Friday, April 29, 2011

PRETTY PACO!

PRETTY PACO!
Paco. One of Manila's oldest districts. Named after a fern that once grew abundantly in the area. Paco is the home of historical residences, heritage sites, and really cool architecture. Come with us on a souped up aircon jeepney ride. We'll visit one of the city's oldest cemeteries, a heritage site public market, walk along a cleaner Estero de Paco, visit the 19th century residence of one of the Philippines' most famous historical figures, along with other historical sites.


May 15, 2011 - Sunday
8:30AM
Meet at an American Era Residence on Peñafrancia Extension

Paco Park
Visit American Era Paco Market
Walk Along the Estero de Paco
Laurel Mansion on Peñafrancia Street
Plaza Dilao.
Late Lunch

Php2000.00 inclusive of Jeepney transportation around Paco, and donations to Laurel Foundation/Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission/Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig, and a fantastic organic Filipino buffet lunch at the Fructuoso Compound.

Directions to the starting point at: 1238-B Penafrancia Extension

From Plaza Dilao, follow Pres Quirino Extension around the Philippine Colombian Association. After the second signal and immediately after the Manila-Sacramento Library, turn right. You will see Paco Volunteer Fire trucks. Do not turn right before the library or you will be on West Zamora (the street signs are wrong). Park anywhere along the street. The house is down a small alley on the right side of the street.

From UN Avenue/Unilever, take Pres Quirino Extension toward Plaza Dilao. At the first signal, do a U-turn and immediate hard right onto Penafrancia Extension. You will see the Paco Volunteer Fire trucks. Do not merely turn left or you will end up on West Zamora (the street signs are wrong).

Land line: 564-8635
Cellphone: 0916 7669170
Email: gahdorris@hotmail.com

Only 20 slots available

Tour Guide: Gregory Dorris

Hope to see you guys there. I'll be hopping along on this tour as well. Cheers!

Thank you Just Wandering for the picture of Paco Park.

Monday, April 25, 2011

COOL QUEZON!


SUMMER QUEZON FESTIVAL TOUR!
3 Days 2 Nights Package Festival Tour of Sariaya, Tayabas & Lucban!
Proposed Itinerary

Day 1
(May 12, 2011) Lucban - Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

0700 ETA Lucban. Breakfast at Lucban Public Market (pansit hab-hab and siopao)

0900 Start of Lucban Tour

Kamay ni Hesus - located on the slopes of Mt. Banahaw, Barangay Tinamnan, Lucban, Quezon. It features a church where healing masses are celebrated by the known healing priest Fr. Joey Faller. Also on the site is a 292-steps hill with life size figures depicting the 14 Stations of the Cross. On the top is a large statue of Jesus Christ, a 50-foot statue that is said to be the third biggest in the world.

1200 Lunch at Buddy’s Restaurant . Walk. Shop.

0200 Langgonisa Festival- This native sausage is usually homemade. Langanisang Lucban is usually made of ground pork, oregano extract, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic. Every year, Lucban holds the Langgonisang Lucban, an event in search for the longest langgonisang Lucban and Langgonisa eating contest.

0600 Dinner at Abcede’s Restaurant

0700 Mutya ng Lucban Beauty Pageant – Mutya ng Lucban Pageant willl present the women of Lucban, these are the women who will represent Lucban's beauty and intelligence.

1000 Check – in. Sleep.

Resort and Hotel options:

Balai Sadyaya Resort - offers a luxurious theme for special occasions like b-day and weddings. Strategically located near the Poblacion, Sadyaya is also perfect for summer getaways, holiday vacations and even for a simple day tour. It has its own restaurant with Sariaya's cuisine such as the Pancit Hotia, which is the owner's family secret recipe Elegant, stylish and affordable rooms are also available for accommodation.

Dalampasigan Beach & Pool Resort – located at the long stretch of Tayabas Bay, Dalampasigan beach resort offers the ideal venue for out-of-town corporate functions and family gatherings. Activities available in Dalampasigan are: beach and pool swimming, kayaking, play beach volleyball, basketball, billiards or table tennis.

Villa Del Prado Pool & Beach Resort - offers comfort and fun in an idyllic beach setting. In just one day, one can relax sipping coffee outdoor while getting a glimpse of an exotic bird, walking the beach to collect seashells, and building sandcastles. But most of all, Villa Del Prado provides the best way to spend the day at the swimming pool or playing sport activities.

Day 2
(May 13, 2011) Sariaya - Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

0800 Breakfast, Swimming at the hotel / resort.

1000 Gala - Rodriguez Ancestral House - The historical town of Sariaya, Quezon is home to a number of ancestral houses. Among the most revered is the two-storey Gala-Rodriguez house owned by one of the most prominent couples in Quezon, Dr. Isidro Rodriguez and Doña Gregoria Gala.Situated in the heart of the town, along the impressive string of houses owned by the “illustrados,” this house is said to have been used as headquarters by the Japanese occupation forces during World War II and later by the American forces. In May 14, 2008, the mansion was declared as a national heritage site by the National Historical Institute (NHI).

Governor Natalio Enriquez Ancestral House - This eye-catching and brick-roofed Sariaya landmark near the church, is an Art Deco style house designed by European schooled architect Andres Luna de San Pedro, the son of artist Juan Luna. It was built in 1931 by erstwhile Tayabas Provincial Governor Natalio Enriquez (1941 - 1945) and his wife Susana Gala. A venue for fabulous social gatherings in pre war Sariaya, it hosted the grand reception during the 1938 wedding of their daughter Alicia to Manuel Gala where Philippine Commonwealth First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon served as principal sponsor. It was declared by the National Historical Institute as a Heritage House on May 14, 2008.

Enriquez - Gala House - This big house is owned by Atty. Librado Enriquez and his wife Josefina Gala which was built to replace a much older residence that burned in the Japanese-started great fire of 1944. Among its features are an arched roofed - entrance topped by a curved veranda, a silo-like outside wall with small windows where a curving flight of stairs inside leads to the second floor of the house as well as three cathedral-type arched side doors with Corinthian style column embellishments that open to the garden topped by another veranda upstairs held by the curving crowns of ionic columns.

1200 Lunch at Plaza de Shalom featuring Kulinarya Sariaya - located at the back of Gala rodriguez house. Plaza de Shalom offers Sariaya's best cuisines. It has a swimming pool with the view of Gala Rodriguez Ancestral House. Plaza Shalom has apartment type of units for groups and they have affordable prices for food and accommodation right in the center of Sariaya's Poblcaion.

0100 Visit the Municipal Hall, Sariaya Park and St. Francis of Assisi Parish for the Diocesan Shrine of Santo Cristo de Burgos, Sariaya Bread House for Baking Demonstration of Pinagong and Leah’s Store for Cooking Demonstration of Tamales. Merienda at Casa Plaza La Casa de Sariaya.

0500 Back to resort/ hotel. Rest. Dinner.

0700 Sariaya Sports Complex for The Grand Launching of Buli Products and Bulindakan (a street dancing competition that requires to wear buli costumes in a Filipiniana stlye of dancing)

1045 pm ETA – Tayabas. Check in.

Resort and Hotel options:

Mi Casa en Tayabas –Striking Mexican-inspired architecture and landscaped gardens which allows you to relax and enjoy our beautifully designed rooms that evoke elegance and comfort at the same time. Wine and dine in restaurants that are sure to satisfy your palate. Rest.Sleep.

Nawawalang Paraiso Resort & Hotel - Dubbed as “The Lost Paradise”, its living up to be one place for ultimate fun, rest, recreation and romance. Nestled at the foot of the mystic and legendary rain mountain. Mt. Banahaw. Rest. Sleep.

Day 3
(May 14, 2011) Tayabas - Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

0600 Gayakan ng Pa’yas sa Munting Bayan. (Decoration of freshly harvested fruits by the people of tayabas).Tourist may witness on how Tayabenses decorate their houses in preparation for the Mayohan sa Tayabas Festival.

0900 Breakfast at the resort / hotel.

1000 San Miguel de Archangel Basilica Manor Church - St. Michael the Archangel Minor Basilica.One of the oldest churches in the century, it was first built in 1585 and repaired in 1590 using nipa and palm. In 1600, they used bricks. The church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1743 and later rebuilt and made bigger in 1856. It is located in Tayabas, Quezon.

Casa de Comunidad de Tayabas - Constructed in 1831 when Don Diego Enriquez was Gobernadorcillo, it is primarily designed as a guesthouse for visiting Spanish dignitaries. Casa de Comunidad is a national historical landmark which houses the local museum and the municipal library. It is host to many cultural and historical activities.It is the biggest “bahay na bato” ever restored by the National Historical Institute.

Kalye Budin(Budin or cassava cake)Tayabas caters the sweetest cassava cake, with a street known as Kalye Budin(A portion of Jacinto St between AM Regidor and Legaspi Street ), tourists may have a taste and take home with them this native dessert made of cassava, margarine.

1200 Lunch at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan – offers exquisite taste of its freshly harvested seafoods and delectable fine dining. The place provides guests with the opportunity to relax and commune with the serenity of nature. Stylish and luxury rooms are also available for accommodation.

Lunch at Palaisdaan Restaurant- spearheads the promotion of the traditional culinary arts of Tayabas. The restaurant offers guests with fresh sea foods matched with the natural and serene ambiance of the place.

0100 Lambanog Distillery - a wine made from coconut. Lambanog is famous for its potency that normally carries about 80 to 90 proof variations. It is mostly produced in the Tayabas,Quezon. It has been passed down throughout generations of coconut plantation farmers. The process involves collecting the sap from the coconut flower, similar to rubber tree tapping. The sap is then cooked and fermented to become tuba, popular coconut toddy. The tuba is then distilled to make lambanog.

Malagonlong Bridge -Built by the Spanish colonizers, this bridge is considered the oldest one in town. However, it is not clear whether it was constructed before or after the town church was built in 1585.

0300 Back at the resort / hotel. Rest. Dinner.

0700 Lambanog Night “Flairtending Competition”- A showcase of talent in flairtending with Lambanog as the main beverage for mixing drinks. Lambanog night celebrates Tayabas pride in producing the original coconut vodka.

Umpukan sa tagayan(Lambanog) The Tayabenses way of drinking Lambanog is simple. It is usually coupled with songs accompanied by a guitar player (who is also part of the “inuman”). One common glass (tagayan) is placed on the table and is shared by everybody who symbolizes their common level in the society and of course, camaraderie. And when it is your turn to take your “tagay” you would have to say “Tagay ko!” before taking that round.

0900 End of Tour

For Inquiries and costs:
Please Contact JC Constantino of The Quezon Tourism Office:
jc_05e@yahoo.com.ph
0919 2504043


Thank you Lugaluda.com for the photo.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

INTRAMUROS WILL SHOW THE WAY...

INTRAMUROS WAY OF THE CROSS

The public is invited to observe Holy Week through the unique Way of the Cross at Fort Santiago, the most popular spot in Intramuros and the prime tourist destination in Manila. The Way of the Cross is a series of 14 stations representing the events of the Passion of Christ. The Intramuros Administration (IA) requested educational institutions and other government agencies in the Walled City to set up the 14 Stations of the Cross at Fort Santiago, as an alternative venue for the thousands of Catholics who will be visiting Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church during Holy Week.

Joining IA in this special Lenten project are (in chronological order): Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Club Intramuros Golf Course, Bureau of the Treasury, Department of Labor and Employment, Mapua Institute of Technology, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Bagumbayan Light and Sound Museum, Commission on Elections, Bureau of Internal Revenue No. 6 Manila and Lyceum of the Philippines University.

Everyone is welcome to do the Way of the Cross at Fort Santiago starting Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday (except Good Friday), from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

JOIN! JOIN! JOIN!


Open Call for Dance Performances!

Dances and Rituals on Natural Elements or Climate change / Mga Katutubong Sayaw at Ritwal Tungkol sa Kalikasan

Zero-in Arts Festival | September 2011

Now on its 10th year, Zero-in, a consortium of 5 galleries and museums annually mounts exhibitions on an agreed theme. This year the theme is “Open Call” focusing on Dance, Food, Film, Music and Visual Art. Museo Pambata will be presenting an exhibition on Indigenous Dances and Rituals with dance performances by groups. The dance will be performed in a popular mall and at Museo Pambata.

Mechanics:
Open Call forms will be given to identified artistic groups. They should be a legitimate group from an organization/school.
Groups are encouraged to develop a dance depicting traditional rituals or a contemporary piece on environmental changes and its effects on man.

Requirements:
Interested groups will submit a one page description of their dance. They have to submit a 3 to 5 minute video of a specific dance similar to what they will be performing.

Number of dancers:
Minimum of 5, maximum of 10

Other important information:
- Fill up the application form.
- Submission should be on or before May 15.
- Groups will be informed by June 14 for their participation in the Zero-in arts festival.
- Selected dance pieces will be performed at the Zero-in arts festival on September 2011. (Performance dates - weekend)
- Grant fund is P15,000.

--
PLEASE EMAIL:
info@museopambata.org
Maricel P Montero
Museo Pambata Foundation, Inc.
Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive
Ermita, Manila
Philippines

Saturday, April 02, 2011

CARLOS RECOMMENDS!


I LAB IT.
I'm pretty proud to be part of this summer program organized by Dr. Fernando "Butch" Zialcita of the Ateneo de Manila.

I'll be doing a talk as part of this program, "Walk This Way: What I Look at When Walking Around". I'll be doing that talk on April 28, 2011 at 3:30pm. Meanwhile, check out the program above.

Anyone can join the program and you can get academic credits too. Now ain't that a perfect summer thing to do?