The Backpack Adventures

Probably the most popular festival in Quezon, San Isidro Pahiyas Festival or more commonly known as Pahiyas Festival is a harvest festival celebrated in the town of Lucban every 15th of May. It is held in honor of San Isidro Labrador who is the patron Saint of farmers.  Pahiyas Festival Pahiyas Festival Details The San Isidro Pahiyas Festival is famously known for houses that are adorned with colorful leaf-shaped decorations called  kiping.  San Isidro Pahiyas Festival 2016 - Lucban, Quezon For those who don't know it yet, kiping is made from rice paste (thus it's edible) and is quite similar to that of a tortilla (even tastes like one). The uniqueness of using kiping as decoration made the festival one of a kind. Aside from that, it adds this Instagram-ready feel to the houses which is an effect that adds promotion to the celebration through social media.  Intro: How to make kiping The word  pahiyas  is from the Filipino word  hiyas  or jewel and when added with t

The sandoricum koetjape  or cotton fruit  is  one of my favorite fruits. This fruit is "lovingly" called  santol here in the Philippines . It's perfect with salt with chopped chili or when you dip it in soy sauce. However, I was surprised to discover that the santol is actually used as the main ingredient in a Filipino dish which is obviously named after the said fruit - sinantolan .   Sinantolan It was during my first day of the Experience Quezon 2016 Media Tour event that I got to see and watch the actual preparation of the dish and not to mention taste it for the first time too. Upon doing research about the dish, I discovered that  sinantolan  is a popular delicacy not only for the province of Quezon but also in the province of Laguna and those provinces in the Bicol Region.  Here's the newly cooked sinantolan ! A must-try! The fresher the better The different ingredients of sinantolan Yummy! Looking at the main ingredients of the dish, it cle

Have you ever tried eating a decoration in your house?  I have... Kiping Now before you judge me as a weirdo, let me first tell you about the decoration that I ate... Kiping of Lucban Check out those colorful chandelier-like decorations... They taste good... This brightly colored leaf-shaped decorative ornament is called a kiping . Nope, it is not made of plastic but of rice paste. It is considered an integral part of the San Isidro Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon. So how is a kiping made? He'll show us how... Kiping ingredients... Making a kiping is a process called pagkikipi . One must first collect mature leaves of either the kabal, cocoa, or umbrella tree. These leaves will be used as molds for the kiping , hence its shape. Each leaf can be used three times (you'll find out why later.) Choose a leaf... cut the leaf to make it fit your steamer prepare the rice paste Put the food coloring in the paste... Now to make the rice paste.

Located in Gumaca in the province of Quezon, Gumaca Cathedral is one of the most historical churches in the province. It is also known as one of the biggest in Quezon. Gumaca Cathedral Gumaca Cathedral History Also called  San Diego de Alcala Cathedral , Gumaca Cathedral was established sometime in 1582 by Franciscan missionaries. The church got its name from Saint Didacus of Alcala or San Diego de Alcala in Spanish. He was a member of the Order of the Friars Minor or Franciscans. He was known as a healer who cures patients through divine intercession. He died on November 12, 1463, in the municipality of Alcala Henares in Spain. Gumaca Cathedral - Gumaca, Quezon  Gumaca Cathedral facade and bell tower Gumaca Cathedral bell tower From Gumaca, the cathedral was transferred to the island of Alabat (the island adjacent to the towns of Atimonan and Gumaca) in 1638. Sadly, it was burned by the invading Dutch forces in 1665. The church was then transferred back to its origin