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Mount Pinatubo (Capas, Tarlac)

Posted on January 27, 2009

As we worked our way through the ashen gullies of Mount Pinatubo’s shoulder, I admired the signs of rebirth underway: the steady stream of water that skipped over horsetails, tadpoles and pumice stones painted with sulphur and iron; the moss, thickets and tree ferns carpeting the ravines beneath distant avian cawing; and Aeta children keenly observing our ascent into the gaping cerulean mouth of Apo Namallari– the almighty god of this sacred mountain, whose pyroclastic power the world witnessed duringRead More→

Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok, Thailand)

Posted on January 5, 2009

Gazing out my window as the plane rounded the tarmac, the first thing that caught my eye at this modern airport were the patterned interlace of steel that roofed the terminals. Upon entering, the extensive, bright and airy interior embraces everyone with distinct local hospitality: “Sawasdee, Welcome to Thailand!” Located in Racha Thewa in Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan Province, about 25 km east of downtown Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi is one of the busiest airports in Asia, and Bangkok’s primary airportRead More→

Escolta Museum at Calvo Building

Posted on November 17, 2008

Walking down turn-of-the-century Escolta was like a stroll though today’s Bonifacio High Street or Eastwood City, where commerce and culture thrived as Manila embraced, willingly or otherwise, the 20th century. Elegantly dressed residents regularly visited this street to visit the numerous boutiques, shops and department stores that sold the latest clothes, cigars, jewelries and other fineries. Automobiles, horse-drawn carriages and Meralco tranvias (tramcars) shuttled them through. Indeed, it was a place to be seen. After the destruction of Manila inRead More→

Manila Metropolitan Theater

Posted on November 2, 2008

Aboard the LRT before the train crosses the Pasig River, you won’t miss it: a lonesome structure with curious detailing on the busy intersection of Padre Burgos Street and Quezon Boulevard, once the “Grand Dame” of theater during the heydays of Manila before the Second World War. Meet the “Met”, the Manila Metropolitan Theater.  Designed in 1931 by architect Juan Arellano (1888-1960), this abandoned building is a prime example of Filipinized Art Deco, the geometric and decorative architectural style thatRead More→

Arroceros Forest Park

Posted on November 1, 2008

Beneath the soothing shade of century-old rubber trees, you can feel the damp air rise from the tree-stump fungi and rich humus where black ants, millipedes and snails went about their business on their own pace. Sparrows and bulbuls flitter past pink frangipani and bright palm fronds. For a few seconds you felt far away from the city, until you hear LRT cars rumble overhead and see tugboats shuttle through the river, transporting you back to where you actually are:Read More→

Fort San Pedro

Posted on October 21, 2008

I remember, during my elementary school years, a popular field trip destination was Fort San Pedro, the oldest, smallest and one of the best preserved Spanish fortresses in the Philippines. Located in Plaza Independencia within Cebu City’s pier area, this triangular military outpost was originally built in 1565– the beginning of Spanish colonization in the archipelago–with logs and muddy earth to protect conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and his men from violent attacks by native Cebuanos and Muslim pirates. The fort was named after Legaspi’sRead More→