Like anyone else, an Igorot can be dark or light-skinned, short or tall, curly or straight-haired. No, we don't have tails.

In olden times, g-strings and tapis are everyday wears, however at these times, such are worn mostly during special occasions/ presentations. There's a joke that goes these are more expensive than a pair of Levis or the branded current-day skirt because of the time and artistry required to weave a piece.  

The page hits I receive on my few Igorot-related posts inspired this blogpost thought, so of you 'googling' the title above, here are the sample photos for you:

With my paternal granny, Allapo Saplet below.
'Allapo' is the Mountain Province address for  Grannies, both meaning Lolo or Lola.

Igorot kids of the Saplet-Kullulan lineage plus auntie Gumayen

At the end of the day, we are all humans of the same race and aspiration for a better world.

Baguio got narrow roads for the hundreds of jeepneys that ply them especially at the Central Business District. And if there's a Mister Traffic Policeman who's famous to every Baguio driver, commuter or mere pedestrian, it is:






Sir Traffic Man never fails to turn pedestrian heads entertained with his seemingly choreographed moves. Above pictures can't precisely show what I mean, a video could have been more apt. And while he is a fixture on Baguio's central roads ever since I can recall, I have still to know his name. Hopefully next homecoming...

If there's a place I love about Muscat, it is Oman Dive Center!  It's a resort just adjacent to the equally picturesque (money-required :-) ) Shangrila's Bar Al Jissah. The few Riyals for entrance fees are well worth the different experience. It's not just about beaches anyway, but of stunning water creatures and beach side formations too. It was late at 5pm when we reached the place from Yiti Beach and we cannot resist the view from atop. It closes at 7pm so there's not much we have done but we enjoyed anyway.

I've been running through online videos of Oman's underwater wonders which made me wish we could dive and return to OMC for what it's for: a diving center.

Things I like at Oman Dive Center:

1. The low tide showing off 'dented' sides of the mountain enclosures. Going nearer, one amazingly witnesses this is home to aquatic creatures.


2. The enclosed location gives more  sense of privacy and diverting from the usual long stretches of open beaches.


3. The low depth further is perfect for kids, giving less worry for parents.





4. Diverse activities



5. Shallow wonders -- water creeping out small holes, snails, crabs






6. The pool, albeit small to wrap activities up.


For you wanting to know the entrance fees, business hours, restaurant hours, here's the information board outside Oman Dive Center that welcomed us (please click on photo for a clearer view):

On the other side of Oman Dive Center and Barr Al Jissah is Yitti (or Yiti) Beach.

Yiti Beach: Boats, beach, camp

The road-trippers that we are we took the tricky Souq Ruwi street route instead of Wadi Kabir. I enjoyed more the views along the way than our destination itself. It seems I have been too accustomed to Dubai's white sands that brown beaches do not appeal as much.  It was  a 25 kilometers (from Al Hamriya R/A) drive exiting on a steep mountain ascend then through the mountains, tree-lined villages and  fishing boats.

Here's a loadful of photos:

At the Ruwi viewpoint. We missed the Greater Muscat viewpoint, that's for next it seems.

Ruwi villas

About 10 kilometers drive of this view

The road sandwhiched between hills of rocks

Hillat Al HIsn

I love this view. I spotted crabs crawling the sand but I wasnt as quick to take clear photos

A close-up behind the boats

Nearer to beach is this village

Yiti (Yitti) Beach at last!

A good camp site along the hill

Campers folding up

Yiti (Yitti) Beach

A passage to Yiti Beach

Found ourselves this village trying to find the shorter exit to Barr Al Jissah

A smile from an Omani boy

A mosque at Hillat Al Hisn

A drive to Yiti can be combined with a Barr Al Jissah, Oman Dive Center and Qantab stopovers. 

For two straight days last weekend, we had lunch at Max's Restaurant located in Karama (at Spinneys along Bur Juman Mall). Does that mean we love it there? Of course we do.


I had always wished for a Filipino food chain / resto to make it big in the UAE which will also be patronized by even non-Filipinos. It would be an honour, because Filipino cuisine, especially when served with great presentation, do appeal to international taste.  I have a feeling Max's will do another Chowking, and even better. I mean Chowking has a good Filipino following and with branches now sprouting in different locations (albeit not yet in big malls, I wonder?)

We look forward for another Max's branch to open in Deira. If the franchisee indeed plans to close down Wild Ginger ( a favorite too) at Iconic in Deira City Center, I hope they put Max's in place as rumored. (update: Wild Ginger staff recently said it wont happen but the management is scouting for a location around Deira.; was told too that Max's is their group's highest performing foodchain this time)

I had atchara.

Is that another fighter jet or airplane in the monitor you are observing little man?

So from Atlantis fireworks, Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall fountain shows, you're up now to fighter jets with high tyres. Makes me wonder what could dethrone it next? :-)

^-^

CRAZY MORNINGS

With my Kalel back in school and now at Grade 1, I have another reason to celebrate on weekends when I could be up late. Being in Grade 1 means putting the him to bed early and while I still hit bed around 12 midnight, we both wake up at 5:30 am. Adjusting my body clock is just crazy and I could only be glad I don't see signs of the same from my son. At times I could just kid my husband that I wish he's just around to give me a hand :-)

Kalel on his first day in school.

Where else would the Gremlins be during holidays but on the road? And every road trip has a treat. See for yourselves the photos below, isn't the place so inviting? This unexpected visual treat is part of Oman's  Barr Al Jissah Resort.