Category: Jesus

Return Call Part 4: Vigan, Ilokos Sur

10/16/2024

Took a quick little day trip to Vigan with my nephew, niece & a friend. I wasn't too focused on doing a lot of photography this day, so only photographed a few of the places we visited. I just wasn't feeling it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Here's some photos from my Nikon ZF using a 24-70mm lens, imported to my phone using the Nikon SnapBridge app & lightly edited through my photos app.

Cristy's Loom Weaving

I've been on the hunt for a certain pattern for a friend who requested it. However, I've had no luck finding it! It's okay tho. I've gotten to visit multiple establishments that carry handmade woven goods & got to visit this small weaving factory for the first time in Vigan. The weaver pictured here is a third generation weaver. She mentioned it takes about two weeks to finish a piece.

Hidden Garden

Last time I went to Vigan, this is where we went to get the famous empanadas that Vigan is known for. Hidden Garden also has an actual garden you can explore... with arguably racist sculptures presented throughout (not pictured)? 😅

Sad thing tho is, we weren't able to get our Vigan empanadas. We got there around 1130AM & they said the empanadas weren't available until after lunchtime. BOOOOOOOOOOO.

Misc Church

I have no idea which church this was! We went to the Crisologo Museum then stumbled upon this church on our walk to our next destination. I tried looking on the map, but couldn't locate a church that looked like this. If you happen to know which church this is, leave a comment & let me know!

Feel free to leave a comment & share any thoughts! I might update this post again later with a map of the places we visited during this trip. Keep an eye out for the comments!

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Return Call Part 3: Luna, La Union

10/16/2024

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Going a bit out of sequence because I have so many photos to sort through from Cebu still... So here are some pics to my quick visit to Luna, La Union.

About 6 years ago, I visited the town of Luna (formerly known as Namacpacan) & the Namacpacan Church (AKA the Santa Catalina de Alejandria Church) for the first time. The church was built in the late 1600s.

What is special about this church? This church houses the largest image of the Mama Mary/Apo Baket in the whole Philippines, & found its way to Luna in the 1800s. She was originally ordered from Spain & was intended to be delivered to Vigan, Ilokos Sur via a galleon ship coming from Mexico. Due to a heavy storm that caused difficulty in transportation, Our Lady of Namacpacan found her way to Luna & this was perceived as her communicating that she wanted to live in Luna.

Here are some photos I created with my Nikon ZF using a 24-70mm lens (I always forget to mention what lens I'm using – it's the only lens I brought with me, haha), imported to my iPhone using the Nikon SnapBridge app & lightly edited through my photos app.

The good thing about this visit is, last time I didn't get to explore the compound, so there are new places I got to experience at this place.

View from a computer for the full experience. Click an image to enlarge.

I don't know, but they seem to love their dead Jesuses inside of clear glass coffins. This is the third one I've seen since I've been here!

After hitting up the religious gift shop, the lady working there told us there was a special room filled with displays of all the dresses they put on the Apo Baket. It was like walking into a mini gallery. Each dress in itself was a handmade work of art! Aside from the 6'4 Apo Baket herself, this was my favorite feature of the church compound!

Look at it closely: Mama Mary's metal studded punk cape! Hands down my fav outfit of her's.

Lastly, got to visit some old Spanish ruins around the church compound that I didn't even know were there. Pretty cool stuff, but a bit dangerous with uneven grounds & broken stairs.

Church exterior.

There is a local belief that those that travel to visit the Apo Baket to pray to her will have their prayers answered. Back in 2018 is when I paid my first visit to the church & offered my first prayer to her. My prayer hasn't been answered yet, but I don't know if it will ever come true. You kind of have to believe, no?

This church was declared a national cultural treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. I'm actually surprised that with the lore of the Apo Baket, there aren't more tourists. Barely any, actually. If more people knew about this cultural landmark, whether they're religious or not, I feel that there would be more visitors, naturally. If you're like me & enjoy collecting religious art, don't forget to stop by their gift shop!

Pay this spot a visit during your travels through La Union. You can also stop by to have food by the stone beach, visit the Kamay na Bato gallery or Bahay na Bato. There's some fun things to do in Luna!

Feel free to leave a nice comment below & let me know what you think!

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Return Call Part 2: Baguio, Benguet

10/11/2024

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Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my previous post, Return Call Part 1. All the positive comments were overwhelmingly sweet & encouraging.

For this second installment of my Return Call blog series, I revisited one of my favorite cities in the Philippines: Baguio, located in the province of Benguet in the Cordilleras region of the north.

Baguio is one of my dream cities I'd love to live in someday if I could. The art scene is booming, the city is full of life, the weather & scenery are just gorgeous. While my family is from a coastal region of the north, the mountains always resonated with me more than the ocean does, which is why I think Baguio appeals to me more than our hometown. But, also not saying I don't love La Union either. ;)

Anyways, here's some places we got to visit this time around. We were there just for a day trip, but got to fit in activities I've always wanted to cross off my bucket list.

These photos were taken on my Nikon ZF, exported low-res versions to my mobile phone using the Nikon SnapBridge app, then lightly edited through the Photos app on my iPhone.

View this post from a computer for the full experience. Click an image below to enlarge.

Feel free to leave a nice comment & share your thoughts. 🥰

W A R N I N G! Below are images of traditional artworks that portray sexual activities & body parts. Scroll cautiously if you are viewing at work or school. I am not responsible for you getting fired or kicked out of school!

Baguio Cathedral of Our Lady of the Atonement

Not much to say about this one, but you all know how much I love examining church architecture, art & iconography.

This cathedral once acted as an evacuation center during WWII, & was one of the few buildings in the city that survived carpet bombing by the US military.

Because there was a mass happening inside when we visited the church, I was unable to explore the interior. However, the crucifix outside, leading up to the steps of the church, was probably my fav feature.

Ili Likha Artists' Village

This is a space I just found out about recently through a friend. Created by Philippine national artist Kidlat Tahimik, Ili Likha is an art center with several sculptures and installations throughout the space, a theatre, multiple eateries & souvenir shops with plenty of handmade gifts & goodies.

You can learn more about them through their Facebook or Instagram pages.

Heads up for those of you who use wheelchairs or struggle with stairs — The space is situated inside of an old building with multiple floors & levels that are not handicap accessible. 😔

For my cancer crab ladies. ;)

Loved the gorgeous mosaics found throughout the building, especially along this stairwell.

Playing sungka! Or some of you may know this game as mancala.

Oh My Gulay!

Oh My Gulay is a vegetarian/vegan artist cafe also created by Kidlat Tahimik & his family. Gulay is Tagalog for vegetables. 🍆 OMG has been on my bucket list for years & I'm glad I finally got to make it! This restaurant not only has installations and architecture similar to those at Ili Likha, but it also houses a small art gallery for emerging artists, as well as more art displays throughout.

OMG is located on a penthouse top floor. If I remember correctly, you need to climb around 5 flights of stairs, but the view is breathtaking once you finally get to the top. Because of how old the building is, this is another location that is sadly not handicap accessible or friendly for wheelchair users. :( Even my senior mom, who is in fairly descent shape for her age, was struggling to get to the top floor. I hope someday, by some miracle, a lift is built to help bring customers to the top to enjoy the view & this gem of a dining establishment. It's unlike any other restaurant I've been to & I'd love for everyone to be able to access & enjoy it!

You can learn more about Oh My Gulay & the Victor Oteyza Community Art Space (VOCAS Gallery) on their Facebook pages. Sorry to anyone who doesn't use FB — I, personally, don't use it either!

Check out Nona Garcia's collection of hyper-realistic paintings in her solo exhibition After Artists at the VOCAS Gallery located inside Oh My Gulay. The paintings were so realistic, I thought they were photographs upon first glance, until I got closer and realised they were paintings. Definitely check them out in-person if you happen to be passing through Baguio while the exhibition is still up.

BenCab Museum

The BenCab Museum is also another landmark in Baguio that has been on my bucket list for years. It seemed that the coolest places to visit in Baguio were all located quite far from the city center. That being said, I couldn't visit them all, & decided to visit the BenCab Museum for this short trip.

I would love to return again someday for the full experience. Unfortunately, because it was rainy that day, we couldn't check out the whole BenCab Museum campus, which also features Mr. BenCab's organic farm & garden.

Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, AKA BenCab, is also another National Artist of the Philippines. The museum contains displays of his own artworks, as well as rotating exhibitions & works from his permanent collection.

Imelda Cajipe-Endaya is a Filipina artist whose work I adore & have always wanted to see in-person. I didn't know what to expect when visiting the museum, but it was a real treat being surprised & getting to see her work in real life. (Right on the right image above)

End of the day... Back at the bus terminal.

It was a long day. I do not recommend taking the bus or driving to Baguio on a weekend day. What is usually a 1.5 trip on the bus ended up taking 3 hours each way! Definitely go on a weekday, leave early, or plan to spend a night or weekend if you do go on a weekend day.

During this trip, we also visited a weaving art shop called Narda's, but I didn't take any photos of it, haha. Next time, some more places I'd love to visit in Baguio include Tam-awan Village, Valley of Colors, Easter Weaving, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto (if you know me, you know I LOVE The Grotto in Portland — It's one of my fav places on this planet), Baguio Night Market, Mt. Cloud Bookshop, Baguio Botanical Garden, & a couple cafes around the city.

If you fancy it, here's a Google Map I created of places I've visited in the past, during this trip, & the places I would still like to visit in Baguio. Feel free to save the map for your future reference!

Feel free to leave a nice comment & share your thoughts. 🥰

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Return Call Part 1: San Juan & San Fernando, La Union 2024

9/26/2024

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It's been exactly 5 years since I've returned to the motherland. The last time I was in the Philippines was to bury my father back in 2019. I'd been wanting to return more frequently since then, but the pandemic suddenly came out of left field. Even on my way over, I can't say I was comfortable being trapped in multiple airports & planes with herds of unmasked & coughing people for what turned out to be over 24 hours of commuting. But, I knew if I didn't do this now, it may be a long time until I could return.

After losing my full-time employment in early September, I answered the return call to come home once again...

Here's the first installment of some pics pulled from my Nikon ZF. I no longer have a Lightroom subscription, so I imported these lower-res pics over to my mobile via the Nikon SnapBridge app & did some light edits through the photos app on my iPhone.

More to come, & film photos will be available when I get back to the states, process & scan them all. Can't wait to tell you all about my new film scanner, too. Stay tuned!

Enjoy! Feel free to leave a nice comment & let me know what you think. ;)

View from a computer for the full experience. Click an image below to enlarge.

Some public transportation watching in San Fernando (top right & bottom) & San Juan town proper (top left). I love the public transportation in the Philippines. There's nothing else like it! And I love all the names people give their jeepneys. This one, for example, was named Alaska Halibut. 😆

The following photos are of the church my father was baptised in, & where we also held his mass before we buried him. It turns out St. John the Baptist Church was built sometime in the late 1600s or early 1700s. It is where most of my family on my father's side were baptised, married, &/or also had their mass before burial. This church is very special to my family. 🙏🏽

Please note — I, myself, do not identify as religious. Throughout my work, I document colonial legacies specifically relating to religions & their iconography, more specifically Christianity & its lasting influences through contemporary times. It's probably one of my fav themes to explore!

Not a great pic at all because of the glare, but this creepy display was motion censored & abruptly lit up when my niece & I walked close to it! Scared the shit out of us & I just wanted to share a crappy photo for you to all see what we were looking at. We weren't exactly sure who the figure inside was supposed to be, because there was no signage indicating who it was. However, we believe based on the stigmata on the feet, that maybe this is supposed to be Jesus? 🤷🏻‍♀️

🌾 Rice harvest season: Life in Dangdangla, San Juan, La Union, Philippines.

Dangdangla is a small barangay in the municipality of San Juan. It has a population of roughly 1000 residents.

For those of you who don't know, the simplest way to translate the word barangay (ba-ran-gy) to English would be village or community? The word originated from the balangay, which was a type of boat used by the Austronesians when they sailed & settled in the Philippines. The word was originally pronounced ba-la-ngay.

My first time to see a carabao out in the wild & close up! The carabao (kalabaw/karabaw) is a type of water buffalo & is known as the national animal of the Philippines, symbolising hard work. Carabao were often found helping with rice cultivation. 💪🏽🐂

Lastly, I ended my river excursion in Dangdangla with a rare double rainbow sighting. 🌈 To me, one rainbow is already remarkable. But to experience a double rainbow in the land my ancestors once thrived in felt like a blessing, & hopefully a good omen.

In pre-colonial Philippine culture, there is a belief that the soul is transported to the afterlife through maritime travel by a boat that flows down a river, & is then returned to nature to guide their descendants. I'd like to think maybe this was a sign from my father, saying "Welcome home, kid. I'm here if you need me." 🤲🏽

Stay tuned for digital pics from my upcoming adventures to Baguio & Cebu! 📸

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Return Call Part 4: Vigan, Ilokos Sur

Cristy's Loom Weaving

Hidden Garden

Misc Church

Return Call Part 3: Luna, La Union

Return Call Part 2: Baguio, Benguet

Baguio Cathedral of Our Lady of the Atonement

Ili Likha Artists' Village

Oh My Gulay!

BenCab Museum

End of the day... Back at the bus terminal.

Return Call Part 1: San Juan & San Fernando, La Union 2024

NICA AQUINO

Archives

Categories

Return Call Part 4: Vigan, Ilokos Sur

Cristy's Loom Weaving

​Hidden Garden

​Misc Church

Return Call Part 3: Luna, La Union

Return Call Part 2: Baguio, Benguet

Baguio Cathedral of Our Lady of the Atonement

Ili Likha Artists' Village

Oh My Gulay!

BenCab Museum

End of the day... Back at the bus terminal.

Return Call Part 1: San Juan & San Fernando, La Union 2024

NICA AQUINO

Archives

Categories

Hidden Garden

Misc Church