Sketches of Ilocos Norte and Vigan

During the trip, I did not get to sketch on the spot as it was a tight schedule. I only managed to find time when I was at home and sketched my favourite spots in Ilocos Norte and the lovely hotel we stayed in Vigan, Escolta Homey Lodge, which is right at the center of Calle Crisologo. A video log at the end of all the pictures is included for you to see the mini sketchbook I personally made.

Trying to get the juice back on sketching. Here is a sketch of Bangui Wind Farm. . . . . . #illustration #illustrations #blackink #inksketches #inksketch #art #artoftheday #dailysketch #dailyart #watercolourchannel #watercolour #watercolor #watercoloursketches #sketch #sketches #aquarela #aquarelle #youtubers #igers #ig #instragram #instagrammers @instagram #bangui #windmills #windfarm #ilocos #ilocosnorte #waterblog #anartfeature

A post shared by Joseph Gerald Legaspi (@sigeraldto) on Jul 5, 2017 at 9:19pm PDT

City Sketches: Macau

So I spent my Christmas holiday in Macau for 3 days before going to Hong Kong and I have done some sketches while I was there and I also added some more after returning home. Here are the sketches I made.

Historian Junkee

Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal

When I was in high school, I can only remember that I am very good with two things and those is History and extra curricular activities. I was never really fond of learning other subjects but as someone who aspired to become useful in the future. I had to at least to get an average grade to make it. I had good memorization skills back then which is why I can recall most of the lessons about Philippines, Asian and World History, all of which I learned in high school. I never really took it seriously though but as soon as I get to travel around Asia, I could recall most of the things I learned back in high school.

As of now, I have traveled mostly in Asia and I have seen many things that I can remember well during my Asian history class. As boring as it may sound to talk about what I can remember about Asian history, when you get to travel and see the places you learned, it kind of gives a sense of wisdom for being able to see those actual things, identify it and learn about the people who build those civilizations which still stands for our generation to see. From India to South Korea and from Nepal to Laos and Indonesia. There are so many places to see and several heritage places that really made me want to know more about the lives of people back then.

Among all the places I have visited, I am always amused with old buildings that I have seen. There are just several of them which stands out like the Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, George Town in Penang, the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila, the old Bank Mandiri in Kota Tua, Jakarta, Jalan Braga in Bandung, Tiong Bahru houses in Singapore, the French quarter in Hanoi, the old town of Vientiane, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, the stunning Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, India and Bhaktapur and Patan Durbar Square in Nepal.

With all the places I have seen in Asia, I could imagine how over whelming it would be when I get to see places in Europe. I am mostly looking forward to see Spain, Italy and United Kingdom. I hope that next year would be an opportunity to go further places and realize those historic places I can only see in pictures and recall from my World history class.

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jigomeister
27.11.2015

From Temples to Temples: Returning to Yogyakarta Part 2

During my first attempt to visit Yogyakarta, my flight was cancelled due to the volcanic eruption of Gunung Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano situated just in the outskirts of Yogyakarta and Magelang (where Borobudur Temples is located) cities. Luckily, I got another chance to visit Yogyakarta in May of 2012. During that time, I managed to visit both Borobudur and Prambanan Temples. Both were spectacularly amazing and it's architecture and design were just stunning. Both of these temples are intricately carved with the story of Rama and Shinta, popularly known as the main characters of the epic book series of the Mahabharata, which originated from India.

3 years after, I have returned to this stunning, cultural-filled city of Yogyakarta with my family. I toured them around and I also tried to visit other temples which I missed during my first visit namely Ratu Boko and Candi Sewu.

Good morning Mount Merapi. Hello Yogyakarta City.

The Old Manila International Air Terminal

This lovely building situated in the centre of the central business district of Makati used to house the first and former airport terminal in the Philippines. From outside, you will not notice it as it just look like an ordinary building. The old sign that say "Manila International Terminal" can only be seen from behind and when you are along Makati avenue, you will think that it is just a house or restaurant.

This building used to be called Nielsen Tower and still uses that name for its building although it is popularly known now called Black Bird. The building was erected in 1937 and was used for commercial and international flights until the end of World War 2. Before it became a restaurant, it previously housed the former library owned by the Ayalas. It is still owned by the Ayalas though. Im just glad that the building have survived and remained a symbol in Ayala triangle. This is such a great example of well preserved heritage building. I wish we could see more of this.

Candi Muarajambi, Abandoned Beauty

We arrived at 8:00 in the morning at Sultan Thaha Airport, the main airport of Jambi City, West Sumatra. The city center is about 20 minute-drive to the city center. But we first went to Candi Murajambi, an archaeological site, believed to be built in early 15^th century, which is situated in the forested area of the town of Muarajambi. These are Hindu temples which are made of similar bricks found at Hindu temples of India. Candi Muarajambi is about 25 kms drive from the airport. O the way, you will find palm tree plantation on the right and rubber tree plantations on the left. There are 9 temples all over the complex. They are quite simple with the highest peak reaching to about 3 floors. These temples, is incomparable to the astonishing Angkor Complex or the majestic Borobudur Complex which were all discovered accidentally by foreign explorers but there is yet beauty in the simplicity of Candi Muarajambi. First thing I noticed was the lack of tourist made the place clean, no traffic and peaceful. You will always find an alone time when you wander around the temples. When you look around all the temples, I could say it was abandoned by the people who built it. But for the reason why they abandoned, no one can answer. The locals may also not have any clue and can only rely on hearsay. Getting around the whole complex took us 3 hours on a bike. An unexpected ride back to main entrance got us toasted under the glaring heat of the Sumatran summer.

As I mentioned, the whole place is not as grandiose as the famed Hindu complex of the neighboring countries but the beauty of being untouched and left in ruins made it more appealing than the other temples I have seen so far. More importantly, since Hinduism never propagated in this area, which is generally Muslim, we can understand why people never really took time to use these places for worship yet they never tore it down.

Reviving Escolta: The Queen Street of Manila

This weekend gave Filipino heritage lovers and alike a blast from the past as the once posh street of Manila has been revived for The Manila Street Heritage Festival. Dubbed as #SelfiEscolta event, it was organized by a group of heritage enthusiasts with a theme called "Rescue, Revive and Relive Escolta".

Escolta is Manila's luxury and fashion district in the olden days. You may compare it to what is Greenbelt, Makati or BGC, Taguig today but with the sense of neo-classical designs and art deco architecture of the collections of buildings that managed to withstand the test of time. Although some of these buildings are being touted for demolition like the El Hogar Building. Some still serves purpose for banks and other local businesses.

Tiong Bahru Heritage Walking Tour

HDB Flats at Kim Pong Road

Tiong Bahru. Considered to be one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore, it has also been garnering accolades from locals, foreigners and tourists for a combination of old, hip and trendy atmosphere. With its heritage buildings and the number of cafes popping out in every corner of this historic area, Tiong Bahru, has become a place for wining and dining if you want to get out of the over-crowding central business district. It’s particularly getting a lot of attention from the so-called “hippies” but it’s not just a place for them, literally anyone can visit this area and have a look on what is going on. First of all, if you are into old buildings and historic sites, then this area is definitely for you. Otherwise, it may be difficult for the “uncultured” to appreciate what is there to see. And if you are willing to shell out an amount that is triple of what you would usually pay in a regular hawker centre, then you should try the ranges of café that you will see here.

The National Heritage Board of Singapore released the TiongBahru Heritage Trail. There are 10 spots that you may choose to look at if you are really keen but if you just want to walk around the place and see what is going on, I made a map that will direct you on walking from the Tiong Bahru MRT Station all the way to Tiong Bahru Estate and its surrounding vicinity. 

Bangkok Again. 3rd Time Is The Sweetest

I went to Bangkok again and I don't know why. Well it was actually my stop over on my to Siem Reap to see the Angkor Empire so I had to stay here for a couple of days. On my first trip to Bangkok back in 2009, I visited almost all of the temples so when I came back, I visited it again. The only change that has happened is that there are more and more tourists now compared 4 years ago. And most of them are the ever growing breed of the yellow people. But after this trip, I am pretty sure I will keep coming back.

The Golden Buddha Temple

When In Nepal: Travel Tips You Need To Know

I visited Nepal for nine days in December 2013. I spent most of my time within the Heritage Sites of Kathmandu Valley. And during my travel, I have learned about things that foreigners should do when visiting Nepal for the first time. Here is a list of things you should be aware of:

1. WEAR A MASK. A dust mask for your face is required when you are travelling the city whether you are walking, in a motorcycle and even inside a non air conditioned bus. The city has bad air pollution problem and the air is thick with smoke and dust which makes it difficult for breathing at any time of the day.

2. SLEEPING. During my 9 days in Nepal, I have read news about 2 gas poisoning incident both caused 2 casualties in two different occasions. Most traditional guesthouses uses gas heater and if your room is air tight, this may cause gas poisoning when you are asleep. Our guesthouse owner advised that I turn on the gas heater while awake and make sure I turn it off when the room temperature is warm enough before I sleep.

3. AVOID OILY AND FRIED FOOD. If you have tasted Indian food, Newari (Nepali) will not be a strange feeling on your tastebuds. But locals advise that foreigners should avoid fried and oily food as Nepali cooking oil may upset the stomachs of people who are not used to it.

Surviving Kathmandu, A Note On Being Dead In The City.

Top View of Kathmandu Durbar Square

Upon arrival in Kathmandu, I was half-expecting that the airport would not be that impressive as it is known as a poor country. But I admired how they constructed their airport using bricks which I later learned that it was the most basic foundation of traditional and contemporary homes in the whole of Nepal. When I entered the city, I was dismayed by the situation that appeared to me in the streets. It's dry, dirty, chaotic and was just a big mess. As I get to know the place and as I get deep into the cultural heritage that this place has to offer, I was already concluding that people did not really know about how such an important place is this for their history.

In general, people (or locals) are just busy getting by for the day. They flock the durbar square, at any day of the week, begging for one rupee, begging for food and when they have food, they will just throw the wrappers and plastics in the streets without even caring who clears up the mess they made. The streets are filled with motorcycles, rickshaws and people pushing carts selling fruits, spices and everything making a strenuous traffic snaking around the entire city. Taxis are plying in and out of the narrow streets including tourist vans and cars contributes to the congested traffic everyday.

Pigeons are also a source of mess in the durbar squares and places nearby as their shit are just all over the place and smells so bad. The entire city is dusty that were scraped off from bricks used in the buildings and houses. Not to mention the sort of developments being done in the city and constructions using bricks as foundations and walls are also adding up to the suffocating smog built from dust. The roads are not cemented and cars and buses add to the air pollution. Being an elevated city in the valley, fog is one of the regular visitors which mixes with the dust and smoke present almost everyday making it really difficult to breath heavily. Almost everyone uses a mask as a protection from this.

In the 9 days I spent in Kathmandu, I felt like the air condition made me weak and got me sick for a day and a half. I thought the city was dead as the locals did not seem to bother at all at the cleanliness and livability of their home city. They were all just busy trying to get by with their daily lives. Yes the country is poor and the capital is a mess but if people did not take care of it, who else are they supposed to blame. Even though arrival of tourists is high, I have noticed that tourists are more cautious nay cognizant on how to take care of the place than the locals themselves.

On the last day, I really though the city was dead and thought there is not part of the city that has eluded the dirtiness of it in and out until I visited Pashupinath. I called this place Temple Of The Dead. I did not research about this place and just saw this on the Lonely Planet guide. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a wall surrounding the whole area which says World Heritage Protected Site. This is the seventh and last place of WH Protected Site I visited. My expectations for this place is very high as the entrance fee is NR 1000. The best place I have been so far before this was Bhaktaphur Durbar Square which costs  NR 1100 which was really an impressive and well preserved place although air pollution was still present.

When I reached the center of Pashupinath, I saw a ceremony, sort of, for a dead man, who was in a shipped casket, which I am assuming from overseas, and being prepared to be cremated in open air. Nothing prepared me to see this kind of ceremony. Locals still perform this centuries old of Buddhism tradition in this sacred place. But I never thought they would do the cremation right in front of every one, including tourists and bystanders, to witness a what should have been a very private family ceremony. I have heard crying of people who I am assuming of course relatives of the dead man. As the men, probably relatives as well, prepared the dead man to be bathed in the holy river in the temple that passes through the center of the Pashupinath before burning the body, I left.

I left with a thought that despite how disappointed I was for the entire trip, there is still a bit of life living within the locals. They may not have taken care of their city but at least they still managed to maintain that sacred tradition, that belief of afterlife, that a dead man will be reincarnated after cremation and will live a new life. There it was, a little life at the temple of the dead.


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02.01.2014

J Gerald C Legaspi is the Filipino author of pinoyjourneys.blogspot.com and is currently working and travelling in and around South East Asia but spends most of his time in Jakarta, Manila and Singapore.

Grasshopper Bike Tours Siem Reap: Review

BIKING THE ANGKOR WAT COMPLEX

When we planned to visit the Angkor Temples Archaeological Complex, we stumbled upon so many reviews, to dos, not to dos, when to do things and stuff and as well as reading the ever reliable Lonely Planet book. We found out that biking around the temples would be a great idea. Since me and my friend enjoy biking and were quite looking for an adventure, we decided to find a bike tour that will hopefully satisfy our swash buckling quest around this massive archaeological complex. Upon checking so many stuff online, we decided to book with Grasshopper. This company is originally based in Thailand and has different biking tours all over Asia which you can access here.

Angkor Wat

The website is well detailed and the tour that we booked is exactly what we did during that sunny biking day at Siem Reap. We took the Day Ride Tour Angkor Temples for US$39. We started the day by meeting at Grasshopper Tour Shop which is quite near the famous Psar Cha (Old Market) in Siem Reap. There were five of us in the group including the guide. The tour is strict to have a maximum of 6 riders in every tour. We biked for about 5-6 kilometers from the city towards our first destination, Angkor Wat. This UNESCO World Heritage site is awfully magical in all sense. The place is indeed a wonder. That initial bike ride from the city was rewarded with just the stunning view of the temple from afar. We parked our bikes outside the main complex and visitors must walk going in and when wondering around the temple. The bike guide also serves as your cultural guide to explain about the temples. Given that English is not the first language of the people of Cambodia, you may find it difficult sometimes to understand their accent as they tell you the story of the temples. But despite of it all, just looking the marvelous creations of the ancient people of Cambodia back in the 12th century is already enough to learn that during that time, their civilizations is arguably one of the smartest, wisest and proudest when it comes to their architectural ingenuity.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Last week, I was in Siem Reap and visited the amazing temples of Angkor. Truly indeed they were mesmerizing and lived up to its status as a heritage site. The entire complex ca not be visited in one full day and there were just so many things to do and other places to check for good views of the temples. Prior to my visit, I learned that you should not miss the sunrise and sunset views of the temples. there were many suggestions. One website even listed down more than 20 other sites to view the sunset in order to avoid the maddening crowd in certain areas. For sunrise, almost every one visits the Angkor Wat and for sunset, it is Phnom Bakheng that is most famous. I guess these two are famous because that is where you will really find the best views among the other spots in this massive complex.

I only tried the sunrise at Angkor Wat and it was indeed rewarding and spectacular. There is definitely nothing like it any where in the world that has been standing for more than thousands of years. We arrived at the complex before 530 AM and the crowd was just starting. I was guided to stand in front of the small lake on the left side facing the Angkor Wat. Of which you will need flashlights in order to determine where you are. within 5 minutes of standing there, there was already a massive crowd behind me waiting for the sun to rise and trying to get that spot where they can take their own shot of that picturesque sun rising behind the majestic Angkor Wat. It was marvelous to see from that very dark minute when I arrived until that break of down.

The crowds will definitely ruin your moment as throngs of people were really scattered around the lake but you have no choice. That is the only to enjoy that mesmerizing sunrise as you can not really find it anywhere else. If you try and research other places on the internet which I did, people will recommend you to go to other places to avoid the crowd. But if you avoid the crowd and visit other temples to enjoy the sunrise, then you will miss the best thing ever when visiting Siem Reap. Which is the astoundingly picturesque sunrise behind the Angkor Wat temple.

George Town Street Art

The existence of many artists nowadays show a challenge to them on how to be distinct and recognize among other pool of artist. I myself is a frustrated artist. Back in Primary school, I have two best friends who have really good hands in painting and drawing and I always join them in art competition. Much to my dismay, I always end up with crappy artworks. I even attended a Drafting Class in one of my elective during high school but my professor has never been attracted to any of my work. well I could not blame her, I guess even my mom would not like any of my work although I tried my best to really work on it. But before I ended that Drafting Class, I managed to pull off the best artwork I did which I considered still the best until now.

George Town, aside from being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also a town for artists and painters. I talked a shop lady and told me about this Lithuanian artist who lived in Penang for a while and did some street arts in and around Georgetown. Some local artists made their paintings as well filling the whole town with different arts painted on wall.