All the Goodness of Home in La Union (OfficiallyPhilippines.com)

Posted on 29 August, 2011 by nikkacorsino

I grew up in a place that, like in a typical family, has had to endure competition among its sisters, with their Spanish-era villages; white-sand, palm-fringed beaches; fresh and abundant seafood, and of course, a cool climate that attracts tourists in droves.

Like the proverbial middle child, my hometown, La Union, is sandwiched between rather more popular tourist attractions—Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Benguet, and Pangasinan. More often than not, these bigger names get more pages in a journal, more photos from any single trip, and probably more chances of getting a second or third visit in the future.

Growing up here, I found myself quite apprehensive of its seeming lack of novelty, adventure, or that single awe-inspiring landscape found no place else. But just like any family, one simply has to look for what is already there, and perhaps some hidden beauty waiting to be discovered along the way.

This is part of a travel feature on my hometown, La Union, for OfficiallyPhilippines.com. Please read the full article here.

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The different faces of Mindanao: Kadayawan sa Dabaw

Posted on 24 August, 2011 by nikkacorsino

Kadayawan is Davao City’s annual thanksgiving festival. Davao is home to many of the Philippines’ wonders, including its highest peak, Mt. Apo; the Philippine Eagle; durian and pomelo; and the orchid waling-waling.

And while we’re in Davao-speak, let me tell you more about their crabs and durian.

Pete’s at it again

Posted on 16 August, 2011 by nikkacorsino

AMAZING. Pete Souza is a MONSTER. His eyes, his timing, his skill are all perfect. I found this on his website’s homepage while I was fixing my website links, and with a little digging on the White House Flickr account, I proved my hunch right: the most prominent silhouette is President Obama’s (Souza is POTUS’ official photographer), and that this was taken at the foot of the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro in March this year.

Hands down. Photojournalism never looked this good.

Photo from the official White House Flickr account

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All that eye candy in KL

Posted on 6 August, 2011 by nikkacorsino

A capital is always easier to identify from the rest of the country with its impressive show of heritage and/or progress, with some striking a balance between both. This can be said of Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, which marries skyscrapers and superhighways seamlessly with traditional Malay-inspired buildings in its center.

The dame of Kuala Lumpur’s skyscrapers, of course, is also the world’s tallest twin towers.

The Petronas Twin Towers houses the office of Petronas, Malaysia’s biggest oil company. One tower was built by a Chinese contractor, the other Japanese (though as to the difference that made in the building, at least at face value, we were not informed).

Below marks the center of the towers. Looks like you’re in an observatory (the building, incidentally, has a Science Discovery Center which we unfortunately did not discover soon enough to visit).

center of the twin tower bldg when you look up

standing at the center of the twin towers

View from the top:

The Skybridge, which holds the two buildings together for support,
is also a viewdeck located halfway through. They would’ve done better
to enclose the floor in glass, though. The experience would’ve been more exciting that way.

Amusing photo-ops we chanced upon around the tower.

I almost got run over by a van when I stopped to take a picture of these two guys. The building behind them is the Petronas, hence the, uh, pose.

Strolling along Bukit Bintang

Or the Golden Triangle: KL’s shopping district

That’s my co-writer Jen Balboa along Bukit Bintang during a post-drizzle walk.
Behind is KL’s tram line and farther off is the KL Tower.

Views from hotel rooms are always something to look forward to. Down below, where the
skyscraper casts its shadow, are a clump of small, old buildings which remind you of Manila.

Regular afternoon rains do have their rewards.

Batik-painting at Kompleks Kraf Kuala Lumpur

The KL Craft Complex houses souvenir items, galleries by Malaysian artists, and a batik-painting center where we tried our hands into making one of Malaysia’s most famous products.

The KL Craft Complex, fashioned from traditional Malay houses, is a work of art on its own.

The batik artist who colored the patterns like she was writing down her name on paper.

Using fabric paint was fun but tricky. One needs to outline patterns with wax to hold the colors
in place (paint spreads quickly on the fabric). Batik-painting clearly isn’t for everybody.

One of the better ones. That’s our photographer Don Oco with his magenta-colored gecko.

One of those paintings made by the batik artists. Hameyzing.

Souvenir-shopping at the KL Central Market

KL’s Central Market is like Metro Manila’s Greenhills,

only that in KL, souvenir items are sold instead of cellular phones.

I love tiangges (maybe because I’m kuripot, but that’s beside the point), and the Central Market was full to bursting with eye candy.

Ornamental paperweight, I presume.

I would’ve wanted to bring home one of these kites. They would have looked
great on my wall, but they were too bulky to carry around,
considering I was already lugging a parasol for Erika at that time.

Cheongsam and dresses for children. Cute!

Sand artist at work. Keen eye, and those hands’ precision was amazing.

My first purchase was this pendant, which the salesman actually talked me into buying.
My nine-year-old sister has this now. And yeah, it glows in the dark.

~

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You know what else I did in KL? Find out here. Thanks for reading!

Laguna Redang’s different shades of blue

Posted on 5 August, 2011 by nikkacorsino

~By now you may be tired of my blog posts with the word “Redang”. Believe me this is going to the last. We stayed there a good four days and three nights, and I hope you have appreciated just how beautiful the place is, which explains why I had too many photos I want to share.~

Redang Island’s most popular spot–or rather strip–is Pasir Panjang, where hotels line the immaculately white beachfront for the droves of tourists that come here during the summer. Most of them are Asian (Koreans and Chinese, particularly, but I think I once heard someone talking in Filipino while we were there).

Laguna Redang, a four-star hotel and the biggest in Pasir Panjang, undoubtedly gets the biggest slice of the tourist pie everytime, and for good reason–the sand here is whitest and the waters bluest (no, really, I’m not trying to over-patronize). This is because of an islet halfway through the strip that blocks away sunlight from the other side and showers all the good light on Laguna Redang’s (and neighbors’) side.

Told you, bluest white and whitest blue.

The resort was inspired by a movie shot where it stands now (want to know more? please buy our magazine, it’s still out ).

This is the resort’s souvenir shop, and this was culled from the movie that inspired the hotel owner
to build Laguna Redang in the first place.

Located an hour’s plane ride from Kuala Lumpur, plus a 1.5-hour jetty ride to the island, this is one of the places you go to to de-stress and have fun. For those who want more quiet, the place maintains corners where you can be away from the other tourists and at peace with yourself and with nature (read: it doesn’t get too noisy, and believe me, I’m picky when noise is involved). What can you do here, aside from that which we all love, which is absolutely nothing? Many.

Go kayaking

Snorkel. Or you can always hunt for baby crabs in these waters.
An elderly Chinese guy was actually doing that at 7 in the morning.
He looked like he was having loads of fun jumping up and down
whenever he saw a crab scuttling on the sand.

Or maybe not wait for your boat to dock and just jump off
into the water? I can completely understand
this guy for his, er, rash decision.

Go people-watching. That’s always fun.

Take a walk. In style. That gorgeous beach is postcard-perfect with you in it.
That’s my co-writer, Jen Balboa, getting in character. Read her feature on Laguna Redang
on AsianTraveler’s Beaches of Southeast Asia 4 issue.

Sebastian, anyone? That’s steamed chicken with, uh,
a healthy dose of imagination.

Or see the sun rise and bathe this corner purple and orange

Ah, the good life.

Tell me if dreams aren’t made of these.

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Touches of Paradise

Posted on 5 August, 2011 by nikkacorsino

Have you ever gone somewhere and SERIOUSLY didn’t want to leave? Certain places hold a certain charm that draws people to them and makes the prospect of saying goodbye absurd. For the exceptional few, staying at a totally strange place is as salient a choice as going back home–and I envy them.

This place has made me feel exactly like this because of the sheer peace and beauty in and around it that made me feel I was a whole world away. Berjaya Redang is a resort in Redang Island, Terengganu, Malaysia. Unlike other high-brow resorts, however, the simplicity and quiet are what resonate most in this place. Its home, after all, is a relatively untouched, rural island which houses just a small village and a strip of hotels in its Long Beach. The resort’s focal point? This:

A world away is such an understatement.

And of course, these other bits are just as beautiful:

Imagine retiring to this place for days on end..

..or waking up to this view..

..and spending the whole morning soaked in this water..

..or enjoying the 360-degree view of the cove from this private dock..

..or lounging in the complete peace and quiet of this corner..

..or pedaling your way through the cove in this..

..or simply marveling at how beautiful nature is.

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More of Berjaya Redang in my feature for AsianTraveler magazine’s Beaches of Southeast Asia 4 issue.

Thanks for reading!

Treasures of Terengganu

Posted on 5 August, 2011 by nikkacorsino

Petrol is Terengganu’s bread and butter, but this state along Malaysia’s East Coast prides itself for three others: mosques, batik, and Redang Island. [See: Redang Marine Park, Berjaya Redang, and The sunrise in Redang]

One of Terengganu’s best-known mosques is the Crystal Mosque, housed inside the Islamic Heritage Park, which contains replicas of notable mosques around the world (though we didn’t get the chance to go around and see them).

This is the Crystal Mosque in all its steel-and-glass glory. Particularly enchanting during sunset, and of course you know why.

Another well-known mosque, the Floating Mosque, best seen from above (whitewashed against the deep blue water enclosed in green; but light during our visit wasn’t favorable so I chose to convert this photo to black-and-white).

And of course, batiks in a dizzying array of colors, shapes, and patterns.

Most batiks in Malaysia are produced in Terengganu, that’s why prices are cheaper than in other areas such as Kuala Lumpur. A batik dress I bought for my mom at KL’s Central Market that cost around RM46 was selling for half the price here. And there’s just so many patterns and colors to choose from, taking pictures seems to be the better bargain. These batiks are sold at the Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu’s capital) Central Market (two floors of batik to choose from!) along with shirts and other souvenir items way cheaper than in the capital. The funny thing is that vendors will even haggle for you. I asked a vendor if she could give me a plush turtle for RM10 (tag price was RM12), but she told me I could have it for RM8. Oh well.

Terengganu is also a fishing town, and we were able to drop by a fishing village in Kuala Terengganu before sundown.

Naturally, fish-based products are rife in this Malaysian state. Below are women making Keropok Lokor, a typical fish sausage snack resembling our very own kikiam. According to BackpackingMalaysia.com, ingredients include fish (usually Ikan Parang or Ikan Kembong), sago flour, salt, water, ice cubes, and pandan leaves. These are then boiled (or fried) and served with chili sauce or ketchup.

According to our tour guide, this Malaysian snack is best accompanied with Teh Ice, the Bahasa term for iced tea. Teh Ice is a cold version of the Teh Tarrik, Malaysia’s popular milk tea served piping hot (and it’s the best milk tea I’ve tasted so far).

A mug of Teh Tarrik we had at Putrajaya.

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And the train finally rounds the curve

Posted on 1 August, 2011 by nikkacorsino

~I apologize for a shamefully late blog entry. Work beckoned. Sorry, Harry. I’ve only dealt with my grief now. ~

In this day and age of digital books, I feel lucky to have hitched along what probably is popular literature’s last long train ride.

And though there are no more movies to skip classes for, or thick books to spend afternoons with, every person who has ever read Harry in the books or seen him in the movies will have gathered by this time a treasure trove of memories to keep, and maybe share with their children (hoping that, when that time comes, books will not have suffered the fate of vinyl records in our time).

I identify the books with everything from skipping class to saving up, to waiting in line for Books 6 and 7 on their release days, and, of course, to writing. I scrambled between saving up allowance after allowance so I could complete my collection, and living in Baguio as a student, transport and meals and all.

I decided to skip class for the first time in college to watch a Harry Potter opening screening, and it felt liberating. I spent whole days stuck on the couch reading (and rereading, but I have since lost count). And yes, I joined in the hype, reserving my copies and waiting for the mall to open so I could be one of the first to get their hands on the hardbound copies (I especially love the scent of newly opened books!).

I wished Erika, my nine-year-old sister, had something like this to look forward to every year, but I doubt if there will ever be any other in its wake.

Rowling writes to fascinate, and whether this is a conscious effort or not, it’s something I have always found to be her books’ strongest points.

To fascinate is to excite the senses; to trigger the imagination to work double-time in response to the reality that is being created. Rowling has successfully done this in all seven books, having had enough impact to translate to an even stronger movie following and, to some, fanaticism (hence, people who wear wizard robes and wands; who religiously collect memorabilia; who buy that Hogwarts acceptance letter and have it mailed to their address).

And her words came at the opportune time—when I didn’t have a niche but unconsciously wanted to find one and nail it. The books’ most profound impact lay on my writing, my love for which, I believe, has grown as I devoured Rowling’s pages and wanted to be in the same world she has created.

Her power to create—and the career she has carved out of it since—struck me as powerful and yet very possible. I was at awe at the world she has breathed life to—the moving photographs and talking portraits, the trash bin that eats garbage, the beaded bag that could fit anything (even a person), the cool spring afternoons spent walking along the castle grounds and into the Great Lake, feasting on lamb chops and treacle tart in the Great Hall (which keeps on refilling no matter how much one eats).

Magic, I guess, is the magic word. Everyone is in love with the idea of doing what is not humanly possible and being in enchanted places. Rowling has created what closely resembles a fairytale that had more of the gruesome scenes and the evil guys, but it also had more heart and hope and promise and fun. Besides, don’t you just love the Weasley twins?

And I couldn’t be more thankful to have read her pages when I was a little more mentally prepared to absorb her language and story. For people who love the written word, her books were thousands of pages worth of added knowledge.

Harry Potter has not only been delightful afternoon pastimes, not to mention gorgeous additions to my bookshelf. It has been an inspiration in imagining, creating, writing, and believing in adventurous journeys and happy endings. It has been one good ride indeed.

~Photo taken from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Nikka's Notes

Stories and photos by Nikka Corsino

Monthly Archives: August 2011

All the Goodness of Home in La Union (OfficiallyPhilippines.com)

The different faces of Mindanao: Kadayawan sa Dabaw

Pete’s at it again

All that eye candy in KL

Laguna Redang’s different shades of blue

Touches of Paradise

Treasures of Terengganu

And the train finally rounds the curve