Top 15 Philippine Destinations
I Have Yet to Visit (Part 2)

Long overdue, I know, I know. Haha. Anyway, here’s the upper half of the list of destinations in the Philippines that I want to (and I should and I WILL) visit sooner or later! Preferably sooner.

And oh, I added three more and made it Top 15 instead. Ehehe. I’m fickle like that.

9. Taal Volcano, Batangas

I’m a proud Batangueno but sadly conquering the Taal Volcano is still a dream. Naunahan pa ako ng mga college friends ko na mapuntahan ‘to. Gaaaaah. Loser me.

8. Zambales

image courtesy of Philippines 101 Travel

If things would go as planned, I’d be swimming in the waters of Zambales before the third quarter ends… Yipeeeee, I’m excited.

And since Mt. Pinatubo rose from the ashes, it’s starting to become the paradise it used to be — full of color, full of life.  It’s crater is filled with rainwater, too. I have no idea how this deadly volcano looked prior to its bonggang bonggang eruption but something tells me it looks a lot better than before.

7. Caramoan, Camarines Sur

I’ve been to Camarines Sur (and other parts of the Bicol region) before but not in Caramoan. CamSur is starting to become the “it” destination in the country, drawing the attention of locals and foreigners alike. Andami na ring sporting events to get… well, more attention. And man, just look at the pictures above. Magnetic.

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Summer is a Lie!!!

image courtesy of veer.com

Like Santa Claus.
Like the jobs GMA claims her government has created.
Like GMA7 being the number 1 network in the country!

It’s a lie! Summer is a figment of our imagination.

Like Christmas and Valentine’s, used by the media and the capitalists to squeeze money out of us. It’s a lie! I didn’t even feel it. I wasn’t able to hit the beach and it’s raining already. Gaaaaaaaaah.

Mother Nature is being too vengeful. Boo. Haha.

Watta MRT!

image courtesy of femalenetwork.com

WATTA AD!

“Antaas naman ng handrails dito sa MRT!” Sabi ng babae.

“Saken ka na lang kumapit,” alok ni lalake.

“WATTA! Anlaki mo! Para kang tempura sa Tokyo Tokyo!”

Yan ang “radio” plug ng Tokyo Tokyo sa MRT. Napa-sigh na lang ako.

WATTA ANNOUNCEMENT!

Last Monday sa Kamuning Station ng MRT, may nagsalitang lalake sa intercom.

“Eksaktong bayad lang po ang tatanggapin namin. Wala kaming panukli. Kaya sa mga nakapila, kung wala kayong barya, wag na lang kayong pumila. Mag-bus na  lang kayo. Kahit pumila kayo, pagdating nyo sa counter, magpasensyahan na lang tayo. Wala kaming maisusukli.”

WATTA! This is unacceptable. For one thing, they SHOULD have change. It’s not the passengers’ responsibility to carry coins when they choose to ride the MRT.

Second, whatever happened to politeness? Pede namang “Pakiusap lang po, barya lang po ang ibayad natin…” But no, “Magpasensyahan na lang tayo…” Pffffffft. I don’t know if it’s just me but that’s waaaay too disrespectful and arrogant.

Buti na lang may Stored Value Ticket ako lagi. Tatlo pa. Haha.

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Barako No More?

I spent most of my years in Batangas and although my Dad was from Masbate/Palawan, I’ve always considered myself a 100% Batangueno. I’m your typical Batangueno — great and proud of his roots. In Tagalog, magiting at mayabang. Joke lang. Pero half-meant. After all, wala pa akong nakitang Batangueno na hindi proud na taga-Batangas. Gaah, that’s for another story.

Ayun na nga, magiting at mayabang. Sa madaling sabi, barako. Haha.

image courtesy of wowbatangas.com

My mother has a store in Lemery’s New Public Market. Batang palengke ako, ika nga. I used to roam around the market. My eyes, feasting on almost endless colorful arrays of stalls selling toys, clothes, food and other stuff. One of the most noticeable colors also has a very noticeably strong smell. Brown. Coffee. Kapeng barako.

Barako is not a common coffee variety, although it is abundant in Southeast Asia especially in the Philippines. It has the largest beans of all the coffee varieties. Its taste is said to be superior to Robusta, and most Filipino coffee drinkers prefer Barako to Arabica. The Arabica-Barako blend is a popular gourmet coffee. Barako is considered to be the best among Liberica species. (Wiki)

The Lemery Public Market was like a vast coffee pantry. To be honest, even when sleeping, I’d know if we had entered the market premises once that aroma started tickling my nostrils. I used to see at least a couple of “barako stalls” within one block. Parang bigas na may mountain range-type na nakadisplay tapos doon sinasalok yung coffee beans or powder. In one lane, I’d find at least five coffee stores. And God knows how many lanes our market had at the time.

Since I stepped foot on college, I had always asked my mum to buy me packs of kapeng barako. I had not gone back to that market. Until last month. Seven years had gone so fast that I failed to see how much that market changed. At the time, I knew something had changed but I couldn’t quite put a finger on it. I couldn’t figure it out.

Last month, I was approached by someone from Howie Severino’s team from GMA7′s iWitness. She asked me what was worth featuring in or about Batangas. Topics flooded my mind — from the fish pens on the edges of Taal Lake to the soon-to-be-erected Monte Maria Shrine (bigger than Rio de Janeiro’s Jesus Christ the Redeemer) to political dynasties (ahem Ermita ahem Leviste ahem).

As I was thinking of something to suggest, it hit me. What is “wrong” with our local public market today, what’s changed, what’s missing are the barako stalls. They are practically vanishing.

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