Escapes near the City

Summer is over and some of us still have the hang-over of the beach, the out of town adventures, travelling and lots of stuff. But because of the rainy season is here, it’s not that easy anymore to get out of the city, travel, go to a quiet place, enjoy some water and relax. Luckily there are places inside and near Metro Manila where we can still spend time quietly, relax and enjoy other things than the beach.

Binagonan-Angono Petroglyphs

The Binangonan-Angono Petroglyphs is a National Cultural Treasure as it shows the primitive form of art of the Filipinos. The cave of the petroglyph was first discovered by National Artist, Carlos “Botong” Francisco in 1965. To preserve and restore this national treasure, the National Museum opened a museum in the place showcasing artifacts, paintings and animal fossils. Aside from the historical artifacts and the petroglyphs, the place also has rich faunas and since it is located inside the Thunderbird Resorts you will also enjoy the scenery.

Mondays-Fridays / 9:00 am - 4:00 pm;

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays by appointment
Contact Information:
ASBMD, National Museum Central Office; 527-4192
email: nm_asbmd@yahoo.com

How to get there: Ride an Angono bound jeepney but be sure to ask the driver if they would pass the Scrapyard Resort and Balaw-Balaw as this will be your drop-off point. Upon reaching Scrapyard Resort or Balaw-Balaw, hire a tricycle to take you to the petroglyphs or as more commonly known by the locals as the “kweba”. Tricycle fee is Php 300 (one-way). Reminder, don’t bring heavy baggage and the maximum passenger capacity of the tricycle is 2 persons; the road is too steep and it may be difficult for the tricycle to climb the road. 

Sierra Madre Hotel and Resort

It’s been three years since I went to Sierra Madre Resort in Tanay, Rizal. Located at the foot of Sierra Madre, the resort is a place of tranquility as it offers you a nice view of the mountain and fresh air. The resort also is very affordable with room costs staring at Php 1,500 for a non-air-conditioned room that is good for 2-3 persons. Although there is no air-condition this is no problem since the weather is cold because of its location in the mountain. The resort’s amenities include a swimming pool, a falls, zipline, horseback riding, convention center, prayer house, restaurant and a lot more.  

Sierra Madre Hotel and Resort is located at Km 58 Marcos Hi-way Mayagay Tanay Rizal

Telephone Nos. 913-2001 or 697-4321 and look for Vet, Don or Cha.

How to get there: From Cubao, ride a jeep going to Cogeo gate 2 and alight at the market. From the market ride a jeep bound to Sampaloc and tells the driver to drop you off at Sierra Madre Resort.

Pinto Art Museum

The Pinto Art Museum is located at Antipolo City. The museum showcases paintings and sculptures from various Filipino artists. The museum’s galleries are full of paintings that will leave you in awe about the creativity and ingenuity of the Filipino artists. The museum also has spacious and luscious gardens that have an over view of the city and some parts of Antipolo. If you get hungry while wandering around the museum, there is a café inside that can satisfy your gastronomical cravings.

Pinto Art Gallery is located at Number 1, Sierra Madre St., Grand Heights, Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines.

Gallery is open Wednesdays to Sundays, with gallery hours from 9am to 6pm. Special tours are by appointment only.

Telefax:  63-2-6971015

How to get there: From Crossing in Mandaluyong you need to ride a jeep bound to Antipolo, Tanay and asks the driver to drop you at Ynares Gym in Antipolo. From Ynares Gym ride a tricycle and tell the driver about Pinto Art Musem. 

University of the Philippines

If you did not want to leave the city, you should try to visit the University of the Philippines in Diliman Quezon City. Known as home of the scholars of the Philippines, UP does not only offer good quality education but also a place of tranquility and relaxation. The very wide UP campus has a museum, observatory/planetarium, various sculptures including the ever famous oblation statue and the sunflower gardens.

Pinto Art Museum - Home of the Art at Antipolo City

the door to the world of Art

 It was a Saturday morning that me and my sister decided to head on to Antipolo City to visit the Pinto Art Museum. Pinto Art Musuem has been the home of many contemporary and modern arts since 2001.  Antipolo City is best known for the Hinulugagng Taktak, its seminaries, resorts and churches. Few knew that Antipolo City is also the home of many local artists whose passion revolves around paintings and sculptures.

Since we will be coming from Cainta, we ride a jeep with signboard going to Antipolo and Tanay. Be sure to ask the driver if he will be passing by the Ynares Center as this will be your drop off point. From the Ynares Center you can ride the tricycle and just tell the driver to bring you to Pinto Art Musuem. The museum is inside the Grand Heights subdivision in Antipolo City. Tricycle cost is Php 40.00 which I found a little bit unreasonable, since it is just a very short ride. You can actually take the less than fifteen minute walk going to the museum.

When we reached the museum the staff greeted us and pointed us to the front desk that will give you a map for of the whole museum. The museum has a tourist guide that will assist and inform you about the different paintings and sculptures. But since we arrived at around 10 a.m a tour have already started. Instead of going with the tour me and my sister decided to follow the map and discover to ourselves the different arts that was at Pinto Art Museum.

The first art that welcomes us is the wire and aluminum like sculpture of a man praying and a pregnant woman. You will see this kind of art in the different galleries. Me and my sister actually like this sculptures aside from being unique, it also gives out a lot of emotions. It’s very simple yet very eye-catching. 

We then headed to the first gallery. But before heading then we first take a look at the garden. The garden at Pinto Art Museum is also full of statues, beautiful faunas, trees and long benches with mattresses that give a perfect opportunity for photo ops. As it is very teasing to roam around the garden, you should also be careful as there are lots small insect that bites. It is advisable to apply and bring an insect repellent with you.

Pinto Art Museum garden

pillows and mattresses at the garden

There is also a chapel inside the Musuem that looks like very antique. There are also lots of statues of Christ, saints and angels inside the chapel.

At the first gallery, you will be welcomed by a huge painting entitled “Karnabal” which is the work of various artists known as “Salingpusa”. 

"Karnabal"

One noticeable thing about the gallery is the stones that are placed inside that adds to the uniqueness of the museum. The gallery although spacious, doesn’t look bare at all. The benches, stairs and stones are strategically positioned at the museum that gives enough edges at the spacious galleries.

There are a lot of paintings that are very eye-catching. One of them is the 3-D painting of Pamela Yan Santos entitled “Making a living room: Color inside the line” The illuminated painting “Hallow” by Nona Garcia will also catch your attention. 

"Making a Living Room: Color inside the Line"

"Hallow"

Another great thing about Pinto Art Museum is that it does not only feature the Filipino artistry but also its ingenuity. This can be shown by the works of Mark Justiniani who used old door panels or “bandehas” as canvass in his paintings.

Paintings by Mark Justiniani using door panels as his canvass

The newly opened gallery, like the others also has lots of impressive paintings. One in particular is “Panalo” – a black and white painting of swimming, biking and running by Ferdie Montemayor. There is also the “Pen and ink Drawing” by Costantino Zicarelli that looks like the Rorscharch used by psychologists.

"Panalo (Swim, Bike, Run)"

One major attraction also of Pinto Art Museum is the room known as the “Forest”. This is a dark room filled with bamboo trees. There are five or six small wells with pebbles where the drops of water from the bamboo trees fell. Inside the room is a feeling of tranquility. This room together with the beautiful landscape of the garden, I think, shows the high significance of nature by the owner. 

inside the "Forest"

"oblivious"

There are so many paintings and work of art at Pinto that it is very hard neither to describe each one of them nor to post all of them here. I am also no art critic but I can say that I am very amused on the creativity and imagination of the Filipino.

And when I thought that the beach is the only place where you can relax, Pinto Art Museum proved me wrong. Pinto Art Museum is not just the gallery of paintings but it a home of the art that can bring you to different places, show you different emotions, amaze you, and let you learn to appreciate skills and nature.

Pinto Art Gallery is located at Number 1, Sierra Madre St., Grand Heights, Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines.

Gallery is open Wednesdays to Sundays, with gallery hours from 9am to 6pm. Special tours are by appointment only.

Telefax:  

63-2-6971015

A City Tour in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

the crocodile skin

Aside from the famous Underground River and beaches of Palawan, there are other must do and must see in the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. According to our tour guide in Honda Bay, a city tour in Puerto Princesa will only take five to six hours. So after our Honda Bay Island Tour, we quickly went back to the resort, take a quick shower and went off to our city tour.

The first stop of our trip is the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (PWRCC), formerly known as the Crocodile Farm and Nature Park. The place serves as a sanctuary to crocodiles, though there are also some animals that are being taken care of.  One of the main attractions of the PWRCC is the skeleton of a huge sea crocodile encased in a glass and at the wall behind the case is the skin of the said crocodile.

the large crocodile skeleton

The tour at the conservatory includes visiting the hatchling center, wherein the baby crocodiles are segregated from different level of maturity. The baby crocs are inside big white basins placed at the each side of the building creating a walk path in the middle where visitors pass through as they take a look of the crocodile. Visitors are prohibited to extend any body part into the basin as the crocodiles can leap from the basin. At the end of the hatchling center is a big cage where the big and crocodiles are kept. Above the cage is a metal bridge where visitors need to cross to get to the other end. After the crocodile den, visitors can visit the other animals being taken care of at the conservatory like the bear cat and cockatoos.

baby crocodiles

the teen-age

crocodiles

adult crocodile

Our next stop is Mitra’s Ranch. Mitra’s Ranch is owned by the former Senator Ramon Mitra. The place gives a perfect view of Palawan being on top of a hill. Aside from the good view it offers, the place also gave off a relaxing feeling. The grass surrounding the house is inviting that you will find yourself sitting on the ground while looking at Honda Bay.

the house at Mitra's Ranch

enjoying the view of the Honda Bay

Near Mitra’s Ranch is Baker’s Hill. This is a go to place if you want to buy pasalubong. They have a variety of hopias, cakes and breads. Upon entering Baker’s Hill you will be welcomed by various life-size figurines. The area is liked a theme park with full of statues and different kind of plants and birds. It also has a restaurant inside that allows tourists to dine. The place is relaxing and very nice to do a lot of your photo ops. 

the large house at Baker's Hill

Flower arrangements

Cockatoos at Baker's Hill

 Before going back to our resort we decided to go to the local church. It was already a habit for me and my friends to visit the local church to say our prayer for the safe journey and to light up some candles.

the church at Puerto Princesa

A Guide to Bataan

It seems like everyone I know is going to Bataan for the summer. The province of Bataan is well-known for the very historic Death March during World War II has now become a go to destination this summer. Aside from the rich history that Bataan offers, it also has its beautiful beaches to boast.

At the Balanga bus terminal

The travel to Bataan is approximately 2-3 hours. For commuters like me, you can ride a bus at the Five Star bus station in Cubao bound to Balanga. Fare is Php 200.00. There is a bus leaving for Balanga every fifteen minutes. The last stop of the bus is at the terminal at Balanga. The Balanga bus terminal serves also as the start off point in discovering Bataan. 

having fun while waiting for the shuttle

From the bus terminal, one can ride a tricycle to have a city tour of Balanga. Tricycle fare is php 10.00 per person. The places that you may want to vist in Balanga are their city hall, church and the mall whose architecture is very different from the malls in Metro Manila. At first glance you would not have thought of it as a mall, but because of the fast foods located at the ground floor and the elevator we realized that it was indeed a shopping center.

the town hall of Balanga

the shopping center at Balanga

the shuttle

Most of the resorts and beaches in Bataan are located in Bagac and Morong. There is a shuttle bound for Morong at the bus terminal. Fare up to the town of Morong is Php 65.00. Travel period from Balanga to Morong approximately 90 to 105 minutes.

During my last two visits in Bataan I opted to sit next to the driver to get a better view of the road. And this is also to ask questions about Bataan. Fortunately, the two drivers that I have talked to from my last two visits are very nice and accommodating. They gave us instructions and tips on how we can reach our resorts.

the road ahead

As I have mentioned, the trip is about 90 to 105 minutes, and the ride is a lullaby. Although the shuttle is non-air-conditioned, rusty and old, but because of the fresh air coming from the mountains and farms you will definitely get into a sleep. As much as possible don’t drowse into a slumber as you might miss seeing Mt. Samat, the different Death March landmarks and other beautiful scenery.

a view of Mt. Samat

palays drying up at the road

a marker of the Bataan Death March