Vietnam: Experiencing old Saigon and cosmopolitan HCMC

Day 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. I arrived at 9 a.m. after a two and a half-hour flight from Manila. Although I was at NAIA as early as four, the lack of sleep did not deter me from rushing out to explore this dynamic city.

First impressions do last. I was pleasantly surprised that a new and modern Tan Son Nhat airport welcomed me. How I wished that the Philippines opened its new terminal sooner since all other ASEAN countries have modernized their own gateways. Outside was an orderly line of taxis waiting for passengers. I was expecting to argue with the driver as one travel guide warned. But as soon as I sat down, he turned on the meter. I was booked in a hotel along Pham Ngu Lao Street, Saigon’s backpacker haven.

Most guides to HCMC always recommend a visit to its many pagodas and temples. I thus decided to drop by one or two to get the ball rolling. I took a cab to the Giac Lam Pagoda, believed to be the oldest in the city. It was quite a distance from the city center. And the trip made me a spectator to the organized chaos that passes through the many tree-lined motorcycle-choked boulevards of Saigon. There was not too much activity in the temple as what I’ve seen in other Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia. But there were a few devotees doing rounds around the different images with their joss sticks. By the time I exited its gates, it was time for lunch.

Since I was on the run, I tried to look for the neighborhood bahn mi vendor. These are the local sandwiches which may look Western but definitely taste Vietnamese. I just love the way the pate, meats, and herbs mix very well with the baguettes, a culinary blend of East and West indeed. After walking under the sun for several meters, I finally found a stand. Until now, I still cannot fathom how a sandwich that costs only VND5,000 (approximately 15 pesos) in the streets of Vietnam is sold for ten times that much in Manila!

After that quick bite, I visited nearby Giac Vien Pagoda. The first thing I noticed as I entered was a number of shrines on each side with photos of the departed. I walked around the hall for a while and was resting on a stool, preparing to leave, when the lone monk in the hall blurted out something in the vernacular, as if calling me to come closer. When I got to his table, he threw a few questions at me which he asked in English, albeit with a bit of difficulty. He stood up, picked up a few joss sticks, and asked me to follow him. He toured me around and I made my rounds around the temple like the locals.

It was another cab ride to my next stop, the Reunification Palace. The former presidential palace of the defunct South Vietnam, it was where the Vietnam War was said to end when tank number 843 rammed into its gates on April 30, 1975, the day Saigon surrendered. It has been left the way it looked on that momentous day for Vietnam. Even the command center in the basement of the building still has its war maps, telephone and radio equipment, and other items on display in the different rooms as if the war had just ended yesterday.

From the palace, I walked to the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral and General Post Office which stand beside each other. The red-brick neo-Romanesque cathedral, built between 1877 and 1883, towers over the area. Right beside it is the well-preserved post office building, one of the more elegant French colonial buildings of Saigon. There are in fact many more buildings like it.

Further down the road was Ben Thanh Market, the best place to start shopping in HCMC. I’ve gone shopping there before. But for this trip, I had no plans of spending on anything. So I decided to skip it since warnings and tales of bad experiences are very familiar to me. No matter how alert or good you are at protecting your things, sticky fingers around the place can get really sneaky. And I didn’t want to lose my camera or wallet while even just a few seconds caught off guard.

So I walked back to my hotel in Ð Pham Ngu Lao to get some rest before going out for dinner. The streets around Ben Thanh are also alive in the evenings. As soon as the shops inside close, those outside set-up tents for the night market. Right beside the market building, a row of stalls offers fresh seafood which they serve dampa style.

Right beside my hotel, was Allez Boo bar where I got to chill out, watching people and motorbikes go by this busy bamboo-walled street corner. I ordered the house special, Allezboo Slammer, a mix of amaretto, sambuca, brandy, lime juice and cointreau. Check out my photos in Multiply.

Manila: Manila Bay sunset

This afternoon, I took a Japanese friend around Manila. Our SSEAYP batchmate Noby was here for a few weeks to study tropical diseases in the Philippines. Anyway, I took him to Intramuros first. We visited the San Agustin Church and the Manila Cathedral. Our next stop was Rizal Park where we took a quick stroll around.

To cap the afternoon, we watched the famed Manila Bay sunset along the Baywalk (don't worry folks, I was assured that Lim has plans for the place and that it will not violate the law like the previous project).

There were a lot of people, several foreigners too taking photos. The breeze was strong but there was a slight odor. Then as I was about to rave about the view, I saw the small strip of beach near the US Embassy. Will the people responsible for the area please clean all the garbage up?!

Laguna: Mt. Romelo and its waterfalls

I hiked up Mt. Romelo in Siniloan, Laguna with the UP Med Outdoor Society. It's actually a hill if you compare it to other mountains. But Mt. Romelo is a popular destination because of its four waterfalls: Buruwisan, Lansones, Batya-Batya, and Sampaloc. The group visited Buruwisan Falls which was really an awesome sight. Others went to Lansones Falls too.

But it was a crazy adventure for the group and myself too. I had to change a flat tire while I was on my way to our meeting point. Our jeeps didn't arrive on time so we were more than two hours delayed. The organizers were told that one of the jeeps had a flat too that's why they didn't arrive on time. We got new jeeps instead. But since we were two hours delayed, we now had to deal with slow traffic in certain places. One of the jeeps we hired had something wrong with the tires too. So we kept on stopping to adjust the brakes.

On the way to Buruwisan Falls, my body just gave way (since I had zero hours of sleep which is quite stupid and I won't do that again). But the good thing is if there's a will, there's a horse. Yeah, I took a horse up instead. Haha! But I wasn't the only one.

Going down the falls was also difficult since the trail was very steep. But the sight of the falls was all it took to forget how tired I was. It just took a dip in the cold waters of the pool to take away all the stress.

Going back down was easier. But the ride on the horse (it wasn't a regular saddle I was sitting on) was very bumpy. Anyway, we were back in Manila at 12 midnight. After ditching our jeep in Tanay, (the group just didn't want to take the risk since we kept on stopping and it started to smell like rubber), we took another jeep to EDSA Central were we finally had dinner. Good thing Mia Gervasio sent her army of vehicles to pick us up and bring us back to UP Med.

It was fun and everything was all part of the (mis)adventure. Thanks to Gid Lasco, my Pinoy Mountaineer partner, for organizing this climb. Of course, there's Team 4, and the rest of the UP Med Outdoor Society. More photos in Multiply.

'Hilot' for a spa treatment anyone?

It's about time we promoted our traditional Filipino culture around the world. We should start with our own food since the cuisine of our own Southeast Asian neighbors are making waves in the global community. I also wonder why our own local martial arts such as Arnis or Eskrima (known as Kali or FMA abroad) are not as popular in the Philippines as Muay Thai is in Thailand, Taekwondo in South Korea (it is their national sport) or other martial arts are in their countries.

This is also true when we go to the spa. We've all heard of Swedish, Shiatsu, Thai or Indonesian/Balinese (therapies which are popular in their countries of origin). But we fail to realize that the Philippines has its own art of massage called hilot.

In fact, hilot is becoming one of the hottest trends in our spas today. The DOT is now requiring accredited spas to include hilot in their massage therapies. In some spas, this deep tissue massage is accompanied with virgin coconut oil and warm strips of banana leaves. I should try out this therapy one of these days since it sounds enticing.

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Pinoy Mountaineer, your guide to hiking in the Philippines, is now online! This blog is brought to you by Gideon Lasco, founder of the UP Med Outdoor Society and yours truly.

Guimaras: Island-hop to Guimaras

For our last day in Iloilo, we decided to visit the island province next door, Guimaras.

We were at the Ortiz Port near Ateneo de Iloilo at about 9 a.m. and from there, we took a 15-minute pump boat to Jordan for PHP11. We had arranged for a minicab to take us around for PHP1000 (they have rates at the tourism office at the port based on distance) since you need to have your own vehicles to check out the sights.

Our first stop was the OLP Trappist Monastery in Jordan where one could buy various products, mostly made from mangoes, such as jam, yema, candies, tarts, bars, piaya, and many more. We then proceeded to Alubihod Beach in Nueva Valencia for a swim in the waters of Guimaras. Don't worry about the oil spill since it's in a different part of the island.

After an hour of swimming, we were off to the Navalas Church in Buenavista, the oldest Church in the island. Although the facade is perfectly preserved, the other parts are totally gone (walls and interior) as a result of renovations by several priests (as always). Why can't they just preserve these old churches, especially since this seemed to be the only one in Guimaras.

Nearby is the Roca Encantada Heritage House owned by the Lopez Family. We were lucky enough to be given permission to enter the premises. From afar, I thought it was a modern vacation house until I saw the marker. I could not understand how this modernized house got the seal of approval of the National Historical Institute for Heritage House. There are fewer traces of the original features of the house. With all their wealth, I hope the Lopezes restore even just the exterior of the house back to the way it looked before so that it lives up to the prestige of the NHI marker. I also hope they install the marker in a better way since it was just attached to a piece of wood. Markers like these should be screwed to a hard surface like a wall.

But the setting of the house was so picturesque with the balconies offering a 180-degree view of the sea, Siete Pecados Islands and its lighthouse, and the nearby islands of Panay and Negros.

We had to rush back to Iloilo City since we had one last stop, Breakthrough Restaurant in Arevalo District, which is very popular for its seafoods. It was a treat of Danya's family. After a sumptuous feast, we made our way to the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan. This new airport shames our crummy Manila Domestic Airport. And mind you, we paid a terminal fee of PHP30 compared to the shabby Manila Domestic's PHP200.

Iloilo: Walking tour of old Jaro

After the activity, I proceeded to Jaro to meet up with Eugene Jamerlan of the Iloilo City Cultural Heritage and Conservation Council (ICCHCC) who took me and HCS Youth members Bernard Arellano and Gian Alvarez on a walking tour of Jaro. We first entered the Locsin House and walked around the plaza towards the Magdalena Jalandoni House.

We also passed by the Old Jaro City Hall which is now a police station. Before Jaro and the other districts of Iloilo City were merged together, Jaro was a city itself. Of course there's the Ledesma Mansion, one might say a story of stupidity. They thought that there was treasure buried in front of the mansion and started to dig. As a result, the facade of the mansion collapsed. They did not realize that the treasure was their house.

On the way, we bought some Iloilo bibingka from a street vendor. These are flat pancakes about two inches in diameter sold in paper bags of 10 pieces for PHP20. I really like trying out the local street food since it gives you a feel of the locality.

We also visited the ancestral home of Marikit Javellana which is now in a rundown area of Jaro. How sad it is to see how these grand streets have deteriorated through the years.

Our last stop is the Lizares Mansion which is now the Angelicum School. We got to check out the interiors as well. The grand ballroom inside is now a chapel. But despite the years of wear and tear, you can still see its former grandeur.

I went shopping at the Original Biscocho House since I am a fan of their butterscotch. I was introduced to these baked delights way back in high school by my friend Babits Guadarrama who is a granddaughter of the owner if I'm not mistaken. The are more goodies inside and to me, it's a must for pasalubongs.

I then met up with the rest of the Ateneo people at SM City Iloilo since Francis Trenas was treating the Jesuits and us to dinner at his David's Tea House. After that sumptuous dinner, the Jesuits dropped us off at Smallville again where we had some drinks. More photos in Multiply.

Iloilo: New chapters in Iloilo

Today, we launched the Ateneo Alumni Association - Iloilo Chapter at the Ateneo de Iloilo campus. Of course, Iloilo City's top Atenean, Mayor Jerry Trenas, was there to grace the occasion. To all the alumni of the Ateneo de Manila University based in Iloilo, you can contact Danya Jacomille at (0917) 3000030 to join the chapter.

We will be in Davao City on September 29 to launch the AAA chapter there. Calling all Ateneo de Manila alumni in the Davao area, do join the fun!

That same day, we also created the HCS Youth - Iloilo Chapter. Elected president was Gian Carlo Alvarez of Central Philippine University. Calling all young heritage enthusiasts and advocates in Iloilo, you can contact Bernie Arellano at (0916) 3820555 to be part of the group. They've in fact launched their first project, a heritage blog. Explore the old world charm and the rich cultural heritage of the city and the province of Iloilo and Guimaras by visiting Panubli-on: The Iloilo Heritage Blog.