Pinukpok Abaca-Silk Weaving at Apanti Production House
year-round; Abaca Festival peak in May
Catanduanes, the 'Land of the Howling Winds,' is a major abaca producer, and at the Apanti production house in Baras you can watch women hand-weave pinukpok — abaca pounded until it falls like silk — on jack-type handlooms. The cloth ends up as shawls for designers like Dita Sandico-Ong, so seeing it made on a barangay loom is a rare look behind high fashion. Local's tip: time a visit for May, when the Abaca Festival fills the Provincial Capitol grounds in Virac with weaving demos and booths from all 11 towns; off-season, the Virac provincial museum and public market carry abaca bags and wallets to buy.
Going? The planner prices every way into Catanduanes — planes, ferries and buses side by side.
Plan the trip →Source: dateline-ibalon.com