VIDA Callejero

15/08/2021

05/01/2021

I just miss the adventures and joy of a travel.

23/04/2020

VIDA Callejero's cover photo

24/04/2019

Getting lost @ downtown Toronto!

24/04/2019

The sound of the roaring falls, the feel of the mist, the sight of nature’s grandeur—I cannot but feel the presence of God! Thank you Pearl Ann Tabaloc for finding the time!

24/04/2019

Tanjayanons are here, there and everywhere! What a joy to meet some of them during this visit! Thank you everyone for your availability. Keeping you close in my prayers.

24/04/2019

Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦, here I come! Thank you Alyn-Edong Clayton Lopez, Brendon, Tyler, Tito Bebe and Tita Linda for the warm welcome and hospitality!

26/11/2018

This blessed year we have explored more places, ventured new horizons and immersed in various cultures as we experienced the world unfolding before us. We walked the streets of Madrid. We prayed at the apparition site in Fatima. We crossed the bridge in London. We beheld the sunset in Dubai. We enjoyed the hot springs in Japan. We were captivated by the beauty of Petra. We were awed by the pyramids of Egypt. We fulfilled a dream in walking the way of Christ in the holy land. May the Lord continue to give us opportunities to see the world, for we have always been about travel, and we will always be.

19/10/2018

TABGHA. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves and gave them....They all ate and were satisfied.” (Mt. 14:13-21) Lord, let me be fed not only with Your teaching but also with Your self. Help me generously share the little I may have all for Your greater glory.

19/10/2018

MT of the BEATITUDES. “...he went up to the mountain...began to teach them, ‘blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:1-12) Lord, help us find joy in You.

19/10/2018

GALILEE. In the middle of the lake we read Matthew 14:22-36. In silence we lifted whatever storms or darkness we have gone through in life which wrapped us in fear causing us to sink. We begged for the grace that like Peter, we reach out to God and say, ‘Lord, save me.’ Then building friendship in the boat, we danced with joy!

19/10/2018

GALILEE. At sunrise we left the shore and sailed through the lake of Galilee, the very place where Jesus walked on the water and where Jesus calmed the storm. Help us Lord to always fix our gaze on You, so that amidst life’s billowing waves, dark nights and raging storms, we continue to trust that You will bring us safely to the other side of the lake.

19/10/2018

PETRA. Hidden in the mountains of southern Jordan, we walked for quite a distance along a dusty road under the heat of the Arabian sun and then we passed through a narrow, ancient riverbed that winds its way down until we reached the old ‘rose-red city’ called Petra. The natural beauty of the sight made us unmindful of the weariness of the walk. The earth is indeed, ‘crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God’. Lord, help us to constantly see You in a world so charged with Your presence.

17/10/2018

After enjoying a deliciously prepared lunch at a local restaurant we visited the Greek Orthodox Church in Madaba which houses the 6th century mosaic map of the Holy Land then headed on to Mt. Nebo, the hill site where Moses had a sight of the promised land. Lord, as we seek to find you in our journey of life, give us the strength to embrace the difficulties and the mindfulness to see you through our experiences.

17/10/2018

From Fr. Jun to Fr. Johnny! Our bus for Jordan visits with wifi on board.

16/10/2018

The Dumaguete Holy Land Pilgrims have arrived in Amman, Jordan. Thank you Lord for the safe travel.

16/10/2018

A sample meal that Emirates offers while on board.

16/10/2018

Seven of our pilgrims are celebrating their birthday this October so before our flight off to Amman, Jordan we had a birthday celebration @ Vikings, SM Cebu.

16/10/2018

As the Church celebrates Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons, 11 priests and 20 lay from the Diocese of Dumageuete are making a pilgrimage of faith to the Holy Land. These days please journey with us as we walk the way of Christ in silence and in prayer. Please pray for us as we assure you also of our prayers. May this pilgrimage be a ‘process of conversion, a yearning for intimacy with God and a trusting plea for material needs’ (St. John Paul II).

26/09/2018

Ibusuki city is famous for its Japanese suna-mushi or sand bathing, the only one of its kind in the world. The black sand is warm to the touch and soothing to the skin because of the intense infusion of minerals from volcanic hot springs along the coast. With a yukata being worn, one is buried with the sand for 10-minutes. It was rejuvenating, relaxing and health-giving! Spiritualizing the experience, it was an experience of being buried and then rising to new life again, hallelujah! Also, it was a striking reminder, that if 10 minutes of exposure to v***r was not easy to bear, how much more eternity in the fires of hell!

26/09/2018

At the center of the table was installed a circular tray where fresh spring water was streaming forth. Somen (noodles made of wheat flour and salt) were then placed in the flowing water, caught and picked by your chopsticks, dipped in a tasty cool broth and then eaten. Traditionally, this eating style was done from a tube of bamboo cut into half. It was really fun! Plus, the simple yet flavorful trout grilled with salt, the carp stewed in miso and the carp sashimi—what a perfect meal it was! Oishi!

26/09/2018

At the center of the table was installed a circular tray where fresh spring water was streaming forth. Somen (noodles made of wheat flour and salt) were then placed in the flowing water, caught and picked by your chopsticks, dipped in a tasty cool broth and then eaten. Traditionally, this eating style was done from a tube of bamboo cut into half. It was really fun! Plus, the simple yet flavorful trout grilled with salt, the carp stewed in miso and the carp sashimi—what a perfect meal it was! Oishi!

26/09/2018

After a very naturally scenic drive we reached the valley of Tosenkyo in Ibusuki City. After descending down the steps we reached the Tosenkyo Somen Nagashi restaurant beautifully situated by a clear cool spring and there I had a wonderful meal experience peculiar to Japan.

26/09/2018

Due to time limitation, we had bentō in all our lunches during the conference. Bentō is a single portion take-out or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine, traditionally holding in a box, rice or noodles, fish or meat, with pickled and cooked vegetables.

26/09/2018

We were motioned to a room with Japanese traditional floor mats ‘tatami’, significantly decorated with an appropriate scroll hanged on the wall and then we positioned ourselves seated seiza-style. The host entered, ritually cleansed each utensil in our presence—the tea bowl, whisk and tea scoop—in a graceful order and precise arrangement. Then the host prepared the powdered green tea or matcha. Then as a guest, I received the bowl of tea, rotated it, took a sip and then complimented the host on the tea and on the bowl as well. What a delight to witness a Japanese Tea Ceremony! The scholar Okakura Kakuzo in ‘The Book of Tea’ wrote: “It (Teaism) insulates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life.”

26/09/2018

One of the joys of travelling is tasting the local food. Sashimi was a treat to the eyes down to the tongue as this thinly sliced raw fish, carefully prepared, artistically garnished, dusted with a bit of wasabi and quickly dipped with just enough soy sauce finds its way to the stomach far deep into the heart. And only here did I know that not all sashimi are created equal. Those fishes from colder water habitat are not as delectably soft as those in warm natural environment.

26/09/2018

Sakurajima (cherry blossom + island) which is so majestic in its stand is an active volcano regularly venting out clouds of ash into the sky. We disembarked from the port of Kagoshima for a 15-minute ferry ride to Sakurajima. What a magnificent beauty to behold Sakurajima more nearly. What a magnificent grandeur to see the black pines growing in the field of lava rocks. I was so awed with the wonder of God’s creation that I took by heart the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Let us be silent, that we may hear the whisper of the gods.”

16/09/2018

This 76 year-old Bishop Kenjiro deeply inspired me with the warmth of his welcome and the magnanimity of his heart to serve as the driver and tour guide for me as he brought me around the beautiful city of Kagoshima.

16/09/2018

One way to best enjoy a place and a culture is through immersion in the lives of the locals. Enjoying dinner in the home of the Mori’s with Bishop Kenjiro who also introduced me with the basics of the ‘tea ceremony’.

15/09/2018

Welcome dinner with Bishop Kenjiro and Shoko Mori.

13/09/2018

I successfully maneuvered on my own from the airport to the Tenmonkan bus station, thanks to Japan’s very efficient transportation system. Then I was warmly met and welcomed by Ikuko and Yukari of WWME Japan who brought me to the hotel.

13/09/2018

Noticing how I had difficulty deciphering the japanese instructions, this kind-hearted officer graciously helped me buy my bus ticket off to Tenmonkan, Kagoshima.