Time stands still at Sitio Remedios

A trip to the Ilocos is always a welcome treat because aside from the chance to breathe some fresh air, it allows this writer to touch base with his roots. Since he was a child, he has been making the nine-hour road trip by bus to his mother’s hometown of Laoag in Ilocos Norte. A colleague once asked why I willingly make the trek at least three times a year during Holy Week, All Souls’ Day and the Christmas holidays. The reason I gave was that it gave me the chance to visit with my relatives. Now, however, I realize that I like the routine that comes with being with the people you love. US Vogue editor Anna Wintour puts it another way. In the June 2007 issue she writes that "the peculiar bliss of summer is connected to feelings of recurrence... whether [one is] at the beach or wandering away from the office for a balmy lunchtime stroll." For me, it is waking up to breakfasts of longganisa (pork sausages) and scrambled eggs, heading to the beach with Coke and cold noodles, and posing for pictures in front of the magnificent Paoay Church in the golden afternoon light. It would seem that very little has changed in the Ilocos landscape. The fields are still planted to rice and tobacco and the houses lining the highway are clean and well-tended. The other year, a resort was constructed in the seaside town of Currimao. Although motorists in a hurry are sure to miss it, Sitio Remedios (www.sitioremedios.com) is shaping up to be a resort after a heritage conservationist’s heart. Owned by Joven Cuanang, the medical director of St. Luke’s Hospital, the resort is a testament to his appreciation for the genteel past. The accommodations are really houses made with pieces from old wood houses that had been marked for demolition. When this writer first visited the resort last year, Mr. Cuanang narrated how the owners were only too glad to have someone dismantle their houses and cart away the pieces. They felt that after working for many years abroad as overseas contract workers or as professionals, they wanted their houses to reflect their current state in life. Down came these stately old houses and up went these cement edifices with high fences, garages and cookie-cutter lawns. "When some of them come to Sitio Remedios, they openly regret turning their backs on the past. Now, they want to restore their houses to their former glory," Mr. Cuanang said, as he gave me a personalized tour of the grounds. "This was really the plan for Sitio, my advocacy. I wanted people to cherish the past and cultivate ’pride of place.’" Resort developments Since my last visit, the resort has grown to include an airy conference hall with windows that open to the courtyard behind the resort’s chapel and the "Cloister of St. Anthony." The cloister or dormitory is actually two spacious rooms with bunk beds that can accommodate a maximum of 10 people per room. The Cloister of St. Anthony is actually two dorm-style rooms that can accommodate a total of 20 guests. Each room with fan has three shower stalls and two toilets making it perfect for small groups of friends or families who are willing to bunk together. Unlike the air-conditioned "cottages" that can accommodate anywhere from two to eight guests each and are priced from P5,000 to P12,000 a night (including breakfast), guests at the dormitory pay only P800 a night. Outside the rooms is a small dining area, a bubbling fountain and a 20-year old bougainvillea tree that Mr. Cuanang instructed the carpenters and laborers to work around. Here and there, one will find decorative tiles by potters based in the town of San Nicolas. "I brought in two artists from Manila to ’jam with’ them because I felt that their output was too basic and included only clay pots and wood-fired kitchen stoves," Mr. Cuanang said. The results of this collaboration are the terracotta tiles with stylized floral designs. Two other additions to the resort are a compact pool and a Jacuzzi located at the edge of the resort near the beach. The shallow pool is a perfect vantage point for the daily performance that, one frequent visitor quipped, is played out for resort guests. Every afternoon, around 2 p.m., the fishermen of Currimao begin hauling in their nets. At the risk of sounding cute, this "matinee ballet" is one worth watching if only to get an idea how time seems to have stood still in Ilocos Norte. Next up for the indefatigable Mr. Cuanang is a goat farm that he plans to set up in a nearby property he also owns. "I’m still consulting with my cousin on what type of goats to raise. Once that’s decided, we plan to experiment making our own goat cheese." A brick oven near the resort’s lookout tower will soon be used to bake pandesal (breakfast rolls) so that, Mr. Cuanang said, guests can look forward to breakfasts of fresh goat cheese, warm pandesal and hot chocolate. Now, that’s one routine I’d gladly look forward to. - BusinessWorld