One thing that always amazes me during my Bicol trips is the fact that it still follows the old Spanish set-up of having a plaza across the City Hall.
Having studied this back in HS and College, the centre of old Filipino towns would have the trifecta of government, religion and commerce. Thus, there would be a city hall, a church and a market situated around the town plaza.
The plaza across the city hall in Tabaco is always bustling with activity and people. Whether it's joggers in the morning, students hanging out in the afternoon, or couples in the evening - there's always some sort of activity happening there.
And when you're in Bicol, do as the Bicolanos do. That's why I'd hang out in front of the city hall wheneer there's free time.
Ah, the joys of provincial life.
As much as I'm a big city kind of guy, a smaller, more quaint and quieter city like Tabaco will always be appealing to me.
It's always good to be back.
Whenever the topic of Bicol comes up, one of the places that always pop up in my memory is Bamboo Grill.
Back in the 80s, Bamboo Grill was a popular spot in Tabaco. As the name implies, it's a restaurant that has a lot of grilled offerings. But what it's better known for is the 2nd floor where mahjong games are played daily.
Lola Dita and Mama would go here to play mahjong, and they would allow us kids to roam around the grill, and we'd often go to the ground floor function hall. The reason why we were here often was that the walls were adorned with all these fantasy tableaus, including one with King Neptune and mermaids, one with various sea creatures, and another with a giant oyster and pearl.
Now, it's 2023, and that childhood place from the 80s is still around.
It's not the Bamboo Grill that we know of. It's now a private residence, and most of the structures that we'd frequent as kids - including the ground floor function hall - is gone.
But their iconic gate is still there, and that's enough for me to appreciate all the wonderful memories this place brought us.
