island hopping in the southern seas, island hopping in tawi-tawi

"There is no life that does not rise

melodic from scales of the marvelous."

-- Robert Duncan 

our island hopping adventure in tawi-tawi

this is part 5 of a series entitled breathtaking tawi-tawi: our journey to the philippines' southernmost frontier.

day 3. april 23, 2011. black saturday.

adventure 1: island hopping -- bongao, tango, panglima sugala, sangasiapu, laa, pababag, pasiagan

adventure 2: destination: bud bongao

adventure 3: destination: balobok rock shelter in brgy. lakit-lakit
adventure 4: destination: provincial capitol

day 3, adventure 1 | our starts and stops
island hopping adventure in tawi-tawi
image source: google maps
(i provided the blue labels)

our third day in tawi-tawi started in rachel's place hotel and restaurant, where we waited for kuya jan to arrive in bongao from the nearby university town of sanga-sanga.

from rachel's place, we reached ridjiki boulevard, the public market, the old chinese pier, tango island, panglima sugala, sangasiapu island, laa island, pababag island, and pasiagan.


kuya jan
a friend from tawi-tawi

kuya jan is a resident of tawi-tawi and a member of the math and science faculty force of MSU-TCTO (mindanao state university - tawi-tawi college of technology and oceanography) a.k.a. MSU-tawi-tawi. we know each other because, some years ago, we were classmates in some major physics subjects in MSU-iligan.

the welcome gate of MSU-TCTO a.k.a. MSU-tawi-tawi 
as seen from the highway in sanga-sanga

last year, when kuya jan learned from basil -- a common friend of ours who also teaches in MSU-TCTO -- that i was heading to tawi-tawi with a travel buddy, he helped us in finalizing our itinerary and enthusiastically agreed to accompany kat and me in going around the area.


rachel's place hotel and restaurant
ilmon street, brgy. lamion, bongao, tawi-tawi

rachel's place hotel and restaurant

prior reaching tawi-tawi, kat reserved a room for the two of us in rachel's place, an easy-to-spot gated compound along the street not far from the town center. this two-storey hotel with a neat garden and restaurant was a convenient choice for our accommodation.


meeting alvin and kuya ibra
a fine morning in ridjiki boulevard, the bongao public market, and the old chinese pier

rachel's place and the old chinese pier in one map
image source: google maps
(i provided the blue labels)

kuya jan fetched kat and me from rachel's place and the three of us rode on a tricycle that took us to nearby ridjiki boulevard and the bongao public market close to the old chinese pier. a short walk along the busy boulevard and into the bustling public market brought us to one of the food shops there where kuya jan introduced us to two other locals -- his relatives, alvin and kuya ibra. both alvin and kuya ibra were especially requested by kuya jan  to accompany us in our DIY (do-it-yourself) tawi-tawi island hopping adventure.

kuya jan and alvin

kuya ibra | the seafarer

kuya jan really made sure that we had what we needed to cover without glitch the starts and stops which we listed in our itinerary -- our small group had a liaison guy in the person of alvin and we also had an able head seafarer in the person of kuya ibra whose boat, dream lover, was docked at the pier and ready to take us from island to island.

ridjiki boulevard (top), grilled fish & chicken at the public market (bottom left),
and part of the old chinese pier (bottom right)

before we set out to see our island destinations, we secured key supplies from the public market -- food for us and fuel for the boat. we bought puso (rice in coconut leaf pouch a.k.a. hanging rice), grilled fish, and grilled chicken for our planned picnic-style lunch.


dream lover
a literal dreamboat for tawi-tawi's crystal clear waters 

then, it was time to meet our boat at the pier. we walked on wooden planks which extended the bongao public market to the sea. everyone there seemed to be moving about and it's quite a really busy area. we passed by various business stalls and we had to move with caution around makeshift display areas to avoid hitting and/or stepping on assorted items for trade along the wooden walkway.

 docked at the pier | dream lover, the cute boat

amidst the hustle bustle, dream lover with her tranquil vibe, stood out. her combo of ivory white exterior and mint green interior gave her an over-all cool and cute look.

 kat and i with kuya ibra and dream lover

as soon as everyone -- kuya ibra, kat and i, kuya jan and alvin -- got on board and us passengers were comfortably seated, kuya ibra manoeuvred dream lover from her docking space and made her motor roar to life. we pulled out from the pier and set out to the blue, blue sea.

dream lover was at home in tawi-tawi's waters and proved to be up to her task of taking us from one island destination to the next in good time!

dream lover in tawi-tawi | the boat that brought us to our island stops

our first stop after leaving the vicinity of the bongao public market and the old chinese pier was a private tropical paradise known as tango island.


destination: tango island
the private island

tango island | tawi-tawi

tango island is surrounded by turquoise seawater and is blessed with a pretty coastline. the water around the island is so clear and calm that, despite the depth, healthy coral reefs are visible from the surface.

glimpses of tango island's natural treasures |  tawi-tawi

there is no need to snorkel nor to scuba dive to behold the natural underwater garden around this small island.  the place has white sand and is an ideal island paradise for those who love the sea, sun, and sand.

even the birds love to spend time there!

effortless birdwatching :) in tawi-tawi's tango island

to be continued...

breathtaking tawi-tawi: our journey to the philippines' southernmost frontier | the series

part 1. the unplanned part of our tawi-tawi trip: the zamboanga city sidetrip
part 2. destination: sitangkai, the southernmost municipality of the philippines
part 3. exploring tawi-tawi's sibutu island
part 4. setting foot on tawi-tawi's simunul island
part 5. island hopping in the southern seas, island hopping in tawi-tawi and the continuation: island hopping in the southern seas, island hopping in tawi-tawi
part 6. from many angles: tawi-tawi's bud bongao
part 7. destination: balobok rock shelter and thereabouts
part 8. breathtaking tawi-tawi, truly breathtaking tawi-tawi

strolling in balisong country

"i'm walking on sunshine..."

-- walking on sunshine, lyrics

15th of november 2009
taal: the balisong and barong tagalog capital of the philippines
enjoying a sunday afternoon in this old town of good repute with claire and marissa

in southwestern luzon lies the heritage town of taal, one of the 31 municipalities of the first class province of batangas. it is a charming 4th class municipality located along the pansipit river, the main outlet of the famous taal lake to balayan bay.

the welcome marker to the heritage town of taal

taal is an ideal walking tour destination. within its territory are well-maintained ancestral houses and heritage structures -- a number of them are national historical landmarks -- which date back to the spanish colonial period. taal --  the idyllic town itself -- is a national historical landmark. it is also the balisong (butterfly fan knife) and barong tagalog capital of the philippines.

where is heritage town of taal in the province of batangas?
location of the municipality of taal with respect to the municipality of sto. tomas, batangas
image source: google maps
(i provided the red and light green labels)

it was one late morning on a sunday when claire, marissa, and i pursued a roadtrip to the town of taal from sto. tomas, batangas.


how we got there
bus ride from sto. tomas to lipa, jeepney ride from lipa to taal

we were supposed to ride a lemery-bound bus from the public market of sto. tomas but the buses that came our way were few and full. we opted instead to take a bus going to lipa and got down at the lipa bus stop in front of the local big ben. from there, we rode a public jeepney bound for lemery, batangas. we made sure not to go beyond our sunday afternoon destination by informing the driver that we're only going to the town of taal and not all the way to lemery.


destination: the heritage town of taal
walking around the national historical landmark

we knew we were in taal because we saw this! ,'-) | taal park 

when we arrived in taal, the streets were deserted. manny pacquiao's firepower fight with miguel cotto was still being aired on TV that time and, as expected with every pacquiao fight, most of the people were off the streets and busy paying attention to the bout. just as well for us girls who only wanted to hear about pacquiao's victory -- we were able to walk and look around taal's public market without being persistently approached to buy this or that and/or be asked if we wanted this or that.

our first stop, after taking a look at the public market and after having our sumptuous lunch of adobong dilaw & sinigang na maliputo at a local restaurant, was the taal basilica.


st. martin de tours basilica (basilica de san martin de tours)
a national historical landmark and the biggest catholic church structure in the far east

basilica de san martin de tours
"the church measures 88.6-m long, 48-m wide and 95-m high
with a 44.5-m high cupola."

dominating the town center of taal is the basilica de san martin de tours, a massive church built atop a hill overlooking taal lake and balayan bay. the existing adobe-and-coral structure was constructed in 1858 as commissioned by fr. marcos anton and designed by don luciano oliver but its history of being built, relocated, and rebuilt goes back far to the last quarter of the 16th century.

the church's interesting history is complete with volcanic eruption and destructive earthquake backdrop stories!

the basilica from different angles 
taal folk tip: go five steps down the stairs and you'll get a full view of the basilica in your frame

the basilica de san martin de tours, which is also often referred to as the taal basilica, is not just noteworthy in terms of size but also in terms of style. the southwest facing facade of this magnificent church is baroque in style but its main altar is doric. plus, its tabernacle is said to be one of its kind in the philippines as it is made of silver.

the main altar of the st. martin de tours basilica

left to right: the nave of the basilica and the right wing

the chandeliers, the pews, the floor, and the pulpit of the basilica

the right side entrance of the basilica

stairs that lead up to somewhere at the right side of the basilica

escuela pia
a national historical landmark and the taal cultural center

the present-day structure of the escuela pia, now the taal cultural center, was built by fr. aniceto aparicio in 1885. it is part of the taal park and stands close to the taal basilica.

perspective | part of the escuela pia in taal park and part of the taal basilica

according to the historical marker, the escuela pia is considered as one of the oldest educational institutions of the country. it was established as a church-supervised school and was named after the order of the piarists, the congregation established by jose de calazanz in the 17th century. the augustinians established it in 1839 and their convent served as a school for the underprivileged youth of taal. the escuela pia was also the central school during the american period.

the escuela pia | taal, batangas

walking around taal
more sights to see

within the immediate vicinity of the taal basilica in the town center are the rizal college, OLCA (our lady of caysasay academy), and the municipal hall of taal -- the casa real.

the rizal college of caysasay

gregorio agoncillo mansion
the white mansion in the poblacion

along taal's calle j.p. rizal is an attention-grabbing white mansion with manicured lawn. this is the house of don gregorio r. agoncillo, which is also known as the gregorio agoncillo museum, a national historical landmark.

the gregorio agoncillo mansion
the house where felipe agoncillo, the first philippine diplomat, was born

displayed in its front garden is a statue of felipe agoncillo, don gregorio's uncle and the first philippine diplomat (as he was appointed by general emilio aguinaldo to represent the philippine republic to the united states and to the treaty of paris in 1898). felipe agoncillo was born in this house -- this is probably the reason why the site is also sometimes referred to as the felipe agoncillo mansion. the house has a choice collection of period items and edwardian and spanish-inspired antique local furniture -- from the 1800s and early 1900s.

if the name felipe agoncillo does not ring a bell, perhaps the name marcela mariño agoncillo does. she was the woman responsible for making the philippine flag and felipe agoncillo was her husband. both of them were from taal, batangas.


the ylagan-de la rosa house
a heritage house along calle j.p. rizal

standing close to the white agoncillo mansion is the ylagan-de la rosa ancestral house, which is recognized by the national historical institute as a heritage house.

old world meets new world | the ylagan-de la rosa heritage house

walking on the streets of the heritage town of taal is like being transported back in time. if the ilocos region has vigan, southern luzon has taal.

some of the other old houses we saw in taal

calle for street and clinica for clinic | taal, batangas

yes, i think of taal as southern luzon's vigan and vigan as the ilocos region's taal. ,'-)


balisong
because "knife cuts like a knife..." :)

on our way back to sto. tomas, we made sure to stop by first in taal's brgy. balisong. why? because taal, batangas is THE balisong country!

taal is known for its national historical landmarks and well-preserved ancestral houses. it is also known for the piña cloth, the barong tagalog, fine needlework and high-quality embroidery by hand (burdang taal). it is also very known for the balisong (butterfly fan knife), which is also known as the batangas knife.

glistening batangas blades |  choose your balisong

top of the line stainless steel blades |  mga balisong sa brgy. balisong

it is in brgy. balisong that these pocket utility knives are traditionally well-crafted in various sizes and handle designs. when we went there, i finally saw for myself a real deal viente y nueve traditional balisong -- a 29-cm long butterfly fan knife.

see the comb? i soooo wanted the balisong comb (a comb is concealed between the handles instead of a glistening blade). i did not buy it because i really couldn't justify to myself a php600-worth stainless steel comb when a 5-peso plastic comb would do for my long hair. still, it's a neat piece of handiwork and very nice to have.

but... i did buy my own batangas knives from brgy. balisong that sunday afternoon. (--,) actually, i bought three -- 2 functional ones (1 with old wood detail & another one with horse bones) and a mini balisong keychain.

marissa, claire, and i | sunday afternoon bliss in taal, batangas

i like it there in heritage town of taal so going back there should be in order soon. for one, i want to see the ruins of st. martin de tours church in brgy. san nicolas. i also want to visit the other sites that are listed here and shown on this map which we missed during our afternoon tour -- the marcela agoncillo house, the leon apacible museum, the villavicencio houses, the san lorenzo arch & steps, among others. plus, i want to taste again sinigang na maliputo and adobong dilaw and to experience the rest of taal's food treats. if possible, i'd also like to take a look at the silent "king of bells" housed in the restored dome of the taal basilica.

the muddy trek to buruwisan and lanzones falls

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

-- John Muir

28th of january 2012
a walk to remember in siniloan, laguna

what was supposed to be a usual "walk in the park" to see buruwisan falls at the southwest border of the sierra madre turned out to be quite an ordeal of a trek up and down through mud complete with drizzles and a head-on adventure against armies of what-i-refer to as the limatik liberation front.

when you're just looking at the pics, the adventure may not look like we had difficulties but trust me when i say that this was far from being a mere walk in the park. this one cost me a visit to the hospital, no joke. ;-)

it was the last saturday of january and i reckoned it was a good day to be out. our group of six -- kat, tony, onad, bren, mati, and i -- started our outdoor adventure early that day. we left metro manila at around 6 o'clock in the morning and got to the jump-off three hours after in brgy. macatad of siniloan, laguna by following the commuting directions we learned from online sources.

the sights we saw during our tricycle ride from the siniloan public market to brgy. macatad 

we got off the tricycle at the intersection where we saw a "buruwisan falls" welcome banner on top of a waiting shed. one of the locals, kuya rey, approached us and offered to be our guide. since we were all first-timers in the area and we are supporters of local tourism, we agreed for him to help us find our way to the falls and back.

jump-off, this way |  the signage at the small intersection. 

from the intersection, we hiked a short distance along that road indicated by the "this way" arrow to get to a canteen. although we were eager to already start our trek to the falls, we first had to buy food for our lunch. five of us -- tony, onad, bren, mati, and i -- ordered beef pares rice meals while kat ordered a pork pares rice meal. our "take out" lunch cost each one of us 50 pesos only.

then, off we went to the falls. our trek started with a leisurely hike on a paved road, to the side of which was a strategically placed "discover siniloan" banner featuring two other falls in the area -- lanzones falls and batya-batya falls.

a "discover siniloan" banner for lanzones falls and batya-batya falls

our guide, kuya rey, taking the lead

after a short walk, we arrived at the building where we needed to register-and-pay 50 pesos each before we could proceed any further.

the registration hall for trekkers to the falls
brgy. macatad, siniloan, laguna

the location of the registration building is next to a stream which hikers need to cross in order to get closer to where the multiple falls are nestled in upland siniloan, a trekking destination known as mt. romelo. before we crossed the stream, we took a sidetrip to kuya rodel's place just to pay him a courtesy visit. kuya rodel is that guy mentioned in pinoy mountaineer's feature article on mt. romelo. his property stands very close to the registration building and is difficult to miss.

the facade of kuya rodel's property (a farm) in siniloan, laguna
this photo was taken while mati and onad were buying their supply of korniks

after we crossed the stream, we realized what we had gotten ourselves into -- not a mere walk in the park to see waterfalls but an arduous day climb through mud, mud, and mud. with the the rains from the previous days and the day's drizzles, the uphill path was very uneven, muddy, and slippery.

a walk in the park? not quite ;-)
what i saw when i looked back after thirty minutes of trekking

during a trek, i'd normally be able to take out my DSLR camera at some intervals and take some snapshots but not that time. i didn't bother. i was preoccupied with saving my energy and i was busy maintaining good footing on the muddy ground we were walking on. i only managed to take pictures using my camphone.

after an hour and a half of walking on muddy terrain, we reached a stopover-slash-house where we gladly took a rest and bought fresh buko (young coconut). we also took this chance to free our footwear of unforgiving mud.

"are we there yet?" | after 1.5 hours of "walk in the park, muddy trek edition"
if you make a stop here, you can buy fresh buko (P15 each) and softdrinks (P20 each) 

after almost two hours since we crossed the stream, we finally reached a point where we could see the hills and mounds of the sierra madre where the falls are hidden. while it was comforting to know that we were closer, we were also made aware that we were still a long way away from what we were after -- the sight of the waterfalls! we were already feeling very tired of the mud that clung to us at our every step and we were not yet even halfway. hahaha!

a photo of where we were going taken from where we were
about one-third of the way from buruwisan falls
kuya rey pointed this out --- over that hill, that's where the final path (to the falls) is!

when the mud that stuck to the soles of our footwear became all too much -- causing us to either lose balance and skid and delaying us further, most of us finally opted to walk barefoot through the muddier portions.

walking barefoot, dealing with mud | destination: buruwisan
my trek buddies: tony as boy dungis, kat as inday dungis,
bren as boy pawis, onad as boy limatik, mati as boy putik

however, mud wasn't the only problem. we started seeing limatik (blood leeches) "shooting" off the mud -- there's a lot of them along the path!!!  there's a thriving community of them bloodsuckers and we weren't even prepared for them.

we thought we could get respite from the sight of the limatik armies by avoiding the mud and taking the greener paths but we were wrong. there's even more of them waiting in the greens for their unsuspecting warm-blooded victims and they successfully did get to us. a surprise attack by the limatik liberation front, it was. ugh!

they -- the limatik -- are nasty little creatures with outstanding acrobatic skills so do not undermine their ability to get to your skin. there was a moment when i really looked at them and they seemed to perform a wave in unison, as if giving a salute to their onlooker. flirty parasites!

walking in the rain | beautiful scenery with all the greens
this trail is best avoided as this is limatik haven -- super plenty  of bloodsuckers here!
don't be deceived by the beautiful scenery ;-)

we finally reached the campsite three hours after we left the registration hall. since we were only there for the day hike and not to stay overnight, we immediately proceeded to buruwisan falls -- an exhausting walk away (at least, for the starving) and a steep way down from the campsite. we were hungry and ready for lunch but we all agreed that we would go down to see the falls first before we could feed ourselves.

so walk further, we did. then, we exerted our muscles some more by going down a wall of rock-and-roots to finally behold buruwisan falls with our own eyes.

my mud-soaked feet, the trail down to buruwisan falls,
and the roots that one has to hold on to

this steep trail is a "shortcut"to buruwisan falls
it's a wall of rock and roots

when we finally got to the foot of the wall safely, we looked around and allowed our eyes to feast on what we went there for to see -- buruwisan falls! after taking some pictures, we took our rest and had our lunch while sitting/standing on the rocks scattered on the natural poolside of the falls.

the 180-ft high buruwisan falls | siniloan, laguna

tempted by the sight of clear, flowing water, i decided to remove my trekking pants (i wore shorts underneath, hehe) so i could properly clean off the mud. i soon started shrieking when i saw blood running down my legs -- multiple bloody limatik suck-bites!!! ewwww, yuck! i thought members of the limatik army only got as far as my exposed feet but noooooo. they got as far as close to my knees. ulk.

worse for me, clotting didn't happen right away even after the limatik left my skin -- by the time i removed my pants and saw blood, there was no limatik in sight but the bloody wounds were clearly limatik suck-bites and each one of them was still bleeding!

i later learned that those nasty limatik release anticoagulant when they attach themselves to their victims -- hence the continuous bleeding, delayed clotting.

the bleeding limatik suck-bites on my legs
only 3 are visible in this photo but there were 2 more at the back of my right leg

since we were already in the area and lanzones falls was just a short trek away, we set aside thoughts of how tired we were from our muddy trek. we walked further, crossed the river, walked past a meter long dead snake, and walked some more through water & on rocks to get to lanzones falls. 

the 70-ft high lanzones falls | siniloan laguna

we asked kuya rey how the falls got the name lanzones and he said it was because the shape of the cascade is similar to the shape of the leaf of the lanzones. (note to self: we have a lanzones tree in iligan, i should check the shape of the leaves of that tree to verify this information.) the other explanation is that (and this is according to the mt. romelo feature article in pinoy mountaineer) lanzones trees are plenty in the area. buruwisan falls, on the other hand, got its name from the type of hardwood that grew along the banks of the romelo river.

our guide, kuya rey | a very colorful caterpillar we found in front of lanzones falls
and a portion of the wall of jagged rocks facing lanzones falls

if the muddy trek to buruwisan and lanzones falls gave us a difficult time, the muddy trek going back to the jump-off proved to be even more difficult. the muddy, slippery, and uneven downward sloping path was not giving us traction and we were constantly sliding, skidding -- it was like mud-boarding minus the board. after kat and tony fell on their butts a number of times, they finally decided to stop walking on their own and took a chance at guided horseback riding. 

i was determined to walk all the way back and refused to be tempted by the horses. i was trying to enjoy that energy-demanding muddy trek, despite the slides and the near skids, the strain on my lower limbs, and the threat of getting more suck-bites from those i-really-wanna-squish-them-dead limatik. however, so much for my 'best laid plans'. pft. things took a turn from bad to worse for me when i slipped and, in the process of saving my balance, the sole of my bare left foot accidentally hit a sharp edge of a rock jutting out from the muddy trail.

i felt an intense pain and was forced to position myself close to the ground, just to manage the unwanted sensation. i thought pain was all there was to it until onad pointed out the blood that began to mix with the mud -- oh nooooooooo! my left foot got injured at a most inopportune time!!!

i asked onad to examine the sole of my left foot for me and he couldn't tell me right away the real deal about it because he didn't want me to faint. haha. he merely confirmed that i was wounded so i asked him if it could cause my big toe to be cut off and he said no. that relieved me a bit but the sight of so much blood mixing with the mud definitely did not give me relief. (i later found out that, when onad first examined my wound, he saw a lot of blood gushing out of the wound. "bumubulwak-bulwak" was the word he used to describe it.)

with mud all around us and knowing we were still a good 1.5-hour walk away from the jump-off, we merely applied pressure to the wound to control the bleeding and cleaned it with my drinking water. i put a pad of clean wet tissues and tied a strip of plastic cellophane around the wounded portion of my left foot to keep the make-shift cushion in place. talk about third world emergency remedy, bow. i wore my strapped sandals and, then, i started walking again. by this time, my legs were already sore and shaking from having to keep my balance and avoiding skids and the sole of my left foot was throbbing with pain. it was a very, very uncomfortable walk -- that squishy feeling (as mud seeped in and bathed my wound in almost every step i took) was creating bad images in my mind.

it was close to sundown and no horses came our way anymore. i had no choice but to continue walking through mud (and horse manure, no doubt) with my injured foot.

kat and tony -- thanks to the horses -- were the first ones from our group to return to the registration building. onad and bren followed. mati and kuya rey kept me company. i walked on despite the mud and pain because i knew that my injury was dictating the pace of our group. it was already dark, around 6:00 (or was it 6:30?) in the evening when we finally got back. only then did i have the chance to clean myself and my painful wound with mud-free running water. it's a good thing they have comfort-slash-changing rooms at the back portion/riverside of the registration building.

since bren brought a decent first aid kit, we were able to clean my wound with real antiseptic (betadine) and put terramycin. with we, i mean to say that bren did the cleaning, i did the wincing, and the others looked on and shared their thoughts on how the wound should be dealt with. hehe. for good measure, we covered the wound with elastic bandage -- we were still in siniloan, laguna and quite a long way from home -- there was no way i could get rid of the fresh wound just like that and my injured sole needed a cushion because there was more walking to do.

the next day, 29th of january 2012, i  brought myself to the hospital and sought proper medical attention. i then wrote: yesterday's adventure with kat, tony, onad, bren, and mati was... too much for one day! :) my "badges" of courage include: 11 limatik marks, 1 incision on my right big toe, and 1 painful lacerated wound on my sole just under my left big toe with some neighboring abrasions and a bruise. go figure! today, i was given 3 injections: 1 short-acting anti-tetanus shot, 1 for skin test, and 1 long-term anti-tetanus. plus, i was given prescription for cloxacillin, mefenamic acid, and mupirocin and the option not to report to work for 1-2 days. go figure, again!

two weeks later, i still had walking difficulties because the lacerated wound on my sole happened to be a major pressure point -- with constant walking (since i did not stop myself from doing my usual daily activities), it took a long time to heal.

don't get me wrong. despite the trau-matik (trauma + limatik + putik) experience, we still had much fun! :D


p.s. lesson learned from this adventure? do not keep native guavas in the pocket of your trekking pants. hehe.

POTO fan girl-ing!

"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came. 

That voice which calls to me and speaks my name; 

And do I dream again? 

For now I find the phantom of the opera is there inside my mind!"

-- lyrics, The Phantom of the Opera

my ticket to see the phantom of the opera (POTO) was bought months ahead of the scheduled august-to-september 2012 staging of andrew lloyd webber musical in manila. thanks to friends and technology, my ticket was secured at 10% off during the pre-selling period back in april while i was crossing the babuyan channel and quite preoccupied with safely returning to the mainland, haha.

04.09.12 POTO tickets! 

among other things, i was so excited to see the chandelier crash! what a wonderful treat, i was able to experience more than that! for one, the staging of the underground boat scene -- with the water and reflections on the water -- was beyond what i imagined it would be. plus, a lot more really jaw-dropping treats ;-) 

i've long been a fan of the voices of phantom but things definitely go to a whole new level when you actually see the characters popping in and out of the scenes and singing live! 

waaaaaaaaaaa ahhhhhhhhh i've become incoherent watching, hearing the phantom sing. awesome, really awesome performance! great stage presence and outstanding voice dynamics. i've become a crrrazy fan girl ahhhhh waaaaaaaaaa he's amazing! waaaaaa he's still singing in my head and i could probably scream with giddiness all night into my pillow :D  

to the point of being unfair and, this i won't deny, my expectations were really sky high but the phantom of the opera exceeded them.

the entire production with all the special effects on the floor up to the ceiling is best appreciated when your vantage point is from a higher elevation but not too high nor too far directly in front of the stage. :) this we learned from those who've seen the musical in london's west end and on broadway. the advice proved to be useful and it proved to be very true. 

i don't regret the seat location we chose -- balcony 1 center (B205 and B206 right in the middle of the second row) for the gala show. the choice we made was fantastic and very rewarding. t'was very, very worth it! :) the experience of watching things unfold was... mind-blowing!!! everything was well-executed, effortlessly brought together, and collectively rendering that over-all feel that things were happening with the touch of a genius. i conveniently forgot that the main character is actually dark and shady!

it's such a grand production done with precision and meticulous care, you really don't want to miss anything -- not even those at the back portions of the stage floor. 

09.15.12 with persia at the tanghalang nicanor abelardo | CCP theater along roxas boulevard

see that big picture of the stage with text overlay? that pretty much describes the view from my middle seat in the second row. visual treats and movements at the front all the way to the back of the floor and close to the ceiling are visible without risk of giving the spectator a stiff neck or eye strain. plus, there's the benefit of enjoying well-balanced acoustics on that spot.


p.s. ang galing-galing at ang ganda-ganda talaga, promise! sobrang sulit!!! i knew i got more than what i paid for right from the start, when i got goosebumps watching the intro to opening scene transition.