Hofileña: The Man and the House

Silay City, Negros Occidental, the Philippines

April 16, 2011

Heritage conservation begins at home.

Ramon Hofileña doesn’t say it, but the winningest smile this side of Silay certainly makes that statement. A tour guide in his own home, Ramon has been welcoming visitors into his family’s ancestral house, the Manuel Severino Hofileña Heritage House, built by his father in 1934, for almost 38 years now – and counting. He leads the longest running cultural tour in the world.

Hofileña Heritage House

Cemetery Corner

Bacolod City, the Philippines

April 17, 2011

I walked amongst the dead.

Every morning of my childhood, the gaping gate of the public cemetery would greet me. I lived in a house directly across it. My first parade was a funeral procession, my first live band music a dirge. My neighbors across the street were stacked in cement boxes painted white, guarded by frozen angels and adorned with melted candle wax and wilted flowers.

Familia Luzuriaga Cemetery, Lopez Jaena St. cor. Burgos St., Bacolod City

From Under the Sun to Where the Sun Doesn’t Shine

Panglao and Dauis, Bohol, the Philippines

April 3, 2011

Even a whirlwind trip to Bohol would not be complete without sun-worshiping and spelunking. I gotta hand it to my sister for packing our itinerary with as varied an experience as night and day. From bumming around the beach to cavorting in a cave, she got it all covered in the space of a few hours.

Beach Buds: The Transcendental Tourist and his Sister at Bohol Beach Club