Christmas Season: Philippines

Christmas Season: Philippines

They say that the Philippines has the longest Christmas season in the world.  Well I tend to agree with that as a you hear a few Christmas carols blaring in the malls as early as September.  Though the malls here decorate a bit for Halloween during the month of October, it is more of a minor interruption or sideshow.

Once Halloween is over, that's when the Christmas season goes full blast.  Think of the US a few days after Thanksgiving but much more pronounced.  And it is not just the malls in urban areas that decorate, various places in most parts of the Philippines go all out.

December 2012: Cebu, Iloilo and Manila

Here are some of the best Christmas decorations that I have seen in various Philippines provinces.   For the next few weeks, I will be featuring other places as well.

You may also follow me at jx2photog at Instagram for more updates.

Aug 25 Heroes Day Philippines

August 25, 2014 is National Heroes' Day, a national public holiday in the Philippines, a day meant to honor the country's heroes.

Gabriela Silang
Makati Ave, Makati

Jose Rizal,
Luneta, Manila

Lapu Lapu
Luneta, Manila

Lapu Lapu @home
Mactan, Cebu

Manuel Quezon
Corregidor Island

a

TAO Beach Venetian Las Vegas

Yup after featuring a church in our previous post, this next one will be about an institution known as a pioneer when it comes to sexy parties in Sin City.

Well, why not? Two weeks ago, I got the opportunity to stay at the Venetian Hotel again after 3 long years so I jumped on it without hesitation.

Venetian elevator poster

After checking in, I saw this poster on the elevator wall.  Tao Beach is open 7 days a week!  I was not expecting a lot of "interesting events" as we arrived midweek.  Last time I was here, they were only open during weekends and special weekdays.  I guess they decided that there enough guests during the peak summer season (US) to warrant being open 7 days a week.

So immediately after leaving my luggage and changing to the appropriate "dayclub/pool party" attire, I headed off to the Venetian's 4th floor, which houses most of the swimming pools.

this is the main pool; keep walking until you see the sign below

At least there are no long lines midweek

It may look deserted but most of the guests were in the pool as temps reached triple digits (F)

Sorry no Ginebra or Tanduay here, just my usual Mojito

Mixed drinks here are usually priced around $14 plus tip.   Yes it seems expensive but it is actually in line with the price of alcoholic drinks in Vegas clubs and bars.  And the plus side is that the eye candy amount here is much higher than most Vegas nightclubs and day clubs IMHO.

If the price for individual drinks already seem exorbitant for you,  look at their bottle service prices below.  You really need to be a "baller" to afford these prices.

These prices are in US $

Even if there are few female guests on a weekday, there is still enough eye candy in Tao Beach as the female employees are in bikinis. TAO Beach makes Laboracay look tame in comparison, seriously.

 Sorry gals and gays, the male employees get to keep their shirts and shorts on.

Don't expect me to post recognizable close up photos of the bikini-clad female guests.  Privacy is taken seriously here as TAO receives a lot of A-list guests.  And I mean real A listers like Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lebron James,  the Kardashians, just to name a few.

So don't even think of bringing in your DSLR with telephoto lens for some stolen shots.  Like the casino hotels in Vegas, the bouncers and other security staff are also ginormous.

There's also a jacuzzi near the bar should you find the main swimming pool too crowded.  Don't expect to do laps though in the pool as the size is only about a quarter of an olympic swimming pool.  But  hey, I guess this setup allows TAO guests to get up close and personal with other guests.

Closing time

Oh to that girl who bought me a Patron shot, thank you!  It did not mix well with the 3 other mixed (Vodka and Rum-based) and caused a slight headache, but who cares.  It would have been considered extremely rude to not accept a free tequila shot from a hot girl.  I love this place!

Iloilo: Molo Church

Summer has officially ended in the Philippines with the advent of most school openings.  The rain has also started pouring on a more regular basis, so I will stop posting about Philippine beach destinations temporarily.   However, this also means that domestic airfares are now cheaper as evidenced by numerous seat sales by Philippine carriers.

the park in front of Molo Church

One such domestic destination that is often included in those seat sales is Iloilo City, located in the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines.  It is one of the country's oldest cities and as such offers several historic Spanish churches worth visiting.

Molo Church is one such church that is easily accessible from Iloilo City even by jeepney.

Molo is sometimes called a feminist church as most of its religious icons are female saints.  It is also adjacent to a convent (pictured below) though I am uncertain if this convent is still operational like the church.

Like most churches, there is no entrance fee for Molo Church.  There is a small donation box though, at the church's center aisle.  Donations would greatly help its caretakers continuously maintain this well-preserved historic Iloilo church.

Pagudpud

After Cape Bojeador lighthouse, it rained hard, so we had to skip famous Kapurpurawan Rocks and the Bangui Windmills.  There was an approaching storm that was going to hit neighboring Cagayan province and Ilocos was somewhat affected as you can see dark clouds in the photo of Pagudpud below.

Pagudpud: Bangui windmills in the background

So the kind tourists who allowed me to hitchhike dropped me off near Pagudpud town after the skies cleared. I hopped on the next bus and hired a tricycle driver to go looking for modest accommodations.  I was optimistic that I could easily find one as July to October was off-peak season.

This is one of the bigger hotels at Pagudpud beach
Did not stay here though

It was definitely off-peak season, as I had to wait for a few minutes when the tricycle driver asked me to check out Sabrina's which he recommended. The owner's daughter was not at the front desk as she was fixing other stuff given she was the only staff there at the time.

It is easy to spot Sabrina's due to its different looking balcony

It was not really an issue as she was not expecting other guests given that only one out of the thirty plus rooms was occupied.  She was quite happy that I rented out another room (guest number 2!) and allowed me to negotiate the rate down to around $20/night for the room (with own bath below).

Given that I was in the heartland of the Ilocos region, I just had to have Bagnet for dinner, which is a popular  fried(roasted?)pork dish in that region.

Bagnet: Yummy, but watch the cholesterol

The waves of Pagudpud are quite strong after the summer season and were also enhanced by the approaching storm.  But this is also why it is also considered a surfing spot in the Philippines.

Anyway, here is one last photo of Pagudpud showing an awesome sunset given that its long coastline faces the west.

On the road to Pagudpud: Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

This is going to be a short post as a visit to the Cape Bojeador lighthouse in Burgos Town, Ilocos Norte would only require less than an hour of your time, as there is really nothing much to do in an old Spanish era light house other then take scenic photos, selfies and usies.

I boarded a Cagayan-bound bus headed north in one of the bus terminals at the back of the Laoag Provincial Capitol building. This was in the early afternoon after I checked out of Tiffany hotel.

The lighthouse is located in the northern town of Burgos approximately an hour (by bus) from Laoag. Note that the bus will just drop you off as entry by heavy vehicles is prohibited.  I read in most travel blogs that there are tricycles that will take you to the lighthouse.  Unfortunately, none were to be found when I got off the bus during the off peak month of July.

Merge to the west (Right if you are coming from Laoag)
 once you see this sign on the Pan Phil Highway

The distance of the lighthouse from this road sign is actually not that far; it is probably a quarter mile walk on a slightly uphill access road.  The only problem when I started walking was that it started to rain when I got off the bus.  Good thing some friendly Pinoy tourists on a pick-up truck arrived around the same time and asked me to ride with them.

The place was practically deserted that rainy afternoon.  Had it not been for the group on a pick up truck, I would have been the sole guest of the light house.  A stoic old man serves as the lighthouse's caretaker though.

It was raining so the view at the top of  the tower wasn't that great.  But I think a sunset view here would have been awesome given it faces west where the sun sets.

Well it is just an old light house so don't expect fancy rooms and corridors for your social networking posts. It may not be a major tourist destination, but this Cape Bojeador lighthouse is definitely worth a stopover if you are doing an Ilocos Norte road trip.

Good thing this Pinoy group was also headed north, so they offered me a ride to the town right before Pagudpud.  Thanks strangers!

Laoag, Ilocos Norte

The city of Laoag in Ilocos Norte was originally supposed to be my jump off point to Pagudpud, the "Boracay" of the northern Philippines.  I did not want to take the 12 plus hour ride to Pagudpud so I decided to just fly (45 minutes only!) to the nearest airport in the Ilocos region, then take a less than 2 hour bus ride further north to Pagudpud.

But while researching Laoag, I learned that it offered also other nice tourist spots that are easily accessible.  I reckoned I would be able to explore Laoag City proper since my flight would be arriving early afternoon.  Then prior to heading out to Pagudpud the following day, I would still be able to explore the nearby towns such as Paoay. 

Laoag Airport also had this nice touch wherein there's a free shuttle ride from the airport to most hotels located in Laoag City proper.  Just let the driver know your hotel destination. This feature is not that common in most Philippines towns with the exception of the country's biggest and most touristy cities.

I did not make any advanced hotel reservations so I just chose on Google maps a small boutique hotel with decent TripAdvisor reviews (3+ above).  The hotel was also within walking distance of most of Laoag's tourist attractions.  It probably won't matter to travelers seeking genuine Ilocano cuisine, but the hotel is  less than a 5 minute walk from a Jollibee(north) and a Max's Restaurant (south)

Hotel Tiffany Twin Room

Please note however, that this hotel, which has  multiple floors, does not have elevators. I was ok with my 4th floor room, as I felt I needed the exercise in preparation for trekking and hiking mountains.  But for elderly, young kids and the young but not so fit, you may want to request a lower floor room.

Pinoy readers, spot the tabo in the hotel bathroom

It was also just a few blocks from the Provincial capitol building of Ilocos Norte.  This area is within easy walking distance of other Laoag tourist destinations, such as the Sinking Bell Tower and the Tobacco Monopoly Monument,

Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol Building

Ilocos Norte has been historically a major Tobacco producing region especially during the Spanish era. Hence, just across the Provincial capitol, you will find a towering monument for the Tobacco Monopoly.

Tobacco Monopoly Monument

As with most Philippine towns, the main catholic church is located quite near the town's seat of power.

St William Cathedral of Laoag

While the Ilocos Norte region is known for having hundred year old Spanish churches, Laoag's pride is the unique church structure known as a Sinking Bell Tower.

Sinking Bell Tower

The photo below shows what used to be the main entrance of the Bell Tower. Nowadays, even a small child will find it difficult to enter given the the tower has sunk so many feet into the ground.

Bell Tower entrance now closed

The Spanish era bell  tower is also near a more recent SM Hypermart which you may visit in case you need go on a supply run.

The Old and the New

Laoag also makes it also easy to navigate to the other tourist towns of the Ilocos region.  The sign above is for the northern destinations while the photo below is for the southern destinations.

I have not visited most of the nearby attractions given my limited time, so I will most probably explore further this region if I get to visit the Philippines again.