Originally posted on Malate:
I lost my way out of Lucban after the Pahiyas walk. One wrong turn led to a stretch of mistaken path. Off-track. Astray. All despite the non-complex setup of this humble little town. I lost my cool as well. Nobody seemed to be able to give me a clearer direction. I lost my cool realizing I’m running out of phone loads, battery, and daylight. I lost my cool knowing friends are waiting for me somewhere and — without a doubt — are losing theirs too. You know what they say about how a man’s character is defined by how he behaves when he doesn’t know what to do? Mine wasn’t so bad at all — mine was terrible! I felt agitated. I was dead-tired. I cursed and swore and walked around like a headless chicken. Did I fell under someone else’s spell or was I in the middle of that time of day when people think and act strangely. Whatever happened to my audacious youth and all the wisdom of getting…

Originally posted on Malate:
PAHIYAS is a woman’s charm — there is more far beneath than what is captured by the lens. Pahiyas is a celebration. In honor of farmers’ patron saint San Isidro de Labradore. An acknowledgement of a season’s good harvest. Pahiyas is a party! People trooped to this small Lucban town, far flung and middle-of-nowhere any which way you take. Pahiyas is an expression. All the trimmings are statements of Lucbanians’ creative skill and imagination. Pahiyas is gastronomy. You should eat ’til you’re sleepy here. And sleep ’til you’re hungry. Pahiyas is twenty-four-carat Pinoy hospitality. I’ve stopped by each castle along the way and made myself feel at home. Pahiyas is labor of love. “We have taken great pains for this and are happy for it” — a local declares while emptying a glass of lambanog. No question Pahiyas is lambanog. Locally made. Up to ninety-percent proof! Pahiyas is life. Unbelievable. Most of all, Pahiyas is experience. Don’t just take photos, live the moment. And most, most of all, Pahiyas was fascination…