Scribbles Abroad

Baguio, the art gem in the Cordillera Mountains was reached shortly before 9pm after an exciting 8 hour bus ride.  These buses are getting comical and easier as we continue to tackle them.  This one had no A/C so it was a green bus other than the clouds of black smoke that flowed out the exhaust.

We were once again the last to get off the bus and were dropped off on a seedy street corner.  Louise posted up at the first decent hotel we could find and I went on the hunt.  This search was one of the heaviest.  I went to nearly 6 different hotels of which one or maybe two of them were actually specialty hotels if you know what I mean.  They showed me a room because I liked the price and it was a box in the basement with no windows.  When I told them no thanks they offered it to me on a hourly basis and things went click.  After checking all the places I realized the first place that we had checked was at the time our best choice.  Its like when you go for a hunt for surf.  You look at your break out front but figure its better somewhere else.  But after your search you realize it was best out front.  Its not always like that but it seems like it happens more than not.

The view of Baguio from our hotel

There’s a meat market all the way down at the bottom.

Upon settling into what we now know as the cockroach hotel we went to hit up the local reggae bar.  We had been suggested to go here by a friend of a friend named Kabunyan DeGuia. By the end of our time in Baguio, Kabu became a good friend rather than just a friend of a friend.  The recommendations of friends to meet theirs have been priceless and insurmountably helpful.  We graciously thank all of those that have helped us thus far and for those that will help us in the future.
The local bar was a collection of students jamming to a live local reggae band.  It was nice to see good live music with the electricity of college kids keeping the vibe exciting.  People were skankin on the tables and congo lines were formed around the entire seating area.  We scored seats right up front.

The next day when I found a cockroach in the butter for my toast I had officially had enough.  We packed up and moved a bit out of town to a more secluded and beautiful part of town. 

The place we moved to was awesome, local artwork everywhere and great service.  The place is called Iggys.

We were invited that afternoon to Kabus house for a pinikpikan supper.  Pinikpikan chicken is prepared by beating, or they would say massaging, the chicken to death.  The massage sends the blood to the muscles and meat.  The chicken is then slaughtered and cooked in a couple of ways.  We had boiled chicken and barbecued chicken.  The white meat was not dry and rather moist and was really good with the home made rice wine.

Kabu also happens to be the son of Kidlat Tihimik and Katrin DeGuia.  Katrin is the author of a book I’ve been reading called Kapwa, the Self in the Other.  In short it is a description of the degradation of Filipino culture at the hands of Westernization but that certain individuals are making concerted efforts at changing this trend and bringing pride back to Filipinos.  The book is a collection of biographies of those individuals that are making a difference.  As we travel we are seeing this more and more but being just at home in Hawaii, its not hard to see the same issues.

Kidlat Tihimik is one of those individuals that is bringing back true Filipino culture to the masses and letting them/us feel proud of their/our heritage.
Kabu met us at Iggys and we set off to his house.  It’s the first one outside of the Baguio city limit and set along a steep hillside.  The house is a testament to his fathers style of wasting nothing and seeing art everything.  A few years back the entire house was burnt down and has since been a work in progress.  ITs like stepping into an amusement park in a sense.  Its the house we’ve always wanted but that building codes wouldn’t allow.

Kabus Bathroom and self portrait on the can

Kitchen that upon the right light shines different colored rays everywhere

When you meet his father you see an intensely deep but calm individual.  With long grey black hair and a movie camera under his arm serving as his continual diary, he puts off an aura of understanding.  Its also said that under his clothes he is always wearing a traditional Filipino g-string.  He is the father of Filipino Independent Films and is considered a living legend of Filipino Art.  It was truly a pleasure to meet him and his friends whom we spent the entire afternoon with and then stretched it into the late evening.

Louise, Kidlat Tihimik (Silent Lightning), and Me

People were jamming throughout the evening on traditional gongs.

A local dance being passed down to the next generation

After supper we all hung out in Kawayans’ art studio.  He was putting the last touches on his art pieces that were headed to NYC.  Kawayan doesn’t look like the other brothers, he is a really tall haole guy amongst smaller brown guys.  Its pretty funny but also a testament to the strength of genetics.

The three brothers, Kabunyan, Kawayan, and Kidlat

We then headed to the local art studio that is also a café.  The place is on the top of a building and is like walking into a set for a movie.  It’s a little village built into the spacious penthouse floor.  Local artwork is on display and some is for sale.  Even though it had just closed, Kabu was able to convince them to prepare us his favorite dish, the eggplant parmesan.  It was the bomb and was a nice change from the adobo we’d been eating non-stop.  At the bottom of the building there is a mosaic that Kabu and his brother did.  The mosaics used to be all over Baguio but due to liability issues they had to be removed.  This last one was kept alive through grassroots lobbying.  Also on the bottom floor are two hilarious ladyboy bars.

The last mosaic

After dinner we headed to the pizza joint  for some beers and another bite.  Here we met up with Kawayan and the gang.  We drank a new drink that was yet to be named.  It was a mix of a dark beer and a San Miguel Light.

After the pizza joint we ended up going out to a bar in the depths of the city called Chillaxitive, funny name.  The walk there was one best done with a large group.  The guys ended up painting on the walls, painting faces, and some passing out in their chairs.  It was a good time.

The next day Kabu took us to the local market where Louise and I hunted for second hand clothing.  We both got shirts but wanted to get more.  Problem is the traveling factor.  For every shirt you pick up you have to get rid of another.

In this pic you can see Kabus coconut husk hair.

We had been checking the swell reports and a nice one was to hit the next day in La Union on the China Sea.  We bid Kabu a farewell, packed up, and jumped on another 8 hour bus.  Baguio was a good time and it was really special to spend it with true locals.