel, trading stories with fellow passengers on what brought us all here. There was a lawyer for mining companies, a manager for a chain of clinics across Asia, a person on a UN environmental project to combat desertification, a smattering of businessmen and tourists. Then there was me on a mission to see how my volunteer friends were doing. Hopping to four different homes in a week wasn’t a typical relaxed vacation but a discovery of the spartan life they led. “Sharing Skills, Changing Lives” is the motto of VSO -- the Volunteer Services Organization which sends people from different parts of the globe to contribute their expertise to development programs in third world countries. My friends Chielo Sta. Maria, Rayso Natividad and Willie Mercado were only four months into their VSO contract, but had plunged right into their jobs in livelihood security after only a month of language training and country orientation. Beautifully illustrated books sing paeans to the far-reaching expanses of Genghis Khan's empire, Mongolia. There are no grand monuments surviving from that distant era -- what you see is a socialist state coming out of its cocoon. The ubiquity of Genghis Khan's face on many products, including several kinds of vodka and beer, has prompted the government to curtail the use of the famous conqueror's bearded likeness. A teacher expressed a wish that his students, when asked to think of people they admired, would be more creative and come up with other names. We stopped by Joe's place to water his plants on the first day. Also a Filipino volunteer, Joe had been rushed to Korea for medical reasons -- Rayso was looking after the plants left growing under a Sioux Indian dream catcher that filtered the rays of the afternoon sun. Rayso raved about the impact Joe was making in training accountants in Mongolia, helping to fill a huge gap created by the shift from communist rule to the free market system. The next day we took a two-hour ride north of Ulan Bator to Darkhan (silent k) where Willie and Chielo were posted. Smooth rolling mountain ranges stretched before us as the driver sped down the road with the occasional yak crossing. We stopped by a diner where the drivers had the typical meat-laden dishes. Vegetarians won’t have many choices here. Darkhan is a city so small you can easily master the taxi system loop, boarding coasters similar to our FX. In a moment of serendipity, a Mongolian student stopped to help me buy ice cream, fortuitously leading me next to the Filipino volunteer teacher Alain, about whom more later. I gathered from Chielo's interpreter, Galaa, that drinking is a major national problem. It's not uncommon to see drunken men sprawled on building stairs during winter. Somebody said it was a habit inherited from the Russians but that's like saying our mañana habit came from the Spaniards. For breakfast the following day, Willie served me tuyo. I felt guilty eating it, knowing that the supply he generously shared with me was limited. Willie trained entrepreneurs for over a decade at the Department of Trade and Industry back home. Now a consultant in the Darkhan Business Incubator Center, I saw him in comic struggle to surmount the language barrier with his officemates when his computer failed to start. (Still, he took time to introduce me to a woman in the felt products business who wanted to expand her market.) Along the school corridor, the French volunteer Christiane Merz spotted me looking somewhat lost so she invited me to sit in her class for Social Work students. While she had a Red Cross activity the going on, she led me to another class of students learning English and asked me to handle the discussion. The students and I exchanged stories about our own countries, giddy with excitement to communicate. They sang a Mongolian song, talked about their hobbies and the three important sports for men -- horse riding, archery and wrestling. Christiane's class of Tourism students then walked us to two recently finished monuments. From the hilltop, one student pointed out the tallest building in Darkhan, all of 16 stories high. She proudly informed us that it was built by Russians, with people from two other nations contributing labor. Only later would I discover that there was something more to this building than its record-breaking height in this city. The strangest thing -- it had no elevator. Christiane had worked for a year training social workers in Sophia, Bulgaria, as a VSO volunteer. She expected that to be her role in Darkhan too but was instead initially given a job as an English teacher. But this turn of events does not deter this extremely pro-active person; she is now organizing a summer camping trip with her students. The concentration of NGOs and international organizations was astounding. Chielo lived in a building with people from American, Japanese and South Korean aid agencies. Jim, a British volunteer who cracked us up with his wry sense of humor, was handling education methodologies, trying to create an impact on a macro level. The next morning Chielo took me to a cooperative they were assisting. Here women make delicate angora scarves and other wool products. Angora fetches a steep price in high-end stores in the developed world; here women in a small room weave these beautiful fabrics with techniques not too different from that of their ancestors. Next stop was the Darkhan Health Department where many accolades were heaped on the Pinoy volunteer Glenn Benablo, who's been in Mongolia for almost two years now. His goal was to train the nurses, but soon realized that he couldn't jump into it straightaway. So he conducted focus group discussions to get to the bottom of things, finding how over-burdened the nurses were. That was the beginning of helping to improve the health management and delivery system. He even brought eight Mongolian health workers to Davao -- they returned home excited to create their own puppet shows, the kind that enables people to open up about previously taboo topics like domestic violence and alcoholism. On our last night in Darkhan we went to a typical, must-see yurt ("ger" to the Mongolians) and found our host hand-rolling a big piece of heavy brown felt in a basement. He drove us back to his home as though his tiny car were a fierce four-wheel drive that could ram its way through the desert sand in hyper speed. His yurt was plain white on the outside; inside were orange floors, patterned carpets on the walls, reds contrasting with blues all around and ceiling spokes painted with swirling designs, all spelling simple joy. In the center, a stove warms the whole house during the harsh winters. I wondered if people living in multi-story residential flats felt cooped-up and detached from the land where they have been living in yurts for millennia. Then we were in Alain's home -- a volunteer piece de resistance. An artist through and through, his bathroom was literally sheer poetry, with quotes and poems pasted all over. Because it was her own battle cry, Chielo asked me to look for the lines from the movie "Mona Lisa Smile": "Not all who wander are aimless, especially not those who seek truth, beyond tradition, beyond definition, beyond the image." Alain has been teaching English for more than a year. He told me about some of the challenges he encountered -- one of them is the Mongolian sense of time which is actually not far from the Filipino. British David Whitworth and Singaporean Gek Khong have been in Mongolia only since August last year but they’ve already held a joint painting and photography exhibit to raise funds for the Lotus Children's Center -- a shelter for orphans, abused kids and children with disabilities. David was a university lecturer in engineering design in England; after his wife died, he joined VSO to teach construction workers in Mongolia. Similarly, Gek was working in the IT industry in Singapore for 21 years when she decided to take the artist’s route. Now she divides her time between painting and working with children, drawing out and discovering their talents at the Lotus Center. David and Gek chatted about how international aid agencies tend to operate in isolation, not knowing about other organization’s projects when they can easily avoid redundancies. A higher degree of synergy can be attained if the local government encouraged more communication among the agencies. Going back to China, the difference in development levels became starker to me. There's nothing like taking a holiday in a less developed country to make one appreciate home. For now, China is home to me -- and the leap it's made in the nano-blink of a decade seemed all the more incredible after Mongolia. Asking me if I rode a horse, my Chinese friends seemed disappointed that I had only a picture of a yurt to show for the journey, capturing the Gobi Desert only through bars of pasalubong chocolate. I didn't even get to taste authentic Mongolian barbecue, but I did encounter something more -- a glimpse into the life of Filipinos and other foreigners bravely, tirelessly working to make a dent in the global fight against poverty. It doesn't matter which continent they serve. They're citizens of one world.

By Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net   I REALIZED how high that "thing" was when it became quite a pain the neck -- literally. I can't say I didn't have a clue what lay ahead of me during a trip to Kuala Lumpur a few months ago; interestingly, it was my first time in the Malaysian capital, covering a Yahoo! event. KL is home to the mighty Petronas Twin Towers, and to remind first-timers they won't miss it is probably best said with a hint of sarcasm. This truth was magnified further -- perhaps, literally as well -- because I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, located right beside Petronas, affording me a great view from my hotel room. I was told they allow visitors to go to the bridge connecting the two towers. (Remember that heist movie starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones? Yes, loads of cliffhanger shots in there). But I was duly forewarned that I have to be in line as early as 7 in the morning, wait for an hour or so before finally getting a lift. It was an overnight trip and it would've been a stretch in time for my afternoon flight the next day. Plus, I hate missing breakfast on trips so that sealed it. Maybe, I'll make time for it on my next trip. The view from my hotel room was fantastic. But outside, it was beginning to haunt me. Walking on the street, I was taking quick glances at those towers. While inside a restaurant having dinner, I found myself lifting my head from time to time looking through clear glass windows. It was begging to be looked at, urging you to go click and take a picture. Later that morning, while killing some time before checkout, I was lying on the floor looking at it from my window. It was then that I thought of George Orwell's classic novel 1984. Petronas gives a profound meaning to Big Brother, more than the reality show. That thing out there has a life of its own. KL on a stick A Malaysian journalist named Catherine was kind enough to show us a glimpse of the nightlife in KL. After walking around, my first impression of the city was that in some ways it is similar to Singapore -- clean, orderly, excellent infrastructure, characteristics of a bustling city. However, I didn't find it as cosmopolitan as Singapore. Or maybe, that's because I was only there for a few hours. We ended up in a bar whose name escapes me up to now but is probably named Coco Hut or something, one of those places that would belong to a scene like our own Boracay island. And the crowd looks not too different -- throngs of white people mingling with, uhm, local bar girls. I knew about Malaysia's reputation for having the best street food -- in Singapore, they call them hawker stalls or food stalls that literally serve food outdoors. Also, almost synonymous to our own turo-turo (literally "point-point" because you point at the food--Ed.). We passed by one but apparently things don't start cooking until 10 in the evening. So after some mingling inside the bar, me and Jing, a fellow journalist and editor for the Manila Times, sneaked our way out and headed for a nearby food stall. People familiar with isaw or your ordinary barbecue whatever (pig's ears, chicken innards, etc.) should find the Malaysian version quite interesting. For one, it has more variety. For one Malaysian ringgit each (equivalent to a little over P13), you choose squid, crab sticks, several shapes of tofu, even more several shapes of fish and even a leafy kind of vegetable they managed to sear with a barbecue stick as well -- all laid out neatly on banana leaves. The most interesting variation, however, is that the food isn't fried but rather dunked in boiling water until cooked. People like me who prefer their barbecue a bit on the charred, well-grilled side would find it rather strange at first. The sauces used for dipping, however, make up for it. You have a choice between the sweet satay peanut sauce, chili sauce and a sweet-spicy combo. Afterwards, you wash it down with a drink that's sort of similar to our own sago't gulaman, only there's really no jelly, rather bland, without the sweetness I expected. At this point, I longed for some Coke. NOT totally lost in translation Having watched the movie "Babel" recently before I went to KL, the message I got from the excellent movie (it won Best Picture at the Golden Globes but lost to "The Departed" in the Oscars… boo-hoo) was that people, regardless of race or nationality, mean the same thing even when we speak different languages. It was a lingering thought for me once I stepped into the airport and all throughout the airport. Hearing the Malaysian journalists talk among themselves during the Yahoo! briefing, it was a struggle to even keep up with the words they were saying. But I saw these signs at the airport and I realized: Hey, aren't we Filipinos part of the Malay race? Aside from Tagalog, I speak Kapampangan as my local dialect, and some words I found very familiar. Consider the following examples: keluar in Malaysian means "exit," in Kapampangan kelual means "outside;" the signboard says pintu translates to "gates," pinto in Tagalog means "door" (pintu masuk translates to "boarding door;" pasok in Tagalog means "to enter"). Or salin lampin the sign translates to "nappy change;" in Tagalog, it has the exact literal meaning. Air Minuman translates to "drinking water;" we Filipinos mean we're thirsty if we say inom. But probably the one I like best is this sign above a toy store that says butik kana-kanak; in Tagalog, anak means child, butik then should refer to the English word "boutique." So, even if I can barely understand what Malaysians are talking about, at least I won't be totally lost at the airport.