Stories of Places, People and Photography in the Philippines and Beyond
The day after our Malacca visit, we head out to the Kuala Lumpur LRT Station on our way to Genting Highlands. We could use the Van to go there but Marie wanted us to try riding the LRT to the last station heading there which is Terminal Putra to get a feel of what it’s like to use the public transportation. While I’m a bit familiar with the Light Railway System in Kuala Lumpur, I’m excited to see what I could learn more.
It was great that our first day in Puraran, Catanduanes was blessed with good weather. As we traveled back to Virac, the sky grew gloomier. The ride on the big jeep was eventful as than usual. Aside from having an interesting conversation from the lone Japanese Jun about traveling around the Philippines and some tips on the road, we were joined by this man in formal polo wear about his 50s. He was a tourism officer and shared in some ideas.
We saw a mix of cultures and beliefs when we visited the temples at Jalan Tokong. Our afternoon walk continued through the stretch of Jalan Tokong towards the Jonker Street. This side of Malacca houses some of the old dwelling places dating as far back as the 17th century. It’s one of their versions of our very own Vigan which is also a UNESCO heritage site, an old town heritage site preserved.
The recent Typhoons, Ondoy and Pepeng, both caused devastation to a lot of areas in the country. And it always seem that the one province who that mostly experience the onslaughts of these heavenly disturbances is Catanduanes. It’s barely a month when I was on that island so when the storms hit big time, I wondered how the people we met there are doing. Aside from checking out the Surfing Scene in Puraran, we also walked around the neighborhood and met some interesting colors there.
I know we came to Singapore for BEP but we’ll not ignore the last act of the night Beyonce. It took two hours of waiting under a new DJ spinning some house music. But this lady just entranced the audience the minute she appeared on the stage. She’s just an amazing performer and I really got a kick when she did a cover of Alanis Morrisette’s You Oughta know in between her song “If I Were A Boy”. Her tribute to Michael Jackson was also moving. Of course she capped off the set with her famous “Single Ladies” with all the youtube videos of people doing their own versions at the start to lead to her actual performance.
The visit to the Studthuys, St Paul Church and A Formosa was just part of what Malacca has in terms of heritage sites. We had an authentic Nyonya Cuisine lunch at Seroni Restaurant to take a break from the tours. Once satisfied, we moved on for some walking tours at a couple of popular streets in Malacca, the Jalan Tokong and Jonker Walk.
It seems crazy when we hear people say that they want the storms to come in when they are on the beach. “Stronger the waves the better” as one surfer says. And it is in the presence of the storm that the waves and the wind become their playground. It is start of the surfing season again in the country. And Puraran Beach is home to a world renowned surf break, the Majestics.
