A pirate ship rose from the stage—a stage made of water—and clinging like spiders from its masts, pirates, diving with abandon several meters from the surface. My jaw dropped in sync with their every jump. I haven’t seen a theatrical show anything remotely like this. It was marvelous. It was astounding. It was (insert more superfluous adjectives).

THE FISHERMAN AMIDST A MAGICAL BACKDROP

Initially, I wasn’t really that keen on watching The House of Dancing Water. Although I’ve seen a couple of grand theatrical productions before, like Thailand’s highly-acclaimed Siam Niramit, and heck, even enjoyed it, I was more drawn to exploring Macau’s side-streets than attending a stage show.

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While I would like to start this piece by saying that the old Plaza Salcedo in Vigan City is one of my favorite evening places to hang out and practice the art of doing nothing, I cannot really say so. I still prefer the cobbled street of Calle Crisologo. The old plaza for me seemed a bit too dull compared to the famous calle.

But that all changed during this last visit to Vigan. Still stuffing my mouth full with home-made empanadas from Casa Caridad, we were excitedly ushered out of the house and into the plaza. We’re gonna watch a dancing fountain show, they said.

A dancing what? I never knew of a fountain show in Vigan from my previous visits.

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What’s Zarzuela? Someone asked from our table. We were at Casa Caridad, having our usual breakfast fare of Vigan longganisa with some really good corned beef. Everyone was gushing over Tres Patrimonio, the play we saw the night before at the Vigan Culture and Trade Center.

To be honest, I was a little apprehensive in entering the theater to watch the zarzuela, unsure if I would really enjoy it. I took a last look outside and gazed at the sky, it was throwing off hints of a really beautiful sunset and my mind was playing with the idea of splitting and shooting Calle Crisologo or even Mindoro Beach instead.

But alas, I really didn’t have a choice. To the theater it was then.

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Three! Two! One! The countdown ended and the lights dimmed. Christmas carols softly chimed from hidden speakers and the mall’s garden atrium filled with fog. All at once, colorful Christmas lights started to sparkle, filling the whole place with that fuzzy holiday feeling. TriNoma Mall officially starts their Christmas Season with their Merry Musical Lights.

It was a Saturday and mall day started with scouring bookstores for bargain reads—National Bookstore, Powerbooks, Fully Booked, and not to forget, Books and Mags (₱29.00 books FTW!). A couple of dusty books later and we’re off to an early dinner at the Mercato of the north, Mezza Norte.

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The whole day jaunt to Thailand’s famous Phang Nga Bay still lingered on our minds as the Tigerair Philippines group headed back to Phuket’s Patong City. Our tummies were already craving for dinner but we wanted something that’s uniquely Thai.

It was just our luck that the peeps at Bamboo Travel, the outfit that Tigerair chose to steer us around Thailand, has just the right thing planned for the night—were going to one of Phuket’s most famous cultural show, Siam Niramit, and have our sumptuous dinner there too.

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I haven’t one iota what Siam Niramit is. All I know is that it’s a cultural show and I’m actually having doubts if I’ll enjoy it. Our bus pulled into the massive lighted gates of the complex and Thai girls, garbed in sparkling costumes, greeted us with gracious bows and warm smiles.

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