southern comfort: the viaje del sol experience

this post kicks off the series of the awesome road trip down south. 

whenever i think of laguna, the hot springs (los baños and pansol), jose rizal's house (calamba), uplb and mount makiling immediately come to mind. i've been to these places many times before, so i felt like there's nowhere else to visit in laguna that's exciting. i mean, yes, there's also paete, the lakes of san pablo, and liliw which i haven't visited yet, but aside from those... um, laguna? honestly i hardly consider going there an "official" out-of-town trip due to its very close proximity to metro manila, and the only thing there that gets me excited is a visit to the dairy at uplb where they sell carabao's milk (i LOVE the chocolate flavor) and kesong puti (fresh white cheese). hoh-kay, before throwing me in the boiling mud pits of mount makiling, please do read on. :)

that kind of ho-hum thinking changed drastically when some friends and i recently went on a road trip to san pablo city with side trips to liliw and tiaong, quezon. little did i know that it was going to be one big culture and food tour which i would be very proud to recommend to everyone. it is just the beginning of this series, but i'll say this right away: near, far, wherever you are... visit laguna!!! 

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we arrived at san pablo city 4 1/2 hours earlier than the designated check-in time at our hotel (2pm) and hotel policy being hotel policy, we opted to visit liliw first, a 40-minute drive from san pablo. on the way to liliw though we passed by the underground cemetery in nagcarlan so a short visit there is in order.

the nagcarlan underground cemetery was built by franciscan missionaries in 1845, and in 1896 the rebels of the revolution against the spaniards used this for their meetings. in 1973 the underground cemetery was declared a historical landmark. burials in this cemetery continued up until 1981. 

the gate to the underground cemetery. at the dead smack center of this photo is a small chapel where visitors sign their names on the logbook. the visitors are also given a short, interesting history lesson of the place.  

down once more to the dungeon... err, i mean to the underground cemetery.

just some of the niches above ground. they're very similar to that of paco park in manila.

the underground cemetery is really quite a small place, so the visit was a short one. based on photos i've seen of friends who have been there before, i thought it was big. it turns out that thirty minutes is a long enough visit unless you decide to have lots of photo ops. by the way, this last photo shows just a very tiny sliver of the grounds, but i can assure you with conviction that the whole place is very well-kept. :D

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everyone knows that marikina equals good quality footwear. but in laguna there is a town that is also synonymous to shoes, and that is liliw. liliw is a quaint town that is a shoe maven's haven; it has a whole street dedicated to all kinds of footwear, and one will go gaga over the different designs and colors. yours truly didn't buy a pair though. too lazy. heheh. 

just some of the numerous shoe stores. 

shoes, sandals, espadrilles, etc, etc.

bags!!! and of course slippers and sandals. 

it was a nice surprise to see that old houses still abound in liliw, which reminded me of taal town in batangas where a lot of the bahay-na-bato still stands proud and graceful. while some houses are solely for family use, a lot of the businesses in others are conducted on the ground floor of the house; the proprietors live on the second floor.

i call this the sans rival house. this is in front of arabela, the cafe where we had lunch. 

a beautifully maintained house. 

if only we had more time i would make all of us walk around town checking out more of the beautiful old houses. bwahahaha~!

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oh. here's a very useful tip when going on a road trip: if you are riding a car and you and your companions are not sure how to get to your destination, it is always best to ask the locals. don't be too proud to ask for directions shy. compared to most city folks, people in the provinces are generally friendlier and more helpful especially when giving directions to hapless travelers. amazingly, even if majority of the directions went like "derecho lang kayo" (just go straight) and "tapos kanan sa x na kanto" (then turn right at the x corner), we got to all our destinations with very little problem.

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thanks L for letting me use your photos (paco park-like niches, shoes and bags photos)

next up: our lodging, and a gastronomic tour of the south. what are they? stay tuned. ;)

cooking with la carlotta: stuffed chili lumpia

with the valkyrie away for a couple of months, the reins of domestic diva-ing conveniently fell into my hands (in a manner of speaking. heheh.). of course the thing i enjoyed most was the cooking part because it gave me a chance to use my rusty skills in cooking as well as use up some of the creative juices that have been stored in hundreds of bottles already. :P

one of the dishes that i was able to cook so far was the stuffed chili lumpia. i picked it up from some friends who have made it and i tweaked the stuffing a bit using the ingredients that i have in the refrigerator. well, that's one fun thing about cooking, you can experiment with ingredients any way you like. for sure my ingredients for the stuffing will be different the next time i try this. here's my recipe:

ingredients:

20-30 pcs small lumpia wrapper

20-30 green chilis (the kind we use for sinigang)

stuffing:

1 medium onion, minced

1 head of garlic, minced

500g ground pork

1C grated carrots

250g grated cheese

salt and pepper to taste (i used about only 2tsp of salt here because the cheese already adds flavor to the mix)

procedure:

saute onion and garlic in a little oil, then add the ground pork. cook for about 20 minutes, then set aside to cool.

while the pork is cooking, wash the chilies and chop off the stems. then slit each chili lengthwise on one side and scrape off the seeds. you can actually leave the stems on though if you like something to hold on to, as this dish can also be a finger food.

add the carrots to the cooled minced pork

then add the cheese and mix thoroughly.

place one chili on a piece of lumpia wrapper, then stuff the chili with the ground pork mix. you can stuff the chilies with as much stuffing as you like, but not too much that the spring roll would be too fat and might even lessen the kick of the chili. brush all sides of the wrapper with egg whites as you roll each chili.

when wrapping a chili with the stem still on, leave it poking out of the wrapper. not only will there be something for you to hold on to while eating it, it also adds to its aesthetic appeal. :D but as for my version, i cut the stems off just because. haha.

fry in hot oil until golden brown, then let drain on paper towels.

serve and enjoy!!! :D

soundtripping: para sa tao (by humanfolk)

beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.

- martin luther

the quote above by martin luther sums up my opinion of this wonderful piece by humanfolk. it is all i can say about this quality filipino music because up until now i am at a loss for words as to how i should describe how i very much appreciate this kind of music.

and so, just hit play and enjoy!

yea i know i haven't blogged for the longest time. it's because my blogging mojo has left me and i don't know when i'll be able to return to blogging full-time. this song however simply refused to leave me alone and why should it, it's one of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard and i'd like to share it to everyone. :)

la carlotta's top trips for 2010

2010 was a year that i've been blessed to go travelling once more. from day trips to overnighters to the leisurely ones as well as the flash trippings, each and every one of them definitely made my year memorable. as one can well see, majority of these trips are undocumented in this blog save for a couple. and so, here is the complete list of my trippings in and out of manila for 2010. :)

philippine national railway. the very first flash day trip of the year. because my friend f and i were already in the tutuban area, we thought of riding the new air-conditioned pnr train from tutuban main terminal to bicutan station, then from bicutan to pasay road station just for the heck of it. :) this huge engine in front of the tutuban terminal once rumbled through the manila-dagupan line, which was the first railway line opened by the pnr in 1892.

avenida rizal on a rare traffic-less day. this is a drive-by shoot from a taxi. this day is also made memorable after spending some time at the really old isetann carriedo. i wouldn't be surprised if the people there are wearing bell-bottom jeans and psychedelic tops. lol.

taal, batangas. in the photo is the st. martin de tours basilica or simply known as the taal basilica. it is the largest church in asia that was built in 1575, destroyed by the eruption of taal volcano in 1754 and was subsequently rebuilt in its present location in 1755. it was destroyed again in 1849 by an earthquake and it took another 9 years to reconstruct it (1856-1865). wow. i am glad that it still stands strong to this day. the architecture, the aisle, floor tiles, crypt, chandeliers, and even the ceiling are a sight to behold. (click here and here for more of my taal trippings)

munting buhangin, nasugbu, batangas. first beach tripping of the year. haven't suntanned as much as i wanted but what matters is that i was finally able to step on sand, sand, sand and hear the gentle crash of the waves, waves, waves. no matter that this was during holy week and the beach was crowded with city mice. :)

camaya resort, bataan (may). second beach trip of the year. not only did i get a nice tan, but had a really good time nature-tripping. and oh, it was my first time to ride a banana boat too. thanks to kaps for the invite :)

the trip to baguio was one of the overnight flash trips i took with friends. the first day was actually quite relaxing. we visited several wood carving shops along asin road, and further down the road we went on to bencab museum, where the photo above was taken. it was an honor to meet the painter bencab himself and even have a photo taken with him and his dog :) still further down we dropped by peter pinder's place. peter pinder is another artist whose specialty is fiberglass art. it was the second day that was very flashy made by the Amazing Two-Hour Baguio Tourist Rush that ended with a bang courtesy of the Great Twenty-Minute Baguio Palengke Dash. ;)

iba, zambales (june). tagged along with a friend to a pastor's seminar for two days. this was taken on the beach on our first day there and my friend and i were fortunate to chance upon the fishermen getting ready for the night's fishing. also, this trip was one full of blessings that made it really memorable. awesome views, great roads, and even something as simple as an instant one-on-one talk during a stormy night can do wonders to one's spirit.

goin' bananas! found this huge clump of bananas on the trail during a climb to peak 2 in mt. makiling last july. it was a day climb which took my friends and i a grand total of 13 hours to get to the peak and back to the station, what with the rain, the fallen tree trunks from a recent typhoon, and a couple of hysterical newbies paranoid of all the limatiks that abound in the mountain that time of year. guess who's one of those hysterical, paranoid newbies? ;p suffice to say, it was a very funny and memorable climb that, thank God, didn't scare me off mountains for life. hehehe.

coron, palawan! i was able to visit this amazing place once more literally after ten years. so much has changed in this corner of paradise, but it has still retained its natural beauty and charm which makes me want to return for yet another visit. i don't think i'll ever grow tired of palawan. (click here for the palawan entry)

and that's it for my top trips for 2010. here's to more travels for you and yours truly this 2011. cheers! :)

soundtripping: she & him

it's been so long since i posted a soundtripping post. so folks, here's another really great indie band i've just stumbled upon today: she & him, consisting of zooey deschanel and m. ward.

if the name zooey deschanel rings a bell, it's because she's also an actress. she starred (and sang) in the movies elf and yes man. she and m. ward met on the set of the go-getter, where they sang a duet that was played at the end credits of the movie (zooey also acted in the said movie). afterwards zooey sent demos of her music to ward, who, after listening to them, contacted her and said that he wanted to record her songs properly. that's when the band she & him was formed. (source: wikipedia)

words just fail me in describing just how awesome she & him's music is, so i'll just let you hit the play button and hear for yourself. here are two of my favorites.

from the very moment i heard the first few notes of this song the first time, it immediately made me smile. :-)

this is the first song of she & him that i listened to. it has a 60's vibe to it, and the beat just makes you bop your head to the music.

there are lots more of their songs that i've already grown to love. well, what else can i say? this band just made it to my permanent playlist. :-)

fb friends, click here and here to watch the vids :)

then and now: a northern palawan travelogue

ten years ago, i had the opportunity to visit the calamian group of islands with my family. it was a glorious one week trip that left me with memories that still linger in my mind up to now: north cay, calauit, culion and malcapuya islands, kayangan and barracuda lakes, coron town (in busuanga island; not to be confused with coron island), maquinit hot springs, and the countless snorkeling sites we visited, from coral reefs to japanese ship wrecks.

having the chance to visit the place once again just recently left me really amazed at what ten years can do to places. although i've had a shorter trip this time, it was enough for me to make some observations at the changes that happened during the last ten years to the places i've visited again this time around: coron town, kayangan lake, and culion. aside from that, i'll be including some differences in my activities on both trips for the benefit of my memory. ;p

here is the list. take note that for the "before" part, i am referring to my experience 10 years ago. :)

modes of transportation to palawan and back to manila

before: my family and i rode the superferry 5 to coron town in busuanga island. it was a 12-hour trip, from 7pm-7am. when we went back to manila, we had a one hour dusty jeepney ride to busuanga airport before boarding a 16-seater plane which thrilled all of us to no end.

view from the superferry @ sunrise

now: my friends and i bought round trip plane tickets. the jeepney ride is now an airconditioned van ride. the highway leading to coron town is now cemented, which cut the trip by almost half, depending on the speed of the van. and yes, the plane is now bigger (sits about 70 people), and both flights were definitely smooth.

one the propellers from the 70-seater plane. as you can see in the background, it's a clear day. it was a really smooth flight.

itinerary

before: the itinerary was prepared by my aunt and a distant uncle. it went like this:

superferry: anything goes. oldies slept early; cool people stayed up late in the ship's disco, just dancing.

north cay: 3 days 2 nights, including snorkelling around the island and a day trip to calauit island on our second day.
culion: officially 2 days, 2 nights, because we left early on the third day. sentimental journey on the first half of our second day (see account below), snorkelling around malcapuya island on the second half. we didn't go on the island.

kayangan and barracuda lakes: day trip, then go back to coron town. stayed at seadive resort. barracuda lake and surrounding coral reefs: second to the last day.

malcapuya island from the distance, year 2000

now: my friends and i got a tour package for 3 days, 2 nights. included in the package is a culion historic tour, and a buffet lunch at malcapuya island. click here for the website. anyhow, the whole itinerary went like this:

first day: banol beach, skeleton wrecks, twin lagoons, kayangan lake, siete pecados. snorkelling galore.

second day: culion historic tour-slash-sentimental journey (at least, for me), buffet lunch at malcapuya, siete pecados. come evening we had our own trip to maquinit hot springs which isn't included in our tour package. at any rate, soaking in the hot springs was a great help in eradicating my muscle pain altogether.

third day: early morning hike to mt. tapyas cross. it's a 719-step climb which took us 45 minutes. our descent however took us... tan-tananannnn... 13 minutes! ;p the rest of the morning we spent on breakfast and souvenir-hunting.

stepping on the powdery sands of malcapuya island, 2010. <3>

coron
before: the town's population was quite small. the area where seadive resort is had only a few structures on stilts. it seemed easier to move around town then.

now: coron town is a more bustling place ten years after. new houses, resorts, restaurants and shops have sprouted in the course of the past ten years. there is even a reclaimed area on the left side of the coron public market where there is a tourism center, a hotel and a park. i couldn't help but notice that the guards at the tourism center weren't able to answer our questions about good places to eat in though.

the reclaimed area.

sentimental journey

before: it was a sentimental trip we made in culion because it's where my lola on my father's side spent her childhood years when my great-grandfather was one of the physicians in the culion leprosarium in the 1920's. anyway, my aunt (pa's sister) was able to locate the sister of former classmate of my lola and was able to talk to her. then we took a walk around town to see where lola went to elementary school, where she lived (the house is still standing). of course we also went to the former leprosarium which was transformed into a museum. there's a list of everyone who worked in the leprosarium, from priests, nuns, physicians, dentists, etc. saw and took a picture of my great-grandfather's name under the list of physicians. extra un-sentimental thing: was able to watch charmed with my cousins wherein the episode was when phoebe travelled back in time to 1924.

photo taken from the last standing bastion at fort culion, 30 may 2000

now: only i among my family made another sentimental journey to culion. this time i was with my friends. we only went to the church and the culion sanitarium museum and archives. took my own photo of my great-grandfather's name on the list. the sister of my lola's classmate is still alive, but i wasn't able to talk to her. and now you know where 1924 came from. ;p

photo taken from the same spot. 11 september 2010

kayangan lake

below are the now photos of kayangan lake.

ten years ago, the wooden and bamboo walkways that line up one side of the lake were not there. i remember there was a huge fallen tree trunk which we used to put our things as well as our point of plunging in the lake. it's not there now.

we simply left our stuff on the rocks and on the protruding branches from the trees, and if we just want to lounge around, we used the rocks on the shallow part to sit on. now visitors can simply just dip their feet into the water when they don't feel like swimming, and their stuff can be left on the walkways.

cell phone signal

before: there was no signal anywhere among the islands. period. the only way to contact manila was though phone in the calling centers in coron and culion.

now: at this day and age, even a paradise like northern palawan now has cell phone signal. depending on your subscription, of course. ;p there are still some spots wherein the signal is weak, but for the most part one can text or call even while on a boat. heck, even update your facebook status. ;p and of course if there's signal, there should also be wifi. seadive and other lodgings and restaurants are wifi hotspots.

airport

before: the airport was then simply called busuanga airport. i really don't remember what the it exactly looked like ten years ago, but from what i can rake from memory, it was just a small one storey building with one check-in counter and a weighing scale for our bags and us. because the plane we rode was very small, it's important to get the weight of everything that boards the plane.

now: busuanga airport is now called the francisco b. reyes airport. it is now a more functional structure, still one storey, with definite areas for departure and arrival areas which are divided by glass walls. the check-in counters are more check-in-counter-looking, with the weighing scales beside each only for check-in luggages. the comfort rooms are clean and well-lit. there is also a cafe and a souvenir shop.

whether having stayed in palawan paradise for one week or 3 days, with family or with friends, the most important thing is that i have thoroughly enjoyed both trips. each has a unique experience which did not just make my journals, but in my heart as well.

i know i still have a pending post on taal but i'd like to put this one on palawan up first, especially since it's still fresh in my mind. (and yea, i know it's been a long time since my last post... i lost my mojo. snif, snif)

photo exhibit @ galleria taal

if you're planning to go to taal, there's a photo exhibit over at galleria taal (ilagan-barrion residence on calle marcela agoncillo) up until may 31, 2010. old photos dating back from the late 1800's up to the 1980's as well as vintage cameras are showcased there.

eastman view camera no. 2-d (early 1900's)


the photo exhibit started last march 30. there's less than a month to go to see this awesome exhibit :D

taal trippin'

ancestral houses, ancient churches and native foodtripping make up for an exciting cultural trip to taal town in batangas. so one long weekend found me and a group of friends driving over to taal just for that. but after filling up the car's gas tank over at petron slex, the car suddenly refused to start. a diagnosis by the mechanic revealed that there was a problem with the alternator. to cut the long story short, we got stuck at petron slex for three and a half hours, but not without enjoying the time at the customer's lounge (which is simply a small area with glass doors and walls, but airconditioned and equipped with a television set). there we watched several tv shows and eventually had our lunch there as well. i have to commend the guys at petron slex for being so nice and gracious to us, giving us extra seats (we were 7 in all and there were only two seats inside the lounge at first) and were even apologetic as it took them about an hour to get the necessary car part back in muntinlupa before finally fixing the car. cheers, guys!

we left the gas station at 1.30pm and on we drove to taal. thank goodness there wasn't any traffic at all, so we made it to taal by 3pm. although the ancestral houses that are open to the public are only open until 4pm, we were able to maximize our time in each. we even had enough time to explore the taal basilica, but i'm getting ahead of myself. i'll start with the first house we visited: the agoncillo residence.

the exterior of the agoncillo residence. this is the place where marcela mariño grew up. upon her marriage to don felipe agoncillo, she moved to manila.

ventana y ventanillas (ventana is spanish for window. a ventanilla is a smaller window below the larger one and is usually screened with balusters (like the one above) or wrought iron grills (like the ones in my lola's house). the ventanilla is an important feature of a bahay na bato as it helps with the house's ventilation especially on a hot day.

while the family was in exile in hong kong at the start of the revolution, marcela agoncillo sewed the first philippine flag upon the orders of general emilio aguinaldo. her oldest daughter lorenza and delfina herbosa natividad helped in making the flag. it was then personally delivered to gen. aguinaldo by don felipe in hong kong and on 12 june 1898, gen. aguinaldo proudly waved the flag at the declaration of philippine independence in kawit, cavite.

just a small part of the large sala (living room)

portraits of the agoncillo family. not one of don felipe and marcela's five daughters ever married as they chose their respective careers over marriage.

some of the books owned by the agoncillos

stained glass windows at the library

entryway to the house. (shot from the library)

the side of the house

statue of marcela m. agoncillo

historical sources here, here and here

architectural source here

coming soon: don leon apacible museum and galeria taal (dela rosa-ilagan residence)

In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone (lyrics)

In Christ Alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

have a blessed holy week, everyone. :-)

gloomy sunday

and that's because my cam phone was stolen. with 1,700+ photos stored. :'( man. and getting a new phone was one of my birthday wishes last year too. *sigh*

b&w photo taken last year, 22 july 2009 on one side of the pasig river, arroceros park (manila). it's been 2 months and 1 day since i went gaga with sepia. ;p

sige lang nang sige.

crush

awww, isn't he sweet? LOL

i originally planned on keeping the twenty-peso bill, but then i discovered one day i had no more change for jeepney fare, so... boo!

btw. writing on money is against the law here.

manila sights in sepia

the fotos featured in this video are the remaining photographs in my current sepia collection (all taken in one day). of course the number will grow should i take more fotos in sepia mode in the future. haha. but for now, i do hope you'll enjoy these. :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

note: fotos are taken with my fone cam, an SEw810i. all are in raw form, including the ones i featured on my previous posts (beautiful mess 1 and 2). too lazy to tweak pics. hrhrhr.

foodtripping: eat fresh

nestled in one of the buildings along masangkay st. in tondo, manila, is this small eatery called eat fresh. this place has been serving stir-fried noodles before all the other stir-fried noodle stalls sprouted all over the metro a few years back.

along with stir-fried noodles, eat fresh also offers noodle soups, dimsum, squid balls, kikiam and stuffed tofu (which i so, so love). also a must-try are their XL white and black gulaman for only P28 and their curry siomai at P12/3 pcs. (thanks P for the recommendation!)

a large serving of stir-fried noodles costs 38 pesos. here's the lady's hand in action, preparing my and a friend's stir-fried noodles with bean sprouts and green onions.

top: stuffed tofu (pork), P15 each. middle rack: dimsum, lumpiang shanghai, squid balls. bottom rack: more dimsum

lotsa bowls waiting to be filled with delicious stir-fried noodles

stuffed tofu frying

a selection of sauces: (l-r) oyster sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, sweet chili, sweet and sour, peanut sauce, sweet sauce, hot sauce

in true miss lamon tradition (?), any food trip i go to would not be complete without a scrape or two. heheh. well, i just thought that i would like to have a bit of spice for my noodles so i also added chili sauce aside from the sweet one. little did i realize what effect 2 teaspoons of that chili would have.

l: stuffed tofu. r: stir-fried noodles. i declare temporary insanity when i took this pic. cos after taking one bite of my stir-fried noodles the heat seared through my throat down to my chest. man, was that spicy or spicy? only one remedy available at the moment: ice cream! :D

btw, eat fresh does not franchise so if you would like to try their yummy treats, go hie yourselves off to masagkay street :D

eat fresh food deli

1278 masangkay st., tondo, manila
in front of st. stephen's high school