After our hearty meal at The Hidden Garden, our driver, Kuya Allan, took us to visit the Vigan Pottery or what is locally called "Burnayan". The term comes from the word "burnay" which is what the earthenware used is called.
 |
| Vigan Burnayan |
The place was a haven of clay pots and and jars. Every corner of the place has an assortment of clay items, some have designs worthy of inspection. Too bad I did not get to see where the kiln ovens are.
There were not many potters around when we got there. There was actually only one potter and he didn't speak much. When we got out of the van, he proceeded directly to showing us how he intricately and expertly shapes clay into 'burnay'. He took a slab of clay, cast it on the potter's wheel, spun it while shaping and designed it with years of practice. It was the most magical creation of something I have ever seen.
Ecca was the brave one from the group to try making one herself. She had a sketchy start because the potter's wheel was very heavy and difficult to spin but she gradually made one worthy of a boast! :) She didn't get to take the clay jar she made though, since it still needs to be dried and baked on a kiln. Also, kuya potter still needs the clay for demonstration purposes for the next tourists who would visit.
 |
| Ecca with her burnay! :) |
Honestly speaking, on first look, the place looked very quiet and calm. It was almost...depressing. You would think a place like that offering so much cultural significance will get more visitors in a day. We visited at around 10 am so I would expect people, especially toursits, would be up and about already during those hours buying burnayan souvenirs. Sadly, that was not the case. Apart from us, there were no other tourists who visited the area. So, I just took comfort from the thought that though low on tourist visitors, maybe the local and foreign traders aren't snubbing this cultural gem.
No comments:
Post a Comment