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Travel & Tourism H-3Sunday, August 29, 2010

When I grew up

on the other 

s i d e o f t h e

 world, in Eng-

land in the old

days, no newspaper column had

a picture of the writer. Indeed,

in the really high class newspa-

pers, the name of the writer did

not even appear in the column.

 As with today’s editorials, only 

those “in the know” could iden-

tify the writer. How things have

changed. All over the world, columns

are headed by a picture of the writer,

sometimes in glorious colour. And on

their internet blogs, writers can show 

dozens of pictures.

 After meeting a few columnists,

I realised that those photographs

  which appear in the papers were

usually taken many years ago. So

many years that in some cases I did

not recognise the old person I met

as being the columnist. One colum-

nist explained. “You foreigners don’t

understand. I’ve been writing the

column for years, and it just happens

to be the original photograph.” Not a

 very convincing story, in my opinion.

One gossip columnist used to satirise

these vanity photos by heading his

articles with a picture of himself as

a baby.

This was a very good idea. I have

a picture of myself as a baby which

comes in very useful sometimes. I

am standing in the garden wearing

  what in those days was no doubt a

fashionable boy’s “romper suit” but

now looks rather feminine. However,

it’s the only baby picture I have and,

 when I’m giving a talk and badly need

audience sympathy, I always find an

excuse to show it. It always excites

cries of “how cute” (remember that

 was me in the old days, not now) and

is guaranteed to soften up the audi-

ence.

Of course, nowadays, through the

miracles of modern technology, we can

retouch photos to remove wrinkles

and eye bags, smooth the skin, and add

a twinkle to the eyes. Or even better,

 we can start with a picture of someone

else, perhaps a movie star, and add

some of our own features to the picture

until it becomes vaguely like us.

  You readers may not under-

stand that, as a serious writer, I

am above this sort of thing. The

picture above is not retouched in

any way, and is only five years old.

When I started this column, I just

looked in my picture file. I have had

thousands of pictures taken in the

Philippines, but my file contains

 just two, because the others were

  just not me at all. After ten min-

utes, I randomly picked one of the

two and sent it to the Bulletin.

Isn’t it an odd world that we

live in?

A long time ago, in a faraway country...

HoWArDBelton

A Photograph I Prepared Earlier

r

 R  izal 

 Traveling  A-Z From idyllic beaches to scenic mountains, the Philippines is one of the places on Earth that can be considered as a “complete” destination. A tropical country teeming with sundry attractions, there will always be something new to discover. This section

provides an overview of the country’s various provinces from A-Z with helpful tips on interesting insights and quirky must-seesthat will inspire you to go out and explore some more!

 F a s t f a c t s :

la Da:Tagalog

Fsvas aduua vs:Every November,Angono celebratesone of the most

famous of Philippinefestivals: The Feast of SanClemente and HigantesFestival. This thanksgivingcelebration is highlightedby a parade of colorful

papier mache giants garbedin native costumes andwooden footwear.

As adhahsps:

Pphs f Baa ad ADiscovered in 1965 byPhilippine National ArtistCarlos ‘Botong’ Francisco,the petroglyphs werevalidated to have existed

Text by JAcKy l

ynne A. oigA

Photos by Pinggot ZUlUetA

izal province is

  where locals and

tourists can touch

base with nature with-

out losing touch with

the finer points of urban living. As

Metro Manila’s nearest eastern neigh-

bor, Rizal is connected by an extensive

and well-developed road network to

major cities in the National Capital

Region and nearby provinces. Along-

side bustling urban centers, Rizal still

retains a bounty of scenic attractions;

  verdant hills and undulating valleys

stretch from the rugged foothills of 

Montalban and Antipolo, the Sierra

Madre ranges, down to the pictur-

esque shores and vistas of Laguna

de Bay.

Named in honor of the coun-

try’s national hero, Jose Rizal, the

province has gained the reputa-

tion of being the Cradle of Philip-

pine Art. Beyond neatly laid-out

residential villages, shopping

malls, and business centers, Rizal

has artists’ communities and old

towns with centuries-old churches

that attest to the province’s rich

cultural legacy. This is the home

of the late great National Artists:

Renowned painter Vicente Man-

ansala, famed muralist Carlos

‘Botong’ Francisco, and eminent

musician Lucio San Pedro.

Rizal’s mountainous terrain

offers exciting sites for biking,

mountain climbing, camping, andother outdoor activities amidst

rolling hills, lakeshores, caves,

and waterfalls.

since 3000 BC. The Stone Age rockengravings consist of 127 drawingsof human and animal gures.The site has been included in theWorld’s Inventory of Rock Art.

Ba Fam Musum, ATalent in the Blanco Family spansgenerations: From patriarch andrenowned artist Jose D. Blanco tohis wife, their many children, andgrandchildren, all of whom havetaken up the brush. Visitors arewelcome to view the vast collectionof artworks of Angono’s mostfamous family of painters at theirprivate museum.

Uu Pak ad PahF Pa ga, MUugong Park is the sanctuary andstudio of nger-painting artist andsculptor Rafael Pacheco. Fromtime to time, the artist conductsworkshops, demonstrations,and lectures from this mountainhideaway. The park and exhibitarea is open to the public and hasswimming pools and picnic areas.

nau adadvu sps:

Daaak Fas, taaA favorite location shooting areaof movie and advertising outts,picturesque Daranak Falls nestlesquietly at the foot of the Tanaymountains. The 14-meter highwaterfall cascades down to a poolsurrounded by natural vegetation.

Huua takak, ApThis mountain resort right in theheart of Antipolo City has picniccottages, a swimming area,footpaths, and a small waterfall.The festival month of May attractsthousands of visitors who cometo watch concerts and stage playsheld at the park.

Wawa Dam, rduzAt the foothills of Sierra MadreMountains lies Wawa Dam, a

beautiful riverthat runs through alimestone gorge. Its damsupplies water to MetroManila and surroundingareas.

chuhs:The Shrine of Our Ladyof Peace and GoodVoyage in Antipolo

City attracts a huge number of devotees in May to pay homageto the miraculous image of theVirgin Mary. Other churches onRizal’s must-see list include: TanayCatholic Church, St. Jerome Churchin Morong, Baras Church, and theBoso-Boso Church in Antipolo.

Hw h:

The towns of San Mateoand Rodriguez (formerlyMontalban) can be

reached viaCubao in Quezon City. BothSumulong Highway andMarcos Highway lead toAntipolo City, then on to thetowns of Teresa, Morong,Baras, Tanay, Pililla, andJala-Jala. Follow the ManilaEast Road to get to thetowns of Cainta, Taytay,Angono, Binangonan, andCardona. Talim Island isaccessed via motorized boatsfrom Pritil Wharf in Cardonatown.

Daaak Fas

Ap chuh

Ba FamMusum