SPLENDOR IN ISABELA CHURCHES – PART 2 : St. Paul's Church

ATMOSPHERE AND A DELICIOUS ROUND OF PANSIT CABAGAN

Our second stop during our visit in Isabela was another rustic church in the town of San Pablo, just a few minute’s drive from Tumauini, and was named St. Paul’s Church. This was a much more atmospheric church, with another spectacular bell tower reminiscent of several churches in Ilocos. After St. Paul’s, we proceeded to the town of Cabagan, famous for their noodle specialty called Pansit Cabagan! Just check out the photo! Delicious! The pansit itself is home-made, as we were ushered into a bodega where the “processing” took place. Makes me wonder if there’s such a place within Metro Manila that offers Pansit Cabagan! As for the pleasant surprise of discovering jewels from the churches of Isabela, I was pretty smug. Even my friend didn’t realize they had gems within their midst. You can just imagine the vast number of undiscovered, albeit spectacular churches in that area!

This is the Eye in the Sky!

St. Paul's Church, town of San Pablo, Isabela, Philippines

Pancit Cabagan

N.B. Please refer to last post for the fast facts, a little history, direction, transportation and bus schedules.

For query and a whisper: eyeintheblueskyblog@yahoo.com

Timeworn Splendor in Isabela Churches – Part 1 : The Church of Tumauini

Beautifully embedded sculpture at St. Mathias Church. Can it still be called a bas relief?

Map of Luzon, the Philippines' biggest island, where Manila is located. The town of Cabagan and Ilagan City are duly marked.


ISABELAS OF THE WORLD
Isabela is a beautiful name, but in terms of geography, it may refer to any of the three locales: 1st, as the biggest of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador (bigger than all the other islands combined, and bigger than the U.S. state of Rhode Island); 2nd, as a city on the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico which is a protectorate of the United States (and named after the Queen of Spain); and 3rd, as a northern province in the big island of Luzon in the Philippines. This post will focus on the last Isabela item.
The Philippines’ Isabela is the biggest province in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. The capital city of Ilagan borders, clockwise from the south, Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, and Cagayan. This primarily agricultural province is also the second largest in the Philippines. The province has a population of 1.25 million as of the 2000 census. It would be my 3rd encounter with this province. This visit was of a personal nature than anything else; a good friend was getting married. For this, I had to cut short a long haul trip and pay $60 just to move my coming home a week earlier. The first two visits were charity works. The last was more than a year ago just to see a 9 year old child for just an hour, then headed back to Manila 3 hours later.
This time around, I prodded a friend to take me to the churches in the neighboring towns of Cabagan. I had a wedding to catch in Ilagan, but the occasion presented with a chance to see a little more of the province - just 5 hours before my friend’s wedding. Thinking there was nothing much to see in Isabela (I’ve only seen the interiors of their provincial hospital once, from my last visit), I figured I might as well see their markets, town halls or churches. My friend chose to take me to the churches. It was a much-too-early visita iglesia, but nonetheless fun! They did say that first visits to churches would allow you to wish – and they may come true! And boy I liked that idea! :->



EIGHT HOUR ROAD TRIP
After an 8 hour drive north of the Philippine capital, Manila, we arrived in the provincial capital of Ilagan. The wedding was to be held at the stately St. Ferdinand's Church, which actually looked new. The last time I was here, more than a year ago, there was hardly anything in the vicinity. Now there is a new Italian-inspired hotel just a hundred meters across the road. I then asked my friend to take me to Cabagan which is an hour’s travel going north.

TUMAUINI SURPRISE
Our first stop was the sleepy town of Tumauini. Its church is officially named Church of Tumauini, although most locals refer to it as St. Mathias’ Church. It was first built of light materials (wood, to be exact) as commissioned by Father Francisco Nunez in 1707. It became a regular parish in 1751 and got upgraded to a church of stone. A unique cylindrical bell tower, the only one of its kind in the Philippines, was constructed through the efforts of Father Domingo Forto, which started in 1783, and finished 12 years later (1805). The small town of Tumauini then became the capital of Isabela (when it was separated from Cabagan in the 1880’s). During World War II, the church wasn’t spared from the bombings, but was repaired to its original form by the faithful of Tumauini. This church was recently declared a National Historical Landmark last February 24, 1989.
Our second stop was the town of San Pablo where I was to see St. Paul’s Church, which has more atmosphere and character than the first one. But this will be covered on the next post.
Continued next post...

Map of the main island of Isabela in the Galapagos Islands of Ucuador (upper left); the central plaza in Isabela, Puerto Rico (upper right); the Catholic church in the city of Isabela in Puerto Rico (above). Last photo courtesy of Mr. George Collazo.



The Church of Tumauini a.k.a. St. Mathias Church, constructed in 1701, and became a National Historical Landmark in 1989.


The cylindrical bell tower, constructed in 1783 and took 12 years to finish.











A trio of friendly souls who allowed us to photograph them.


St. Ferdinand's Church in Ilagan City.


Fast Facts:

We had a car going there, but airconditioned buses are readily available from Manila. The travel time is between 7-9 hours, depending on the number and duration of stopovers. Victory Liner (I know the one in Pasay and another in Espana, across UST) offers very comfortable rides at PhP517 ($11.24) one way. The first trip leaves the station at 5 AM but goes straight to Tuguegarao, the capital of Cagayan Province. The 2nd trip leaves at 1 PM. The night trips leave at 7:30 PM and 9 PM respectively and stops in Ilagan City! These buses have clean toilets onboard and an airconditioning that’s quite unregulated, it is a virtual arctic zone inside. This was related by my friends, so thick jackets are a must during the ride. Another tip is, the impossibly wavy Dalton Pass midway through the trip can prove too much for those with motion sickness disorder so – beware! A tablet (or two) of Meclizine or Cinnarizine can be a very comforting companion!
Call Victory Liner at their Manila office at (02) 8335020.



Photo Acknowledgement for the other Isabelas: (please visit their sites)

http://www.photosofpuertorico.com/isabelapr.htm
http://www.junglephotos.com/galapagos/gscenery/geology/pahoehoe.shtml

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Intricately designed stained glass window at St. Ferdinand's Church.



For queries and a whisper, eyeintheblueskyblog@yahoo.com

Splendor in Isabela Part 1 - Church of Tumauini

Map of the Philippines' biggest island, Luzon. The distance between Ilagan City and the town of Cabagan are duly marked.

ISABELAS OF THE WORLD

Isabela is a beautiful name, but in terms of geography, it may refer to any of the three locales: 1st, as the biggest of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador (bigger than all the other islands combined, and bigger than the U.S. state of Rhode Island); 2nd, as a city on the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico which is a protectorate of the United States (and named after the Queen of Spain); and 3rd, as a northern province in the big island of Luzon in the Philippines. This post will focus on the last Isabela item.

The Philippines’ Isabela is the biggest province in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. The capital city of Ilagan borders, clockwise from the south, Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, and Cagayan. This primarily agricultural province is also the second largest in the Philippines. The province has a population of 1.25 million as of the 2000 census. It would be my 3rd encounter with this province. This visit was more of a personal matter than anything else; a good friend was getting married. For this, I had to cut short a long haul trip and pay $60 just to move my coming home a week earlier. The first two visits were charity works, the last was more than a year ago just to see a 9 year old child for just an hour, then headed back to Manila 3 hours later.

This time around, I prodded a friend to take me to the churches in the neighboring towns of Cabagan. I had a wedding to catch in Ilagan, but the occasion presented with a chance to see a little more of the province - just 5 hours before my friend’s wedding. Thinking there was nothing much to see in Isabela (I’ve only seen the interiors of their provincial hospital once, from my last visit), I figured I might as well see their markets, town halls or churches. My friend chose to take me to the churches. It was a much-too-early visita iglesia, but nonetheless fun! They did say that first visits to churches would allow you to wish – and they may come true! And boy I like that idea! :->

EIGHT HOUR ROAD TRIP

After an 8 hour drive north of the Philippine capital, Manila, we arrived in the provincial capital of Ilagan. The wedding was to be held at the stately St. Ferdinand Cathedral, which actually looked new. The last time I was here, about a year ago, there was hardly anything in the vicinity. Now there is a new Italian-inspired hotel just a hundred meters across the road. I then asked my friend to take me to Cabagan which is an hour’s travel going north.

TUMAUINI SURPRISE

Our first stop was the sleepy town of Tumauini. Its church is officially named Church of Tumauini, although most locals refer to it as St. Mathias’ Church. It was first built of light materials (wood, to be exact) as commissioned by Father Francisco Nunez in 1707. It became a regular parish in 1751 and got upgraded to a church of stone. A unique cylindrical bell tower, the only one of its kind in the Philippines, was constructed through the efforts of Father Domingo Forto, which started in 1783, and finished 12 years later (1805). The small town of Tumauini then became the capital of Isabela (when it was separated from Cabagan in the 1880’s). During World Ward II, the church wasn’t spared from the bombings, but was repaired to its original form by the faithful of Tumauini. This church was recently declared a National Historical Landmark last February 24, 1989.

Our second stop was the town of San Pablo where I was so see St. Paul’s church, which has more atmosphere and character than the first one. But this will be covered on the next post.

Continued next post...




Map of the main island of Isabela in the Galapagos Islands of Ucuador (upper left); the central plaza in Isabela, Puerto Rico (upper right). Catholic church in the city of Isabela in Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy of Mr. George Collazo.

Church of Tumauini, town of Tumauini, Isabela, built in the year 1707. Locals prefer calling it St. Mathias' Church.

The cylindrical bell tower of St. Mathias' Church.

A trio of friendly faces in Tumauini.


St. Ferdinand's Cathedral in Ilagan, Isabela.


Fast Facts:

I was in a car going there, but airconditioned buses are readily available from Manila. The travel time is between 7-9 hours, depending on the number and duration of stopovers. Victory Liner (I know the one in Pasay and another in Espana, across UST) offers very comfortable rides at PhP517 ($11.24) one way. The first trip leaves the station at 5 AM but goes straight to Tuguegarao, the capital of Cagayan Province. The 2nd trip leaves at 1 PM. The night trips leave at 7:30 PM and 9 PM respectively with Ilagan as its final stop. These buses have clean toilets onboard and an airconditioning that’s quite unregulated, it is a virtual arctic zone inside. This was related by my friends, so thick jackets are a must during the ride. Another tip is, the impossibly wavy Dalton Pass midway through the trip can prove too much for those with motion sickness disorders so – beware! A tablet (or two) of Meclizine or Cinnarizine can be a very friendly companion!

Call Victory Liner's Manila Office at 8335020. Area code is 02


Please visit the site:

http://www.photosofpuertorico.com/isabelapr.htm and http://www.junglephotos.com/galapagos/gscenery/geology/pahoehoe.shtml

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Stained glass window at St. Ferdinand's.


For queries and a whisper: eyeintheblueskyblog@yahoo.com

A PEEK INTO THE MANILA FOOD SCENE

Pancake House's Halo Halo, a truly Pinoy delicacy that most people love, except actor-crooner Harry Connick, Jr. who dished out a hilarious spiel during his last concert at the PICC.

BREAKING THE TEDIUM – A PEEK INTO THE MANILA FOOD SCENE

As another excuse to veer away from the tedious documentation of my “journey”, here’s a post that showcases Manila food scene as a response to some emails saying, and I quote, “Is it rather ironic for you to live in vibrant Manila and not have any features on it? It would be a waste to highlight the other beautiful cities in Asia, except the Philippines.”

This blogsite has several features on different places in the Philippines. But this site was basically put up to document my travels, not as a travel feature blogsite. And when I am in the country, I rarely carry a camera, if at all. Nevertheless, I’ve set aside a full week documenting my gastronomic encounters for the sake of, errr… completion. For the most part, it feels odd to be carrying a camera in my home town. I am not a photographer, thus the camera is not a part of my daily appendage. But hey, this post is for those friendly emails looking for local food. You crazy people! (Especially for Minnie and delasoul)

Herewith is a week's worth of my gastronomic encounters. Bon appetit!

Asian Salad, Pancake House, regular serving PhP168 ($3.65), a mix of shrimps, tofu, pomelo, lettuce, turnip (singkamas), cucumber, coriander leaves with Asian vinaigrette.

Adobo Sulipan, loosely shredded pork and chicken with hard boiled egg and pickled water spinach (kangkong), PhP188 ($4) at Pancake House. House Iced Tea at PhP48 ($1.05).

Chicken Tonkatsu, Tropical Hut, PhP69 ($1.50)

Lechon manok (Roast chicken) at PhP150 ($3.25) a piece

Tofu anyone?

A good friend's mom who lives in good ole London would come home for a visit every 5 years or so, and she would go straight to Chowking for their pansit. Though Chowking may have sanitary issues of late, I would think that most of their mall branches would still be safe and worthy of a patronage. Just check out their Sweet and Sour Pork Lauriat below.

Sweet and Sour Pork Lauriat, PhP115 ($2.50)

The following photos are taken from a new place called Slice n Dice Steakhouse (Mandaluyong City), located along Shaw Boulevard, just beside Cherry Foodarama and Wack Wack Road Extension. It's a relatively small place with cool interiors and a very limited parking space in front. Just across the street is one of the hundreds of incarnations of Starbucks. The good thing is that this place boasts of succulent and delicious food and at an equally inexpensive price. House Iced Tea is PhP33, add PhP10 for bottomless. Extra rice of PhP17 and garlic rice of PhP24.

Pork Sisig with egg (the big order), PhP139 ($3)

Stir fried water spinach (kangkong), medium order with rice, PhP69 ($1.50). I am not a vegetable person, but boy, oh boy, this dish is heavenly!

Cheesy Garlic Mussels, the big order, PhP139 ($3) 20 pieces. As good as it looks.

Slice n Dice Steakhouse, absolutely worth a try.

RUNAWAY HITS

As to the most read blog entries, the Camotes Island entries have been unexpectedly receiving a tremendous amount of hits, which really surprise me no end, since these hits come from all over the world, Germany, the North Americas, etc. Another surprisingly well searched is the review on the short film “Bulong” (Whisper) which was directed by Pedro Valdes, nome de plume of Joaqui Valdes, a young and talented theater prodigy who dabbles into a dizzying series of artistic endeavors (he records music cds, he emcees a GMA TV show – is it “100% Pinoy”, he models, he directs films and he stars in spectacular critically-acclaimed musicals like New Voice Company’s “Into The Woods”, which begs the question, what else can’t he do?). The little-film-that-could actually emerged a BIG winner at the recently concluded Beijing Film Festival (besting hundreds of other entries from all over the world) and got invited for screening at the prestigious Cannes. Not a day passes without someone reading that particular review; a feat for a short film that is yet to be been screened in commercial theatres (not even Robinsons Galleria’s IndieSine). The other entries with huge hits are the Angkor Wat, Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport and the Saigon entries, as expected. In connection with all these, I would like to thank everyone who has visited this site, the people behind the site Samakomlao, and a sweet but crazy British girl named Christine. She carries this url in her profile and refers to it as her “bible”.








Here are the comparative charts of the country share 1 month, 2 weeks and a few days ago:

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Up next: Images of Manila!
Up next part 2: Food Trip in Davao
Coming Soon: The Journey Continues: Off to Savannakhet, Laos

For queries and a whisper: eyeintheblueskyblog@yahoo.com