angeles

irit, tomas, and I in the jungles of mt. arryat


the very silly jean-paul


at the magic line factory


inside the trike!

spent a few days here, the town I lived in when I was very little and we did many things:
1. saw my tita citas and got fed the most delcious food. lovely to spend time with the boan family
2. hung out with tomas!
3. say "wedding daze" at the mall, not to mention a genuine filipino teen-heart throb perform
4. hung out with friends from taiwan: jodie, jean-paul, hubert
5. had delicious dinner at a friend of huberts, jean-micheal + sonia's
6. hung out at the really neat magic line factory, that produces mannequins
7. went trekking at mt. arryat
8. enjoyed the many forms of transportation the phlippines has to offer: bus, jeepney, handy cab/trike, and the mancho man van

aguilar: family

it was so nice to catch up with family, somany stories. . .not to mention feeling incredible welcome and fed all the time.


lolo pilo


me and lola flory


lola mading at 89! still such a fire cracker


lolo moling


lola mading teaching me some pangasinan

aguilar: lola's house

I'm finally back home. I am so glad. It's a little sad that my grandmother is not here but just walking around on her land, underneath her trees, and through her gardens feel so comforting. Enjoy the photos I took. . .


lola's house


locked out, looking into lola's dirty kitchen, where her plants hang, covered in plastic, waiting for her to come back


underneath a mango tree


lolo pilo

a royal sighting

Kristie A. Kenney is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of the Philippines. She was sworn in by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on March 6, 2006, and arrived in the Philippines on March 17, 2006.

yesterday, irit and i were in this neat little hand woven craft store in Baguio, called "Narda." the clerk at the counter was bragging of late breaking news that the US ambassador was coming in 15 minutes. a little curious and ready for a little merianda, a snack, we enjoyed some cake and awaited her arrival. it was fascinating, considering about two days prior i learned who she was and wala here she was. she looked just like the picture and seemingly enjoyed the shopping with her company, 10 car escort and piles of gaurds completely surrounding the area.

http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh003.html

baguio magic

sunset at tam awan village


a bamboo bridge to a hut in the midst of the tam awan village


oh my gulay!


oh my gulay!


oh my gulay!


bike riding in burnham park


yesterday we landed, literally. we took a plane from Manila to Baguio for an expedited trip, considering it can be up to a 8 or 10 hour bus ride. though it would have been beautiful to sail through the country side; it would have taken too much time we don't have. but luckily as i doze in and out of sleep on the short 45 minute flight, I gandered at the absolute gorgeousness of the cordillera, the mountains in northern luzon. the landscape, exquisite.

we spent our first afternoon taking a peak at this place called "Tam Awan Village." a very beautiful little treasure up in the mountains. Basically this group of folks set up traditional huts of the native people in the cordillera to preserve the history. Folks can also sleep and have accommodation in the huts! which I would highly recommend and want to do on my next visit here. Also the place hosts a core group of artists who reside there. If felt perfect. http://www.tamawanvillage.com/index.php

Then, it rained today. I was sad because I was looking forward to enjoy the gorgeous outdoorness that makes baguio special. But none-the-less we actually found a little more magic inside baguio. A cafe, gallery, and performance space called "Oh my gulay." Which means, "Oh my vegetable." Can you believe it? vegetarian food to top it off AND tofu lumpia! Score! But the most magical part was the space itself. PLEASE check out these photos. No words can describe, but know that my mouth was wide open and grinning freely.