In Yunnan

I've never traveled outside of Southeast Asia before so I never cared for visas... until I had to travel to China last week for work. I did not know that there is so much drama for us Third Worlders who want to go to China. Day after day new requirements were asked until finally I was seen as un-threatening to our big neighbor up there. *rolls eyes*

This trip is actually a continuation of the trip in Sangkhlaburi; it's a program for a Southeast Asian delegation that I organized. You bet it was exhausting as hell to cart around nearly 30 people from one bus to another, from one airplane to another.

In the China leg alone, we took one flight in each of the four days we were there, on top of hours traversing the jagged peaks of Yunnan province on a minibus.

From Bangkok we flew to Kunming, and then another flight to Lijiang (where we stopped by the World Heritage Site of Lijiang Old Town), drove to Jianchuan, and then visited a small school in the village of Shilong.

Many times we had to wake up as early as three or four in the morning just to catch our flights. And then I was checking in people to our flights, loading bags onto the minibus, unloading them when we reach the destinations, checking in the people at the hotel, and making sure nobody gets lost. I was pretty much a shepherd in China.

Obviously I hardly had time to enjoy China with the many logistical arrangements that I had to oversee. What are my memories of that four-day trip then?

Well, there's the beautiful landscape of the province, the golden fields of corn, the towering  mountains, the deep valleys... which I all saw while on the bus.

And then there was the charming architecture of Lijiang Old Town, its twisted and narrow streets, the doorways that open to cramped courtyards, the sea of tiled rooftops, the endless streams that run around the town, and the electric colors of the fabrics hanging from the shops.

I could not also forget the enthusiasm of the children at the school we visited in the remote village of Shilong. They welcomed us with a song and then they danced for us wearing their tribal costumes. We also observed how they learn in the classroom using their own native language.

It was a quick four days indeed but it was an interesting peek into such a vibrant and diverse country. I obviously saw a small parcel of the vastness that is China and I still dream to see Beijing, Guilin, and Tibet (if you count it as part of China).

In Sangkhlaburi

I haven't had the chance to update the blog for weeks now because I was running crazy at work organizing a study visit to a town in Kanchanaburi and a small village in the mountains of Yunnan. I swear I've never worked this hard in this office as I had these past months and I'm quite happy to have significant contribution to the office as well as maximize my skills.

I avoid talking in detail about work in my blog, simply because work and campiness should not mix, in my opinion. So for now I'm just sharing some of the photos I took during that two-day trip.

Sangkhlaburi is a small town on the hills of the Thai-Burmese border. The main landmark of the town is a long wooden bridge crossing the small lake found in the middle of town. On our visit we dropped by a temple and a village of the Mon tribe. The main purpose really was to visit the school the Mon children attend.

 

  

 

 

The Major Major Tape Measure Challenge

Fuchsiaboy and Betty, who are both based in Khmerlandia, were in BKK over the weekend to finally settle the age-old Preah Vihear dispute. Ay wait, let's not go that direction because I don't want to be deported from Siam.

We in fact wanted to solve the mystery of who among us girls have the the smallest waistline.

We all know that waistline is a serious business for me. I have been starving through 2010 in preparation for the most critical competition there is. I have lived a diet of peanuts and fruit juice these past months in the hope of being in top shape for this day.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not going to delay the tension here.

First contestant is La Donita Rose of Siem Reap! Half-Belgian, half-Japanese, La Donita's motto in life is "To couture or not to couture, that is the question." His biggest mistake in life wearingh the glorified trapo creations of Eairth by Melissa Dizon.

Second contestant is... ay, the second contestant is La Greta, the Sirena of Surigao. Half-tilapia, half-lapu-lapu, La Greta believes in the saying "Clavicles are the new cleavage." His biggest mistake in life is... no, he does not make mistakes because he is perfect.

And the third contestant is Betty La Fea the Belle of Belgium. Betty speaks Flemish and French with an Ilocano accent and he believes that "I did not expect to be in the tough ten." (Profound ang lola nyo!). His biggest mistake in life is wearing the same Don Protasio top that La Bubbles wore on the same night. Fashion faux pas nang major-major!

The results!

Coming in at a shocking 34 inches is... La Donita! (Well, that was rather expected, after all, La Donita had been spotted frequenting the Siem Reap branch of Swensen lately.)

First runner-up, at 29 inches is... La Greta! (Who, after learning of his poor performance, completely lost his mind and had been sighted roaming around the dark sois of Bangkok like a deranged katoey.)

And running away with the crown, at 27 1/2 inches, is the cadaverish, Betty la Fea, who will walk away with a box of A4 paper and a bottle of fish sauce that will nourish him for the next 12 months.

See you in the next pageant, girls! (Di pa tapos ang laban!)

Living la Vida Imelda

Over the years, one of the must-dos when in Manila is to join a tour of famous guide Carlos Celdran. He must be doing the tour for about a decade or so now, and he has thus gained prominence as Manila's premiere tour guide, and has appeared in countless publications worldwide.

I joined one of Carlos' tours more than three years ago. We went around the heritage area of San Nicolas (see previous entry here) and since then I've been dying to join another tour. Finally, I had the chance to do so in my recent trip to Manila.

Along with my BFF from my university days, Meredel, we went to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) complex for Carlos Celdran's Living la Vida Imelda. It's no secret that I'm a big Imelda fan. Well, I don't approve of what she did as a First Lady and I'm completely disappointed in the Filipino people for voting her in the current Congress.

Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that Imelda has an allure for her crassness and delusion, least of all, to which I could not help being drawn.  She's the embodiment of the corrupted soul of the Filipino, desperately yearning for validation but without a deeply-rooted self-confidence to carry her through, hence, she faltered scandalously and with such tragic, and oftentimes comic, repercussions.

The tour is a journey through the life of Imelda Marcos (as well as Ferdinand) with the CCP as a backdrop of the grand myths she perpetuated as a First Lady for more than twenty years. Envisioned as the epicenter of the arts and culture of the Philippines, the CCP is considered as the apex of her and Ferdinand's "edifice complex," a hunger for grand infrastructure projects to proclaim to the world that this scattered islands on the edge of the Pacific Ocean cannot be ignored.

The life of the Marcoses has been well-publicized through the years. Carlos thus relates these facts, personal anecdotes, and wild rumors during the highly entertaining three-hour tour. Carlos' boundless energy and panache in telling the tale of the Marcoses is an attraction in itself - akin to performance art - only overshadowed by the sheer ridiculousness of the erstwhile first couple.

The tour starts at the CCP where we found our way into Box 25, the private box of Imelda and Ferdinand during the halcyon days of their regime. We then snaked through the narrow corridors of the theater, with Carlos leading the way, a cassette player perched on his head, and dancing to the tune of "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika" and other OPM songs.

We then found our way to the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), which surprisingly has retained its glory over the years. The lobby, with its stunning chandelier, never fails to give that sense of grandeur of the building purposely constructed in 1976 for the first IMF-World Bank Meeting.

A humongous painting by Filipino painter Jose Joya also decorates the lobby and its halls are decked with Ang Kiukok and Manuel Baldemor paintings. Well-preserved furniture from the 1970s are still found all over, giving the place a truly retro feel.We were then led to the main plenary hall of the PICC where the tour ended.

I do have tremendous admiration for Carlos' handling of the tour. It is supremely entertaining and informative (at least for those who do not know the Marcoses so well). There are many familiar facts and myths retold during the tour, but he also somewhat dispels some rumors, particularly those relating to the tragic collapse of the Manila Film Center and the assassination of Ninoy Aquino.

I also admire the tour's access to many parts of the CCP and the PICC, especially coz we pretty had these places to ourselves (well, sort of).

Did I change my mind about Imelda after the tour. Absolutely not and neither does the tour aim for us to do so. At the very least, it only reaffirmed our belief that the Marcos regime was one of the most surreal and darkest moments in our recent history. But then, it is also a reminder that Imelda has given the Philippines some international recognition, only for the vilest of reasons.

Paradigm Shift

I finally met two of Manila's fashion blogger royalty, Toxic Disco Boy and Inckarlcerating. God, di ako prepared coz I was wearing some office-y clothes whereas Toxic and Karl were in their drapery splendor and decked in eye-blinding cutlery... I mean silver accessories. I looked like their alalaay with a Surigaonon accent!

They were in fact wearing some clothes from Paradigm Shift, a clothing line the girls design themselves. It's truly inspiring how they successfully translated their point of view into something commercial. I heard they will soon sell their creations in a boutique in Podium, which obviously is worth looking forward to.

I love the panache and courage Toxic and Karl have in presenting themselves. Many folks were stealing glances of the girls' billowy tops, diaphanous accents, and deadly rings, but they just keep on sauntering like fab gazelles in the midst of buffaloes in jeans.

I told them they are a bit misplaced in Manila's relatively conservative fashion scene. Where they truly belong is Bangkok, where their forward approach to fashion would be more appreciated. Besides, they'd die shopping in BKK's streets. So Toxic and Karl, gooorah na to BangCock!