Trayle

My friends and I went to the Los Banos campus of the University of the Philippines last weekend to watch a play written and developed by two of our friends. We just took the public transportation from Cubao to get there. We thought we were already late for the 7pm play, but it turned out, we were early -- the lights and equipment were not set-up yet. So Caloy, our friend, who's also the playwright, took us to the LB Square for dinner while waiting for the play to start.

LB Square is where you can find different food stalls, coffee shops, internet cafes, small clubs and restaurants. It's right outside the campus, and is usually frequented by students and professors from UP-LB.  Caloy took us to his favorite Thai food stall. The food was excellent! And for only P54 each, our stomachs full. The seven of us (Caloy, K, Eleyn, Jayson, Jeeu, Sherwin and me) just shared three dishes. The owner (a Thai), gave us a pitcher of complimentary iced tea.

After dinner, we rushed to the venue of the play: at The Ruins. It was actually a burned down building that they turned into a stage. It looked great. The play, Pagbulas ng Sibol, was based on a German play. The downside though was: it was too long! God, a two and a half hour play. The first part was a bit dragging, but it picked up on act three. All in all, I really liked it a lot.

After the play, we went back to the LB Square. Other friends (Kat, Lec, and YB) who later joined us, wanted to eat. Some of the restaurants were already closed though. The weird thing about the LB Square is that, it's actually more alive during weekdays. On weekends, most of the students go home, leaving the campus practically deserted.

We later decided to just buy beer and hang out at Caloy's place to wait for daylight. But when we went to a nearby convenience store, we found out they no longer sell liquor beyond 2am. Darn. So we just bought soda and some junk food.

Caloy is staying in a small dorm inside the campus, and we all crammed inside his room. He told us all about the charms of the campus... the vibrant theater scene, the beautiful environment, etc... It almost made us all want to move there. Well, almost.

We went for breakfast the following morning, and then went back to Manila. Back at the city, we decided to have coffee at Gateway, and browsed for books at the National Bookstore before finally going home.

we arrived a day late of the masskara festival in bacolod city. we totally missed all the festivities. what was left were just the vestiges of the street dance, and smiling masks which decorated the streets and homes. so we instead took ourselves to the nearby silay city where the old houses were.

we first visited the church, which featured a dome and a pieta, reminiscent of old european churches. this was built during the spanish times. take note of the beautiful ceiling inside.

then we hired a tricycle to take us around town to see all the old houses. our first stop was the balay negrense, the restored residence of don victor gaston, a man of french descent. it was built in 1897, but deteriorated after the family abandoned it. the house, which has 12 rooms, was just recently restored to its old glory.  

we checked out every corner of the house, and was fascinated by the old stuff like the grand piano, the lyre, the old bike, the furnitures, etc. it was disconcerting though to see the all too evident gender and class structures during those times. there's this huge forking staircase inside the house and men have to take the right side, while women the left. and servants can only use the staircase, which looks like a ladder to me, at back of the house. they're forbidden inside the main house except when they have to clean or something.

we also visited the jalandoni ancestral home. it was a typical house of a haciendero. silay, like most of negros is known for its sugar industry. we saw truckloads of "tubo" or sugarcane. anyway, going back to the jalandoni house, the ground floor was a garage and a storage area for sugarcane and palay. upstairs was the main house with many of its original furnitures still on display.

silay city, they say, is the "paris of the south", with its art-deco style buildings and ancestral homes.

i wish though that we had more time to explore, but unfortunately we had limited time. 

during my one week stay in toronto, tito eddie took me and my aunt to the niagara falls. i couldn't possibly leave canada without seeing this natural wonder, right? so we drove off to niagara which was just an hour or so away. first we ate a buffet brunch in one of the casinos there. then we played a little of those slot machines. we lost of course.

then we went on to see the niagara falls. it was just magnificent! you'd really feel the vibrations of this huge, huge falls! it will make your heart pound faster. and the canadian side's got the best view. the other half of the falls is on the u.s. side. in fact, i can already see the tall buildings of new york from where we were standing. tito eddie told me we could have just drove to broadway from there if i had a u.s. visa, and watch a musical or something. unfortunately, i didn't. oh well, maybe next time.

then my aunt and i went on board the maid of the mist in order to get closer to the whirlpools beneath the falls. we had to wear these plastic raincoats to avoid getting soaked. it was exhilirating!

then we went to the souvenir shops, to buy what else, but souvenirs. we ate sherbets and sat on one of the benches and just enjoyed the site.

then it was time to drive back to toronto. boohoo! i didn't want to leave.

i stayed with my aunt in toronto for a week after the conference in ottawa. 

boy, toronto is a big city, and so unlike ottawa or peterborough. it's multicultural, that you'd probably find there almost every race there is on the planet. ok, that's an exaggeration.

but seriously, there are a lot of things going on in toronto, that i don't even know where to begin. i think they took me downtown first. i saw the old city hall with its distinctive clock tower, and the new one opposite it which was designed by a finnish architect. both structures were beautiful. the modern one even became part of the city's logo. then of course just in front of the new city hall is the nathan philips square, a public space with a fountain that turns into a skating rink on winter.

then we went to the eaton centre, the largest mall downtown. eaton centre is located on yonge street, the longest street in the world. and yonge street is pretty impressive in terms of the number of interesting shops and establishments around. we checked out the more prominent ones like sam the record man where i bought some hard to find cds and dvds.

we also went to honest ed's, a landmark store in toronto. i found some really cheap shirts that i could give as souvenirs for friends and family back home. some of the stuff that they sell here are really cheap.

another time, when my aunt and i went out to see more of the downtown, we ate at pizza pizza, the largest pizza chain in ontario. you can find a branch of pizza pizza in almost every corner, much like tim horton's, canada's version of starbucks. talking about canadian stores, i also bought a baseball cap for my brother at roots, another distinctly canadian brand.

then we also watched a movie at the carlton theater. it was a judi dench film, ladies in lavander. my cousin patricia, who just lives downtown, told me that filipino films are sometimes being shown there. she brought us up to her apartment, which was just above the subway, after eating at a japanese resto. i was introduced to her boyfriend and two fat cats.

ok, what else about downtown? oh, we checked the world's largest bookstore. that's really its name. i'm not sure though if it's really the world's largest. i did buy some books that i couldn't get in the philippines. then we also checked out some of the smaller second hand bookstores nearby.

after downtown, we next went to the toronto islands park. we had to ride a ferry boat to get there. the view of the city from the boat is fantastic. my cousin zinia's son bumpy was with us when we went. we rode the mini train for the guided tour. surprisingly, there were residential homes in those islands.

after the islands, we went to the harbourfront and just sat around enjoying the breeze. one time, my aunt and i went there to watch an outdoor ballet. there were musicians and other entertainers for the public too. the restaurants at the harbour are always full, luckily we got a seat.

we also went to casa loma, a beautiful castle built by rich canadian financier sir henry pellatt. we took lots of pictures here. the garden is just amazing.

my aunt also took me to the canadian national exhibition, or simply called "the ex". there were rides, exhibits, sales, performances, and all sorts of entertainment. it was fun!

so i think that was it. i wanted to stay longer and see more of toronto, but i was feeling a bit homesick already. and besides, i didn't want to incovenience my aunt any longer. imagine, she took the whole week off from work just so she could show me around.

some other noteable stuff i can recall was that one time we ate breakfast at a diner. something that i only saw on american tv shows or movies. then riding the subway of course and the street car. cool!     

the niagara falls experience is on my next post. 

i rode with three of my conference mates from ottawa to toronto. they rented a car, and was on their way to the niagara falls. they dropped me off at the scarborough center where i met with my cousin mark and his girlfriend angiela. then we went to the nearby ikea. it was an interior junkie's heaven! beautiful home furnishings at really cheap prices. then we went to a mall in oshawa.

after shopping, we were finally on our way to peterborough where i planned to crash for the night. angiela lives there. it's a quaint little town. we stopped at a video store and rented some movies. i was drooling over some really good titles there. then we ordered pizza from this small pizza place where they still use an old fashioned earthen oven for baking pizza.

old buildings line up the main street downtown. too bad though i wasn't able to take some pictures. i only got the pictures here from the net.

mark described the town as something out of the hit tv series, gilmore girls. i had to agree. i love old and small towns a lot. and this one is also some sort or a university town since it's got trent university. lots of college kids at night in small bars, cafes and restaurants. there's that indie feel.

the following morning, we went by the lake, and sat on picnic tables eating our poutine. poutines are canadian fries with cheese curds and topped with gravy. it looks a bit disgusting, but it's very tasty. i wasn't able to finish mine though because the serving is just so huge.

then angiela toured us around trent university. the campus is huge physically, and the buildings are scattered far from each other. you need a car to get around.

after that we walked downtown, checked out the shops, a second hand bookstore where angiela used to work, ate ice cream and went back to angiela's place to rest for awhile before driving back to toronto.

but when we went back on the road, it started to rain really hard. we had to stop at one of the gas stations because it was hard to see the road. but angiela was a great driver, so we managed to arrive safely at the ikea store in toronto where i was meeting my aunt.

as it turned out, my aunt was also late because of the thunderstorm. apparently it clogged the traffic real bad. i was glad though, everyone was safe.   

i really enjoyed my stay in ottawa. on my first day, i met two filipinas who were also attending the seminar. they arrived a day or two earlier than me, so they've already explored the downtown. but they still graciously showed me around.

we went to the byward market, the rideau centre and another adjacent mall, the bayshore i think. the byward market was interesting, with lots of unique shops, restaurants, bars, and an outdoor market with fresh fruits, vegetables and other products. the veggies were huge and colorful. you'd wonder if they're real.

we also went to see the locks of the rideau canal. locks are structures that people built in order to navigate the rapid waters more efficiently. a few boats were at the locks when we went to see it. a lot of tourists and bystanders were watching too. we had a stunning view of the ottawa river.

the next day, we went out to eat in this chinese restaurant near bank street. my companions have been craving for a rice meal. all we get to eat from the conference are wraps, pasta and salad. after our meal, the two went back to the place they're staying in for the duration of the conference, which was a bus-ride away i think. since i was only staying at the univeristy dorm, i went on to explore more of the downtown.

i went to see the famous parliament hill. it's a castle-like structure in gothic revival style which houses canada's senate and the house of commons. i took pictures of the most prominent building, the peace tower. i walked around the grounds, and found this cat house built by an animal lover for stray cats. but not only stray cat are staying there, i spotted possums, squirrels and raccoons too. while waiting for the 9pm light and sound show, i explored the nearby streets. in particular, the heritage sparks street, with its shops, bars, and souvenir stores. after the wonderful light and sound show, i walked back to the dorm. thankfully, i didn't get lost. i just followed the stream of people, and tried to navigate myself through my internal compass. haha!

the following day, i tried exploring the university campus. i went for an early morning walk. and even if it's the summer season, early mornings are still a bit chilly. i found the houses inside the campus charming, so i took pictures. tried to shoot pictures of the squirrels as well, but they were gone before i could even click my camera. passed by coffee shops, convenience stores and bookstores. i'd be happy to study there.

then in the evening, after attending the cocktails, i went back to my room. but then i realized that even if it's already around 9 or 10pm, it still looked like daytime outside. so i went back out and went around the campus again. the university of ottawa is a mix of old and new buildings. i'm not sure if it's a huge campus though. but i like it a lot. there are theaters, libraries of course, a student center (with free internet access), dorms, bars, restaurants, and other interesting buidlings.    

on the last day of the conference, while i was out with bing (one of the filipinas i met), my cousin mark called. he said he and his girlfriend angiela are on their way to the univeristy to see me. mark was also in canada at that time for a vacation, and to visit his girlfriend who's studying at trent univeristy in peterborough. so i waited for them at the dorm, and when they arrived, we went around town in angiela's car. angiela used to study at the u of o, but later transferred to trent. they introduced me to the famous canadian pastry, the beaver tails. it's absolutely delicious! we had the cinnamon and cheese flavors.

then i found out that downtown ottawa is still vibrant at night. there are lots of bars, watering holes and restaurants still open, with lots of people enjoying the nightlife. i saw a couple of mohawk punks too. haha.

so that was the end of my ottawa tour. i was on my way to toronto the next day.   

last year, i went to ottawa, canada to attend yet another conference. leny and i were supposed to go together, but i ended up going alone. so there i was, travelling alone for the first time, and quite nervous. actually, i was more nervous about the workshop i was going to give at the university of ottawa, than anything else.

i arrived late in the evening at the ottawa airport. it was practically deserted! so after getting my luggage, i went straight to the information booth and asked where i could get a ride going to the university. the guy at the counter was very helpful, and told me i could take the bus just outside the airport. so i went to the bus stop and waited. there was a map, and so i studied it for a long time. then this guy approached me, and asked if i needed help. he said he couldn't help notice that i've been staring at the map, and was probably lost. so i told him that i was going to the university of ottawa, and was just trying to figure out where i was supposed to get off. he gave me directions and assured me i won't miss it. when the bus finally arrived, i told the driver to drop me off at the university dorm. but he told me that there are several dorms, and he needed to know the exact name of the building. oops. my information packet did not specify the name of the building. it only says "university of ottawa residential complex". so the driver dropped me off near one of the dormitories, and told me to just ask around. great. 

when the bus rolled off, and i was left alone in the middle of the night, that's when i started feeling really nervous. where was i supposed to go? i started to walk towards the direction of one of the buildings, trying to look for the entrance, with my backpack, and another luggage in tow. there were a few people walking around. some in groups, some alone. i just kept on walking, like i knew where i was going. when i still couldn't find the entrance, i tried to stop a girl in roller blades to ask. but she just kept going. but suddenly she came back and asked if i was trying to ask her something. apparently she had her ipods on, and didn't hear me. so i asked her where the dorm was, and she gave me the same answer that the bus driver gave: there are several dorms! but she said she'd check the one nearby. so i followed her. then i saw another guy walking towards me, and i also asked him. he said he'd check. while we were walking towards the dorm, the girl in roller blades told me that the dorm was open, and i should just ask the person at the counter. so i thanked both of them and told them i could handle it from there. thankfully, it was indeed the dorm that i was looking for. 

and thankfully too, the girl at the counter agreed to give me a room even if i can't pay her yet. i told her i still had to get my subsidy from the conference organizers. 

how friendly and accommodating can these people get?