My mom have this really odd habit of telling at the last minute of the day of going to somewhere or doing something... Then the thing about her is that she wont say anything about that until we are in the pick up station or meeting place... and she is like... "TRUST ME... " and me be like "WWWWWWHHHHHHYYYYYYY??? then she would ridiculously reply "BECAUSE I AM YOU MOM..."
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| I and my Mom as we enjoyed the art day appreciation in Rizal |
Last June 3, 2017, she woke me up like 4 am in the morning asking me to come along with her... and so I did clueless with what or where or who or how questions. All I have was my trust on her that we were going to have an awesome day ahead while singing Phil Collins song in Brother Bear "Tell Everybody I'm My Way". We arrived at Mc Donalds Greenbelt and greeted us with such hefty breakfast meal. Then they said our ride has arrived. Our ride was a coaster bus! I only see foreign Asian riding this kind of bus along the busy streets... On the day I was given that chance to be a tourist in a classy tourist bus. The ride was so smooth. I like "manong" driver. I didn't feel dizzy at all in spite of having a hefty breakfast awhile that day...
We reached Rizal just right...perfect to have that great tour about Art and Heritage.
First Stop "The Petroglyphs"
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| The carvings on the stone wall are a must see of every Filipinos. These pictures are just proofs that everyone are fond of making some artworks on the walls |
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| Manong tourist guide never got tired of me... :) |
The road on the way to the first and only proof that the people or Rizal really rooted from the artists' ancestors was filled of roller coaster ride. I like the ups and downs and slides on the roads of Rizal. As we have that ride our tourist guide had us enlighten of the Wh-questions we had in mind. And so we had this "Ahhhhh... kaya pala..." We arrived on our first destination where my mom said it was like a shooting place of the movie "Ibon Adarna". The Huge walls of stones and mountains were an amazing sight for me. Then our tour guide said that the only way to our first destination was the hole in the stone wall. That is way too mysterious imagining a real bat cave. They drilled and dig into that the stone wall so people and other entity would have a better access to our first destination. It was dark and creepy and scary but at the same time cool and awesome. What can kill you here is just wide imagination of being attacked by vampires and other imaginary creatures you have on your mind. The National Museum had the whole place protected and enriched in the way of keeping the national treasure well preserved... They had us in an open house featuring the things we need to know about the first and only proof on the whole Philippines that Rizal is where true artists came from... Manong tour guide really had a tough day with me. I had so many questions about every details of the wall and even of the habitant that they have there. The whole place is well kept. I hope all should know how to respect a place like this... They also have a cat there. A very friendly cat indeed. My mom wanted to keep her but well of course we can't we are still on tour... too bad my mom didn't have any treats inside her bag (She usually does but that day she has none)...
Next Stop "Botong's House"
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| These are heirlooms. I felt lucky that the family of "Botong" opened their house and shared with us how great yet humble our national artist was... |
The streets along the way to Botong's house are filled with murals based on the creations he had done. You will love having a free tour on the murals along the roads/streets. They are full of stories of our rich culture and traditions. Inside the house are the paintings that my mom said that were used to be covers of her textbooks in SIBIKA. The paintings are alive. They are all rich in colors and really depicted our way of life as Filipinos and as our ancestors lived their lives too... Botong is considered as one of the most acclaimed artist of out country. He used to be a close friend of the Marcoses' where they said you would know that the president was on his visit to his friend because a lot of entourage was with them. He painted almost all the paintings in Malacanang Palace and their family portraits. Too bad most of them where destroyed during the dark ages of Philippine Revolution to end former president's reign. I don't really understand why in the rage of anger and pain they would destroy those precious paintings that I wished to see but and yet too bad I would only have them in the magazines and books now...
The Yummy Stop "Balaw Balaw"
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| You will love the things in here and the smell indeed... |
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| I enjoyed every dish they have serve to us! |
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| Pretty finds at Balaw Balaw |
As our tourist guide talked about the it, I realized that this is the famous well featured out of this world restaurant which offers a wide variety of exotic dishes. As in they offer what timon and phumba have everyday for simba in Lion Kng - grubs... Literally you can grab some grubs in here! I was like... wait.... where to look at??? everything here is interesting and as the food came. I got myself with "What is this and that..." hahahaha! and my mom would be just put them in your mouth. They were all very delicious. I like the buttery flavor rice than the negra ones. The slated eggs and talakitok where said organic. The soups with star anise with sweet and tangy after taste. They have this tamarind juice! Only here they have this as a juice! After eating we had our moments of roaming upstairs where everything seems to be antique. I love the smell of the woods... the old smell of something that we should cherish and treasure forever.
Fourth Stop "The Blanco Museum"
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| These are just few of my favorite artworks of the Blanco Family |
The clan or family where all of them are inclined in Art in any mediums and subjects too. I got hooked at their garden where they have lots of coy fishes... They have a beautiful garden there and my mom was like calling and whistling (yes! my mom whistles because everybody else are shouting... it uniquely differs her from the crowd that's why I could find her easily.) every now and then because she couldn't see me from that enchanted garden they have at the back... They a vintage car that I like to drive... and some huge mascots that the blancos' had designed and made by themselves. The tour began with that question, "Why was it that the Blancos' have this bloated dead "carpa" fish like in front of their house?" The whole tour got me glued in every detail of the paintings they have. Each have their own ways of expressing themselves and they uniquely differ from one another. I like that drawing on the wall most because I used to do that on our walls. Now my mom realized that she shouldn't made me stop putting on paints and colors our the wall. Well, It is not too late to enhance my abilities to paint for my mom had supported my passions and hobbies except my fondness in painting on the wall... :)
At the but not the least "The Pinto Museum"
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| Genius! |
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| I like them well |
My mom sometimes is a gullible person. She thought that the Pinto Museum was a museum full of doors. The museum is consist of more them 5 galleries which features some real brilliant works of art in any way the artists is expressing him or herself. I was like a kid in here. (well, i am still a kid at 15 years old.) I found everything in here very interesting... as in, "How on earth they did this and that?" The white wash structures of each gallery really bring out the vivid color or each master piece that had showcased in here... I got excited in some of the artworks in here that I was like "Ma! You have to see this!" yanking her and pulling her with brisked walking in the gallery.... Then we both have this open mouth thing in front of the artwork. I love it in here. You can see the busy city across the horizon of Manila. It is like a paradise...
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| My mom... is one lovely mom! |
I love my mom.
Trusting her with this is fun. I thanked her... hugged her... kissed her because I had fun.
Thank you Ms. Charmaine for having us that day. Like my mom said, "You are a BLESSING!"
--JUSTIN
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