BAGUIO: My Guide to Visiting the Bencab Museum and Baguio Craft Brewery

BAGUIO: My Guide to Visiting the BenCab Museum and Baguio Craft Brewery

My tips: 

1. Visit the BenCab Museum and the Baguio Craft Brewery together on the same day. 

You pass by the Baguio Craft Brewery on the way from the BenCab Museum, so you basically save time when you schedule both visits on the same day.

2. Visit the BenCab museum late in the afternoon then go to Baguio Craft Brewery afterwards. 

Baguio Craft Brewery opens only at 5:00 PM, while Bencab museum closes at 6:00 PM. If you plan on visiting both places, then my suggestion is to go to Bencab museum in the afternoon.

MY ITINERARY

Amount of time spent at BenCab museum: 1 hour

Amount of time spent at Baguio Craft Brewery: 1 hour

4:00 PM- 5:00 PM: BENCAB MUSEUM

Who is BenCab?

Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, better known as "BenCab", is a Filipino painter and was awarded National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts in 2006. He has been noted as "arguably the best-selling painter of his generation of Filipino artists." (wikipedia). 

His biggest Sabel series painting was sold for 46.72 MILLION PESOS last September 2015. (To view the painting and details of the sale, see HERE). Sabel, his muse in many of his paintings, was a bag lady roaming around in Bambang were he used to live. 

More details of BenCab's life is at http://www.bencabmuseum.org/national-artist/

Must See at the BenCab Museum if you have only ONE HOUR:

(Photos posted are the ones I personally liked and a must see in the Gallery)

1. BenCab Gallery:

This gallery shows BenCab's personal collection of his own artworks.

BENCAB
Geisha Reading
Acrylic on handmade paper
2009
52 x 42 cms

This is my favorite of all his works exhibited in the gallery.

BENCAB
Blue Sabel
Acrylic on canvas
2012
99.5 x 75 cms

I like the Blue Sabel best!
It somehow reminds me of my favorite Vermeer painting,
The Lacemaker

BENCAB
Sabel
Acrylic on handmade paper
2011
47 x 36 cms

BENCAB
Sabel
Acrylic on canvas
2008
57.5 x 55 cms

THE FOLLOWING ARTWORKS REVEAL THE MULTIMEDIA TALENT OF BENCAB

BENCAB'S ARTWORKS IN STEEL

LEFT SIDE:
BENCAB
Twins
Mild Steel
2013
42 x 28 x 12.5 cms

RIGHT SIDE:
BENCAB
Homage to Matisse
Mild Steel
2013
36 x 33 x 15 cms

BENCAB
Woman Fixing Hair
Painted Metal
2012
147.8 x 81.5 x 22 cms

BENCAB'S ARTWORKS IN BRASS

2. Cordillera Gallery:

This gallery shows BenCab's collection of Cordillera artifacts.

Layout of the gallery

Kupit
Used as lunchbox, tobacco container or jewelry box

Healing bulol

RAYMOND HALILI
Portrait of a Man/Woman from the Cordilleras
Watercolor & gold dust on paper
2004
4.5 x 3.5 cms

Close-up of the artwork
You shouldn't miss this artwork when you visit the museum!

ISMAEL OGNAYON
Bibak Tribal Dance
Bamboo carving
2011
98.5 x 24.5 x 23 cms

Headhunting Implements
Spear, shield, axe

Musical instrument

Backpacks (above the shelf)

Even the broom's handle was carved.

Kulkulis (foot massage)
Resting bench for massage

Hagabi
Long wooden bench carved from a single piece of wood.

Bulol installation
Bulols are rice granary gods. 

3. Gallery showcasing works of other artists

ABI DIONISIO
Ready to Hope
Acrylic & oil on canvas
2011
90.5 x 60 cms

LEONARD AGUINALDO
Faking Me
Rubber cut
2003
168 c 128.5 cms

Close-up of the corner of the artwork above. 

JAMES GABITO
Tungod
Oil on canvas
Undated
64 x 44 cms

RAMON ORLINA
Cordillera
Glass
2008
37 x 76 cms

Ifugao furniture
ca. 1930s

JOHN FRANK SABADO
Ancestor in the Wooden Age
Mixed Media
2008
244 x 183 cms

4. BenCab's house

BenCab's house is located beside the museum.
This photo was taken from the upper floor of the museum.

5. BenCab's farm and garden

Located at the foot of the museum.

6. If you're lucky, you will see BenCab himself.

The man with the cap is BenCab.

He was in the midst of an interview
so we didn't disturb him with a selfie. 

MY TIP:

You can request a tour guide at reception. The tour inside the museum (gardens not included) lasts one hour. The payment is tip-based. However, during peak season in Baguio (usually during summer or holidays), a guide may not be available, so it's best if you can call in advance to book a guide if you have a definite date for your visit.

Entrance fee is 100 pesos.

5:30 PM- 6:30 PM: BAGUIO CRAFT BREWERY

Why Visit the Baguio Craft Brewery?
It's the only craft brewery in Baguio. You get to taste a wide variety of freshly brewed beer not normally found in local stores.

INSIDE THE TASTING ROOM

KINDS OF BEER AND PRICE

Individual glasses range from 170 to 190 pesos
There are dark beers, fruit beers and lagers.
A total of 18 kinds of beers

ABV (Alcohol by volume) is indicated.
Stout Crusader, a fruit beer, has the highest ABV.

IBU (International bitterness unit) is also indicated.
Hop Attack has the highest bitter hops

We got the Six Pack Sampler
It costs 320 pesos.

It's composed of:
2 dark beers: Throat Cutter, Hop Wheat
2 lagers: Old Xavier, Bergnebel
2 fruit beers: Ripe passion fruit, Orly's Dunkelweizen

The beer on top from left to right:
Throat Cutter (Herb and Spice Ale)
Old Xavier s6 (Bohemian pilsner)
 Ripe (passion fruit) beer (Fruit beer)

The beer below from left to right:
Hop Wheat (Imperial IPA)
Bergnebel (German amber lager)
Orly's Dunkelweizen (German dunkelweizen)

The beer's name is indicated in the container.

PRICE LIST OF BEER MATCH (FOOD TO MATCH THE BEER)
Food price ranged from 280 to 550 pesos

We ordered the fastest to cook.
The fish n chips was delicious.
This costs 320 pesos

A pack of 6 costs 999 pesos

A pack of 6 costs 999 pesos + 20 pesos for each individual bottle

THE MILITARY DIET: Does It Work?

THE MILITARY DIET: Does It Work?

I've seen this diet plan on Facebook a lot of time so I decided to try it. 

WHAT IS THE MILITARY DIET?

"You can lose up to 10 pounds in one week on the Military Diet, without strenuous exercise or prescriptions....The food combinations in the Military Diet are designed to burn fat, kick start your metabolism and lose weight fast.(taken from http://themilitarydiet.com/)

This is my physical condition before I started in the diet.:

My weight: 55.5 kilos. 

My height: 5' 1" 

My physical condition: I run at the treadmill at least 3 times a week, 3km-5km distance, and do weight training at least once a week. 

My eating habits: I eat moderately. I avoid carbs, eat meat, prefer fish and chicken, and some vegetables. I usually get hungry and eat every 4 hours.

My age: Late 40's 

My gender: Female

DAY ONE: 

My weight at 5:30 AM: 55.5 kilos

My exercise: Finished 3km in the treadmill.

(Photo from themilitarydiet.com)

Since I couldn't find grapefruit in the supermarket, 

I substituted the grapefruit with a glass of water with 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 

as suggested by www.themilitarydiet.com.

(Photo from themilitarydiet.com)

(Photo from themilitarydiet.com)

I substituted the meat for fish
I substituted 1 cup of green beans for 1/8 cup mung beans 

MY FEEDBACK ABOUT DAY ONE:

I liked the peanut butter on toast but I found the tuna with toast bland. Two hours after lunch, I became a bit hungry. Maybe because I'm used to eating every 4 hours. The best is dinner. It's a full meal with the dessert. I was surprised how plenty 1 cup of vanilla ice cream is.

I didn't sleep well the night of Day One. Maybe it's because of the vanilla ice cream. I'm not used to eating that much ice cream with that much sugar. When I woke up the next day, I felt slightly dizzy. I don't know if it's because I didn't sleep well or because of the ice cream again. There are days when I don't sleep well but don't feel dizzy.

DAY TWO:

My weight at 5:30 AM: 55.5 kilod
My exercise: None. I didn't go to the gym.

(Photo from themilitarydiet.com)

I added a cup of black coffee for breakfast
to avoid caffeine withdrawal.  

(Photo from themilitarydiet.com) 

(Photo from themilitarydiet.com)

I substituted 6 oz. hainanese chicken breast for the hotdog.

MY FEEDBACK ABOUT DAY TWO:

I didn't feel hungry the whole day. I slept well the night of Day Two despite having vanilla ice cream. Maybe because the quantitiy is just 1/2 cup. The great thing about having ice cream after dinner is that it made the diet feel like a treat.

DAY THREE:

My weight at 5:30 AM: 55.2 kilos

My exercise: Finished 3k on the treadmill and did strength training.

(Photo from themilitarydiet.com)


I added a cup of black coffee for breakfast
to avoid caffeine withdrawal. 

(Photo from themilitarydiet.com)

(Photo from themilitarydiet.com)

I substituted fish fillet for the tuna.

MY FEEDBACK ABOUT DAY THREE:

I was hungry most of the time on Day Three. I suppose it's because lunch was minimal and the gap between lunch and dinner is large.

WEIGHT AFTER 3 DAYS ON THE MILITARY DIET: 55 kilos

MY CONCLUSION:

I lost only ONE POUND (or .5 kilos) after 3 days on this diet. Some would say, it's better than none but I found this diet challenging for the following reasons.

1. It's boring.

Although it's simple and easy to do since the ingredients are easy to find at the grocery and there's minimal preparation involved, it's hard to stick with it because it's boring and bland. 

You're better off doing the 14-day South Beach diet of SEXY CHEF. You lose a lot of weight after 14 days on their South Beach diet meals, which are so delicious. They deliver your meals to your home or office. I've done this diet plan so I can say that their South Beach diet works.

2. I'm hungry most of the time.

I'm used to eating something every 4 hours because I'm hungry every 4 hours. This diet doesn't allow snacks in between so it became difficult waiting for the next meal to come.

This plan may work for people who actually eat huge meals that is high in sugar, who do not eat healthy, or those who need to lose a lot of weight. The military diet will be a drastic change from their usual dietary habits. And having a lot of weight to lose at the start of the diet may mean it will be easier to lose 10 pounds. The amount of weight loss in a diet plan has something to do with percentage of body weight when you started. So 10 pounds may mean different percentage of body weight for different people.

I noted my personal circumstance at the start of this post so people in the same physical condition, age, gender as I and with the same habits may note that this diet plan may not work for you.

CORREGIDOR: Why I love the 2016 Corregidor International Half-Marathon

CORREGIDOR: Why I love the 2016 Corregidor International Half-Marathon

I ran the 10k at the International Corregidor Half-Marathon. It was my first time to run in an event. And I found the Corregidor Half-Marathon the perfect choice for first-time runners to experience running in an event. It is both memorable and enjoyable and will encourage first-time runners to keep on running.

Why I love the Corregidor International  Half-Marathon:

1. They have a great race route.

FIRST, the race route covers all the major and awesome sights of Corregidor.

Below is just a FEW examples of the major sights you see along the route. I will make a detailed post on the race route later. 

Topside barracks or Mile Long Barracks

Battery Grubbs

Pacific War Memorial Museum
Cine Corregidor
Officers' Barracks

The Eternal Flame

SECOND, the race route covers different types of terrain: hills, trails, flat pavement.

HILLS

At the start of the event, we immediately go up the hill.
The starting line is at middleside.
We proceed at once to the topside, where the major sights are located.

A lot of 10k runners walked up the hillside.

The view at the side of the hill.

Just 5 minutes into the run and we're already at this height.
You can see the starting line at the center of the photo.

TRAILS

Going through the forest trails where we encounter more barracks.

FLAT PAVEMENT

Middleside Barracks, where the center of activity used to be.

2. The event happens in cool January.

The temperature that registered in my phone at the start of the race is 24 degrees Centigrade. The weather is cool and with a slight breeze. Even if the race lasted until late morning, you don't have to worry too much about the sun since you run in a lot of shaded areas.

Accuweather temperature at Cavite before 8:15 gun start of 10k.
There's no Corregidor option at accuweather so I used Cavite.

3. They have a late gun start.

The 21k starts at 8:00 AM, while the 10k starts at 8:15 AM. I love a late gun start because my body takes a while to acclimatize to being awake. With a late gun start, I need not wake up too early. I can have my breakfast as late as 5:00 AM.

Very few running events in the Philippines start late, either because the venue that is usually closed during the running event, has to be opened to the public in the early morning. Or, they start early because of the morning heat in a tropical country like the Philippines. 

4. No cut-off time for the event.

Since there's no cut-off time, the event is possible for both fast and slow runners, those who prefer to do a brisk walk, and fun runners who also like to sightsee during the event.

The only cut-off time the organizers mentioned is the time to ride the ferry, which is at 2:00 PM.

The slowest runner in the 21k logged at 5 hours and 20 minutes (or 15 minutes per kilometer) and the slowest runner at 10k logged at 3 hours and 5 minutes (or 18.5 minutes per kilometer).

5. The event is not crowded since there's a limit to the number of people who can join the event.

There's a limit to the number of people joining the event because of the maximum capacity of the ferry transporting people in the island, as well as the limitation in resources within the island so only a certain number of people can be accommodated. 

The 2016 Corregidor International Half-Marathon had 87 10 k runners and 286 21 k runners.

6. If you choose to stay overnight before the event, accommodations at the Corregidor Hotel is not expensive.

The cost of an overnight stay at Corregidor hotel is only 2000 pesos per night for double/twin sharing, with buffet breakfast included.

My son and I chose to arrive at Corregidor the day before the event and stay overnight at Corregidor Hotel for the following reasons:

a. We don't have to wake up at 3:00 AM to ride the ferry. For those doing the day trip, the ferry departs from Manila to Corregidor at 5:00 AM. 

b. The ferry makes us slightly dizzy so if we rode the ferry on the day of the event, we might not be able join the event and do the run immediately after getting off the ferry. 

c. We don't have to worry about our breakfast, our bags and where to rest after the event.  

The hotel provides the breakfast. We leave our personal belongings inside our hotel room. And we can still take a bath and rest in our hotel room after doing the run.

7. The rates for the run and the ferry package is very reasonable.

We spent the following:

10 k half-marathon registration fee: 1,400 pesos (includes the race shirt, finisher's medal, race belt, timing chip, sling bag and 1000 pesos soleus gift certificate)

Runner's rate: 1330 pesos per person (covers the roundtrip ferry, terminal fee, buffet lunch after the event)

1 night at Corregidor hotel: 2000 pesos per room (double/twin sharing with buffet breakfast included)

Optional expense: 250 pesos per person carbo loading dinner, 400 pesos lunch for 2 persons at La Playa Restaurant.

Total expenses for 2 persons (for my son and I): 
8360 pesos (for 2 persons)

8. The event is very well-organized, from the distribution of the kits, the ferry departure, check-in upon arrival, and serving of meals.

Boarding at the terminal

Orderly check-in at arrival area

Separate tranvia assigned to the different accommodation locations:
hotel, resort/cabanas, campers

Carbo loading dinner

Buffet lunch after the run

9. The run itself is conducted very well. There are well spaced hydration stations, ample signs and guides.  

HYDRATION STATIONS WITH FOOD

In the 10k route, there's a total of 5 hydration stations. The water they serve is ICE COLD (very much appreciated by the runners). They also serve some sports drink, food like banana, raisins, camote fries, coffee candy, salt.

SUFFICIENT SIGNS AND GUIDES

Signs at the fork

There's always a guide near the sign to check the runners arriving.
They direct them to the right direction if they see them going in the wrong direction.

The sign at the trail

They make a checklist of the runners twice just to make sure everyone's accounted for.

The first is at Battery Grubbs.
The last is at Battery Crockett.