ARCHIEOFFDUTY

Bacolod City

Get ready for Masskara 2016- Schedule of Events

October 03, 2016
By ARCHIE
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Flaming candles

The Light of Peace

June 13, 2016
By ARCHIE
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Domestic Travel

Chasing the Sun: Kiltepan Peak Sunrise in Sagada

March 14, 2016
By ARCHIE
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I can’t really remember when was the last time I woke up early in the morning to see the sunrise; to witness the fresh start of a brand new day and to have a breath of the cool morning air while sipping a cup of coffee at the balcony. Nothing extravagant actually, just a feel of how serene the surrounding is, right before the world gets too busy. It’s so odd that we are always too busy running after building a comfortable life that we often forget how to live a good life. This trip to Sagada reminded me how it is to live a good life.

Our second day started with a bumpy ride going to Kiltepan peak in the wee hours of the morning to witness the sunrise. This made me ask myself: why does tourist wake up so early to gather here just to witness something we commonly experience in our daily lives? Don’t they love the sunrise in their own provinces? After a 30minute ride uphill, we finally reached the peak. It is located on the edge of the mountain surrounded by towering pine trees wrapped in heavy fog all over.

While waiting for the sun to come out, tourists gathered around edge of the mountain all ready to take a snapshot of the sunrise to post on their facebook timeline.

Considering the heavy rain we experienced the night before and the unpredictable weather in Sagada, I thought I will not be able to capture the breaking of the sun due to the heavy fog and thick clouds covering the view, but still I continued clicking my camera.

We patiently waited for the sun to come out. As the horizons turned yellow with intermittent orange and reddish hues, I got excited. I had a sense that something spectacular was on its way. And I was right. A few more minutes of waiting, I saw a glimpse of the sun behind the sea of clouds. It was unspeakably stunning.

Then there you go...

Multiple clicks and many wows can be heard in the crowd gathered together for that one goal of witnessing and capturing the beautiful sunrise. And as I stood there, taking pictures, I savoured the moment as I breathed in deeply while my entire being was filled with so much gratitude. It’s not every day and not so many people get to enjoy this experience. I felt so lucky to have this moment to experience God's greatness in his marvellous creation. It was amazing!

For me, this is the best place I’ve been to in Sagada to date. And I know I will keep coming back for more. And what made it more special are the people I was with when I travelled here - the locals, our guides and fellow travellers I’ve meet and became good friends.

Verdict: WE ENJOYED IT (All caps)! So right even before this trip was over, we have already planned out our come back. Sagada, you will always be close to my heart. Till we meet again!

I hope you enjoyed your time here. I am making a series of post about our trip in Sagada in the coming days so watch out for it. You'll love it. Promise! Feel free to share this, drop me a comment and share your thoughts about your experiences in Sagada. If you like, please stop by my instagram @archieoffduty and find more travel ideas for your future travels. I would really appreciate it. Thanks! ;-)>

Cambodia

A sad Monday afternoon in Phnom Penh

March 14, 2016
By ARCHIE
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I have been wanting to write this article for several days now but couldn’t find the words and the strength to ponder on the experience I had a week ago.

It was a humid Cambodian afternoon when we arrived at country’s capital Phnom Penh after a 6 hour butt-numbing bus ride from Siem Reap. Mr. Sam, our tuktuk driver met us at the bus station and we headed directly at our hotel to check in and then we decided to go to the Choeng Ek museum. Located at the outskirts of Phnom Penh, it was already past afternoon when our tuktuk dropped us at the gate of the park after almost an hour bouncy ride from the busy city center.

More popularly known as the “Killing Fields”, this park has become synonymous with the Khmer Rouge regime ruled by its leader Pol Pot in the late 70’s. The entrance fee was 2 USD and you have an option to rent a set of headphones for 3 USD with an audio commentary that serves as your guide as you walk around the site.

But if you decide to navigate the place on your own they also provide a map of the park free of charge. There are signs with short descriptions of the area found throughout the field to ensure visitors will know what was found and what was done in this place.

The entire park was spookily silent that neither the trees nor the grass seemed to make a sound. All I can hear was the sound of my footstep moving along the cemented foot walk and our little chit chat about how difficult it was to look at this place and imagine it was a place filled with so much death.

The first thing that caught my attention was the towering stupa with a glass facade built in memory of those who died here.

One must first remove his footwear before entering the monument as a sign of respect to those who died here.

As we moved inside the tower, we already knew what to expect on entering, but again we were left speechless. It houses cracked and aged skulls stacked on top of each other, of men, women, and children who were shot, beaten, smashed against trees, and buried alive. It’s a shocking exhibit, and I personally didn’t know what to make of it.

I think it was a bit grotesque, because I felt they should have been given a proper burial.

As we move around the stupa, my stomach retched. Gen even complained she was not feeling well and have been having goose bumps all over her that she needs to rest for a while. So the girls decided to sit on the benches at the park to compose themselves but I continued the tour walking ditch after ditch.

It is said that prisoners from the Tuol Sleng prison, who are sentenced to be slaughtered were brought here for “disposal”. These are the people who opposes the new government; educated people like doctors, lawyers and diplomats; people of other races and religions; and the families of any of the aforementioned. On a weekly basis, prisoners from Tuol sleng were driven here during the night, stacked at the back of covered trucks. In order to keep them calm during their transport, they were told they are being moved to another institution because the prison was already full. On arrival, they were placed in a wooden shed serving as holding area then systematically led out in small groups into the fields where they are made to knell by the ditch and then slaughtered to death. It is said that they were not even worth a price of a bullet that an axe, hammer or other farming tools are being used to kill them. Since there was no steady source of electricity in the area, the site was powered by large and loud generators which cover up the cries of the people being slaughtered in the fields. Patriotic songs are also being played on loud speakers to mask the screams of the people while they are being murdered so that nearby residents could not overhear the yelling and screaming of the victims. A chemical is being place on the mass grave to make sure all those who are buried cannot survive and to hasten decomposition of the bodies so as not to produce a foul smell.

Just as I thought I’ve already seen the worst, but not until I approached this huge, old tree made colourful by the bracelets hanging around it labelled as the Killing Tree.

What was this all about? I asked myself. As I continue reading the signage around, I learned the brutal truth. The simplest way to explain it is to say it was used to kill babies and small children by forcefully smashing their fragile heads against the rigid trunk of the tree. It was a revelation that was hard to stomach. This was the part of the tour that hit me the most. I stared at the tree for five minutes, clenched my own teeth together and felt the tension around my jaw muscles.My chest tightened that I felt like I could hardly breathe. My eyes felt heavy I almost burst into tears as my entire being was filled with deep sadness. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Why kill the babies and small children? The Khmer Rouge believed that in order to completely kill grass, you have to take it out from the roots. They did not want anyone to seek revenge for their actions, so they thought of killing the entire family with all its children and babies was the solution. These bracelets were placed there as simple remembrance of what had happened. Afterwards I walked around the grounds in a daze, silent and in deep sadness. How can a normal person do such brutal task? I could not think of an answer. I can feel the wind gusts but still nothing seems to rustle.

Still I continue walking and approached the Memorial museum.It was just a small hall near the entrance, filled with memoirs and pictures documenting how life was like during Polpots regime. There are glass casing filled with bones, clothing and trinkets used by the victims during that era.

The Killing Fields is absolutely a sobering place to be. It has affected me in many ways and will always be in my thoughts and mind. It was an awful visit but I should say necessary. The things that happened here are some of the worst documented horrors in history.

It was an emotional Monday afternoon for me in Phnom Penh - a visit that broke my heart. So I advised everyone who plans to visit to the place to save this trip at the end of your itinerary. As I learn about Cambodia’s history, this visit has helped me reframe my thoughts on how important this young nation needs to come to terms to bring justice and peace to its people.But until this very moment, Cambodian people are still fighting hard to bring the perpetrators to justice through international courts. And sadly, cases like these takes time. And yet, the Cambodian people are strong and resilient. They are transparent enough to provide unadulterated accounts of their recent history, and even encourage tourists to visit this place so as not let these atrocities of the past be forgotten and for the entire world to learn from their experience so that this brutality will never happen again anywhere in the world.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed your time here. I am making a series of post about our trip in Cambodia in the coming days so watch out for it. You'll love it. Promise! Feel free to share this, drop a comment and share your thoughts about your experience in your visit in the Killing fields. If you like, you can check out my instagram @archieoffduty to find more travel ideas for your future travels. I would really appreciate it. Thanks! ;-)>

Bacolaodiat 2014

Celebrating Bacolaodiat 2016!

February 22, 2016
By ARCHIE
2 Comments

The entire Chinese communities all around the world welcomed the Year of the Wooden Horse last Friday marking the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar. It was even declared by the president as a special non-working holiday in support to the Filipino-Chinese community in the country.

Here in Bacolod city, the Bacolodnons celebrated the chinese new year with its yearly Bacolaodiat festival. The name of the celebration was derived from 2 words, "Bacolod" from the name of the city and "Lao Diat" from the Fookien word for celebration according to its official website (bacolaodiat.com).

Now on its 9th year, the festival is celebrated with giant illuminated colorful giant lanterns and lighted floats of Zodiac animals scattered along Lacson Street, dragon and lion dances, fireworks display at the Capitol Lagoon, cultural dances, and Chinese food alley along North Capitol Road.

The festival opened with colorful parade participated by various Filipino-Chinese organizations in the city. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see this event which was held on the afternoon of the eve of the chinese new year. You see, this was my first time to witness the celebration since this festival started and I wasn’t fully aware of the schedule. Well, you can’t really blame since we are not chinese. Hehehe but I was really looking forward into going and taking some photos. Thinking that the celebration is only about lantern shows, I thought it would be best to go at night when all the lanterns are lighted up, so I did arrived at late in the afternoon only to realize that the festival had already started. But my effort didn’t go in vain since shortly after the parade a chinese cultural dance program followed at the north capitol road.

The highlight of the celebration was the dazzling latern dance competition held on the 2nd day of the festival where several groups compete to win the grand prize. This year there was a total of 12 competing groups coming from different schools and barangays. The participants dressed in colorful traditional chinese costumes with flamboyant make-ups carries with them artistically handcrafted chinese lanterns of different colors and sizes taking inspiration from the lotus flower dancing to the beat of the festival chinese-pop themesong. The dances highlights the use of lighted lanterns choreographed to various formations.

And of course, any celebration wouldn’t be complete without food. This year, an array of chinese cuisine and delicacies were featured on the Chopsticks food alley at the North Capitol Road. The alley also features colorful chinese booths with chinese arts and crafts and lucky charms on display. For those who love the famous Bacolod chicken inasal, kiosks were also set up at the venue along Lacson Street where dining out with friends and family is absolutely fun at the festival. My friends and I were craving for fried noodles and siomai so we decided to go to Mai Pao to grab something to eat but due to massive influx of people there were no seats available and since we were too hungry to wait we ended up in a fast food instead.

The celebration ended with a breathtaking musical fireworks display at the grounds of Capitol lagoon that absolutely enthralled the audience that flock the area.

After the New Year’s revelry, Bacolodnons have another event to look forward to, and that is the Bacolaodiat Festival. Through the years this celebration has become a widely celebrated event due to the strong influence of chinese culture in the Filipino culture. It doesn’t only represent the going back to the chinese roots but most importantly the sharing of culture, heritage and history of our chinese countrymen.

Happy Chinese New Year to all! Wishing you prosperity and good fortune in the coming year! Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed your time here. Please feel free to share, drop a comment and share your thoughts about your experiences in your chinese new year celebration. And if you like, please stop by my instagram @archieoffduty and find more travel ideas for your future travels. I would really appreciate it. Thanks! ;-)>

Get ready for Masskara 2016- Schedule of Events

The Light of Peace

Chasing the Sun: Kiltepan Peak Sunrise in Sagada

A sad Monday afternoon in Phnom Penh

Celebrating Bacolaodiat 2016!

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