Saturday, July 14, 2012

Top 5 Pasalubong from Cebu

Visiting Cebu anytime soon and tired of taking home the usual food delicacies? There are many other great souvenir finds you can find in this majestic island. In this article, we will be listing the top five pasalubong from Cebu for your family and friends.

1. Guitars

Guitar from Cebu If you’re looking for acoustic instruments made in the Philippines, Cebu is the bestplace to visit. Having a rich history of creativity, style and precision in guitar-making, Cebu prides itself for having lots of showrooms, factories and stores where you can buy different guitar types that are world class. Their guitars are made of narra wood, rosewood and kamagong. The quality is so good that many of them are hit products being exported abroad (to countries like Japan and the US). Popular makers are located along the stretch of Barangay Abuno in Mactan: Alegre Guitars, Inday Celia’s Guitars and the New Susing Guitars. Prices of their guitars range from 1,200 to 50,000 pesos, while ukuleles (small guitars) are at 40 pesos each. If you truly are an enthusiast of guitars, go for the Guitar Master is located near the old bridge in Mactan Island, and you will not regret what you have just exchanged your money with!

2. Fashion Accessories

Cebu offers handmade earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets and anklets made up of beads, pearls and shells. A must-have for ladies, fashion accessories in Cebu can be bought from the souvenir shops in Mactan Shrine and the local malls. They are super cheap at 10 to 35 pesos each. If you are buying wholesale, be friendly to the sellers and don’t mind haggling for even lower prices.

I love Cebu3. “I Love Cebu” Items Whenever you visit a diverse and intriguing place like Cebu, you will want to have products tagged with the city’s name on it—to take on some air of vanity that you have actually been there. Mugs, hats, keychain, ref magnets and T-shirts are found in souvenir shops all around Cebu. And local and foreign tourists are crazy over them! Priced at 100 to 500 pesos, T-shirts are the best buys as they can be worn and used comfortably everywhere. Available in different sizes, it comes with different themes and designs such as the illustration of the sunny island, historic figures, animals and the “I ♥Cebu” text. Cheaper ones are sold at the Carbon Market where you will be able to bargain to your heart's content!

4. Rattan Furniture

Cebu manufactures and designs the best rattan chairs, tables, beds and other furniture perfect for both indoor and outdoor spots. A splash of these quality furniture will look vibrant as accents and will surely liven up your dull living room or porch back at home. Rattan invites an Asian theme, and many foreigners buy a piece or two to give their homes that exotic and stylish personality. If you think that furniture is large and cannot be accommodated in your baggage, you can opt for pencil holders, baskets and handy bags instead.

5. Image of Sto. Nino

St.nino de Cebu Cebu is known for the Sinulog festival which is celebrated to commemorate Sto. Nino (the Child Jesus) every January. So around that time of the year, many tourists go to the famous Sto. Nino Church or the Basilica del Minore del Sto Nino in downtown Cebu. To have a blessed keepsake, take a picture beside the image of Sto. Nino to show to your family and friends and this will fulfill your Cebu trip even more.

There are lots of other affordable Cebu products you can buy as homecoming gifts not only for your loved ones but also for yourself as a remembrance of your visit to this queen city of the south. So spare some bucks and go shopping for these amazing mementos!

Author bio:
Ann Joy Perez is an alumna from Arellano University Philippines, a former Marketing Assistant and a 25 year old, single. She is into almost all types of Music especially love songs. She also love playing basketball, video games,watching entertainment and films.watching news tv and reading news paper is one of her favorite hobby and also she loves to eat. Follow her interest on her Tumblr.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Travel Tuesday - Locals in Cambodia

No matter how far we go from our country and culture, some sights are very familiar. I saw these locals in Cambodia coming for a weekend outing to Kulen Mountain, a spiritual place , also a picnic spot for them.It could be a scene taken out of anywhere in India.


India through my eyes - Drying appalams or papads on the doorstep

Kalladaikurichi appalam or papad is quite famous and popular in my village . Here is a typical sight of a lady drying them before you can fry or roast them .




Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Birding in US - The brown pelican

We had just come back from the whale watching cruise in Monterey when we saw the pelican perched close by. He was so still that we were wondering if it was " real " after all. I just wished I had spent more time birding in the USA



To me the birds have always been the symbol of Independence Day..so happy 4th July to folks out there 

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

India through my eyes - Guardian Gods

While driving in and around my village Kallidaikurichi in down South Tirunelveli, I chanced upon a temple in Ambasamudram where these Guardian Gods were housed. I learnt from family and some friends on Facebook that the deity was referred to as Vandimaricha Amman. It is near the Agasthiyar Temple



Ayyanars are also referred to as Guardian Gods and here is a post on them.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Offbeat India - Vattakottai



A Dutch naval officer leads an army against an Indian king, only to be defeated by him. The story however does not end there. The king, impressed by the foreigner hires him and makes him a commander in his own army . The Dutch officer then trains the Indian army, builds forts and even helps them defeat their local and international rivals in war.



You would probably read about these kinds of stories only in India, even if it is set more than 300 years ago. This story, which may seem more common in multinational companies today was set in the 18thcentury when kings and queens ruled over India and the Europeans were knocking at their doors to establish trade and to eventually take over power.  I am speaking of the stories relating to the Travancore – Dutch wars that were set in the 18th century. The king is Travancore Maharaja Marthanda Varma and the Dutch naval officer is Eustachious De Lannoy who was with the Dutch East India Company before switching loyalties.

It is a beautiful day with perfect cotton candy clouds floating over the clear blue sky. The seas surrounding us is calm as it gently caresses the shore. A lone tree stands , its dead branches almost touching the sky. In the distant horizon, we can see windmills dancing to the tune of the breeze. I am at Vattakottai, a circular sea fort built on the coast near Kanyakumari, by De Lannoy for Marthanda Varma.  Standing from the ramparts, I look out into the picturesque view of the Western Ghats encircling the oceans – the Bay of Bengal on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other.


Vattakottai was one of our destinations  as  part of the heritage Naanjil Naadu tour where we explored the monuments left behind by various dynasties in and around Kanyakumari and Nagercoil.  The Venad kings started their reign over Travancore from this region before moving  base . Even today the ancient Padmanabha palace ringed in by the Western Ghats stands as the testimony to the origins of the dynasty. It is believed that the ruler Marthanda Varma dedicated his kingdom to his family deity Padmanabha and Padmanabhapuram lost its significance when the capital was eventually shifted from here to Trivandrum in the 18thcentury .

As we enter the granite fort, the outer walls greet us with the symbol of two elephants with a conch shell, but the fort itself is neither imposing nor formidable. It just seems like another nondescript hidden destination that lets the eye gaze at some of the most beautiful vistas around.  It was believed that one can see the Padmanabhapuram palace from here, but all I can see is a fabric of blue – the sky and the sea seems to merge.  The coconut trees grace the shore, as some parts of the wall jut out into the sea . And as many folk lores say, a tunnel was supposed to have been built here too , but one wonders where ,  as the fort seemed isolated , surrounded by waters.  


A huge open courtyard, probably a parade ground leads us to a flight of steps with a ramp. We look down from the walls , built at a height of almost 25 feet and the sea greets us.  The British apparently destroyed the fort in a much later battle , but today, Vattakottai stands in memory of the Dutch commander who had served and trained the Indian army under the Travancore kings.

Starting July, I am starting a new series called Offbeat India. It will include stories, photo-posts, my columns - Inside Story published in The Hindu among other posts. This was published in my column in The Hindu Metro Plus recently. 

Sunday, July 1, 2012