"SIX" in Manila!: Welcome to the Histo-Remix!

- October 8, 2024, Tuesday.

- "Listen up let me tell you a story! A story that you think you've heard before!" And I hope you heard that the musical "Six" is currently in Manila for around a two-week run at Solaire Resort! "Six" is a narration of the lives of King Henry VIII's six (ex-)wives, or should I say the six queens. The musical is in the form of a concert, with the six queens - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr - reimagined as modern-day divas.

- I was happy to finally figure out my schedule and get a nice (semi-last-minute) ticket at the orchestra section, as a birthday gift to myself (and other recent achievements in life). On the day of my show, I intentionally went really really early to have the photo spots at the theater lobby all to myself. I was already there around 4pm for for my 8pm show. Because I was very early, some of the photo spots did not have the lights turned on yet, but the lobby was lit enough to not make too much of a difference. But since a nice staff saw me, and perhaps my determination to get nice photos, she offered to turn on the lights for me. (Thank you!)

"Survived."

Dare I say, I can be King Henry VIII. Hahahaha.

Of course I had to wear my royal regalia, brought my own crown too. I wore my ruff (actually a baby's tutu), as a reference to "Haus of Holbein", one of my favorite numbers in the musical.

Six....or Hamilton? HAHA.

- More people started coming maybe an hour after I arrived. I spent the rest of the time going around the lobby and having an early dinner at the Theater Cafe just beside the lobby. I took more photos because by this time, the theater staff had brought out the six color-coded tiaras (based on the costumes of the six wives) which guests can use as a prop for photos.

Taking as many photos as I can because I have so much time to kill before the show.

They finally brought the tiaras out!

Bought my own Six merch!! The tiara might be a bit expensive but this is the only thing I think I'll most likely use haha.

- I thoroughly enjoyed the whole musical, and I wondered how the six queens were able to keep their energy up the whole show, considering it was one act and did not have intermissions. I was mesmerized by the costumes and engrossed in each queen's story, even though I had seen bootleg versions of it online. I've been a fan of the musical for around a year now after discovering it accidentally on Youtube. The thing I was happiest about was when the queens asked the audience to stand up and let us take out our phones to take photos or videos of the "Megasix" number, which serves as the musical's "encore" as in a concert.

Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived.

Fancy seeing you guys here! -- We didn't just see each other; we're seatmates!!

One of a kind, no category!!

Free to take their crowning glory!!

It really feels like a concert!!

I can listen to them all day! Now if only my history classes were like this!!

Thank you for the show queens!!

I'm super proud of my little crown which I got from Toy Kingdom some years back. It was for ages three and up. HAHA.

- Apart from the whole musical, the best part about the whole experience was seeing good friends - theater friends no less - during the show. I had loads of fun catching up and taking photos with everyone afterwards!

You can tell how much we miss performing!!

I miss you guys very much huhu.

We're Four!!

Fancy seeing you here too!!!!

- Watching "Six" was truly a fantastic way to celebrate my life so far, especially since I wasn't able to do anything "interesting" on the exact day of my birthday. I would've watched "Six" even if it wasn't for my birthday, but the timing just made watching the musical even more special! 

Amerigo Vespucci: "The Most Beautiful Ship"' Docks in Manila!

- September 17, 2024, Wednesday.

- My friends know that I am neither not fond of the sea nor cruises, but one thing that fascinates me is historical ships. There is just an unusual feeling of stepping on to a ship that has braved the waves and the wind for years. One such ship, a true beauty, is the Amerigo Vespucci. It went on a world tour recently, and it had a three-day visit to Manila. Part of the visit was opening its gates to curious Filipinos who could secure a visit through a registration link. I almost did not get my slot because of my schedule, but I finally got to register anyway. It docked in Manila's harbor.

HERE I AM.

It really....is a beauty.

I know it's not practical given that they were docked, but I would have loved to see all the sails wide open!! (I saw photos online and boy did they make the ship look like the ships from centuries ago!!)

Front of the ship.

That golden figurehead is Amerigo Vespucci himself!

- The Amerigo Vespucci is an Italian navy training ship, and was named after the 17th-century Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci (and yes, "America" was named after him.) As for the ship, it was built in 1931, and made in the style of 18th-century ships. It was dubbed by the USS Independence (a US navy ship) as "the most beautiful ship in the world" because the Amerigo Vespucci's physical appearance.

- I don't know why I was surprised to see a big group of visitors, when I also knew that all slots (around 600+ per day) were filled up. But I was also happy to see that many people were interested to check out this historical ship. We were all welcomed by navy trainees (is that what you call them), who were Italian. They entertained questions from people about their lives on board, and places that they visited or will visit as part of the ship's world tour. I know it visited countries like Spain, France, the USA, Ecuador, Argentina,  Brazil, Japan, Australia; it will visit more countries in Southeast Asia and West Asia before going back to Italy.

So many stirring wheels!! (And I was told they were operated manually.)

All that exploring-the-new-world feels.

Just to prove that I'm on board.

With some nice navy trainees who welcomed us. Grazie mille!

Again I'm not very good with ship terminology but I sure do like looking at ships.

"It is not who begins, but the one who perseveres."

Buongiorno!

I would like to thank the random kind people who took my photos for me since it was hard to set up my tripod on board.

Of course I had to were my (made-in-China haha) Versace on board.

Thank you random photographer for making me look like the ship's poster boy.

Everrryyyy nightttt in my dreamsssss, I see youuuuu, I feeeel youuuuu....

- I didn't stay long in the ship because we could only go through the more open parts of the ship. Still I saw quite a bit. It would have been nicer to get to talk to more navy trainees but everyone just wanted to talk to all of them! I did try a bit of my Italian on them which of course them off guard. (But yay for me because it is a language I don't use often). I'm really glad I got to have a last minute visit to the Amerigo Vespucci, and it is surprise events like that that keep me going in my everyday life.  

"Thai" Will Always Love You (Part 5): Ancient City, Erawan Museum, and the Typhoon in Manila

- July 23-24, 2024, Tuesday to Wednesday.

- For my last full day in Bangkok, I visited the province bordering Bangkok's east, Samut Prakan. It is best known for two main tourist sites: Ancient City (Muang Boran) and the Erawan Museum. Tickets can be bought individually online, or best to book through the Klook app as there is a big promotion when buying it through the app than in person. A combination ticket with both places is available.

- Ancient City was built in 1972, but I guess social media made this place even more popular in recent years. It is an open-air museum with miniatures (and some 1:1 replicas) of places of historical significance in the whole of Thailand, with a few structures born from the imagination of artists (they do not exist anywhere else in Thailand). The theme park has gained more attention as well due to how easy it is to reach it unlike before (Kheha BTS Station, then ride Songthaew 36 or take a cab from one of the taxis; both the songthaews and taxis are conveniently lined up outside the train station.)

Mount Sumeru - one of the structures made from imagination (not existing anywhere else in Thailand.) It shows a temple, supposedly the abode of many Hindu gods, with the giant fish Ananda coiled around the island to ensure that it floats on the cosmic ocean. 

One without me.

Mondop of  Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Kuan Yin), also a creative design like the one prior.

Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara performing a miracle, also a creative design. I chose to concentrate more on creative designs because I'll only see them in the theme park. The others are replicas, meaning I may have the chance to see the real thing outside the park.

Pavillion of the Enlightened. Also a creative design, with a little bit of Chinese influence.

- One thing I have to warn about Ancient City is that you can only wear Thai clothing if you are willing to pay 600 Baht. The 600 Baht is actually the cost of renting a Thai costume within the park. But you need to pay if you're wearing your own as if you rented from the shop. I thought mine looked nicer so I just paid without renting from their own shop.

Just to let you know I'm here.

Sanphet Prasat Palace from Ayutthaya. This one is a replica but the real palace was burned in the 1700s when the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya.

Lucky enough to catch a cultural performance!

Muay Thai!

With the performers. I fit right in!

- Renting a gold cart is the best way to go around the park, and it costs 350 Baht during the first hour, and 100 Baht for each succeeding hour. People may also rent bikes but if finances permit, the gold cart is the fastest and most convenient way to go around this huge huge hugeeeeeeeee park. It is also too hot sometimes, so at least the gold cart has shade. One needs to show a driver's license (from your country is fine, not necessarily a Thai driver's license). No license, no golf cart.

My golf cart! So happy to experience driving one. 

With a replica of the Dusit throne hall in the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Buddhavas of the Substanceless Universe (aka, for me, the "temple with blinding gold".)

Giant Buddhas beside the main temple.

Golden Buddhas inside the main hall (and air-conditioned too!)

- I managed to visit a couple of buildings within the two hours I was there. I also squeezed in some lunch time at the buffet restaurant (not bad for 280 Baht!).

- After cooling off at the reception area (which has air-conditioning), I rode the Grab to Erawan Museum. This was built by the same owner as Ancient City. (No direct way to go, either Pu Chao or Chang Erawan BTS then take a Grab or cab. From Ancient City, take Grab or taxi cab.) 

- Erawan Museum openedi n 2003, and is notable for its giant multi-headed elephants. The elephant is named Erawan is the Thai, origianlly called Airavat in India. Erawan/Airavat is the mount of god Indra, and the lord of the elephants. The park has a cafe area, a costume rental area (but thankfully I wasn't made to pay unlike in Ancient City), and some souvenir stores. Inside the elephant's pedestal is an ornate staircase in a Thai-Chinese-European style, symbolizing the universe. Inside the elephant's belly is a museum with Buddhist relics across Thailand's history (the small museum is air-conditioned too!)

Outfit change!

I really took my moment to just stand and start at that giant elephant.

The outer layer is covered in bronze.

At the staircase.

A statue of Indra.

At the third floor, with a cosmos theme. This is the belly of the elephant.

- I later rode the cab to Pu Chao station, and hopped on the BTS train back to Bangkok. I made a brief stopover at Asok Station to check out Terminal 21. Terminal 21 is a travel-themed mall, with each floor made to feel like one major city in the world, like Rome, London, Istanbul, Tokyo, or San Francisco. I think it was a cool mall, but the stores were nothing out of the ordinary. I rode the train again going to Pratunam for one last time, for dinner and some last minute shopping.

San Francisco.

Caribbean Lighthouse.

OMG A TASTE OF HOME IN BANGKOK HAHA.

A giant Oscar statue.

- I left Bangkok the following day. What was supposed to be a short three-hour trip back to Manila and arriving home mid-afternoon became a nightmare because of Typhoon Carina. My plant got delayed for 4 hours, and despite worries about the typhoon, the flight was actually really smooth.

A depiction of the Churning of the Ocean at the concourse of Suvarnabhumi Airport. I've seen this multiple times but it has always been a habit to take a photo of this before flying home. The Churning of the Ocean is a Hindu myth.

Shiva on top of Mount Meru, with Vishnu's snake coiled around, and Vishnu as a giant turtle named Kurma at the bottom.

Met my colleague, Andrea, who was on the same flight as I was!

- The "interesting" things actually happened once I landed in Manila, around 7pm. We were able to park and deplane after 3 hours because of the irregularities of all airplanes, such as delays and cancellations because of the storm. I actually think the only reason out flight was not cancelled was because the storm had gone by the time we reached Manila (hence, the smooth flight). But ground level was a different story. Many parts of Metro Manila were flooded and impossible to pass. 

- I was supposed to stay for a night in any hotel beside the airport but all were fully booked. I managed to book a Grab home but at some point close to my house it couldn't pass. He asked me to ride a tricycle which I did, but the tricycle eventually had a flat tire. I asked to be dropped off at the 7-11 near where we were. The tricycle driver was kind enough to help me call a replacement tricycle or a taxi, but many didn't want to because of the floods. My sister later had to fetch me from 7-11 on the way home. It took me around 8-9 hours from landing before reaching home. Goodness. But thankfully I was safe, and that floods have significantly receded by the time I got home (even though there were deep pockets of floods here and there.) A memorable "welcome home" I guess. Would have been nice to just extend in Bangkok, even for a day, if I could haha.

- This whole trip wasn't a walk in the park because of how hectic everything was. I had to deal with the conference, work, a bit of sightseeing, plus the mess the typhoon left in Manila by the time I arrived. But I learned a lot and made the most of my trip in Bangkok while being productive. I hope to go back to Thailand again because I just love many things about the country (and the fact that it's so close to the Philippines.) I honestly wasn't keen about the conference despite the theme fitting my research interests better than Cinderella's shoe because of many big things at work I had to finish in Manila, but I'm still glad I was able to visit Thailand again after years! 

- Check out my other adventures for this Thailand trip!

Part 1 (Phahurat and Mahidol University): here

Part 2 (Nakhon Pathom): here

Part 3 (Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Kudeejeen): here

Part 4 (Chinatown, Wat Saket, Giant Swing): here