Indie day - Kawit, Cavite

Freedom! And they say that we've been experiencing one for 115 years now. But are we really free? But no, I don't want this space to be touching that topic. Moving on, I was with Robbie, Joana and Christian one day and we went to Kawit in Cavite (special shout out to the TGP group) to celebrate Independence Day 2013. And unlike the first photowalk I had with the group, this trip was more relaxed.

primary colors

I've never been to Kawit before so I dunno how to get there. We were near the Baclaran church and looked out for a Cavite-bound bus that would pass by the ancestral house of Gen.Emilio Aguinaldo (you know him right?). We hopped into a bus and paid 25 pesos for the ride. We arrived in a festive mood because of the general vibe of the town. There are celebrations everywhere. And the focal point was the Emilio Aguinaldo shrine where the Philippine flag was raised during the first Independence Day of the Philippines in 1898.

Nationalistic Rob

History was probably one of those basic ed. subjects that I detested so much. Or maybe my teacher wasn't that interesting and exciting thus, giving everyone a headache on dates and stuff. That's why I like going to museums and galleries for me to actually grasp history more than what the textbooks could offer. Tangible. Visual. Real.

We spent the whole morning and the rest of the afternoon exploring the house and the whole area. Key points? That there are so many secret stuff in the house like passages to other parts of the house and to the church a few blocks away from it. That Emilio's family was very affluent as I can see it - talk about having your own bowling lane and a pool in your own house during the 19th century. That Manila area was seen before from the terrace of the house. And that there are 7 more levels from the original second floor of the house leading to the tower. I did climb up to that topmost part of the house. Liberating.

level after level to the tower

We also saw Emilio Aguinaldo's resting place at the back part of the house. Only him. I wonder where the other family members are.

Next stop was the St. Mary Magdalene church, still in Kawit. It is believed to be one of the oldest church in the country dating the first construction in 1737. I never really liked churches in general. But there are some which I find to be a cut above the rest. Maybe because of the serenity of the place. Or maybe the people I'm actually with. Or maybe my mood at that time. Very biased but it works for me though. I felt happy (for some reason) when I entered this church and fell into a deep, quick nap after taking a few snapshots inside (while others were taking forever just to take a single shot - that's why I love being with photographers, I have so much siesta time). Tranquil.

photogs everywhere
imma sit and nap first

We headed to the Hidden Tapsihan a few blocks from the church for lunch. You can ride a trike going there but we opted to walk our way to this secret place. Apparently, the secret is already out. They've got this huge signage that defy the idea of it being hidden - unlike before. Everybody ordered the same thing - Tapsilog for 65 pesos. It's Fried Beef Tapa, Sinangag rice and egg. 

It took a while to get our food ready. It was understandable because of the group's number (like 20 persons). So how was it? The Tapa was just ok. I mean I could've tasted the same thing somewhere else. It's not that bad but nothing was remarkable. We all loved the sinangag rice (except for Joana). But the revelation part was the condiments section We were told to mix a part of vinegar to a part of sweet ketchup and that, they said, was the perfect match for the Tapa. It was unique on its own but matching it with the Tapa was not my thing. Maybe I'll try it with other stuff like Tortang Talong? No...

feeding program

freedom lunch

vinegar + sweet ketchup

There should be a beach trip somewhere in Ternate to catch the sunset but because of the moody weather we didn't get to push through with the plan. Nonetheless, Robie, Joana, Christian and I came up with a better idea... Watch out for it soon :)

yosi biker

ardent

Thanks Rob

However you wanna celebrate it or however you wanna define what this day is for you the important thing is that you love your country and you'll never be ashamed to be its citizen. Nationalism.