Flight chronicles of the backpacker Tutubi, with travelogues, pictures/photos/videos, travel guides, independent and honest reviews, affordable, recommended resorts and hotels (including inns, guesthouses, pension houses, lodges, hostels, condotels, bed and breakfast and other cheap accommodations), commuting guides, routes (sometimes street maps and GPS coordinates/waypoints) and driving directions to answer "how to get there" questions, information and tips on tourism, budget travel and living in Philippines, Exotic Asia and beyond!
Backpacking, independent travel, and flashpacking are cheaper than the "cheapest package tours" and promotional offers around but you can also use travel information for family vacations, even romantic honeymoon destinations.
More than the usual tourist spots and "places to see," this blog advocates heritage conservation, environmental protection, and history awareness for Filipinos, foreigners, and ex-pats wishing to explore Paradise Philippines and Exotic Asia!
Baguio's (In)Famous Barrel Man Statue/Sculpture as Souvenir/Pasalubong
One of those souvenir items of Baguio that made it famous in the past, the "iconic" barrel man of Baguio, wood carvings of a man hiding inside a barrel, with a spring contraption that pops up a phallic symbol whenever the barrel is removed to display the naked man's "masculinity."
It has been some time since Tutubi saw these ingenious carvings made only in the Cordilleras, that even wood carvers from his hometown Paete, Laguna has yet to come out with a creation that they can symbolize their own like what the barrel man did for Baguio City (some people think of Machete but it falls short of being a symbol of Paete woodcarving)
an army of baguio barrel men statues waiting for curious tourists to snap them up
Some call it a nice souvenir, some call it art, a few tag it as disgusting, but Tutubi just say it's funny, even for first-timers clueless of what's hidden inside the barrel.
Where to buy the Baguio barrel man woodcarving? They're practically everywhere in Baguio City's souvenir shops, wood carving/handicrafts stores, and pasalubong centers. How much? Price depends on the size as usual.
In Manila, Tutubi used to find them at Balikbayan handicrafts in Quiapos Ille de Tulle (Ilalim ng tulay) near Quinta Market and some other Filipino cultural stores (probably SM Kultura but not sure).
I gave one to a white neighbor, when I got back here in the US, as a present. She cracked up when she lifted the barrel. Of course, I don't give it to just anybody; I have to be selective of who I give it to.
luna, i used to have one too but had it broken a long time ago.
sidney, there is a female counterpart of the barrel man, endearingly called barrel barbie, a girl inside the barrel but i've yet to see one. unlike a man with the phallous, i don't know about the woman version :P
Haha, revealing masculinity, that is just about universal. Here they used to have a monk that revealed all when you pressed his head. Slightly touchy just lately, seeing that the roman catholic bishop of our province had to resign last week after a revelation that he had raped his underaged nephew repeatedly.
an army of baguio barrel men statues waiting for curious tourists to snap them up
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