Mabinay's Crystal Cave

Into the cave!

Do you like caves?  We do.   Very much, especially my hubby.  We planned our trip to Dumaguete for many months after we're availed ourselves of Cebu Pacific's promo flights. We planned to go to Dumaguete, Bacolod (where I visited my brother and his family)  and back to Dumaguete.  From Negros Oriental  we traveled by bus to Bacolod, Negros Occidental for 6 hours.  Yes one island, Negros Island, but each has a unique history.  Negros Occidental was  for so many years, the Sugar bowl of the Philipines, and now a tourist destination for its yearly Maskara  Festival, while Dumaguete boasts of having one of the oldest universities, also the first American university in the Philippines, the Siliman University. Dumaguete also boasts of having the  largest cave, the Odloman  Cave,  in the Philippines, among other things.  Bacolod is dubbed as  the City of Smiles while Dumaguete is dubbed as the City of Gentle People.   

Coming back from Bacolod to Dumaguete, we planned to pass by Mabinay Caves. While in Bacolod,  we started inquiring about the caves, and Bacolod Dept. of  Tourism gave us leaflets and also cell phone number of the Mabinay town Mayor. 

The Mayor's  phone number was also in the leaflets given to us.   I opted to send a text message to the other person mentioned in the leaflets, as I am too shy to disturb a VIP like the Mayor! When nobody responded after twenty minutes, I reluctantly sent a text message to the Mayor too. The Mayor, Mr. Jango Uy,  was more prompt in answering my text messages, and I sent him many inquiries.  Mayor Jango Uy even gave us instructions how to proceed from Bacolod to Mabinay Caves, two towns away from Dumaguete City via Ceres bus.   From Bacolod  we went to Ceres South Terminal, took the bus to Dumaguete.  We told the driver to let us off at Bulwang town, where the Mabinay caves are.  It was about 5 hours bus ride.   Mayor Jango Uy  also gave us the number of one of his tourist guides,  Rhen Rhen.  Rhen Rhen met us at Mabinay bus stop and together we went to Bulwang, another 15 minutes bus ride.  

Up  to Crystal Cave

I have an injured knee so I decided to go to only one cave, the Crystal cave, which is recommended for novice/amateur spelunkers.  In  case you don't know what a spelunker is (I had to ask my hubby, as I don't know myself), that  means cave explorer, Precilla.  Rhen Rhen, our tour guide,  is a young guy who will not tire in answering your gazillion questions, that I promise.  He is knowledgeable about the caves, about Mabinay, about the tourist spots in Negros and many other things.  Rhen has an engaging  call center agent voice, but he's not into hard sell at all.  

The Crystal Cave is the most beautiful of the  caves. It is 157 meters long and 12 meters deep with an entrance slopping 2 by 4 meters.  It used to be the  most difficult to explore because it is so full of karst formation, until they built a raft-like flooring suspended by ropes  to the cave's 'roof'.  It is like standing in the middle of a crystal house, where touching and feeling the karst formation is irresistible. Source: http://www.orientwind.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43:negros-oriental-the-caves-of-mabinay&catid=11:negros&Itemid=13 But please, don't touch the karst or the  stalactites, stalagmites as you'd cause them to die and it would take hundred years for them to come alive again. Can you appreciate the length of time these cave formations took so you could admire how lovely they look now? 

Aside from spelunking, there are other activities  you may enjoy in this place:  rapelling, rock climbing, swimming, underground passageways, crawling, duck walking, photographing (of course) caves, frogs (!), spiders, snakes and bats.  

Recommended gears:  hiking shoes, long pants, long sleeves, helmet - they couod provide you, change of clothing, water, candies and yes sandwiches or any food you prefer, as there is no restaurant in this place yet.  There is a restaurant about 2 kms. away, we were told. 

 

Rhen turned the cave's general light switch on

The Crystal Cave is so 'user-friendly', providing spelunkers  with wooden railings and floor

Formations at Crystal Cave

Rhen also regaled us a folklore of Mabinay:

http://www.godumaguete.com/mabinay-negros-oriental.html

The story goes this way: In an inland part of the province of Negros Oriental, there lived two powerful rival chieftains named Datu Ilog and Datu Namangyan. Datu Ilog had a very beautiful daughter named Binay whom he loved very much and Datu Namangyan has a brave and dauntless son Binto who loved to hunt wild animals.

One day while Binto was chasing a wild deer he inadvertently entered the territory of Datu Ilog accidentally and saw Binay taking a bath in the river. It was love at first sight for both of them and they started a love affair that had to be kept secret knowing that their fathers were enemies.

Secrets like smoke can't be kept from going out, especially with Binay's change in behavior, being in love. Datu Ilog, noticing the difference, decided to follow her one day and caught the lovers redhanded.

Binay pleaded with her father to spare Binto's life but an angry Datu Ilog would not be appeased knowing his daughter's lover, his hatred for Binto's father overriding all else. He struck Binto on the chest with a spear,  killing him instantly. And just as instantly, a small pool of water sprung forth in the place where Binto died, and the people called it Banintohan.

Binay, full of grief for her beloved's death and her fearing her angry father, ran away, wild and without direction, she ran like mad.

Mother Earth took pity upon the ill-fated lovers and swallowed Binay up. And from this spot came forth a body of water, known now as Mabinay Spring.

Datu Ilog, in search of his daughter met Datu Namagyan along the way. Remorsefully, he admitted what he had done and Datu Namangyan, surprised to see his proud and brave enemy meek and repentant, instead of being angry for his son's death, joined with him in his grief and they both decided to merge forces.

Where they met is now marked by the joining of the two rivers, Ilog River and Namangyan River.

Okay, time to go back to Crystal Cave for picture-taking:

Aside from Crystal Cave (157 ms), these are the other recommended caves:

Panligawan (143 ms) - for novice/amateur spelunkers
Pandalihan (282 ms) -  for novice/amateur spelunkers
Cayaso (2,222 ms) - for difficult/extreme spelunkers
Baliw (769 ms) - for difficult/extreme spelunkers
Mambajo - (670 ms) - with rapelling/medium difficult 
Odloman (8,870 ms) - for difficult/extreme spelunkers


The fee is P400 for the guided tour and P15 per person for each cave.  
And yes, Mayor Jango Uy's cell phone number is +639166792344.  another contact person is Jeffrey Dasian, cell phone number +639182427269. Happy spelunking and say hello to Rhen for us.

Mariyah Gallery in Dumaguete

We were in Dumaguete recently and since we did not chance an organized tour that day, we checked out the brochures from the Dept. of Tourism and decided we'll go to the museums by ourselves.  We went to Mariyah Gallery and found treasures of mixed media - mostly mural paintings, terra cotta and wood sculptures of the siblings Danilo 'Danni'  Sollesta and Cristina 'Kitty' Taniguchi.  Mariyah Gallery is at Larena Drive, Bogo Junction, Dumaguete City, Philippines (Tel. #: (63) (35) 225-1687)

From our downtown Hotel in Perdices St.,  we took a tricycle ride to Mariyah Gallery.  The gate was closed but unlocked.  We let ourselves in and Dave roamed around until he met Danni   at the backyard.  They fetched me in  front as I can't get enough pictures of the treasures they have in front. 

Dave admiring Danilo Sollesta's work of art.

At the back, I introduced ourselves to the two artists.  Kitty was working on her terracotta sculpture.  Both artists are unassuming and down-to-earth.  We did not know that they are world famous with several art exhibitions behind them, and more art exhibitions in the future.

I wonder whose work this gorgeous lion is, Danni's or Kitty's.  Looks like Kitty's!

Samples of  Kitty's  Terra Cotta bricks

Kitty's works are more sunny and bright.

And a little normal romance, that's Kitty's style.

The above three mural paintings are Kitty's - colorful, sunny  and bright

Danni's colors are ghastly, but nevertheless unforgettable

Danni's men are pretty, and  all the women have full breasts

The above three mural paintings are Danny Sollestas's

I am no art connoisseur, so I can't speak the art lingo, but I noticed that Kitty's works are more 'normal' while Danni's are more on the side of macabre and grotesque, like they're  challenging the viewers, testing their limit as to what is reality.

Danni's baby-like bodies with big tits in unimaginable positions

Half human, half animal with baby-like plumpness, that's Danni's style

This is almost a yoga pose if not for the twisted head

The above four sculpture are Danni's.  Isn't the above gargoyle what nightmares are made of? 

Just so you sleep soundly tonight, look at Kitty's work of art again.

And yes, here's something to meditate with, fresh and pristine, at their front yard!

Danni's work of art - strong women with glorious tits

Dave and ever so patient Kitty, answering Dave's gazillion questions

Brother and sister artists - Kitty (Taniguchi)  and Danni  Sollesta

I won't pass the opportunity to pose with the artists too :))

Meeting Kitty and Danni is one of the highlights of our trip to Dumaguete.  Thank you so much for the generosity of spirit and warm hospitality, Kitty and Danny. 

For more about Kitty, here's her website: 

http://www.saatchionline.com/cristina_taniguchi 

For more about Danni, here's his website:

http://umberblade.multiply.com/

The Ruins (Talisay City, Philippines)

Are you going to Negros Occidental, specifically to Bacolod?  Why not see a very romantic setting - THE RUINS, it's very near Bacolod City. 

The structure of THE RUINS is of Italianate architecture with neo-romanesque columns, having a very close semblance to the facade of Carnegie Hall in New York city. in New England, they often were homes to ships captains. A belvedere, facing west, affords a beautiful view of the sunset in a glassed-in sun room with bay windows.

The mansion was built in the early 1900′s by the sugar baron, Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and was home to his unmarried children with his first wife, Maria Braga Lacson, a Portuguese from Macau. Mariano and Maria had 10 children,  In 1911, while nearing the full term of her 11th pregnancy, Maria had an accident. both mother and child were lost. 

Heartbroken and inconsolable, Mariano decided to build a mansion in remembrance of maria, right in the middle of his 440-hectare sugar plantation in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.  It was in fact, designed to be a monument to their enduring love affair.  The mansion was the largest residential structure ever built at that time and had in it one of the finest furnitures, chinawares, and decorative items, as the father of Maria Braga was a captain of a ship that sailed across Europe and Asia and would cart with him these items. One of their daughters, Angelina,  maintained a beautiful garden of lillies in and around the 4-tiered fountain fronting the mansion, all brought in from abroad.

The wall near the entrance has the pictures of the original owners

One of the sons supervised the construction of the mansion making certain that the A-grade mixture of concrete and its pouring was precisely followed.

The mansion met its sad fate in the early part of world war II when the USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East), then guerilla fighters in the Philippines, burn the mansion to prevent the Japanese forces from utilizing it as their headquarters. it took days of inferno to bring down the roof and the 2-inch wooden floors.

To this day, the 903 square meter structure still stands tall amidst sugar plantations and continues to awe both local and foreign tourists.  (Source:  The Ruins Brochure)

The Mini Golf Area

Fountain at the side of the Ruins

Details of the floor

This mirage effect is facilitated by a dark glass table!

The Ruins is a fun-filled area for the entire family.  An 18-hole mini-golf course, laden with blue grass, awaits everyone to test their skills in a friendly game of golf.  A 500-square-meter garden of fruits and vegetables afford the guests with freshly picked organically-grown produce, free from chemicals and pesticides.  Plants are available for sale, along with souvenir items such as key chains, memo magnets, hand-painted fans, eco-friendly bags, etc.  (source:  The Ruins Brochure:  The Burning Love)

They have added a cafe area

The entrance fee to the Ruins is:

adult 40.00
seniors 30.00
kids 20.00

HOW TO GET THERE:
From Bacolod, you could take the Bata route:  follow the directions from the corner where you turn to Rose Lawn memorial Park.   Or you may turn on the street just  before you reach Honda.   Go straight until you se the Ruins at your left.  This is a short cut, if you're wiling to pass through the dirt road.    If traveling through a public transport, take the jeep going to Bata until you reach the corner where there is a big billboard of the Ruins, either at Bangga Pepsi or at Bangga Rose Lawns (Memorial Park) and tell the driver to take you to the Ruins.

The Ruins  is a very photographic place, and it's best if you go from 8 AM to 10 AM,  or from 3 PM to 5:30 PM when the shadows are long and the light is golden. It's also nice to take pictures at dusk as  the Ruins have very good lighting inside and out in the gardens.   Many photographers and soon to be weds use the place to take the pre-nup pictures.

Photographer or not, you will surely get excellent pictures from THE RUINS.  I will surely go back there with my beloved to fully enjoy the romantic atmosphere.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I have always been a fan and enthusiast of Vietnamese food.  I used to work in an office where most of us regale to each other the ethnic cuisine we've enjoyed, the unique restaurants that we've tried, from fat German sausages in a red light district to spicy Indian curries at the corner of the busiest street in the business area.  

I've always liked leafy vegetables (Vitamin A - good for the eyes and a feast to the eyes too) and the Vietnamese cuisine's right mixture of  leafy greens intrigue me.  I will never get tired of eating mint leaves, basil, coriander and the way they are mixed and matched with different ingredients makes me salivate.

While on tour outside Ho Chi Min, our bus stopped at roadside restaurant for lunch.  I checked their menu and was a little disappointed by the limited number of dishes.  I settled for boiled pork and baked rice.  I was thinking, this is just like a Filipino dish. I was surprised when the waitress  placed on the table different kinds of leaves.  I confirmed to her my order was boiled pork only.  She did not speak much English but I got the impression that she knew what she was doing.  I am not one to complain of too much leaves on my plate, ha, not me. 

Next, the waitress placed a plate with stack of thin white plastic-looking squares beside it.  I examined it.  Is this a coaster or a place mat?

Next came my order of boiled pork in a mat of  lettuce topped with crispy thin slices of garlic. I started eating.  My hubby tasted it too and remarked, "For a boiled pork this is so tasty."  He does not like leaves, except for the lettuce.  I wondered where my baked rice is, so I asked the waitress.  She did not understand what I was babbling about so she called a young girl who is obviously a student with her school uniform.   The student (who turned out to be the daughter of the restaurant owner)  demonstrated how to eat my dish.  The above  square plastic-looking stuff is actually the baked rice roll.   Hmmmn, just add the word  'roll' in your 'baked rice'  and that would straighten out an ignoramus like me when reading the menu, I'd like to advise her.... but never mind, the girl was so charming.

She dipped the ends with water (so that explains the bowl of water which I thought was for washing my hands......Good thing I did not wash my hands on it). She then lined it with some leaves and put boiled pork on top of it.

She rolled it nicely and secured it with another dip of water at the end.  You could dip it in spicy vinegar and bon appetit!  For the above picture which is far from the perfect roll that the student made, I take the credit, that's the first roll that I made, the second roll that I ate, hehehe.  So yummy, that was the highlight of our trip to Cu Chi Tunnel which should be the topic of my next blog entry. 

Interested with Vietnamese cooking with good English instructions?  Here's a practical book:

From Publishers Weekly

Vietnam-born Nguyen writes passionately and knowledgeably about the history and fundamentals of Vietnamese cuisine and offers more than 175 tempting and largely non intimidating recipes, with the Vietnamese translation of the name beneath the English name and headnotes that provide excellent context and helpful tips. Chapters begin with alluring introductory text—the first set of recipes, for example, are the "Gifts to the Mouth," which the author explains is a translation of the Vietnamese phrase for snacking. The chapter includes such dishes as Beef and Jicama Hand Rolls, the Baguette Sandwich—the "one sandwich in the Vietnamese repertoire... a tour de force"—and Fried Shrimp Chips. Other chapters are Sacred Soups (Chicken Dumpling and Chrysanthemum Leaf Soup is one beautiful entry), Classic Meats (like Beef Flank and Ginger Simmered in Caramel Sauce), Vegetables Many Ways, and Delightful Sweets and Palate Refreshers, which features Grilled Bananas with Coconut Sticky Rice and Lemongrass Ice Cream. Chapters on noodles, poultry, fish and shellfish, and basic sauces, as well as guides to Vietnamese ingredients, round out this culturally rich culinary tour. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

When author Andrea Nguyen's family was airlifted out of Saigon in 19Vioetnamese Cookbook75, one of the few belongings that her mother hurriedly packed for the journey was her small orange notebook of recipes. Thirty years later, Nguyen has written her own intimate collection of recipes, INTO THE VIETNAMESE KITCHEN, an ambitious debut cookbook that chronicles the food traditions of her native country. Robustly flavored yet delicate, sophisticated yet simple, the recipes include steamy pho noodle soups infused with the aromas of fresh herbs and lime; rich clay-pot preparations of catfish, chicken, and pork; classic bánh mì sandwiches; and an array of Vietnamese charcuterie. Nguyen helps readers shop for essential ingredients, master core cooking techniques, and prepare and serve satisfying meals, whether for two on a weeknight or 12 on a weekend.

Sanctuary of Truth

Pattaya, Thailand


The Sanctuary  of Truth is in Pattaya, Thailand.  The temple has awesome woodwork and the statues are fantastic!  The purposes of decoration with wooden carve sculptures are to use art and culture as the reflection of Ancient Vision of Earth,    Ancient  Knowledge,  and  Eastern Philosophy. With in this complex, visitors  will  understand  Ancient  Life,  Human  Responsibility, Basic
Thought, Cycle of living, Life Relationship with Universe and
Common Goal of Life toward Utopia. 
(http://www.sanctuaryoftruth.com/)