Month: April 2010

A Datu and His Wives

Credits:  JSprague TW Kits (template 01 and papers)

Have you ever wondered how it is to be one of 11 wives?  Not me, until I met a datu with… yes!  11 wives.  Datu Udos Angkoy, a distinguished looking man dressed in ordinary clothes except for the headdress he donned (and later on a royal blue vest), graciously received us in a modest guesthouse atop a hill overlooking the picturesque lake.

With the best view in town, the humble guesthouse actually sits on five-star land.  The three out of the eleven wives, one after the other, changed into their vibrant outfits as well and reappeared dressed in long-sleeved, tight fitting intricately embroidered blouses, elaborate brass belts wrapped around their waists, chiming with their every move.  One wore chunky brass anklets – perhaps more than 10 stacked up to her shin – on both legs.  Can you imagine walking with those?  Teehee!

And the multiple dangling earrings… a new vogue in the offing, you think?  They live in a sizeable compound that seems to paint a happy picture so I reckon that it is in their best interest to live harmoniously.  Hmmm… I wonder.

Posted on by Jenn 6

A Must See

Cirque du Soleil.  Oh yes, O Manel was part of the lure but this 90-minute mega production was one major reason why I found my way back to Macau.  The award winning creation that began with a group of street performers in Quebec is known the world over for its innovative shows.  Zaia – the one staged at The Venetian Resort in Macau – is wall-to-wall with breathtaking aerial acrobatics, entrancing special effects and fluid dance and movements, that captivated me from the moment the stage lit up.

So to The Venetian we went just for this.  And while we were there, we might as well explore the much talked about Resort-Hotel that supposedly played a crucial role in transforming this once rural part of Macau – even sleepier than old Macau towns – into one of the biggest tourist destination in Asia.  It is home to Asia’s largest casino with 1,000 slot machines and over 600 gaming tables bustling 24/7.

Never a dull moment, The Venetian is filled to the brim with activities at every turn.

As one enters, one gets transported to lavishness, owing to its décor.  The resort boasts of 19 remarkable restaurants but because we were pressed for time, we settled for the food court, which in itself had quite an interesting selection.

We also found ourselves wandering around, browsing through boutiques and brand name outlets along the Grand Canal Shoppes.

The Venetian sits on Cotai strip, a 5.2 km section of reclaimed land that now links the 2 former islands of Coloane and Taipa in the Pearl River Delta just across from Peninsular Macau.

Getting There:

Complimentary Venetian shuttle buses depart throughout the day from the Macau Ferry Terminal, Border Get and Lotus Ferry Terminal to the Venetian Macau Hotel – Resort.   Sands Casino also provides shuttle buses between the 2 hotels.  For a more up to date schedule, click here.

Other useful information:

Book Cirque du Soleil online here.

Scenic Sunday

Posted on by Jenn 4

On Market Day

Saturday is market day for the T’bolis and a smattering of them still turn up in a semblance of a traditional ensemble.  Take out these lingering few; market day in Lake Sebu was quite a let down.  Without them, the market looked like an ordinary tiangge (bazaar) with merchandise perhaps coming from Manila or even China.  Despite this however, it was still an enjoyable endeavor, especially for me.

How likely is it that among the population of more than 95,000 Tbolis, I find (and more amazingly – I remembered) the same one a decade later?

Perhaps it was her earrings or a combination of the earrings and her striking beauty that rendered a high recall.

One of the indigenous peoples of Southern Mindanao, the T’bolis primarily live in the South Cotobato province of Mindanao (the southernmost part of the Philippines).

As with many indigenous groups, many have adapted the migrant’s way of life owing to the many settlers hailing mostly from Iloilo (a province in the Western Visayas region, still south of the Philippines).

The colorful traditional outfits (I think) are mostly worn these days on special occasions and on market day.

Some snaps taken that morning.

Dried baby shrimps or what we call hebi (great for flavoring)

The T’bolis are famous for their intricate beadworks and brass ornaments

Negotiating for a picture with her

I just totally adore her!

T’bolis today — with an umbrella, a plastic bag of goodies and the red handbag!   😀


Posted on by Jenn 15

Beauteous Lakes of Lake Sebu

Uhmm… yes there are lakes in Lake Sebu, in fact, there are several but it is not exactly what you think.  There are no lakes within a lake.  Not to add to the confusion but Lake Sebu is a lake and a municipality, which consists of three adjacent mountain lakes – Lake Sebu, Lake Seloton and Lake Lahit… all with its own charm so impressive.  And Lake Sebu, the municipality, was named after its largest lake… aha!

Lake Sebu

Credits:  Frame mask by Orchard and Broome.

Known for its vastness, measuring around 354 hectares, is the most famous among the three lakes.

Isla Grande, the largest island within the three lakes is likewise located here.

We hiked up to the top of the island for a good view of the lake and the only way to get there was through an owong —

a canoe that is used for fishing.  A few meters from the jump off was a church,

which looked more like a shed (count your blessings folks!).  Being a Sunday, families, mostly mothers and children, waited patiently for the pastor who was still in another church in another island.   What an amazing servant of God, if you ask me.

We spent a little time there chatting the them.  Not long after, the children gamely sang hymns to entertain us.  Adorable.

Our T’boli hosts including this man who served as boatman and

entertainer accompanied us to the top of the island.  He was making up stories (apparently a funny one), which he chants in his native language — yes language.  The T’bolis speak a Malay-Polynesian language also called Tboli.   🙂  A wonderful experience, I must say, of cultural immersion.

Lake Seloton

Supposedly the deepest among the three and it is also known as the sunrise lake for having the best-unblocked view of the sunrise.

Not quite as stunning as its big sister sans the sunrise, it still possesses its own loveliness.  I am sorry that we never got to see its glorious sunrise.

Accessible only through the Sunrise Garden Lake Resort and although just a habal-habal ride away from our longhouse, we still didn’t made it up early enough to take that (cold) ride to the resort.

Lake Lahit

The smallest but not to be outshined by its two big sisters,

here we caught a fisherman fishing for tilapia just before sunset.

The lake at that time was quite spectacular, if I may say so myself.

These placid lakes are found in the middle of the Allah Valley Watershed Forest Reserve, which is used for fish (tilapia) farming,

duck raising and harvesting fresh water shrimps and snails.  The watershed supplies important irrigations to the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and South Cotobato.

Taken ten years ago… don’t remember which lake but most likely Lake Seloton

Ten years and perhaps even until a few years ago, the lakes had an abundance of lotus and lilies creating a picturesque setting – at least in my opinion.

Today, the lakes are clean with hardly any lotus plants in sight.  I was told that lotuses are (sadly) nuisance aquatic plants that are not recommended for ponds used for fishing.  And most of the people living in the nearby islands are engaged in fishing.  Well, I’ll take health of the lake over aesthetics anytime.

Lake Sebu with the fish cages at dusk

The lakes, in fact, became so famous in the early 1980s for tilapia raising that gave rise to the mushrooming of fish cages.  So much so that it would cover half of the lake, deteriorating its quality.   Today, it is good to know that the Fisheries Code prevents this from happening as the fish cages is allowed to occupy, at the most, only 10% of the total lake area.

It is no wonder that Lake Sebu was named after its beauteous lake, given that the lakes are such an integral part of their lives.

Scenic Sunday

Posted on by Jenn 2

Back to My Everyday

Credits:  JSprague TW paper kit (JSprague Brown Solid, JSprague Red Solid, KHMize Boogie Star Stripe, KPertiet King Me, K Pertiet Letterbox Bird Watcher, Trish Jones TNC radientessence papers); JSprague TW Snapshot template

Journal reads:

Today I come back home to my everyday.  As I enter, I am transported back to the usual accustomed routine.  I however welcome the smell, the organized chaos and the quietness of my home.  A jaunt, long or short, breaks the monotony of my everyday and makes me look forward to the familiar, every time.  The comfort of my bed, the smell of my pillow and the warmth of my blanket never fail to welcome me back home. Today I cook with glee after eating out every single day.  Today I enthusiastically put up my feet, sit on my couch and work on my computer as I always do on a normal day.  Today I say hello to home sweet home… it is good to be back.

Posted on by Jenn 1