This year, I've seen Pangasinan quite often. During the latest trip to distribute Northbound Magazine, we drove again fron Tarlac all the way to Bolinao. Along the way, you could stop by the churches of Mangatarem, Aguilar, Salasa, Lingayen, Alaminos and finally Bolinao.
We stayed at Puerto del Sol for the night. It's definitely the best hotel in Bolinao. We weren't able to pass by Patar Beach or Tondol Beach anymore the next day since we wanted to find some nice beaches in Dasol. On the way to Dasol, we visited the Agno Church.
The bad news was the roads to Dasol's white sand beaches were quite rough and no way was I going to drive my car through the rough road. So we turned back and made our way to Dagupan. Between Lingayen and Dagupan is the town of Binmaley. The Binmaley Church has a really massive belfry.
As we entered Dagupan, one thing I noticed was the abundance of talaba, kampis, kalansipay and lukan sold in stalls along the National Highway. I was told they come all the way from Alaminos.
Before driving back to Manila, we made one last stop in the town of Calasiao. The Calasiao Church is of course a National Cultural Treasure. But the town is better known for producing sweet white puto which we all know as Puto Calasiao. Aside from the kutsinta also being sold there, the puto now comes in various flavors which include mango, banana, strawberry, pandan and ube.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Ilocos Norte: Empanada, miki and more street food from Batac, Ilocos Norte
A trip to Ilocos Norte would not be complete without a food trip in Batac, the home of the Ilocos Norte version of the empanada.
The Batac empanada has a lot of variations. There's the ordinary empanada (just the papaya, bean sprouts and egg), ordinary eggless (just the vegetables), special empanada (with longganisa and egg), special eggless (with longganisa but no egg), special w/o mongo (everything except bean sprouts), jumbo empanada (with hot dog), double special (double longganisa and one egg), double egg (one longganisa and two eggs), and the heaviest of them all, the double double (double the longganisa and egg). They even serve just the crust which they call pinais. For more on the Batac empanada, read Ilocos empanada! Dissecting the Batac and Vigan empanada.
But there's more to Batac than just the empanada. In the empanda stores, they also serve longganisa, kudil (fried pork skin), isaw (fried chicken intestines), pusit (fried dried squid), balut and kwek-kwek among others. It's basically fried stuff! Talk about cholesterol and uric acid high!
But across the street is another treat. Batac is also known for its miki (noodle soup) which they serve for Php20 for the plain miki or Php25 if you want a hard-boiled egg in it. The noodles are freshly made and you can see it still has its flour coat when its dropped in boiling water.
In another store, they served grilled pig parts. There was pig snout, ears, tongue, intestines, pork sausage (longganisa) among others.
Related entry
Street food in the Philippines
The Batac empanada has a lot of variations. There's the ordinary empanada (just the papaya, bean sprouts and egg), ordinary eggless (just the vegetables), special empanada (with longganisa and egg), special eggless (with longganisa but no egg), special w/o mongo (everything except bean sprouts), jumbo empanada (with hot dog), double special (double longganisa and one egg), double egg (one longganisa and two eggs), and the heaviest of them all, the double double (double the longganisa and egg). They even serve just the crust which they call pinais. For more on the Batac empanada, read Ilocos empanada! Dissecting the Batac and Vigan empanada.
But there's more to Batac than just the empanada. In the empanda stores, they also serve longganisa, kudil (fried pork skin), isaw (fried chicken intestines), pusit (fried dried squid), balut and kwek-kwek among others. It's basically fried stuff! Talk about cholesterol and uric acid high!
But across the street is another treat. Batac is also known for its miki (noodle soup) which they serve for Php20 for the plain miki or Php25 if you want a hard-boiled egg in it. The noodles are freshly made and you can see it still has its flour coat when its dropped in boiling water.
In another store, they served grilled pig parts. There was pig snout, ears, tongue, intestines, pork sausage (longganisa) among others.
Related entry
Street food in the Philippines
Saturday, December 12, 2009
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.
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.
Related entry
Malabon, Metro Manila's hidden gem
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.
Related entry
Malabon, Metro Manila's hidden gem
Friday, December 11, 2009
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)