Ilocos Norte: Carasi road trip to Sabo Dam

Carasi is one three Itneg mountain towns of Ilocos Norte, the other two being Adams and Dumalneg. It's an hour away from Laoag by private vehicle passing through the towns of Sarrat and Piddig. You'll need a 4x4 to get there. At the moment, there's nothing much to do in Carasi except a visit to Sabo Dam and several waterfalls which would require trek quite a distance.

One thing we noticed was the water was crystal clear. I hope it remains that way. It was explained to us that the reason behind this is that nobody lives further upstream.

But plans are bright since in the next few months, they'll be opening and promoting bike trails, and organizing white water rafting activities and treks to the different waterfalls. In fact, we're inviting people to try the trails soon.

On the way back we stopped by Piddig Church and Sarrat Church which are very much intact. Sarrat is a bit closer to Laoag so it's usually visited as part of a church tour. Piddig is further away so not many people know about it. But it's one old church worth visiting for anyone interested in old architecture.

Manila: Malabon's Immaculate Concepcion fluvial procession

Like our Southeast Asian neighbors, the Philippines is known for its water festivals. Some are wet and wild, others are solemn religious fluvial processions, others are both. I was invited to witness the fluvial procession in Concepcion, Malabon last December 9.

Why December 9? The Concepcion, Malabon fiesta actually lasts three days from December 8 to 10. December 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception nationwide. Aside from the fact that they did not want to compete with the significance of the nationwide commemoration, December 9 is the Pista ng mga Mangingisda (Fishermen's Festival). That's why the fluvial procession is held on that day. December 10 is the Pista ng Parokya ng Concepcion (Feast of the Concepcion Parish) when a grand procession of the image of the Immaculate Concepcion is held.

I'm used to the day time fluvial processions. The one in Concepcion in contrast, left at sunset. The pagoda that bears the image of the Immaculate Concepcion is constructed on top of two cascoes (traditional trading boats dating back to the Spanish colonial period that are fast disappearing) and elegantly lit with blue and white lights.

From the Rufina Patis factory in Concepcion, it goes as far as the mouth of the river close to Manila Bay, then back all the way to the San Bartolome Church, before finally making its way back to Concepcion. Despite the water pollution, the slow and solemn movement of the procession and the elegant lights make the trip an enchanting one.

Through the years, some traditions disappeared. They used to stopover in Navotas (said to be the original home of the image) to sing praises which made the procession last until the wee hours of the morning. But when Martial Law was imposed, together with curfews, this practice was stopped.

The pagoda also used to go as far as Manila Bay as well where boats participating in the procession would honor and salute the image by circling the pagoda. But after the Bocaue tragedy, the Philippine Coast Guard became very strict. And that practice was stopped as well.

After the procession, we feasted on a sumptuous dinner prepared by the Lucas Family that owns Rufina. Pardon the quality of the photos. It was a spur of the moment trip and I only had my camera phone with me.

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Malabon, Metro Manila's hidden gem

Japan: Nagoya Castle and more from Nagoya

The next day, we left for Kyoto for Nagoya via the Shinkansen. We were flying back to Manila from the Nagoya Airport. The reserved section Shinkansen tickets from Kyoto to Nagoya cost Y5440.


We took the noon train and got to enjoy the scenery along the way. The train took 37 minutes to travel the 108-kilometer distance between the two cities. The first thing we looked for was lockers to keep our big luggage and then we were off to visit Nagoya Castle.

We found out there was a Y500 day pass on the Nagoya Sightseeing Route Bus. And that gave us discounts to the attractions such as the Nagoya Castle. What a way to end our Japan tour walking around a grand Japanese castle that towered over the landscape. The entrance fee to Nagoya Castle is Y500. But with the bus day pass, you just pay Y400.

The Nagoya Castle is a wonderful sample of a Japanese castle. This was actually reconstructed in 1959 after it was destroyed by U.S. bombs in 1945. How I wish we restored our own Intramuros churches after the Americans carpet bombed Manila during the Second World War.

On the grounds of the castle was a colorful display of chrysanthemums. The next thing we knew, it was time to get to the airport which was another train ride away. Airports are no longer located within main cities (which is why they are proposing to transfer NAIA operations to DMIA). But again, the transportation system was so efficient, it was a breeze to get to the Nagoya Airport.

On my next Japan trip, I’ll definitely purchase the 7-day Shinkansen pass so I could simply hop-on and hop-off the train from Hokkaido to Kyushu!

Japan: Buddhist monuments of Horyu-ji (Ikaruga, Nara)

Our plan was to go a little further down the road to the town of Ikaruga to visit another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Horyu-ji Temple (法隆寺 or Temple of the Flourishing Law). The full name of the temple is name is Horyu Gakumonji (法隆学問寺 or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law).

From the JR Nara Station, it’s only three stops away (Koriyama, Yamato-Koizumi, and Horyuji) and very convenient to visit. Tickets cost Y420. I really love the efficiency of the Japanese public transportation system!

When we got there, we were met by a Y1000 entrance fee. But with all the temples, shrines and palaces we entered and paid for already the past few days, the group was content with taking photos outside. We wanted to make sure we had enough for our last day in Japan. So after Horyu-ji, we went back to Nara, and back to Kyoto where we stayed for our last night.

Japan: Feeding deer in Nara, Japan

The next day, we headed to Nara, Japan, another UNESCO World Heritage Site (Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara), and another former capital of Japan. Train tickets are free seating so it didn’t matter what time we boarded but we made sure to get a train as early as we could so we could see more attractions. The ride took us a little over 30 minutes.

In Nara, we made sure to pass by the tourism desk to ask all the information we needed. We also got a bus day pass at Y500 which was convenient as in the other cities. Our first stop was Kofuku-ji Temple where we saw a very peculiar attraction of the city, wild deer which roam around Nara freely.

In fact, tourists can feed the deer by purchasing wafers from vendors. It’s fun feeding the deer and they can get aggressive too, nudging you with their head so to grab your attention so that you’d feed them more wafers.

When in Nara, make sure you visit the Todai-ji Temple. Its Great Buddha Hall or Daibutsuden is the largest wooden structure in the world and houses the largest statue of the Buddha Vairocana in the world. Entrance fee is Y500.

I was awestruck walking into this massive temple complex. Inside the Daibutsuden are more massive statues. I really took time absorbing the grandeur and size of the building and its contents. And these were all made hundreds of years ago.

We visited one last attraction in Nara, the Kasuga Taisha Shrine which is known for the many stone lanterns that lead up to the main shrine. My companions had temple and shrine fatigue so we did not enter anymore. So we missed the bronze lanterns inside the main Shinto shrine as well as the Kasugayama Primeval Forest, also part of the UNESCO World Heritage inscription.