I wanted to go to Nayong Pilipino. period. haha.
thoughts of our old 'field trip' site came to mind one day and since then I've been nagging Jeff to go to Clark, Pampanga to visit the new one.
so, one Saturday, with nothing planned and with a half-hearted road trip partner on tow, we headed for Clark!
both our families were from Pampanga, but we've not ventured on this side of the province on our own so it was an adventure in itself trying to get there.
sa awa ng Diyos we got to Clark naman with just basic directions we found online.
and thankfully, Clark was funded enough to have generous amounts of signboards to lead us to our destination.
Nayong Pilipino was built on the site of Clark Expo pala. but it was at least close to a decade na since I last came here so it was like coming to a new place altogether. may SM Clark na rin pala.
I learned from other blog sites that the entrance to Nayong Pilipino was only Php 50/head. so I thought all along that if the place turns out to be mala-La Mesa Dam, I wouldn't mind so much. but when we got there they charged us na with Php100/head. (100% increase!) they charged pa Php20 on top of that for parking. so I expected to really get my money's worth!
when we got there, there was hardly any people. not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing :|
I was only able to take a map of Nayong Pilipino from the ticket counter when we were about to leave so we wandered mindlessly all throughout the tour.
our first stop was the Maranao House.
I really digged the architecture and the details/decor of the house. I wonder if there were houses which look like these today.
next to the Maranao house was the entrance to the Orchidarium
it seemed like a new installation or I guess we were really just off tangent if there as a prescribed order on how to go around the whole tour. :|
this was our 2nd landmark pa lang but Jeff was quite bored. he was already creating sarcastic hashtags such as #besttripever or #funweekend to use when he posts photos of us here.
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| hindi naman halata from his smile diba? |
walking further past the Orchidarium, we reached the Land of Legends
first stop was the Aeta Village
not only did they sell Aeta instruments/tools but they were sold by our kababayan Aetas themselves. I ended up buying a small bow and arrow set, while Jeff got a musical instrument for his niece
adjacent to the Aeta Village was the Ifugao Village naman
here they showcased variations in the huts/houses depending on the tribe
glad I got a chance to go up to one of the houses. reminded me a lot of the old hut we had in Pampanga ;)
here's the other row of Ifugao houses and of which featured some cool wooden statues underneath
next stop was the Kalinga Village. beside it was a replica rin of the rice terraces
from the Land of Legends next comes the Land of Heroes naman
it was a compound of house replicas of our national heroes
first stop was Mabini's House
Mabini's house actually featured interesting history about Pampanga and artifacts on its first settlers.
beside this was Rizal's House (top center photo) but we didn't go inside that na
this was probably my next favorite spot after the Maranao House--Aguinaldo's House
here kasi they had a showcase of old-century stuff such as the old rocking horse and a high-wheel bicycle -- pretty neat huh!
here are some more photos of the Heroes Plaza/compound including a tiny replica of the Kalesa
after the Heroes Plaza was the Fountain + Barasoain Church
since Jeff and I got to go to the real Barasoain church na last year, we didn't really linger around the place na
I particularly liked the Bandstand though (left photo) and it would have been cool if they opened the lagoon for visitors to boat around in
while we were in this area we saw some posters about a Cultural Show that was happening in the early afternoon. however since it was quite hot that day and it didn't seem like there was much to see around -- we didn't see the point of staying until then
just before leaving, we passed by the Outdoor Amphitheater
and statues of Maria Makiling, Malakas + Maganda and Lapu-Lapu
eto na ba ang sinasabi nilang Cultural Paradise?
I think a lot has to be done to really achieve that vision for Nayong Pilipino. I don't think Philippine culture/history can be summed up by just two main attractions i.e. Land of Legends and Land of Heroes or by showcasing heroes homes.
I think we're better than that as a people/nation and I feel ashamed especially since a number of the tourists we were with that day were foreigners pa naman. is that all that we are as Filipinos?
sure didn't think that I got my money's worth. and I feel terrible for the bus load of preschool students who arrived just when we were leaving.
well if there's one thing Clark is known for -- its the Duty Free shops.
with rumbling tummies we set forth towards the shopping area and chanced upon Parkson Duty Free
we didn't really plan on buying anything but we were just keen to look around. it was nothing too special naman, except for the grocery portion. yung clothes pa parang walang original. duty free shop ba talaga ito?
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| Jeff goofing around |
we also came across this rundown Duty Free shop which sold Adidas and Van Heusen stuff. hindi na kami nag-effort to check it out. haha.
since it was close to 3 pm and we've still not had lunch we headed out of Clark and into Angeles in search of Angeles Fried Chicken
all I knew that time was AFC was near Casino Filipino and that didn't work well for Jeff who was more the precise kind of traveler.
sa awa ng Diyos (ulit) and after asking at least a couple of Kapampangans, we got to AFC!!
i first heard about this from a former colleague who shared it was mala-KFC daw.
I expected a more carinderia type of place kaya I was surprised to see how inside the resto had a more "intimate" dining vibe. I expected a more-KFC feel. hehe.
so... time to taste the 'heavenly' chicken
we got the 3 pcs. set of regular chicken + coleslaw + rice (Php 145) a pitcher of iced tea (Php 99), chopsuey (Php 145) and a cream of mushroom soup (Php 75)
in fairness sa chicken - mala KFC nga. even yung gravy and yung coleslaw. I liked their iced tea too ha. another thing they're known for. pati pala their soup was good, and it didn't taste like it was made from Knorr. haha
however, I don't think its the kind of resto na dadayuhin mo yung place just to eat here. buti na lang I can always go to KFC if I'm craving for that type of chicken :)
over-all I think it was a fun trip naman. it was exciting enough for me to figure out how to get to these places rin kasi. however, other than learning how to get to Clark/AFC there was nothing else that satisfied that thirst for learning/experiencing something new.
just the same, wonder where will our feet take us next?
Nayong Pilipino at Clark Expo
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga
https://www.facebook.com/nayongpilipinosaclarkexpo
Parkson Duty Free / Clark Liberty
Claro M. Recto Highway
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga
(045) 599 2700
Angeles Fried Chicken
1992 Marlim, Angeles City
(045) 322 4448
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