Laguna's Anilag Festival 2019

Hello lovelies!

Our province of Laguna recently celebrated its annual Anilag Festival last March 2-9, 2019. Anilag is from the words "Ani ng Laguna" if I am not mistaken. It showcased the products and landmarks of all the towns in Laguna. It also celebrates the talents and skills of its people.

I went there after office hours on March 6, 2019 with my dear husband, my Lincoln, and Ivy. Perry had a fever that afternoon. I wanted to cancel our date but Lincoln was crying "Go! Go!" He can already understand what we were saying or planning to do. So we pushed through with our plan and left Perry and Lola Linda at home.

The first thing we saw when we enter the Provincial Capitol grounds were the landscapes and plants of various organizations. I like this Bonsai Village so much! I dream of having some Bonsai plants in my garden. 

We also enjoyed visiting the town booths. I admire the artistry and craftsmanship of  the people behind the booths. I have limited pictures taken but I will share it here.

Paete, Laguna is known for its wood carvings and paper mache products. Lincoln got 1 of these paper mache horses that i also enjoyed when I was a kid.

Siniloan, Laguna featured a painting of its famous Buruwisan Falls. It is my home town and I have been to the falls 3 times when I was young. I will share about it more next time.

Famy, Laguna featured their famous 'salakot' or wide-brimmed hat. They also have this cute bamboo miniature house! I love it! If I could only buy that for my dolls. haha

Mabitac, Laguna featured their church. I really admire how they use the coconut shells and other natural materials in designing their booth.

Victoria, Laguna featured their famous 'itik' or duck. We bought fried itik and salted egg as pasalubong from there. Yummy! We also found my dear friend and Lincoln's Godmother, Dulce there. 

San Pablo City made this realistic giant fish on the other hand probably to represent their seven lakes. 

Magdalena, Laguna also showcased their church. Lincoln wanted to climbed all the stairs he could find! Even with the small house in Famy! 

Lumban, Laguna is known for embroidery and piña fabric used in most Barong Tagalog and other formal wear.

 We also found this house made of recycled plastic bottles. It's cute but I can't remember the town it was from.

We left early after eating dinner there because we want to go back to Perry and check on his condition. We did not see any activity while we were there. My brother's family went on the last night of the festival and they said that it was so full of people. There were live bands playing. The schedule of the festival was available here and here and more photos here. I hope next year, I will be able to share with you all our towns and more. 

xo, Ails

Lunchdate at Ted's in Sta. Cruz

My in-laws came for a short visit last weekend to attend my sister's wedding.  Before they go back home last Sunday, we brought them first to Ted's.  It was our first time there.  I really love their design and color.  And we all enjoyed our food. I am definitely coming back for more.  This is a photo heavy post, be warned. :)

 (All photos were taken using Samsung S3)

Travel Thursday - Isdaan in Calauan, Laguna

Isdaan is first and foremost a restaurant.  But it is also a world in its own right.  When I was there, time seemed to stop and I was happily trapped in a wonderful place.

The whole family (my side) went there last February 3, 2013 as an advance birthday celebration for daddy.  My parents have been there in a number of times already and they kept telling us that we, especially our tots, will have a great time there.  So we all went there one Sunday afternoon.  

 

It was my first time so yes, I've been amazed by how big the place was.  It was full of statues of different sizes and themes.  There are statues of people like Obama and Michelle, Cory Aquino and Joseph Estrada, among others.  There are also statues of cartoon characters (superheroes, Disney characters, & even Angry Birds), of animals, and of Buddha and mermaids. There are also lots and lots of fountains that are made prettier at night because of the lights. That's why we went there before dinnertime.

Aside from all those eye candies,  I can say that it has the nicest floating huts I've ever been to.  One wouldn't worry that his/her foot will get caught in between 2 bamboo poles as he/she walks on the raft, like my experience in Palaisdaan in Quezon.  One can also really feel and enjoy the privacy of each hut because of its design.  There is also a big restaurant space if dining with a very large group or if one prefers to see and meet new people.

The place also offers some activities like feeding fishes, boating, and bicycling for the kids while waiting for the food or even after eating.  There are a number of play areas for the kiddos to enjoy.  And there are numerous entertainers inside like a singing group, a uni-cyclist, or a giant mechanical man.  

As for the food, I think the prices are fair.  It's cheap considering the activities and entertainment one gets from the place alone.  But it's a bit pricey if you're just there for the food.  There are other restaurants serving better tasting food for the same price if that's what you are just looking for.  But I really really LOVE Isdaan's "pinakbet."  If ever you are eating there, remember to order their "pinakbet." It's Superb!

Will I go back there?  Definitely, YES!  

Travel Diaries : the Philippines through Foreign Tourists' Eyes

I think I ought to start my Travel Diaries by sharing how foreign tourists view my homeland.  I found the link of the first video on a friend's wall in Facebook.  Then I found the second one on the right side bar of the first video in Youtube.  I'm sharing these because I find them interesting and entertaining.

This first video is entitled "20 Reasons Why I Dislike the Philippines" by Jimmy.  I describe this video as -  looking at the glass half-empty.  However, almost everything he said was true, exaggerated but true. Let me enumerate his reasons and let me add some of my thoughts on each:

1. Improper covering of holes in the sidewalk - this is true in most cases :(

2. Sidewalk vendors - this part is really funny  

3. Sanitation in local wet market - this is true but you have lots of option.  Don't buy your food there if you have issues with that.

4. MILF - funny

5. Construction site - not always true

6. Whitening products - I totally agree with Jimmy here. Filipino skin color is beautiful.  But seriously, it's hard to find beauty products here that is not "whitening."    

7. Air pollution - in cities, so true.  In some rural town, this is also true because of too many tricycles. :(

8. Packaging that adds up to the litter all around you - so true.  Total waste of money (coz those little plastic bags and staple wires cost something too), time, and energy.  But you have an option here too.  If I buy small items like a bar of chocolate or a pack of Kleenex in drugstores or 711 , I tell the cashier that i do not need a plastic bag for it - simple way to help mother nature.  Buyers must be proactive too!  

9.  Litter everywhere - in some places this is true. :(

10. Shitty drivers - true in most cases.  

11. Uncomfortable comfort rooms - In some really poor areas, this is true.  But you'll be surprised sometimes because I've been to a poor and remote area once and the C.R. has a roll of tissue paper and has running water even if it did not have a toilet seat.  Oh and just so you know, not all Filipinos wipe their ass after relieving themselves because they wash it with soap and water.  Hence, not all comfort rooms have tissue paper.

12. Security guards everywhere doing nothing - not true.  I believe that there are still lots of noble security guards around here.          

13. Pissing anywhere you want - funny male practice

14. Mall entrance search - true. I hate this too.  They just touch you and that's it.  Unnecessary practice.  

15. Beep! Beep! Beep! - funny but true.  "I saw you" = beep!

16. Small napkins in restaurants and food kiosks - just so you know, there are available napkins like that in stores.  It's impractical for restaurant managers to assign one waitress/waiter to cut and fold those napkins into that size. And for a 10-20 pesos snack or drink that you buy, don't expect to get a full-sized napkin with it.

17. Beggars everywhere you go - so true.  :(  And they keep on touching you with really dirty fingers which is really irritating.

18. Chicken everywhere - funny

19. Blasting sounds from stereos - exaggerated. This is not always the case and definitely not everywhere

20. Roaches - they thrive in really populated areas. Eeeeww too!   

21. Everyone is asking for tips -  the ugly truth.  Really annoying.  Here, we call it, making kikil or asking for tong.

22. Ladyboy - funny

23. Tons of loud Koreans - hmmm... they go to our schools and universities that's why there are tons of them here.

24. Making motorcycles and scooters sound like Harley - funny. So are cars painted to look like a race car.  But what i hate are motorcycles and scooters that expel their exhaust right into you face.  That's the trend here now. :(

25. Warm beer - can't relate here. I never liked beer.

       

Now the second video was entitled "20 Reasons I love the Philippines - Walter Masley & Jeff Lester" .  This is like looking at the glass half full.  However the link is already dead now. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bSDl7Fi38RU) It was still available last March 15 when I started to draft this post.  It has been removed recently.  Anyway, I'll edit this post when sombody uploads the video once again.  Btw, original video of Jimmy has also been removed when I check today.  I'm glad another fellow uploaded it again in Youtube.

So anyway, I'll share some points that I can still recall which were mentioned by Masley and Lester:

1. Basketball everywhere - so true. funny clip of a flooded makeshift court.

2. Roasted chickens everywhere - yes, and we love it too!  Delicious! :D

3. Pirated movies and tv series everywhere - true. this is probably the reason why the video has been removed.  :D  

4. Haggling fun - yes, you can haggle in the local markets.  

5. Lots of transport options - this is true but somehow annoying.  Like in our town, there are toooo many tricycles and motorcycles already.  And some drivers do not have licences.  This is really dangerous to commuters.  Plus, the air and noise pollution they create is really annoying.

6. Access to alcohol anywhere and anytime of day - true.  But I'm not a fan and this is dangerous too.

Sorry but that's all that I can remember for now from their video.  

These videos are limited to the clips they gathered during their stay in the cities and in some towns.  But we should note that, these little things matter too in a tourists' point of view, not just our pristine beaches.  The first video is like a wake up call to us Filipinos.  We should really be proactive if we want to produce a lovely picture of our country. 

After this, I hope to continue my Travel Diaries and I hope to show you that not all the cities here are like that and to show you how beautiful our country really is.  :D

Trip to Baguio & Sagada

Mabuhay!

I hope that by this weekend, when I post my giveaway details, you will still find time to join in the fun.  The mechanics are very simple.  I just don't have the candy photo here with me.

But I want to share with you what happened after my previous post. :)

My hubby and I scheduled a trip to Sagada 2 Fridays ago to attend his cousin's wedding.  We traveled straight from Laguna to Baguio Thursday night.  

It was our first visit to my in-laws after the wedding.  I helped mama with some chores during the day and I found lots of treasures inside their house.  First, I saw a vintage American Tourister attache case that Dad no longer use.  I asked Mama if i could have it and she gave it to me! Yippeee! It was perfect for my Blythes.  

Then I also found this old olive thermos in their kitchen!   

I wonder why I haven't seen that thermos during my first visits there.

And I also got to eat on these lovely breakfast plates.

According to Mama, the plates are from Mom Yohko.  I will someday post my lovely tea cups here from Mom Yohko too. :)

Then, that Friday night, we met our bestman, A, for coffee.

He brought us to this lovely house converted into a cafe.  I have been here with some friends before when it was just a lodging house called The Blue House.  I can't recall its cafe name.  But I loooove their mocha.  The Baklavah was too sweet for my taste.

 

The place was so cozy.  I will definitely go back there. I just need to remember the name of that Cafe!

 

Then I got to watch A and Seal play poker that night.  I had a hard time catching up.  But it was fun.  Too bad we had to leave and go home by 10pm because we need to catch the earliest trip to Sagada on Saturday morning.

This was the bus that brought us to Gonogan in Mt. Province, Saturday morning.

 

The road was blocked due to landslide so we had to walk through the fields and transfer to another bus going to Sagada.  

It was my first time to cross a hanging bridge!  

 

It was a bridge made of iron but it was swaying!  Now I know why Dingdong Dantes was afraid to cross this kind of bridge in his movie with Marian Rivera.

We had to cross the river and walk through these fields to get to the other bus!

Can you see the landslide on the left?  This was a very long walk.

We arrived in Sagada an hour before the wedding.  So hubby and I went to the Echo Valley first. which is just behind the church.  I was already too exhausted by this time.  

And by the time this lovely couple said "I do," I was falling off my seat in the church.

 

After the ceremony, I got fever and cough.  I got chills that night.  Then in the morning, I challenged myself and took a shower of the ice-cold water of Sagada.  Mama totally disapproved but what's done is done, she couldn't do anything about it. :)  We went back home to Baguio on Sunday. I was glad the road was passable that time because I still had fever and was so weak.

Then, I spent my week in Baguio, lying in bed, staring at these curtains...

and these lovelies...

while totally missing this little angel...

I regained my strength by Wednesday so hubby and I traveled back to Laguna that night. We rested again on Thursday and reported back to work on Friday.  

I hope you'll understand why my giveaway details are late. :)  See you again this weekend! :)

xoxo, ails