G Travel

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Sidetrip to Ayala Museum

In celebration of International Museum Day, my friend and I are lucky to get a complimentary pass and see a wonderful exhibition of artifacts, ceramics, ancestral golds, diorama, and paintings.

Photo Credit: Asian Traveler

After having brunch at a nearby fast food chain, we started the tour at the ground floor gallery. I learned that the ground floor gallery serves as a venue for exhibitions of contemporary Philippine art. Today's exhibition is Fernando Amorsolo's Postura. The subjects given life are all endowed with a noble and proper mien, attired either in elegant gala or at their Sunday best. This exhibition is until May 20, 2012 only.

Photo Credit: Ayala Museum

We thought of checking the exhibition on the highest floor first since it's easier to get down. At the fourth floor gallery, their theme is "Crossroads of Civilizations". It's an exhibition of 10th to 13th century of Chinese export ceramics, Gold of Ancestors, and 18th to 19th century Philippine Costumes.

Blue and White Twin Bird Water Dropper
Photo Credit: Gogirl Cafe

The one that caught my attention most was the Gold of Ancestors, maybe because this is the first time that I saw too many golds in one room, 1,059 gold artifacts. They also have a multimedia room showing how golds are made into accessories.

Death Mask
Photo Credit: Ayala Museum

Photo Credit: Asian Traveler

The third floor gallery shows the museum's fine arts collection by three painters considered are pioneers of Philippine art, Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo and Fernando Zobel.

The second floor exhibition highlights 60 handcrafted dioramas that highlights major events and themes from prehistoric times to the recognition of Philippine independence by the United States in 1946.

Photo Credit: Asian Traveler

Unfortunately, at past 1PM, we had to leave the museum because of other errands. We were lucky enough to visit Ayala Museum for free. There's so much to learn yet our time is limited.

I was able to take a picture of this painting before we were told that cameras, food, and drinks are not allowed inside the museum.

Museum Hours

Monday - Closed

Tuesday to Friday - 9AM to 6PM

Saturday & Sunday - 10AM to 7PM

Admission Fees Resident Non-Resident

GF-3F Galleries

Adult PHP 150 PHP 350

Child/Student/Senior Citizen PHP 75 PHP 250

GF-4F Galleries

Adult PHP 225 PHP 425

Child/Student/Senior Citizen PHP 125 PHP 300

Ayala Museum

Makati Ave. corner De La Rosa Street

Greenbelt Park, Makati City, Philippines

Phone: (+632) 757-7117 to 21

Fax: (+632) 757-2787

Email: museum_inquiry@ayalamuseum.org

Website: www.ayalamuseum.org

If you like this post, consider it sharing on Facebook and Twitter. Or you may leave a comment to help my adventures. Happy reading! :)

Monday, May 14, 2012

My caving experience at Mystical Cave

We're on to the last leg of our Rizal tour with a limited time. We started the day with the Street Murals of Doña Aurora, then St. Clement Parish. After the art overload, we headed to Antipolo City's Mystical Cave.

At a small bath tub like rock formation.
The local TV series Encantadia was here.

Mystical Cave was discovered by Inday Nelly Deles. Our guide, let's call him Jeremy (We asked for his name but I forgot. I'll take note next time. Hehe! ) told us that it all started in a dream. Inday Nelly Deles was dreaming about the cave even before she came to Antipolo. The cave has seven (7) floors more but only locals can go down. They named it Mystical Cave because of the mysterious rock formations that are similar to some of the important things that happened in the bible.

"PIETA"
(Mary was holding Jesus after his death)

The Visitation

Eagle of Pride & Sheep of Humility

Mystical Cave is located at Barangay San Luis, Antipolo Rizal. Jeremy told us that on holy weeks, a lot people from different places come on a pilgrimage just to visit the place.

Here's what we did to get there:

From Antipolo town proper, we took the Cogeo bound jeepney's (P9/person) and took off at Cogeo market. From there, we took another jeepney bound to Paenaan (P8.50/person). Just ask the driver to drop you off at the street going to the quarry site, it's about 1 km. after Padilla. (The street right after passing the old or abandoned apartments on your right). You should be able to see the signs like in the picture below.

Road signs

At drop off, the place looks deserted. There are a few residents near the hi-way, but when we asked for directions on where to rent for a public transportation that can bring us to the cave, we were told to hike instead since there was none. Or go back to Padilla to rent a tricycle that will bring us to the cave. We opted to hike.

A few steps from the residents, all we can see are rough roads, mountain view, rocks, and overwhelming dirt, specially if there are trucks passing by. It was like a never ending rough road. In fact, we were quite afraid that we were lost.

And yes, the sun was strikingly hot that time. But none of those could stop us from our journey. We managed to enjoy the moment, have fun, and even took pictures.

Camwhoring

Until we saw the Mystical Cave sign, we were glad to know that we're not lost. And a few climb up to the mountain.. On our way up, I'm surprised that there are residents in the area. We paid the entrance fee of P40 each. They said that it's for the maintenance of the cave.

To Mystical Cave

At the top, there's this small resting place for visitors with tables and chairs outside the gate of the cave. The gate and the stone path are already improved for the visitors easy access.

A small opening to a wide and huge cave.

On our way down

We were truly amazed of the hugeness of the cave and how the rock formations were formed. While we we're resting and talking about trekking the rough road again. We learned that there's an easy way to get to Antipolo town proper as instructed by our guide. Hehe! Goodbye rough road! ☺

How to get there (the easy way):

By Private vehicle
From EDSA, drive through Aurora Boulevard of Cubao, going to Marcos hi-way passing by the towns of Cogeo and Padilla. Turn right on the quarry street after the old or abandoned apartment. Drive on the rough roads until you see the Mystical Cave sign to your left on the part where the road is cemented again.

By Public Transportation
From Antipolo town proper, take a tricycle bound to La Salle at the market for P18/each. La Salle is a subdivision wherein you will exit from the other gate. The gate that's nearer to the cave. From La Salle tricycle terminal, it's just a few trek away from the other gate, turn right when you reach the rough road until you see the Mystical Cave sign to your left on the part where the road is cemented again. Or you can simply rent a tricycle from La Salle terminal to bring you to the cave. ☺

Read our Rizal Tour from Day 1 to Day 2.

You might also like:

If you like this post, please consider sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. Or you may leave a comment to help my blog. Happy reading, thank you! :)

Saturday, April 28, 2012

A tribute to our National Artists

Doña Aurora Street Murals is one of a kind art gallery in the country. It's a free art gallery on the street, open 24 hours a day. A tribute to the national artists, Carlos "Botong" V. Francisco for arts, and Lucio D. San Pedro for music.

National Artist

The art murals are all copied from the works of Botong Francisco and the widely acclaimed lullaby "Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan" of Lucio San Pedro are all sculpted on the street. To locals, it was just an ordinary wall, I think they're just used to it. But to us, they were amazing. If only it was not to sunny when we visit the place, we would have taken more photos of it. But we still took a few.

A woman with a deer

Merienda

Songs of the brown man

Martyrdom of Rizal

Moriones Mask

At the end of the street murals you'll see Lucio San Pedro's famous "Sa Ugoy ng Duyan".

Sa Ugoy ng Duyan

Ang Nuno

And of course before we leave Doña Aurora, it was a need to have a picture with at least one of the art sculptures (in the heat of the sun). Hehe!

Raina and Raz

Kahit pawisan, smile pa din! :)

How to get there

By Private vehicle
From EDSA, drive through Ortigas Ext. road passing by KayTikling. Turn right passing by the town of Taytay until you reach the Y junction, pass by the road on the right. That will let you pass the town of Angono. Doña Aurora Street of Barangay Itaas is at your right, a few meters after the Municipal hall.

By Public Transportation
From EDSA-Crossing, take the Angono bound FX or jeepneys. If you take other transportation that will pass by the town of Angono, make sure that they will pass the town proper. Ask the driver to drop you off at Doña Aurora Street of Barangay Itaas. That's a few meters after the Municipal hall.

Read our Rizal Tour from Day 1 to Day 2.

You might also like:

If you like this post, please consider sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. Or you may leave a comment to help my blog. Happy reading, thank you! :)

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Daranak and Batlag Falls

Daranak and Batlag Falls, the nearest waterfall from the Metro. A 2-hour drive or less, depends on traffic and you get to swim in the cold water of the falls. Perfect for a weekend getaway. And besides, these falls are always a part of some television shows and movies.

Daranak Falls

Batlag Falls

We went to Daranak and Batlag falls after our lunch at Balaw Balaw Specialty Restaurant on a Monday, holiday. From Scrapyard (where we bought our ice cream), we took a jeepney to Tanay for P35. We asked the driver to drop us off at the tricycle terminal to Daranak falls. He said that there are two options to drop us at. First is where we can hire a tricycle for a special trip. And second is the regular trip, where we would wait for other passengers until the seating capacity is full. We opted the latter. Before getting off his jeep, he told us to just look for the line of the tricycle bound to Daranak.

At the terminal there are a lot of tricycles bound to different Barangays of Tanay. Some tricycle drivers offered to take us to Daranak for P300. And even told us that there are no tricycles in the terminal that will bring us to Daranak. We just said thank you and left. We continued to ask for the right terminal. Upon asking some barker's (men who's in-charge of the line) we found the tricycle bound to Daranak. Since it's already 4PM, there are only few passengers. We asked for a special trip to Daranak and it was only P150 one-way. And so we agreed for a special trip. The right fare is half the price or even lower ('cause some charge P400) if you hire the right tricycle. Make sure you hire the right tricycles that are really bound to the area of Daranak to avoid over charges.

We asked Mang Onie (our tricycle driver), to pick us up at 6:30PM. Enough time to take pictures and a short dip. He said that Daranak is open until 5PM only and they might not allow us to get in anymore. He gave us a tip to pretend that we are only doing an ocular inspection of the falls and we will get back the following week.

When we arrive at the entrance of the Daranak, Mang Onie was right. Most of the visitors are leaving. And so we followed Mang Onie's advice. Entrance fee to Daranak is P25. There are still a lot of swimmers when we reached Daranak falls. But the lifeguard keeps reminding them that they close at 5PM. We just took some pictures and head to Batlag.

Batlag falls is just above Daranak. You need to get inside the park of Daranak to get to Batlag. Cross a bridge made of bamboo and hike a cemented path. At Batlag, we were told that we can stay until at least before 6PM, because it gets dark after six. And they do not allow overnight swimmers anymore.

Small bridge

Hike to Batlag

We thought that we wouldn't be long because we'll just take pictures and leave. But when we reached Batlag, no one was there anymore (because most of the people are leaving). The water is really inviting.

Batlag stream

Raz and I just can't help to take a dip. We didn't bother to go to the restroom to change our clothes (there was only us, hehe!). And indeed, it was a good decision to take a dip. After all the places we've been to in one day with the striking hot sun rays. It was very refreshing to just stay right beneath the cold waters of the falls.

Sorry for the blurred pic. Medyo pasmado ang picture taker namin dito. Hehe!

Oh, to those who don't know how to swim like me, Daranak and Batlag has a rubber lifebuoy (salbabida). I'm not sure if you need to rent them to be able to use them, but since no one was there, we get to use them for free. It's scattered everywhere. ☺

Akala ko malalim pa din.. hehe!

It was really dark when we left the falls. We got lock inside the park, the gate was closed. I think the park administrator forgot that there were three girls who came in late, or maybe they thought that we already left. Whatever it is, we had no way out but to climb a small hill and walk over the fence. Good thing that Mang Onie was kind and patient enough to wait for us.

Over the bakod

Oh by the way, Batlag rates are shown in the picture below.

How to get there

By Private vehicle
From EDSA, drive through Ortigas Ext. road passing by KayTikling. Make a U-turn and turn right up to the hills of Antipolo. Follow the Antipolo road to Laguna. At Tanay Junction, turn left. Go straight until you see the sign that says, "To Daranak" on your left. Turn left and you will see the Daranak gate on your right.

By Public Transportation
From EDSA-Crossing, take the Tanay bound FX or jeepneys. Ask the driver to drop you off at the tricycle terminal to Daranak falls. Ride a tricycle that are franchised bound to Daranak.

If you want to reserve a tricycle before going to Daranak and Batlag, here is Mang Onie's contact number:
Mang Onie: 0947-7610659

Read our Rizal Tour from Day 1 to Day 2.

You might also like:

If you like this post, please consider sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. Or you may leave a comment to help my blog. Happy reading, thank you! :)

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Balaw Balaw Specialty Restaurant

Angono is the art capital of the Philippines. We wouldn't want to miss this famous restaurant that was even featured on TV.

Balaw Balaw Specialty Restaurant

Based on research, this restaurant is special because they serve exotic dishes. After Angono Petroglyphs, we were talking about exotic foods to order on our way. But when we were in the restaurant to order, no one had the guts to mention any exotic food. So we agreed on their house specialty, Minaluto and added Sinigang na Baboy (Pork Stew).

Minaluto - P245 (single serve)

Minaluto is a combination of seafood, vegetables and salted egg in a rice served on banana leaf. Your rice options can be plain white rice, java rice and pink rice. If you know me, you'll be able to guess what I chose. Haha! Right! Pink rice is binuro (fermented) rice.

We were too hungry to roam around. We wanted to eat before exploring the gallery. Balaw Balaw is not just a restaurant. They also have a gallery in their Mezzanine and 2nd floor. We just waited for our food to be served first.

Art Gallery

I like this mother and child painting.

And at last, after a few minutes, we are ready to taste their Minaluto when suddenly... I saw something crawling heading to my fork. I panicked a little, but I don't want to cause a scene. So I immediately tried to cover it with my glass of iced tea. When all I thought that it was dead, it crawled again (surviror!). This time it's heading to my friend's direction. But she was more calm than me (I think). She just squash it with a handful of tissue (eeeww.. juicy pa!). And the cockroach is dead.

Rest in peace ipis (cockroach).

If you think that this stop us from eating, you're wrong! Hehe! Although it decrease my appetite, it didn't stop us from eating our lunch. I guess the three of us thought the same. We need the energy for our next destination, Darank and Batlag Falls.

From the foods that we ordered. I'd recommend their Pork Stew more. You can taste the real asim (sourness) in sinigang. They made it the traditional way.

Sinigang na Baboy - P235

Total bill is less than P700. We roam around for a awhile then head out. We didn't bother to order a dessert anymore. We agreed to buy an ice cream at a nearby convenience store. Perfect for the hot weather.

How to get there

Address: 16 Doña Justa Subdivision, Angono, Rizal
Contact No: (02 651-0110) and (02) 295-2698

By Private vehicle
From EDSA, drive through Ortigas Ext. road passing by KayTikling. Turn right to the towns of Taytay and Angono. Turn left on Doña Justa Subdivision (They have a signboard at the corner of the hi-way).

By Public Transportation
From EDSA-Crossing, take the Angono, Binangonan bound FX or jeepneys. Make sure that it will pass the hi-way. Just ask the driver to drop you off at Balaw Balaw Restaurant or Doña Justa Subdivision. The entrance is just a few steps from the hi-way.

Read our Rizal Tour from Day 1 to Day 2.

You might also like:

If you like this post, please consider sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. Or you may leave a comment to help my blog. Happy reading, thank you! :)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Angono Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs are ancient rock engravings. The Angono Petroglyphs is one of the oldest work of art in the Philippines. Human, animals, and other interesting figures are engraved on rock walls dating back to 3000 B.C.

Petroglyphs

National Cultural Treasure

Ancient Signs

This heritage site was discovered by our National Artist for Arts, Carlos "Botong" Francisco. The Angono Petroglyphs became a National Treasure by virtue of Presedential Decree No. 260 in 1996. It is now being preserved and developed by the National Musuem of the Philippines. A mini-museum, viewdeck, and stone path has been constructed for tourists.

Too bad that we didn't get to see what's inside the museum because it was a national holiday when we visited the place.

Add caption

How to get there?

Angono Petroglyphs is located at the boundary of the towns of Angono, Binangonan, and Antipolo.

By Private vehicle
From EDSA, drive through Ortigas Ext. road passing by KayTikling. Turn right to the towns of Taytay and Angono. You will pass by Balaw Balaw Specialty Restaurant (left) and Nemiranda's Restaurant (right). Turn left at the corner where there's a 7-eleven store. Follow the Thunderbird resort road. Keep left after you pass through the tunnel. You should be able to see the cave on your left like in the picture below.

By Public Transportation
Option 1:
From EDSA-Crossing, take the Angono, Binangonan bound jeepneys. Ask the driver to drop you off at Scrapyard. From Scrapyard, hire a tricycle to take you to to Petroglyphs, known as "the cave" to locals. They may charge you P300-P400 round trip.

Option 2:
From EDSA-Crossing, take the Angono, Binangonan bound jeepneys. Ask the driver to drop you off at the Angono town proper. You may hire van's or FX for P400-P500 round trip.

At the view deck

What we did:
Since one of my friend is a resident of Angono, we were able to hitch a ride on the service van for Thunderbird guests for free. From Fiesta Casino, we hired a tricycle for P60 round trip.

There are only few people who knows that we have this kind of treasure. This National site is perfect for a weekend getaways with family and friends. Angono is just an hour away from the Metro. It was an amazing experience to see ancient rock carvings personally.

Read our Rizal Tour from Day 1 to Day 2.

You might also like:

If you like this post, please consider sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. Or you may leave a comment to help my blog. Happy reading, thank you! :)