Casa Rap!

Do I have to go far to look for interesting places? Being a true blue Batangueño, I would naturally look for interesting places within the Ala Eh country. In search for a garden-slash-art-gallery-slash-organic-restaurant-slash-emote-place, I found Casa Rap, which is practically a stone's throw away from my place.
Casa Rap is proprietor Sister Ema Alday's playful take on the Batangueño expression, "kasarap," which, in "normal" Tagalog, is the same as "masarap" or delicious.
The place is just a quick 15-minute jeepney ride from the Lipa City bus stop. If you're coming from Manila and exiting at the Tambo (Lipa City) Exit of the Star Tollway, the bus will drop by the place. It's along the highway, just a few meters before the fork to San Jose town and Batangas City.
I was just amazed that such a place exists just near my mom's house in Lipa, so here, check out my photos.

(Disclaimer: These pics were taken from my N70 since I forgot to bring my ever reliable film-powered Nikon FG at that time.)

The artworks are for sale.

More artworks for sale.



Real cacao! This is what the tableya chocolate tablets are made of. If you haven't experienced a real hearty chocolate drink, they do serve an honest to goodnes one at Casa Rap.

Read More

The Angkor Wat Temples

My two whole days in Siem Reap were so packed, that I thought writing about them would only make a long, wordy entry. In this case, there's no better way to tell the story than through pictures.

As early as 5am, Angkor Wat, the gateway to the Angkor Wat complex, is already teeming with tourists. The lake -- which I found out later on was constructed to maintain water levels and to ensure longevity of the temple -- is misty as the sun is about to rise

Angkor Wat is not a mere facade. It's made up of three clusters of majestic temples, and this structure is located at the heart of the temple. It took me a while to take this photo as I had to wait for other tourists to clear the area.

A courtyard at the Angkor Wat.

Next to Angkor Wat is the Angkor Thom. These carvings mark the walls of the Terrace of the Leper King (or Terrace of the Elephants?). The wall looks like a jigsaw puzzle after archaeologists tried to put things back, piece by piece.

Inside the Angkor Thom is this structure called the Royal Palace. A Khmer kid told me of these intricate carvings. So mean of me, that I didn't even hand her a dollar

.

The Bayon is also a part of Angkor Thom. This may look like a heap of stones that are about to crumble from afar, but this is definitely one of the most beautiful among other temples within the complex.

The "halls" of the Bayon appear like a maze. The action is really upstairs, where visitors can take a closer look at the stone faces.

The carvings at the walls of Bayon. This one depicts the apsara dancers.

Two of the 200-or-so humongous heads at the Bayon.

Inside Ta Prohm is where the battle between man-made structures and nature takes place.

Still inside Ta Prohm, tourists are allowed to enter inside portions of the temple. I've read somewhere that there are intricate carvings in the interiors. I wasn't actually able to see them as I was so amazed at how the roots of the trees are overtaking the stone structures.

The is the site made famous by Angelina Jollie. It took me a while to be able to take a picture of this. There were lots of Koreans lining up to be photoed. Ta Prohm is one of the most visited temples, especially after Tomb Raider.

Read More

Visiting the Angkor Wat temples? Here are some tips:

A view from Banteay Srei.

I'm not actually intending to give a detailed account of how my two whole days in Siem Reap went. Simply put, those days were so packed that I would just end up posting a wordy entry that you might not want to read.

So I decided to just come up with several tips that you may find useful if you’re planning to check out the Angor Wat temples:

1. The Angkor Wat complex is so huge that it’s imposible to see all the temples in just one day. If you intend to check out all of them, plan a five-day stay at Siem Reap. But if you only want to check out the “must-see” temples, this can be done in just a day, while the other interesting ones can be seen for another day or two. The “must-see” temples, according to Tales of Asia, are the Angkor Wat (the “main” temple), Bayon (my personal favorite for the 200-or-so heads), and Ta Prohm (that Cambodian structure made famous by Tomb Raider) . Also note that there are other beautiful temples that are outside of the Angkor Wat complex that are worthy to be visited, particularly Banteay Srei and Kbal Splean. You just have to ask your tuktuk driver to take you there, of course for extra fee.

And maybe it's just me, that after checking one ruin after the other, I felt I was fed up. I haven't seen all of them temples but I think I've had enough with what I've seen.
Going to Siem Reap river to check out the floating river is also another story, but my driver didn’t ask for extra fee since I finished taking rounds of Angkor temples earlier than expected.

The back side of Angkor Wat.

2. If possible, bring a liter of water. There are food stalls inside the complex but everything’s just damn too expensive. Just to give you an idea, a bowl of noodles is $3, and a bottle of 8 ounces of mineral water is $1-2.

3. Bring spare batteries for your camera. And film as well, if you’re still into film cameras like me. Four pieces of Energizer AAs’ worth $8 at the gate of Angkor Wat. Haggle with the Khmers and that’ll go down to $6. Compare that with supermarket prices. Enough said.

4. Sweaty or not, bring extra shirt/s. I went to the Angkor temples during the peak of summer, and woah, I was so drenched in sweat after spending at least 30 minutes in each temple.

5. Caretakers and children running around the temples normally talk to tourists and they give insights of the place, give tips on where the nice carvings are, etc. They’re not for free. If you don’t have a dollar or two to spare, ignore them and pretend you don't understand English.

6. I just came across a seller of books on Angkor Wat temples while entering a temple. It’s some sort of a coffee table book with lots of beautiful pictures of Angkor temples. To other sellers within the complex, that book’s about $12. To others, it's only $1! I still regret not buying that book. If you're a book person, it’s definitely a good buy!

7. The Angkor Wat itself is so glorious at dawn. Both of my two whole days at Siem Reap started early in the morning. I think if you’ve already seen the sunrise, aim for the sunset the following day. I’ve read somewhere it’s nice to take pictures at Bayon late in the afternoon, and watch the sun set at one of those Greek structure-looking temple (I'll post the photo soon, I just forgot the name of the temple). Please note that Angkor Wat itself is best photoed during sunset as it faces west.

8. The tuktuk that will take you to various temples for an entire day costs about $15 — that is, if you booked the tuktuk driver through your hotel/guesthouse. This is actually a bit expensive because hotels/guesthouses get a cut for every booking that they make. You may save a dollar or two if you simply holler a tuktuk a day before your journey and ask the driver to pick you up in your hotel/guesthouse.

Pathway at the Terrace of the Elephants, Angkor Thom.

Read More

Saigon to Siem Reap by land

Cambodian immigration at the Mocbai-Bavet border. The spindly rooftops and detailed carvings here are a prelude at what awaits at Siem Reap.

Perhaps going from one country to another by land is one of the most interesting things to do when exploring Southeast Asia. The land travel from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to Siem Reap in Cambodia, for instance, could be a bit tiring as it entailed long hours of sitting in a bus. But if you're traveling on a budget, this should do the trick. And it's fun! It also provided insights on what Cambodia looks like, not to mention that only a handful are adventurous enough to do the same when they’re traveling abroad.

I should say, one should try doing this at least once in his lifetime!

Traveling by land from Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam to Siem Reap in Cambodia is easy and safe, and far cheaper compared to taking a plane. Be forewarned, though, that the trip could take about 12-14 hours. But not to worry about pee breaks as the bus driver willingly obliges to halt when prompted (we stopped more than six times during the whole stretch of the trip for this).

I bought my bus ticket at the Sapaco office located along Pham Ngu Lao Street in Ho Chi Minh. Travel guides indicated that my guesthouse can easily arrange the trip. But as I was wary of extra charges, I decided to go personally to their office since it was just a block away from my guest house in Bui Vien.

The ticket was only $22.

A fellow blogger recommended that I take the Sapaco bus line since he had a good experience with that. Sapaco also appears to be the safest option. I’ve read from online fora that other bus lines that ply the same route allegedly ask their passengers to get off halfway the trip and leave them hollering for a ride in the middle of nowhere.

***

I was told to be at the Sapaco office at 6am the following day. When I got there, I was escorted to a van that brought me to the bus waiting two blocks away.

A few minutes after the trip commenced, the bus conductor collected our passports.

The conductor announced that we would have to get off the bus in a few minutes for the immigration.

But to my surprise, someone hastily shouted, “Dadalhin ang bag? Errrr… should we bring our bags?”

The conductor replied that there’s no need to bring our belongings. For my part, I was trying to suppress my laugh. Well, this is the downside of traveling alone.

So when we got off the bus, I decided to follow the person, and in my very pretentious American accent, I asked him if he is a Filipino. He said he is, and I replied, “Nagulat ako biglang may nag-Tagalog. (I was surprised to hear someone speak in Tagalog).”

It could really be surprising to hear someone talking in familiar language in a place that's not really a common destination for Filipinos.

The fellow Filipino told me he works in Phnom Penh. He was with his family for a few days in Ho Chi Minh. They were also headed to Siem Reap to check out the Angkor temples after a couple of days in Phnom Penh, I was told.

So we all went inside the immigration office and waited for our passports to be released.

***

I thought the structures within the border are interesting, especially the façade of the Cambodian side with its Angkor Wat theme. A good prelude to what awaits me in Siem Reap, I thought. Later on, I found out that most structures in Cambodia have that same motif — roofs with spires, detailed carvings, and all that stuff.

A monument that marks the Mocbai-Bavet border. The pic looks eerie, though, as it was about to rain at the time.

I was actually intending to take pictures of the border but since I was the last one to be called by the immigration officer, I wasn’t able to steal a few seconds for photo ops.

We hopped into the bus again, and got off at the Cambodian side of the border. The approval of visas/passes is actually a quick process. Or is it because Filipinos are visa-free?

***

You’ll know you’re in Bavet when you see a number of casinos. And you’ll really know that you are already in Cambodia when gates of establishments have those Angkor Wat-esque intricate stone carvings. I've also observed that patios of homes have small Buddhist monuments with smoky incense sticks.

After a few minutes, we stopped at what seemed like a bus stop with several stalls selling cigarettes, noodles, softdrinks, junk foods and fruits.

After an hour or so, we stopped again, and I realized that we were about to cross the mighty Mekong River. It took quite a while before my bus took its turn to go aboard a ferry, which is similar to that of Roll-On-Roll-Off (RORO) system in the Philippines. The Mekong crossing lasted about 15 minutes, so I got off to check out this iconic river. There's really nothing special or scenic, but at least I've got a close encounter with this river that I've only encountered in our Asian history classes!

***

I arrived at Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, at around 1:30pm. All of the passengers were asked to take their belongings as they got off the bus. At the bus stop, myself together with a young British couple, were escorted to an office similar to that of Sapaco in Saigon.

An office personnel helped the three of us to a tuktuk that took us to another bus stop, located in front of the Cultural Center of Cambodia, where the bus bound to Siem Reap is waiting.

I did not pay extra for the tuktuk and the second bus. Apparently, the $22 is for the entire trip.

It seemed that I had no choice but to have my luggage kept at the compartment. I brought a luggage, a backpack for my laptop, and a small bag for my cameras, and it would be uncomfortable if I try to squeeze in my luggage with me inside the bus.

As for my experience, it’s safe to leave bags at the compartment; I didn’t lose a single belonging.

***

The trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is a seven-hour long journey.

The roads are paved, and the view of the countryside is almost similar to that of the Philippines. If the South or North Luzon Expressways in the Philippines present views of mountains and rolling rice fields, that of Cambodia is flat for the most part. The reddish soil is planted with rice, crops, and palm trees in between rice paddies.

There are Angkor Wat-like Buddhist structures that pop out from time to time — small temples/monuments in the middle of farm lands, intricately carved stones (or cement?) at school gates, and even graves that shaped like the spindly rooftops of Angkor Wat!

All throughout the trip, the TV in the bus showed videoke/music video of Cambodian songs, which actually sounded like jukebox music in the Philippines. There were Cambodian teenagers in the videos. (I therefore conclude that Pinoy actors look better-groomed but in general, Cambodians and Filipinos don’t differ that much in terms of looks).

The Cambodian countryside. This photo was taken during one of the many pee breaks.

Halfway the road from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, we stopped at another eating station where there were lots of fruits and other food items for sale. I even saw a woman with a tray on her head containing what looked like fried tarantulas, while another one was carrying a basket full of lotus seeds. I would have tried eating any of these, but I reminded myself that I couldn’t be too adventurous since I’m traveling alone, and hospitals are not part of the agenda.

I was so hungry at that time since I only had noodles during the Bavet stopover. I was afraid to try the Cambodian foodstuff, so I ended up buying imported wafers just to sate my hunger.

***

It was 7:30 pm and it was already dark when we were told that we are already in Siem Reap.

As I was about to hop off the bus, a lot of tuktuk drivers and touts were blocking the doorway but I managed to slip through without having been pestered. I picked up my luggage at the compartment, and no sooner was I able to get a tuktuk that would take me to Rosy Guesthouse for $2.

So hungry was I, that I ended up ordering two sets of meals at the café-slash-restaurant of Rosy.


RELATED POSTS:
Good Morning, Vietnam! 
No man's land: crossing the Cambodia-Thailand border 
When in Siem Reap, should you check out the Tonle Sap Lake? 
Post card from Vietnam: the motorcycles of Ho Chi Minh

Read More

Tiramisu Recipe

Christmas is only less than a month away and up to now, I still haven’t decided on what to serve my folks. Ever since I’ve learned to concoct my own version of Puttanesca and Waldorf salad, I’ve become the official chef of the family during Christmas and New Year as these two dishes have been staples. For this year, I thought the time has come to develop further the palates of my family.

I came across Giada de Laurentii’s show at the Food Network a few weeks ago, and at that time, she taught viewers how to make Tiramisu. I thought this one’s so easy to prepare, and this would be a good Christmas treat.

But what really convinced me to try the recipe on my own is because of the requirement to use espresso.

I happened to own a mocha pot, which a bought from a colleague a couple of years ago for about P1,000 (I consider it expensive!). I used it only twice because I thought espresso is just too strong for me. So this time, I said to myself, why not find a worthy use for this expensive gadget?

So here are the ingredients. I was so happy that it turned out really well. Beginner’s luck, as they said.

2 cups espresso coffee
4 egg yolks
1 250-gram pack Mascarpone cheese (I got this at the supermarket of Robinson’s Galleria for only P271. I tried to scout for other sources. Terry’s Selection at the basement of The Podium sells this for about P380, while that from Santis Delicatessen’s about P500).
3 tablespoons white sugar
Lady finger cookies (locally known as Broas. I got the La Pacita brand. What’s remarkable about this brand is that although it’s a bit expensive, the cookies are dense and not just filled with air.)
2 tablespoons rum
Unsweetened cocoa powder (Ricoa Breakfast Cocoa will do.)
Dark chocolate (for garnishing, Giada said, but a good choice of chocolate will actually make a difference on the whole thing. For this one, I used Meiji Black. Good thing this complemented the recipe.)
Strawberries or blueberries (optional, for garnishing.)

Procedures:

1.) Using a hand mixer, combine egg yolks and about 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. Beat until thick and pale (yeah, the sunny yellow color of the yolks tend to become pale when beaten).
2.) Fold in the Mascarpone cheese. What I’ve noticed was the consistency of the whole mixture was not as creamy as what the others in YouTube have done. My mixture’s a bit lumpy. Maybe I should have brought the Mascarpone cheese out of the fridge hours before I prepared the thing? I don’t know. But I proceeded anyway.
3.) Add a tablespoon of espresso to the mixture. Set aside.
4.) On a shallow pan or dish, combine the espresso, a dash of rum, and a little bit of sugar (just a little bit of sugar. The cookies are already sweet).
5.) Soak the lady finger cookies on the espresso-rum-sugar mixture. Please note that the cookies will disintegrate if soaked for long.
6.) Arrange the cookies in a baking pan. On top of it, spoon in the Mascaporne mixture. Sprinkle the cocoa powder on top using a strainer.
7.) Still on top of the mixture, add another layer of cookies, then the Mascarpone mixture, then the cocoa powder. Then top with scraps of dark chocolate and/or strawberries and blueberries.
8.) Refrigerate for 2-8 hours.

Lessons learned:
1.) Don’t be too excited. The colder it is, the better. If you could freeze the product a bit, that would be better.
2.) I actually used 2 tablespoons of sugar on the egg-mascarpone-sugar mixture. It tasted like a diabetic-friendly cake, which my folks actually appreciated. Try to add a little bit sugar if you want it a bit sweeter.

If you want the original recipe (which is a bit complicated), click here.

Read More

Food and nature tripping in Kinabuhayan, Quezon

One of the many cascades at Kubli springs, right at the foothills of Mt. Banahaw.

What's there to do in Quezon? I used to ask this question. And why not, the province is not as famous as the other destinations in the country for more-than-the-usual natural wonders or man-made tourist attractions — well at least I wasn't aware of any, or probably no one hasn't really discovered them as of yet.

Save for the mystical Mt. Banahaw, I know Quezon province for the pahiyas festival, pancit habhab, and my uncle’s private beach resort tucked in the far-flung part of Infanta town.

But it's me and my underestimating self again, little did I know that the foothills of Mt. Banahaw itself has a lot to offer.

The option of exploring Dolores, Quezon surfaced when I came across an article written by another journalist friend of mine about Kinabuhayan Café and Bed and Breakfast.

The place is owned by the husband of one of our editors, and some of my colleagues said I would love it there since it’s a place that seemed to have been built specifically for the artsy-fartsy crowd.

But more than that, my curiosity was piqued by raving reviews at online fora and blogs — and of course the nice article written by my friend about portions of the so-called “Viaje del Sol.”

And so one fine day, when I got so stressed at work and needed a place that's secluded but not too far away, my friends and I decided to check out Kinabuhayan.

We were only commuting, and the directions stated at Kinabuhayan’s Multiply site was not at all hard to comprehend. One doesn’t even have to look at a map for reference.

We took a JAM bus bound to Lucena. The terminal is located at the corner of Gil Puyat (better known as Buendia) and Taft Avenues. It’s actually at the Buendia station of LRT 1 so it’s not actually hard to locate.

The fare up to the NEW Market of Tiaong was P157 per head. I asked the conductor to let us know if we’re already at the New Market of Tiaong. Take note that it’s NEW. The OLD market in Tiaong is a different thing.

The trip should be about 2 1/2 hours from Manila, including the perennial traffic at the South Luzon Expressway.

When we got to the market, I asked around for jeeps bound to Dolores. I sat beside the driver and told him to take us to Dejarme Street. Be forewarned, though, that there are no street signs. The marker would be a signage that says, “Paaralang Sentral ng Dolores.” If you’ve gone past the parish church, you’ve already missed the place.

From the signage, Kinabuhayan is the one in front of a Bayad Center. The place itself is marked by a porch, and next to it is a tree house.

The porch. See the purple flowers? They found their way to our salads come lunch time. Yum!

The jeepney trip is P20 per head, and lasted about 15-20 minutes from the New Tiaong market.

The Multiply site also said Barangay Kinabuhayan is quite far from Kinabuhayan Cafe so we were forewarned that if ever we're going to ask for directions, better not ask for Kinabuhayan. But why the name? Jay Herrera, the owner, later on told me that it's a nice name, and that it depicts of "new life" or whatever.

That was the intention of my weekend getaway, anyway — to empty myself out and get some sort of a new life and renewed vigor given the stress of daily deadlines and the global financial market turmoil that's already spilling on my personal concerns.

Upon entering, guests will be greeted by a billiards table, and several small tables with little trinkets. The wall to the left has traditional Filipino papier mache horses called taka, while a sungkaan — a traditional game common among Malaysians, Indonesians and Filipinos (I found lots of those when I went to Malacca, Malaysia. And I have one at home) — rests at one of the tables.

The place is well-lit as natural light seeps through the glass ceiling.


But the structure with the porch is just the beginning.

Walking further and outside of the "main building," one will see several huts where guests can lounge, sleep, dine, emote, reflect, or do whatever they want.

One of the huts (please excuse the overexposure. Amateur fotog here).

Walking through the outdoors, one will be greeted by the other cast members of Kinabuhayan: a pot-bellied pig named Onion, who behaves like a dog when scratched; a Daschund named Muning; another dog named Chongki, who's too excited to greet guests as they arrive (if you're afraid of dogs, it doesn't bite but beware.); a cat named Tweety; a number of pigeons, hens and chicks; and other pets that I might have failed to meet during my stay. We were told later on there's a snake in an aquarium and 2 turtles under a hut.

The hut where we slept doesn't have four walls, so to speak, but guests keep their privacy given the abundance of plants around.

The hut's also got a hammock (must try!), a 14-inch cable TV, the owner's personal reads and some more trinkets.

The bathroom is open to the skies, but the owner assured that guests can still have privacy while doing their business.

The sleeping quarter is at the loft with a mattress and mosquito net. I missed the olden days when we have to set up the kulambo!

The side view of our hut.

Since we arrived a little before lunch time, our host immediately asked us to prepare to go to Kubli Springs for lunch. Be ready to get wet, he said.

The way to the Springs was a 5- to 10-minute jeepney ride. Jay took care of the jeepney rental.

As we descended to the stream, lo and behold: there was a bamboo dining table and benches submerged on the water, while adding to the ambience of the place was a portion of the cliff adorned with bamboo tubes where water spring water pass through.

The eating part was actually one of the most anticipated part of this trip as Kinabuhayan has been well-known for Jay's gourmet cooking.

For lunch, we had grilled liempo on top of a healthy serving of risotto rice with what looked like Shitake mushrooms. The side salad was made up of carrots and other sliced veggies that I didn't recognize, topped with purple mayana flowers (that I never thought was edible) and vinaigrette dressing. Yum!

I forgot what we had for dessert, but as far as I can remember, that's some sort of macapuno topped with dill. We also had barako coffee and lots of lambanog shots with orange and mango juice. Gourmet dining at the batis capped by Jay and his buddy Ralph's hilarious stories? Memorable.

And so afterwards we trekked the stream to check out the three falls. It was not really a difficult trek, except for the fact that the three of us had to float (if not swim) at some portions of the stream just to get from point A to B. Please take note also that we were a bit drunk, so it's a little bit more difficult. The water was kinda rough so I went home with some bruises.

Going to the three falls, the water was too deep that I had to leave my camera and camera phone somewhere just to get to the place. But I managed to get some shots along the way.

Ever wondered what it's like to be in a washing machine? Try having a dip below this cascade and see for yourself.

On our way back to the cafe, Jay picked up some herbs that later on graced our platters. I saw him pick up medicinal wild grass called pansit-pansitan, katuray, and some wild balimbing or star fruit.

He also showed us a tree that bore Philippine cherries, and picked some ripe fruits for us to try.

While Jay was preparing dinner, a masseuse came in and gave each one of us a relaxing massage. She said it was called "relaxing" massage, but whatever that is called, I really appreciated it compared to the kind of treatments that I'm getting in Manila.

Dinner was spectacular. The table was fabulously set with candle lights and simple flower arrangements. We were served with chicken (I don't know what it's called) again on top of rich risotto rice. Greens on the side were the pansit-pansitan, katuray, decorative but edible flowers called Impatience, among others. There was also tokwa't baboy on the side.

The dessert was ice cream with some herbs on top.

And of course, the evening ended with Jay and Ralph's stories of magic realist proportions.

The following morning, I woke up with the scent of dew, the smell of burning dried leaves, and the crow of birds and fowls in the area. It may sound annoying for someone like me who would rather sleep the whole morning, but that really gave me a sense of being so far away from Manila.

My friends and I had a stroll at the Our Lady of Sorrows Church, which was only two blocks away from the cafe. At the background was the scenic Mt. Cristobal. I've read somewhere that stained glass windows in this church discreetly bore the name of a certain Fr. Benjie, but I couldn't find it. Takes a magic eye to see them, maybe, or I wasn't actually paying attention since I was still sleepy at that time. Pupungas-pungas pa, as they say.

The verdict? I'd definitely come back there. Not because I still haven't seen Santa Lucia falls, but I want to experience that probinsya feel again, taste Jay's creative cooking and hear their incredible stories. Five stars.



For more information — prices, other testimonials (if you didn't believe me), contact numbers and some more photos, click here.

Read More

Sneak peek at Opera

Before reading my post below on the latest opera performance here in the Philippines, here's an interesting (ehem) review that I wrote in 2006 about a production of the Philippine Opera Company. This one's about Master Class. The show's restaged and is running until Oct. 25, with Cherrie Gil, one of the icons in the local TV, film and theatre scene, playing the lead.

So here's my review, which should encourage everyone to see the ongoing show.





* This piece appeared at the Weekender/Arts and Liesure section of BusinessWorld on July 21, 2006.


Opera 101: A sneak peek at opera

THEATER REVIEW
Master Class
By Terence McNally
Presented by the Philippine Opera Company
July 21 and 22, 8 p.m. (2006)
Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala cor. Buendia Aves., Makati City

To those who do not have the discerning ears - or perhaps the patience - to appreciate classical music, the mere mention of the word "opera" triggers boredom. It may be because the arias are in unfamiliar languages, or, it may be the high-pitched birdlike voices that lull some to sleep. Because they are not willing to take the chance on it, a lot of people miss the great things that opera has to offer - the music and the magic combined on stage, the experience that the privileged few, so it seems, get from every performance.

With its aim of increasing the Filipino's awareness and appreciation of opera, the Philippine Opera Company makes a good first step to introducing the art to more Filipinos with its production of Master Class.

The production is very apt as the company's season opener. Since this is a play on opera rather than a full-length classical piece, watching Master Class does not require one to be a buff to comprehend what playwright Terence McNally wants to convey.

Master Class gives one a glimpse into the life of the legendary soprano Maria Callas (played by Jay Glorioso), touted to have been one of the greatest opera singers in the recent history for having revived the bel canta heroines of some of the greatest Italian composers. The play focuses on the latter part of Callas' life, that is, as a teacher giving a series of master classes at the Juilliard School of Music. While she did in fact conduct the master classes, the events in the play are of McNally's imagination.

While biographical sketches similar to this often result in travesty or comes out as a mere retelling of a famous figure's life, McNally was able to creatively weave Callas' musical genius together with the drama of her personal life.

The play shows a master class featuring three music students. This is where McNally is able to tell the people, for instance, that art is not detached from real life. This is best exhibited in one of Callas' lines - "You don't just stand on stage, you own it," saying that performing is not about pretending but being the person that one portrays at a particular time and place.

Such insights into music and performances are complemented by monologues that Callas delivers when she mentally moves out of the scene and airs out the miseries of her personal life.

McNally structured the play to include the audience, with the proverbial invisible wall between the actors and the audience eliminated. With the audience essentially included in the class, Glorioso as Callas, is able to inject a comedic touch as she delivered quips to the audience throughout the play.

The class does not become a mere showcase of the vocal prowess of Karla Gutierrez as Sophie de Palma, Anna Feleo as Sharon Graham, and Juan Alberto as Anthony Candolino with their renditions of some popular arias. Callas, after all, interrupts them after their first notes - sometimes even before they start singing. And even when they sing the pieces in their entirety, the renditions subtly turn to recorded versions. Rather, these actors were able to give remarkable acting performances in their respective moments.

In the brief vocal exhibitions, Gutierrez was the most memorable as her dynamics never failed to amaze, despite the fact that she was only required to sing a short portion of the aria.

Feleo's voice is equally striking, and I hope her character has become more solid through the production's run than it was during press night. Same with Alberto who looked a bit inhibited in his movements onstage - but his singing was a different matter!

The role of Maria Callas requires a strong actress, and Glorioso, in my opinion, was a good choice to play the part. As the role requires, she is an authentic singer. However, some people think that a stronger actress could have been cast as the role requires only minimal singing. But still, although her performance may seem to need a little more heft as compared to Baby Barredo's in Repertory Philippines' production some years back (I was
told Barredo had firsthand experience of a master class under Callas), I believe Glorioso will be able to give a stronger delivery throughout the rest of the run.

Full of insights on Callas' life and the basics of opera, complemented with equally impressive sets and lighting, Master Class depicts how art - opera in particular - truly becomes a magical reflection of life.



Disclaimer: I wasn't paid to make this post, or am I close to people at the POC. I just want to share the experience.

Read More

Finally, an Italian opera in the Philippines!

A couple of years playing classical music when I was in my teens has made me a sucker for anything classical. Name it: Mozart, Beethoven, Lizst, anything with piano and violin, or even harp or glockenspiel, I'd like to have a CD or MP3 of it. So this, together with my undying love for the theatre arts, made me wonder what would be it like to watch an opera -- a real opera at that.

And then I had a chance to have an interview with Philippine Opera Company (POC) founder Karla Gutierrez. She herself was trained in Rome, with a course that's something like a masters degree in opera interpretation. She told me that a good career as an opera performer awaited her in Italy (she has what it takes to be a star: VERY good singing and a pretty face) but she said she'd rather put up an opera company here. So to make the long story short, POC was born.

Going back to the interview with Karla, I was trying to write a story about the potential of opera in the Philippines. By the way she described me her vision -- a major theatrical production with elaborate sets, an orchestra, and a material that is sung all throughout -- I was convinced that I really wanted to see one. And with the oversupply of talent in the country, there opt to be lots of such productions here in the Philippines.

So when I've heard POC's doing Puccini's La Boheme, I begged for a free ticket from my friend (hehe).

This was the same piece were Rent (read: the movie and the musicale) was based. Not to mention the tagline, "The Greatest Love Story Ever Sung" as an added come on, I was really itching to see it.


So I went to the CCP Main Theatre last Oct. 3 to see POC's La Boheme. It was the opening night. Bloggers were invited to have a sneak peek during the dress/tech rehearsal last Oct. 1, but I opted not to go since I'm not yet an established blogger.

ReviewThe production was not as grand as what Karla described to me, but it was a good show, all in all. With the singing as the centerpiece of any opera, I think the talented performers did a good job, and they did not fail their audience made up of high-profile personalities (read: the patrons of the arts).

I thought the director was being snob for not putting subtitles. The entire piece was sung — in Italian — and I couldn't make up what they're trying to tell.

My friend who attended the press conference said there was a debate among the producers and the artistic staff if they should put subtitles. The director argued that the attention of the audience will be divided if they do that, and that the audience should have done their homework by reading up about the opera.

For me, I think the move was one sure way to bring the arts much farther from the people. In this society where art is barely appreciated, I thought the producers should have done something to at least bring it closer to the Filipinos.

But then, another friend told me that that's how it is done in Europe -- even in non-Italian speaking countries. The objective is to simply listen to the singing and the music, and from there one can have an understanding of what's happening on stage. Let the singing touch your heart, my friend told me.

So this is what is called audience development -- you try to introduce new things to your audiences, and develop their appreciation for such things.

I wasn't able to comprehend the libretto of the opera, yes, but if I'll rate my experience based on the singing, I'd say it's superb!

The cast was made up of some of the top-notch performers in the country. That night I saw Jennifer Uy as Mimi and Gary del Rosario as Rodolfo. I've learned from the souvenir program that Gary is an accomplished opera performer abroad and only came home to do this (something like that).

But in terms of both singing and acting, Ana Feleo was a showstealer as the sexy Mussetta. Her stage presence, as in her past performances (I was able to work with her in Tanghalang Pilipino's Oraciones in 2003) was really something amazing.

Also noteworthy was the performance of the three "alipores" of Rodolfo's -- baritones Lawrence Jatayna and Jesus Baang who played Marcello, Joseleo Logdat who did Colline, and John Ocampos who played Shaunard.

One comment, though. The show intended to contextualize the piece to Modern-day Manila. Yeah, the effort was there with the sorbetero and all that. But all in all, I didn't feel Manila. And the second act with the chorus in what was supposed to be a carnival of sorts, I was kind of confused on who to look at on stage, and that in my opinion, the scene was badly blocked.

But nonetheless, this project should be the start of more to come in the Philippine theatre/entertainment scene. Bravo, POC!

Read More

Good Morning, Vietnam: a day tour of Ho Chi Minh City

The facade of Vietnam's Reunification Palace

May 12-14, 2008

Vietnam served as my jump off point for my two-week adventure in Southeast Asia.

I left Manila a little before midnight via Cebu Pacific, and arrived at Ho Chi Minh City at 1am (that was Manila time, I think. We're an hour ahead).
For my two-week Southeast Asian trip, I alloted just two nights and one whole day in Vietnam.

I wasn't actually interested in going to Vietnam, thinking that it is simply a third world country shabbier than the Philippines. This was my attitude towards Vietnam despite the fact that the country is always teeming with tourists, compared with the Philippines with only a handful.

I would not have passed by Vietnam if it were not my entry point to Cambodia. There are no direct flights from Manila to Siem Reap as of yet, but my friend who used to cover the transport beat said talks are ongoing between the Cambodian and Philippine governments, so expect a direct flight really soon.

But when I set foot on what I thought was a war-torn country, I realized that I underestimated Vietnam.

Than Son Nhat International Airport itself was a big revelation. Peering from my window in the plane, I thought it was an architectural wonder, a quintessential modern edifice with wide glass panels, white-washed walls and big halls.
I took a photo of myself using my camera phone even if I was forewarned by some friends that taking photos inside the airport is prohibited. My attempt was successful, but my camera phone failed to capture the real beauty of that structure.
My "day zero" in Vietnam was greeted by a funny encounter with a Vietnamese immigration officer. The officer asked me to explain what is the "Ñ" in my last name. Then he drew a letter "J" with a line on top of it and said, "Philippines?"

I was actually freaking out and managed only to reply, "It's actually Spanish."
After some thought, the officer stamped the entry permit on my passport.

I marched outside and looked for a cab. A fellow blogger told me in an e-mail that taxis from the airport going to the city should cost about P300. But my below-sea-level bargaining skills failed me, and I ended up paying so much (don't ask how much, but it's really expensive that I considered myself mugged by Vietnamese).

But the moral of the story is, wherever you are, avoid touts.
My impression of Vietnam at night was that it was a place similar to the Sampaloc district in Manila -- marked by old, shabby structures and dirty sidewalks, that is.

The "lobby" of Yellow House Hostel

I got to my hostel, Yellow House Hostel, where I pre-booked a mixed dorm-type accommodation at www.hostelworld.com for $6/night plus a booking fee of $2. The hostel is located at Bui Vien St., which is right at the heart of the backpackers' district called Pham Ngu Lao.
Bui Vien, I found out the following day, is lined with cafes and restaurants as well as stores selling cheap artworks, souvenir items and clothes.

It was already 2am but since I haven't had a decent dinner, I tried walking along Bui Vien to check if there are restaurants open. I found a cafe (that sounded a nice idea since, I was told, coffee in Vietnam is simply the best), but I need "real" food. I found Chin Chin Chin (999), probably Vietnam's answer to 7-11, and grabbed instant noodles. I also got bottled water, instant coffee, and a chocolate bar in anticipation of the spicy treat that I am up to.
Having failed on my plan to get a decent meal, I just decided to call it a day and promised myself that I would wake up early the next morning to catch the tourist bus.
Day One
I woke up at 7am as planned and had breakfast at the hostel (yeah, breakfast, which consisted of coffee, jam, butter, French bread and banana, was included in the $6!), only to find out that the tourist bus leaves at around 730am!

In my frustration, I just asked for an itinerary and decided that I would check the highlights of the city on my own. When I stepped out of the hostel, a motorcycle offered to bring me to five destinations for $10. The guided tour offered $8 to six destinations (if memory serves me right), including snacks and lunch. But not bad, at least I thought I wouldn't be pestered by the fact that tour guides often ask tourists to rush.
But more than this, riding a motorcycle proved to be fun. It gave me a real feel and different perspective of the city as the motorcycle meandered through hidden and main streets. It was fun being in the middle of tree-lined streets, pass by parks with lush greenery, and see lots of heads with helmets.
My driver gave me about an hour for each of the destinations and agreed at a particular time to meet outside afterwards.
I checked out the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum. The Notre Dame of Saigon was interesting with its beautiful facade and the presence of statues of Chinese saints (but of course I still think churches in the Philippines are better). Just across the Notre Dame was the Post Office, which looked like a train station but really was interesting. They have beautiful souvenir items there such as masks, stamps, and hand-painted bamboo bookmarks, the latter which I got for $1 each. These items cannot be found in the market so better buy right there if you find interesting items.

Vietnam's take on halo-halo, with free iced tea.

Then I had lunch at Ben Thanh market. I random-picked a carinderia-looking eatery where the chicken tasted beyond my expectations. For desert, I once again random-picked a halo-halo looking desert with green stuff inside which came with a small glass of iced tea (which didn't taste good). So adventurous of me to food trip just like that!
After that, I visited Binh Tai (not sure if I spelled it right), then to a Buddhist temple.
Binh Tai market wasn't actually in the itinerary of the guided tour. The driver told me goods are cheaper there but I wasn't really able to buy anything except for half a kilo of ground coffee, a fan worth about P5, and a bottle of coke which cost $1.
So when in Vietnam, make sure you have dong in your pocket even if stores do accept US dollars. Merchants don't bother to give change if you pay in US dollars -- even if goods cost less than a dollar.
My road trip ended at about 3pm, so I decided to take a break and spent half an hour chatting with fellow sojourners.
There were 10 beds in my room. All of them were occupied but I met only three from Australia, two from England and a Chinese girl. There were only two of us Asians in that room.
In those conversations, I realized that backpacking is a concept that is totally alien to Filipinos, save for the adventurous few. Perhaps I was the only backpacker at the time who had a "real" luggage instead of a backpack, three pairs of footwear including a white Lacoste tennis shoes, and a laptop. And based on the stories of my fellow backpackers, my two-week trip was probably the shortest they've ever encountered compared to one of them who has been away from his country for seven months already and will only come back as soon as he runs out of funds.

Not only that, I was probably the only one with an organized plan of how my next 13 days will be.

After the chat, I decided to check out the water puppet show at the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, which is not far from my hostel. The ticket was $4 (as far as I remember).

My room mate said the show's a crap, but I thought otherwise. The stage is made up of a scaled-down Chinese-looking pavilion and a pool of murky water in front. On each side of the stage, there were three players of traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, who also served as the voices of the characters. At the end of the show, six (or eight?) others would reveal themselves as the ones controlling the water puppets.
Tourists would not understand a single word the performers were uttering but the show gave me a peek at the musical and artistic traditions of Vietnam. The music is a mix of Chinese and other Asian influences with the flute, an instrument that looks like an Asian violin, a timpani, a stringed instrument that looked like that of Korea's, and other gong-sounding instruments which made the entire package akin to the musical traditions of Cambodia, Thailand, Southern Philippines and Indonesia.
I thought the show was fascinating -- and it would be for kids. Their dragons even came with firecrackers on their mouths.
To cap my Saigon day, I asked the motorcycle driver to take me to Huong Lai Restaurant, which is also not far from the puppet theatre. I just got the idea from my Lonely Planet Southeast Asia.

Inside the Huong Lai restaurant.

I highly recommend this restaurant so for those thinking of going to HCMC, better check out this place. The setting was on the second floor of a colonial-looking house, and the set-up is quite similar to the upper floor of a typical bahay na bato in the Philippines -- wooden floors, wooden furniture, yellow light flooding the whole space, etc. It would pass as an ideal "date place" for me.
The food was not so bad. I took the cheapest set meal, which consisted of what looked like Vietnamese pancit canton, purple yam soup, and another dish that I couldn't remember, plus a desert called "che," which is sweetened mung beans.

At $7, it was not at all bad. It's that good that I wanna go back there.

The servers were former street kids, so going there would be like helping these young people.

After that, I had to rush to the hostel to sleep early because my bus ride going to Cambodia the following day would be at 6am.
Quite long for a blog entry? I think this is proof enough that indeed, how I regret that I underestimated Vietnam, tsk tsk.

A view from the balcony of the Reunification Palace.
Facade of the Post Office.
The city hall.

The busy Bui Vien Street. Note the motorcycles on the sidewalk.

Read More