Total Solar Eclipse to last 6 minutes--longest in 21st Century

here are my shots...

too bad it's just 45% eclipse in manila

Palawan Here I Go Again!

Cebu Pacific 5J 637 l MANILA-PUERTO PRINCESA l Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008 l Depart 0820H Arrive 0935H«»
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Cebu Pacific 5J 640 l PUERTO PRINCESA-MANILA l Monday, Sep 15, 2008 l Depart 1615H Arrive 1730H«»


This is my 2nd trip to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Last year I covered the Christian Convergence Conference hosted by Life Church.

This next trip am giving out a crash course on Landscape and Fashion Photography for Life Church Students. I love this kind of trips... A breather from my toxic manila-callcenter life.

Palaueños are great hosts, i miss them. I miss island hopping at Hudson Bay and am excited to visit the undeground river.

Thanks to Bro. Joshua and his family for hosting me again.

I heard the mindanao rebels have reached Palawan. I pray that i don't see them there, 'mahirap yata i-style ang mga yun for a fashion shoot' lol!

I'd be rarely posting muna and i will take a much deserved break. Mon, Marco, Ronald, Xigrid, Nathan, Dale & Brian... don't worry your albums are up next.

Meanwhile, enjoy my photos below from my first trip to this island paradise... PALAWAN!

The BOSTON FIREFLY PROJECT

some of my photos will soon be up and will be featured in Boston & Cambridge, Massachussetts courtesy of the BOSTON FIIREFLY PROJECT, a local Amnesty International Group. They have just launched their posters/flyers and used my photo as their background...

this will be my works' second international exposure in the US and it has been both a privilege and honor to be part of this worthy causes....

thank you for appreciating my works and all the support...

My Countdown

(one of my very first DSLR shot)

this week, i celebrate my 1st year in photography... my sincerest gratitude to everyone who have supported me on this very fullfilling (& costly) chapter of my life...

i've never been happier... ...

thanks to my colleagues:
Liteatro Atbp.
Bleach & Stain
Flickers Photo Club
Pinoy Kodakero
iClick Camera Club
Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation (FPPF)

...thank you for trusting me:
Fashion Design Council of the Philippines (FDCP)
Arti Entertainment, Inc.
Charity In Focus (NY)
Backpackers.Com
Bacardi Clan
Novoteau

and to all those who supported me and modeled on my online portfolio: manilaguy25.multiply.com

...my family & friends,

i couldn't ask for anything else!!!!!!!

THANK YOU!

Playing with Fire

my latest fire dancing stunt during our recent trip to Cagbalete Island on my hometown Mauban, Quezon.... thanks keith for the wonderful shot
http://keithcabillon.multiply.com/photos/album/75

this photo i took during the conclusion of our cagbalete island shoot while we're threading the beach from the cementery going back to our cottage.... cheneil walking with the chinese umbrella...

this photo just became my third feature on a uk-based travel website and i am so honored for all the recognition...
http://www.backpackers.com/blog/2008/05/12/travel-photo-of-the-week-cagbalete-island-philippines/

Another Encounter with a Black God....

BLACK FETISH: As Close As I Can Get

(Photos & Text: Ian Felix Alquiros)

Dubbed as the single largest religious festival and one of the most spectacular events in the Philippines, the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo Manila held every 9^th of January has become a yearly must-see event for me. This year’s festivity is by far the most memorable, if not the most heart pounding experience of all time. Simply because I have never been as close to the action, and second, this time I was armed with a DSLR camera with modest skills in photography.

My date with the Nazarene started quite late at 10:30am, immediately following my shift from the call center. After changing into my street clothes, I met up with some photographer friends in SM Manila to have breakfast and started walking towards Quiapo. Traffic was unusually heavy during that cloudy cool morning. As we climbed from the south end of Quezon Bridge, we began to see more and more people walking towards Quiapo, while the northbound traffic was at a snail’s pace and the other side of the road was closed to vehicles. As we descended from the bridge to Quezon Boulevard. we came into full view of a steadily bloating number of devotees mostly barefoot, wearing maroon and yellow shirts with the Black Nazarene’s image printed on it. We made our way under Quezon Blvd, through Lacson Underpass, and found a few hundred devotees in varying states of resting postures - lying, resting, preparing, sleeping, sitting and slouching on the dirty floor of the circular underpass. It was a refugee-camp with the stench of sun-dried human sweat. We approached the Villalobos Exit of the underpass and figured it wouldn’t be an easy task getting into Plaza Miranda as the stairs leading to the exit was full of people.

On a typical day, the redeveloped Plaza Miranda fronting the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene is a very busy piazza-like square with Roman-style arches and urns. filled with churchgoers, shoppers, fortuneteller stalls and street vendors selling anything from candles, fresh fruits, processed seafood, bathroom fixtures to amulets and substances to induce menstruation (pamparegla). Today, however, the plaza is an eccentric mix of breathtaking wonder and a dizzying panoramic view of a million and one devotees. Swamped with mostly men, occasionally cheering “Viva Senor” and waiving white handkerchiefs and towels, barefoot as a sign of humility and penitence, all waiting for the procession that was set to start in the next couple of hours. While hourly masses are held continuously inside the church, we had the task of finding a spot where we could settle and have a good view of the upcoming procession. The elevated arch columns on both sides of Villalobos Street were filled with photographers armed with high-end cameras and humongous zoom lenses. Some were ingenious enough to tie themselves up against the columns for hopes of not losing balance and getting a better vantage point. The elevated scaffoldings at the left side and the ceiling of the entrance of the church are filled to capacity. A handful of brave photographers and cameraman managed to climb on top of the plaza arches amidst the cheering crowd, while we were still at the center of the stuffed plaza looking for a spot where we can squeeze in -- and time was running out.

Queasy and tired from work, I looked for any possible elevated and available structure I can find in the plaza. Fortunately, I saw an empty 7-foot-high obelisk at the Hidalgo side of Plaza Miranda. Making our way through the crowd, what stood as a simple slab of concrete and marble turned out to be the five year old Commemorative Marker of the Plaza Miranda bombing. Hesitating for a moment, we decided to climb on top of the marble marker one by one. The marker comfortably accommodated three people. As we sat on top, gasping for breath and recovering from a difficult climb, we suddenly realized we may have gotten the most exciting spot in the area. With a 360 degree view of the devotees, at seven feet above the floor, my feet were dangling above the standing sea of devotees. As we settled on our prime seats, we began shooting away with our cameras paying close attention to the growing crowd, the picturesque uniform movement of the crowd and the grandiose church façade. Meanwhile, a priest on top the church entrance presided over the devotees with prayers, worship songs as well as tell jokes on current events and sarcastic political remarks that elicited a lot of cheers and laughter from the crowd.

Two hours of waiting amidst bright cloudy skies, my uncomfortable posture and lack of proper back support made me shift my position numerous times during the long wait. The church gates opened at about 2:00pm and we saw a partial view of the Black Nazarene on top of a gilded metal carriage. It sparked a scene that sent shivers down my spine and goosebumps all over my body, as a million or more devotees started chanting “Viva Senor” and waving their white handkerchiefs and towels in a circular manner. What a pure vista of catholic devotion and fanaticism!. Surrounding the Black Nazarene on top of the carriage are a dozen or more Marshalls clad in yellow shirts. They will serve as the Nazarene’s protector from devotees trying to climb into carriage and facilitators for the less adventurous devotees who settle on throwing their white handkerchiefs and towels to them so they can rub it against the image of the Black Nazarene and after which, throw it back to the owners.

The orderly chanting lasted for a little less than three minutes and what followed next is a chain reaction of total chaos that you wouldn’t expect to happen in a religious event. Thousands of devotees trying to make their way closer to the gilded carriage, hoping to touch the Black Nazarene and hoping to receive a miracle. More than a thousand male devotees converge in front of the carriage as they try to grab one of the two 50 meter long abaca ropes tied in front of the carriage. Struggling and praying for a chance to hold them or hoist them on their shoulders to help pull the carriage through the flood of worshippers. The sheer volume of people trying to grab the ropes or get close to the Black Nazarene, is just physically impossible that, it creates a simultaneous and sporadic wave of people being pushed in all directions. The whole scene was an unbelievable mob of hundreds of people getting pinned on the cement walls of the adjacent buildings extending further to the smaller Villalobos and Hidalgo Streets. As the Black Nazarene painstakingly made its way out of the gates and through the plaza, the disordered scampering for the rope has pulled the carriage zigzagging across the vicinity and at one point ending less than 10 feet from where we were sitting.

Sturdy and stable, the marker has kept us safe through the frenzied turn of events. Nevertheless, the full view of people pushing in all directions, the scene of elderly devotees and children getting crushed at the base of the obelisk where we sit, and the stench of sweaty and dirty human beings in pure disarray, stunned me. I started to panic and fear for my life because everything that’s happening was just a few inches from me. My skin could feel the vibration of every move. And at that very moment, I thought maybe we were frighteningly close to the action as I hoped. At one point we had to pull up a young girl from the side of the marker as everyone below was dangerously being pushed against our sturdy marble stage.

Thirty minutes of pure adrenaline rush and heart pounding scene, as the carriage slowly entered Villalobos Street. The chaos started to melt inside Plaza Miranda. After then we saw a handful of devotees being rushed to an ambulance for immediate medical attention. A few dozen devotees starting to sit and slump on the floor and against any available wall they can rest their drained body on. Exhausted, we waited for another 20 minutes before we were able to shake off our disbelief and decided to descend from the marker. We made our way through the opposite northbound side of Quezon Boulevard, grabbed some mineral water and started gulping to quench our horrified senses.

Casa Catalina is a 5-story high building along Quezon Blvd., directly across Mercury Drug’s Big Screen TV. This is where I used to rent a room and have lived for about 3 years from 2002 to 2005. Fortunately, the Building Manager and staff are still the same people running the residential building. So we got a place to rest while we waited for the procession to pass along Quezon Blvd. After about three hours of resting, we were given special access to view the procession from the 6^th level roof deck of the building. We were in full view of the stretch of Quezon Blvd. starting from Quezon Bridge up until Recto Ave. bisected by the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in front of us. There was an estimated 2.2 Million devotees under our noses with the scenic sun descending at Manila Bay through the West, and the Muslim Mosque and Mandaluyong-Makati Skyline through the North-East. This time around, we were in full view of the slowly moving carriage going southbound from Recto Ave. towards Quezon Bridge while the northbound lane of Quezon Blvd. is totally swamped with spectators and heavy traffic. Eighty percent of the stretch of road looked like a regular peaceful oversized catholic procession with smaller replicas of the Black Nazarene sitting in more traditional carriages taking centerstage. Around 70 meters surrounding the Black Nazarene is the same scene of unbelievable disorder and riot. From our vantage point on top, we are in clear view of how the abaca ropes always end up being pulled in all directions instead of being pulled forward. This has made the Nazarene stalled most of the time. There would be an occasional orderly pulling of the ropes that would launch the Black Nazarene into a periodic but short-lived forward movement, and that never failed to generate loud cheering from the crowd and a rain of white handkerchiefs and towels. These scenes quiver me and would not leave my senses for a very long time. Around the carriage is another human drama unfolding. Hundreds of male, and some brave female devotees made their way to the top of the carriage. Once successful in touching a part of the Cross and the Black Nazarene, would send their bodies to fall back into the sea of people without fear like they do in rock concerts. We saw two men on stretchers being hauled to the ambulance just at the foot of the Quezon Bridge and hundreds of exhausted devotees slumped on the aisle facing the northbound lane of the road where a single lane of private and public utility vehicles are at a standstill as devotees block their way and some managed to occupy and climb on top of the unmoving jeepneys to get a better view of the procession.

It took more than an hour for the carriage to cross the stretch of Quezon Blvd. and as the disarrayed part of the convoy slowly left our view, we started to compose ourselves from where we stand and shake the excitement off from witnessing this annual display. It was past the hour of five in the afternoon when we descended into the street and walked our way through the still thick crowd in Quiapo, going towards Quezon Bridge and SM Manila. We noticed a generally calm, worn-out and less arid atmosphere. As people prepared to head home, they grabbed a drink to quench their thirst and some rested on the sidewalks to catch their breaths.

Being raised by devout catholic parents, I have learned to respect the catholic religion and their ways. While I may not be the most ideal follower of the faith, the Catholic Church has largely remained closest to my heart. I have grown up to form my own opinions on what I just witnessed, opinions that my folks would surely contest. But for the record, this year, I wasn’t there as a devotee of the Black Nazarene, I was there as a spectator of this great Philippine tradition and to document the event through my lenses. Nevertheless, this feast has never failed to be the most significant religious, physical, emotional and pure Filipino experience in my life that I would never dare pass every year.

What started out as a primary goal of simply taking stunning shots to this historical event turned out to be a spiritual epiphany at another perspective, the idealism of the Filipino faith may come out illogical, bordering to the extreme exercise of Catholic faith, but being there in the middle of the event made me think otherwise.

This year’s festivities have recorded and estimated 2.2 to 3 million attendees, 2 casualties and around 50 recorded injuries. I hope next year the ‘zero-injury feast’ target of the organizers would be met. And I think unless the Catholic Church and the organizers put a cap and some restrictions, it’s going to be a difficult task.

This is the closest I have gotten to the Black Nazarene during his feast, it’s a record that’s hard to beat, which I don’t intend to, not with a costly camera in my hand I won’t. Until my next adventure … “Viva Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno!”

My Kayaks Got Featured

For the second time, one of my photo got featured at a travel website (www.backpackers.com) as TRAVEL: PHOTO OF THE WEEK (January 16, 2008). The photo titled KAYAKS was on of the photos i've taken just after christmas during my recent backpacking visit to Phuket where we had a day tour at Phiphi Island, the famed movie location of "The Beach"



see the website feature at:
http://www.backpackers.com/blog/2008/01/16/travel-photo-of-the-week-colourful-kayaks-on-phiphi-island/

thanks for all the support guys!

What My Name Means.

You entered: Ian Felix Del Banco Alquiros

There are 24 letters in your name.
Those 24 letters total to 113
There are 11 vowels and 13 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:

Scottish	Male	Gift from God The Gaelic form of the name John.
Hebrew	Male	Gift from God.

Your number is: 5

The characteristics of #5 are: Expansiveness, visionary, adventure, the constructive use of freedom.

The expression or destiny for #5:
The number 5 Expression endows with the wonderful characteristic of multi-talents and versatility. You can do so many things well. The tone of the number 5 is constructive freedom, and in your drive to attain this freedom, you will likely be the master of adaptability and change. You are good at presenting ideas and knowing how to approach people to get what you want. Naturally, this gives you an edge in any sort of selling game and spells easy success when it comes to working with people in most jobs. Your popularity may lead you toward some form of entertainment or amusement. Whatever you do, you are clever, analytical, and a very quick thinker.

If there is too much of the 5 energy in your makeup, you may express some the negative attitudes of the number. Your restless and impatient attitude may keep you from staying with any project for too long. Sometimes you can be rather erratic and scatter yourself and your energies. You have a hard time keeping regular office hours and maintaining any sort of a routine. You tend to react strongly if you sense that your freedom of speech or action is being impaired or restricted in any way. As clever as you are, you may have a tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again because much of your response is glib reaction rather that thoughtful application. You are in a continuous state of flux brought by constantly changing interests.

Your Soul Urge number is: 1

A Soul Urge number of 1 means:
Your Soul Urge is the number 1. With a Soul Urge number of 1, you want to lead and direct, to work independent of supervision, by yourself or with subordinates. You take pride in your abilities and want to be recognized for them. You may seek opportunities to display your strength and usefulness, wanting to create and originate. In your desire to manage the big picture and the main issues, you may often leave the details to others.

The positive 1 Soul Urge is Ambitious and determined, a leader seeking opportunities. There is a great deal of honesty and loyalty in this character. If you possess positive 1 Soul Urge qualities, you are very attainment oriented and driven to success. You are a loyal friend and strictly fair in your business dealings.

The negative side of the 1 Soul Urge must be avoided. A negative 1 is apt to dominate situations and people; the home, the spouse, the family and the business. Emotions aren't strong in this nature. If you possess an excess of 1 energy, you may, at times, be boastful and egotistic. You must avoid being too critical and impatient of trifles. The great need of the 1 Soul Urge is the development of friendliness, and a sincere interest in people.

Your Inner Dream number is: 4

An Inner Dream number of 4 means:
You dream of being a very solid citizen that people can depend upon. You strive for organization and predictable order. You want to be recognized as a person with a plan and the discipline to make that plan work like clockwork.

__________________________________________

find yours at http://www.paulsadowski.com

Latest Feature on a Travel Website

my work got featured on a travel website just today, please support me check it at http://www.backpackers.com/blog/2007/09/17/travel-photo-of-the-week-snake-island-tranquillity/

for my full photography website, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianfelix/

thanks

here's the photograph

Holy Road Trip 2007 - Day 1

Holy Road Trip 2007

Day 1 (Maundy Thursday, April 5, 2007)

With my housemates Roy, Red, Klark & Argus (our Siberian Husky comrade), we embarked on an unplanned trip to spend our country’s version of US’ Thanksgiving Weekend – the HOLY WEEK. It was supposed to be a Northern and Central Luzon trek with the likes of Baguio, Pagudpud, Pampanga and Hundred Islands as our itinerary, but laziness, unfamiliarity with geography, our desire to see our family, not to mention budgetary considerations, got the better of us and we settled on a more familiar and closer route to Laguna and Quezon. We left the condo around 5pm on board a borrowed gray 4-door Toyota RAV4 which comfortably accommodated the four of us and gave ample space for Argus at the back baggage section of the SUV.

I guess we traveled late and everyone came ahead of us because there are very few vehicles on the road, traceless of the typical rush-hour EDSA scene. So Red swoop the road like bread-knife cutting through fresh tofu, while Klark and I sit quietly at the backseat half-sleepy and oftentimes struggling, arms against fangs, to keep Argus from trying to get to our seat. First stop of the day was South Super Highway’s Petron Station, representative of Philippines newest hit travel culture and an offshoot of Filipino’s malling phenomenon - the Expressway Food Stops. So there we were at Starbuck’s bench for a hefty 45-minute stop, sipping frappucino, people-watching and planning our trip. Then we were back on the road to the next stop.

San Pablo City, Red’s Residence – We were welcomed by Red’s mom, dad and brother, in full smile and a unique Tagalog-accent typical of our kababayan’s in Laguna, Batangas and Quezon. With the barking of a couple of ‘askals’ on the background, the meet and greet session started and lasted a little less than one hour. Argus found some new playmates and being a work-dog that he is, has been running around non-stop chasing a new furry Pomeranian girlfriend named “Bangs”. As we left, we said goodbye to Argus, as he is going to stay put for the rest of the trek (sorry buddy). Then off to the road again.

Next scheduled stop was the beach resorts of Sariaya, Quezon, situated just before the town plaza. But the ‘sleepyhead guide’ (me) missed the sign and we instead ended up in front of St. Francis of Assisi Church of Sariaya, perfect place for the much needed pee-break. Armed with a digital SLR camera and a Nokia N-73 Camera Phone, Roy and I took pictures of the church’s well-lit interiors and the biblical scenes vividly sculpted representing the Stations of the Cross. The church houses the miraculous icon of Sto. Cristo from Burgos, Spain. We spent a few minutes to kneel, pray and relieve our spiritual need, plus a few more minutes to drop our zippers and relieve our biologic need, and we were back on the road tracing the missed turn.

It took us 45 minutes from the church to reach the shores of Sariaya and approached Dalampasigan Beach Resort. By the looks of it, with the parking space almost filled to capacity, we came too late. True enough we were told that they’re already full and cannot accept anymore guests for the night. With that dilemma, we were directed to check out Paraiso Beach Resort just beside Dalampasigan. At around midnight we started pitching our camping tent beside our P800 worth beachside canopied bench and table right at beach-front of the resort. And while the resort’s name promises some pristine time with nature, we were instead left to catch sleep at our tent and endure a collage of annoying sounds coming drunkards singing karaoke at the restaurant and the occasional laughter and screams coming from a bunch of guests sitting along the shore while staring at a campfire. Who said this trip is going to be easy anyways?

Holy Road Trip 2007 - Day 2

Day 2 (Good Friday, April 6, 2007)

We woke up around 6:30am to the sound of kids running and playing around our tent contrasted by the welcoming sound of salt water slapping the white sandy beach of Sariaya, Quezon. We scanned the resort amidst the orangey silhouette of the rising sun and found a bit of a waiting line on the communal toilets as guests are starting to wake up with hang-over, trying to regain the memories of the previous nights passing-out rituals. The restaurant offered some hot instant coffee and bread which would be our first meal of the day. We spent a couple more minutes at the shore catching as much sun rays as we can to energize us for that day’s trip, packed our tent and quietly slipped out of the modest resort and jumped to our SUV.

En-route to Tayabas, Quezon to see the centuries-old Basilica Minore of St. Michael the Archangel, the longest Spanish colonial church in the country. The grandiose church façade indicated a visual feast that waits to amaze our eyes and will send our camera lenses to work. One of the churches in the Philippines declared as National Cultural Treasures, the basilica’s cross-shaped floor area is the biggest I’ve seen so far in my lifetime, and while this is my nth time to visit this particular church, it never fails to speed up my heart rate and inspire the ‘devout catholic’ in me just thinking about the importance of this magnificent piece of architecture, the culture and history it represents and the spirituality that it symbolizes. The church seven altars, ‘retablos’ and dome ceiling regurgitates with glorious neo-classical style and has remained largely intact after numerous renovations and restorations.

Lying on a slope of northeast of Mt. Banahaw, and standing at an elevation of 1,500 feet above sea level is Lucban, Quezon, our next pit-stop. Appropriately tagged as the ‘Summer Capital of Quezon’, and home of one of the Philippines most colorful and ingenious festival, the famed Pahiyas Festival (May 15). As we venture into a steady inclined road, we felt the urge to desperately turn off the air conditioner, open the windows of the SUV and savor the drizzly misty cold air amidst the blue skies and bright sunshine. Feeling the urge to doze off and just relish the brushing of the cold air on my smooth skin (haha) and just about the time I’m starting to snore, we got into a slowly moving traffic towards a crowd infested intersection of sorts. Vendors and stalls started to appear from the sidewalk selling everything from colorful foldable tourist hats to local delicacies and sharp deadly knifes. We just found out we're at the site of “Kamay Ni Hesus Healing Church” - the most recent attraction to hit the local catholic culture, the Stations of the Cross at Tinamnan Hills. This site has been attracting thousands of devotees who considers it as the country’s new mecca for the sick, with the provincial government following suit by adding it in their list of famous landmarks and communal pride since its inauguration on May 2004. Most prominent from miles away is the awe-inspiring sight of a 50-foot statue of the Ascending Christ, considered the third biggest in the world. After a turtle-pace approach to the crowded intersection, we finally passed the traffic and entered the town proper of Lucban.

Earlier during the climb, we were supposed to have an early lunch and pass by Kamayan sa Palaisdaan but we we’re disappointed to find out that they are closed on good Friday. I could almost feel the taste their sumptuous seafood meals on floating bamboo huts but I guess in the spirit penitence and mourning, we were made to endure another 45 minute climb and traffic towards the rustic town and settled to a less fishy but equally popular treat of the famous Pancit Habhab and Longganisang Lucban courtesy of Buddy’s Restaurant. Centrally located at the heart of the town, our seat at the restaurant gave us a good view of their Rizal Park, Patio Rizal Hotel, the Municipal Hall and the famous Dealo’s Bakeshop where you can find all the favorite delicacies of Quezon including broas, putoseko, copra and even the colorful leaf-shaped rice wafers called “kipings”. The town’s lunchtime patio scene reminded me of some romantic films shot in Paris depicting a cozy afternoon siesta landscape, complete with doves, fountains, statues and busy tourists taking pictures and sipping coffee around the park.

Walking around the church gave us a picturesque sampling of some local well preserved old houses, crystal clear waters flowing through road canals, devotees preparing the carozas and wooden saints for the traditional good Friday procession and of course locals making the staple Longganisang Lucban with it’s unique garlicky smell and taste.

The impressive edifice, bell tower and exterior of Lucban’s Church of St. Louis of Toulouse has maintained its quaint look and got its well deserved attention from our camera, its just too bad the church’s ‘well refurbished’ interior now lacks the rustic old look that would have made it a historian’s treasure.

As the time approached noon, we felt the urge to leave Lucban and head to a small quiet town of Sampaloc - en-route to our last stop for the day, my hometown residence in Mauban, Quezon. The irregular and mostly unpaved road to Sampaloc was a bit uneasy for an urban driver like Red. Steadily downward & zig-zagging in slope, ravenous cliffs & dewy rainforest added to a somewhat unwelcome but quite unique attraction of that particular part of the trek, though the route was relatively uneventful, it was nevertheless a bit creepy.

Sampaloc was a total opposite of the lively town of Lucban. In here we found a rather sleepy town devoid of any significant social activities happening at siesta time, the creepiness of the street scene reminded us of lonely cult-like towns usually depicted in the Shake-Rattle and-Roll Movie Sequels. We passed by the town chapel and there we found a couple-of-dozen of people preparing for their traditional Friday procession with their relatively small-sized carozas and wooden saints. We stayed for about 20 minutes scanning the church, the people and a handful of ‘tiangge’ selling cheap stuffs around the chapel. Then off the last portion of our trek.

The dusty road that links Sampaloc to Mauban traverses along the Maapon River and gave us a scenic and more pleasing view of a characteristic provincial countryside. We saw some river-control structures in-place and a rustic hanging bridge to please our lenses and test our thrill-seeking and adventurous nature, so we stopped and had a mini-photo shoot.

It took us a good 45 minutes to reach Mauban from the town of Sampaloc. We were greeted with the charming beauty of small progressive coastal town with a relaxing view and smell of the sea. Lamon Bay is located along the Polilio Strait traversing 16 Municipalities of Quezon, one of which is Mauban. It is considered as one of the top ten fishing grounds in the Philippines. We approached the pier and parked at the tip of Mauban’s break water. To the southwest is a panoramic view of the town of Mauban and to the east is the fascinating view of Lamon Bay and its bordering coastal towns of Alabat, Atimonan, Gumaca, Lopez, Perez and Plaridel. We stayed at the break water for 30 minutes, watched a man fish and await his first catch of the day. Took a picture of the pier and headed back to the center of the town where my modest home was located.

It was breathe of fresh air to see my folks still healthy and agile at their age. They gave us a warm welcome asking how the trip went along while we settled in one of the rooms of the house. It was about 1:00 in the afternoon when we decided to take a quick stroll of the town to buy some junk food. We found a small restaurant where halo-halo is served; we just hopped in the place and ordered, quenching our dried souls and throats. We then headed back home, took a quick shower and slept for about 3 hours before we were roused from sleep to prepare for the Good Friday procession.

My whole family and relatives are devout Catholics, attending holy week church activities is rule that has rarely been broken. We even own a wooden saint (St. Peter) and a caroza which was handed down to our generation from our great forefathers. And so holy week has always meant the family’s commitment to make sure St. Peter participates in the Good Friday procession. At 4:00pm Maubanin’s started trooping at the church and its major street Quezon St., we watched as the crowd steadily grew bigger and bigger until the street became impassable to tricycles and motorcycles. Armed with candles in varying colors and sizes, wearing the latest fads in conservative fashion, the street scene became an instant clutter of meet and greet session between old peers, ex-classmates, childhood friends, peers and relatives.

Personally, I look forward to these yearly gathering. It’s always good to see old faces, hear their voices, hear their stories and renew the long-been outdated memories of them in my mind. It never fails to knock the sense out of me and figure how fast time flies, how much we’ve grown, matured and how others have moved on so smoothly in their lives. I start comparing how my life moved so slowly while others seems so fast. I figured I needed these kind of conversations every once in a while to make me stand, to make me re-assess my goals and focus more on what my direction will be. I have loved the way it pressures me to move on.

It was an hour and a half wait for the start of the procession, fortunately, Roy got a good spot at the veranda of my folk’s ancestral home - right smack the entrance and exit of the church compound so he started clicking away with his Canon EOS 350D. There were literally thousands of people waiting on the streets and as the sun’s shadows started to fade, darkness started to creep in, and the candles started to serve its purpose, like stars illuminating the noisy night. The start of procession moved painstakingly at a snails-pace making its way to the overcrowded street and while it progresses, the people started to slowly move with the flow of the procession. The ranting slowly faded into the solemnity of footsteps, praying of the rosary and the occasional blare of generator set-on-wheels to illuminate the carozas. The 30-plus carozas took 2 hours to navigate the route of the procession which traverses the major thoroughfares of the town and appropriately ended back at the church.

Over the next 1 hour after our Caroza parked back at our garage, our front porch becomes a scene of a relief-goods distribution center, as hundreds of devotees and their families, who joined the procession, were fed with packed juices, pancit bihon and puto. Our sala and dining area however is a welcoming scene of a town fiesta while close relatives and friends partook in a meatless feast.

Halfway through the night, we felt the urge to lie down and rest, as I close my eyes to sleep, I did remember, today represents the day when Christ died on the cross, and I realized, this is also the busiest day of my year, a handful of church visited, dozens of rekindled friendship, a couple of new faces to remember, and as I think further… I passed out to a deep slumber.

Holy Road Trip 2007 - Day 3

Day 3 (Black Saturday, April 7, 2007)

The four of us unwillingly woke up to the rousing efforts of my nieces, as a hefty breakfast of longganisang lucban and pancit awaits us at the dining table. It was around 8:00am and we are waiting for word on the availability of any outrigger boat which will bring us to Mauban’s foremost summer destination and the community’s collective pride, Cagbalete Island.

We were bound to spend the next 30 hours on a private beach house of my first cousin, Fe and Boy Pansacola on the southernmost tip of the Cagbalete Island. Finally at around 10:30am we got confirmation on a private small 30-seater outrigger boat fetching us for the 40 minute trip to the island. Ten minutes through the trip, amidst the mildly bumpy seas, from the boat we got a full view of where we’re heading - a ‘toothbrush-shaped’ luscious green island 30 minutes away. There it nests on white sandy beaches, growing bigger as we approach. The toothbrush head represented the southernmost tip of the island and points the direction where we will spend our day.

Cagbalete is a 1,640 hectare island located east of Quezon Province and part of the Town of Mauban, Quezon, it lies along the waters of Lamon Bay and the Pacific Ocean. While the whole island is privately owned, there are numerous settlements of Visayan fisher folks at the southwestern side of the island.

We arrived at the island a bit past lunchtime to a scene quite unique to the island, because the changing of tides is very evident in Cagbalete, the waters have moved as far back as 1 kilometer from the shore, leaving a magnificent panorama of powdery white sand to envy the shores of Camiguin. Amidst the shades of the trees from the beach, one can see the lengthy white sand bars reflecting the sunrays, revealing pristine clear and calm seas further ahead, bordered by 200 degrees of mountainous coastline of mainland Quezon Province, forming part of the Sierra Madre and topped with a vista of cumulus clouds posted on bright blue skies. Twenty minutes of blank stare into the visual postcard feast and we can’t help but wonder how lucky we are to be there.

Pansacola Beach is unlike any other beach I’ve been to, in here you get the feel of having the island to yourself and having the privacy that you want, away from the staring eyes of the nosy public. Except for the cemented communal toilets, the amenities boasts of all natural materials that gave everyone a real feeling of living in paradise and communing with nature. The tree house, cottages and huts are all made from local bamboo, coconut trunks and mangroves, esthetically designed with shells, plants and rocks common to the island. Perhaps the most satisfying part of our stay in this island was the food and the hospitality that was accorded to us during our brief adventure. We lived and were served like Royalties, parading splendid viands of sumptuous meals and snacks that include, to name a few, pancit, turon, palitaw. crispy pata, spareribs, fish fillet, tuna, squids and crabs - home-cooked to perfection. Each meal and snacks left us wandering and waiting for the next feast of the day, while leaving our taste buds exhausted from not getting enough time to recover. In here you get three full meals a day plus two hearty snacks delivered on schedule right in your dining cottage.

Spending the night in the island is exceptionally mesmerizing to the senses. Pansacola Beach offers some modest comfort courtesy of a generator set to light up the facilities, the fans and the videoke machine located beside the main rest house. After dinner, a staff will light up your own private bonfire fronting your cottage where you can spend a romantic evening with your friends and love ones. Somewhere between the sound of crickets and giant lizards (tuko) and the waves humping the shoreline, between the sight of stars and distinct silhouette of lights hinting coastline settlements and a nearby power plant, between the touch of the salty wind and the scorching heat from the burning wood, between the feel of fullness and wanting for more; we have found restful serenity, sitting along wooden trunks lying dead naked along Cagbalete’s coastline.

And then we’re off to the cottage’s bamboo floor and sleeping tents for a well deserved reprieve. As the patchwork of earthly sounds fades calmly to the background and a symphony of snores takes center stage, ironically implying rest and peace of mind, there you can find me crumpled in my fetal stance like a fresh soul ready to be born.