When we left Orville's studio it was way past a decent lunch hour. However right across the highway, a stone's throw away from Orville's crib is Nemiranda's art abode. I met Nemesio Miranda many years ago during the same fund-raising for dancers by Ballet Philippines. Unfortunately, he was out on a business call in Manila at the time of the visit.
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| Orville Tiamson's Studio |
Nemiranda, an abbreviated version of his name, is an artist who's work is a mix of the old and new. He can do contemporary works which still have elements of mythical figures like fairies, mermaids, and elementals. His art studio is a typical Filipino home but updated to incorporate concrete multi-level partitions that serve as his gallery. Everything of his on display is for sale.
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| Nemiranda's atelier facade |
The studio area for his art students have recycled furniture of found wood. His students works are strewn about and prominently displayed for the benefit of visitors to see. His studio is hard to miss. Bas relief of his idealized creatures jump out to the visitors as they loom larger than life. As one enters the gates, a large mermaid serves to beckon the guests to his gallery.
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| High relief at Nemiranda's studio |
Incidentally, Nemiranda has a cafe to which I would have liked to bring my guest to. Unfortunately, the cafe only opens after five p.m. So for lunch, we opted for Scrapyard. Ignore the name! It serves good food better than the name of the restaurant suggests. I explained to the guests some of the menu items and she left it up to me to order the meal.
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| Entrance to Nemiranda's gallery |
I opted for Sinigang ba Bangus belly (Milkfish is tamarind based broth), Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp in garlic with julienned veggies), Lechon Kawali (deep fried pork belly) and rice. It was humid in spite of the intermittent rains. My guest just had to have a cold glass of beer. Oh well, we were famished and the plates were all wiped clean.
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| Thunderbird Hotel's grounds |
Our final stop was the Angono petroglyphs. We ascended the mountain to glorious scenery of the lake-shore towns beneath. We made a rest stop in Thunderbird Hotel nestled on top of the hills of Binangonan. The hotel is pretty well designed with an eternity pool out in the front overlooking the glorious Laguna de Bay. The rooms are well-appointed with ample space and verandas for some serious private chill-out time.
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| Lounge area leading to Koi restaurant at Thunderbird Hotel |
My only concern is that it's not kid friendly as one has to go through a gaming area to get to Koi restaurant which is its main dining outlet. Other than that, Thunderbird is one of Binangonan's best hide-aways. After that, we made a turn for the Petroglyphs. Again, it is a misnomer, the Angono Petroglyphs lies in the boundary between Angono and Binangonan.
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| Tunnel to the Angono Petroglyphs |
It was National Artist Carlos "Botong" Francisco who discovered the petroglyphs in 1965 on a hiking trip with some boy scouts. His discovery was a fortuitous event since only he would've known that what he had discovered was of national and scientific importance. He reported his discovery of ancient art hewn out of the rocks and cave dwellings. The National Museum as well as the Department of Tourism have worked together for the preservation of the petroglyphs.
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| Petroglyph section depicting humans and animals |
More care should be taken to guard and protect the petroglyphs. The Eagle Ridge golf course's heavy equipment parked in some sheds serve as an unwelcoming structure prior to viewing a significant national, cultural and historical site. As one goes through the tunnel leading to the site, one sees the golf course's blue water pipes used to irrigate the greens.
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| Angono Petroglyph Museum amidst the park grounds |
A teeny-tiny museum dots the area showcasing some archeological finds gives the viewer an idea of what to expect. The petroglyphs, after carbon dating, is found to be 3,000 years old. The railing was constructed to deter viewers from adding their own graffiti to the rock wall. But some die-hard visitors have managed to inscribe their own non-sense into what should have been a treasured site. This and all, it's still worth visiting the petroglyphs to marvel at how our ancestors managed to adorn their settlements given their crude implements.
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Another section of the petroglyphs
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