Lakbay Museo!!: Travel Around the Philippines in 2 Hours!!

- September 25, 2019, Wednesday.

- How much do you know about the Philippines? Most people I talk to around the world know about the Philippines' fantastic beaches and other natural wonders. Though it is a blessing to live in such a blessed country, many people are not too aware of or well-versed in the richness of the Philippines' different cultures. One museum in the heart of Metro Manila, however, is trying to change that. Lakbay Museo ("Travel Museum") opened just this July 12 at the ground floor of S'Maison, the mall right across SM Mall of Asia. It dubs itself as an "Instagram-worthy" museum because of its (overstimulatingly) colorful displays that allow people to somehow interact and immerse in the different cultures across the country. (It's open everyday from 10am to 10pm.)

How can you not want to go inside with a door like this??

- It is best to book tickets online (click here) for a slight discount as compared to buying entrance tickets on site. Visitors will be made to choose a schedule and a particular entrance time, just so the museum can control its crowd. These days, I noticed that while it's unsurprising to find a big crowd on the weekends, the weekdays are not free from crowds (generally speaking) since many schools usually take this opportunity to go on a field trip to Lakbay Museo. I just chose a particular time slot with the least amount of people.

- Visitors are asked to arrive at the museum around 20 minutes before the entrance time indicated on the reservation so the entrance tickets can be processed at the front desk. Together with the ticket (valid for a 2-hour stay) are 12 chips which can be used as "money" inside the museum, mostly for buying small traditional snacks like halo-halo, samalamig, arroz caldo, depending on what's available. Apart from the chips, the stall - all of them, by the way, are appropriately wearing authentic costumes from various Philippine ethnic groups - will let its visitors wear simple Philippine costumes, like Igorot ponchos or sarongs from Mindanao for instance, so visitors can "feel" the culture. Since it was my birthday, I was dressed for the occasion, and made sure that I had one of my better costumes from my own costume collection, so I'll "belong." My goodness, the staff initially thought I was a new employee because of my costume!! After the tickets, chips, and the costumes, visitors can enter the museum three ways: through a jeep, a vinta (local boat,) or everyone's favorite, through a plane and slide down to enter the museum!!

Jeep. (You enter through the door at the side.)

The airplane that everyone likes.

The vinta (left) and the airplane's slide (right.) Also take a look at the baybayin, one of the ancient writing systems of the Philippines.

- The museum is separated into four zones (though I'd argue it's really 5 zones.) These are the market (palengke) and Ilocos zone, the central Luzon and northern Visayas zone, the Central Visayas Zone (underwater themed), the Mindanao Zone, and one special zone where the stage is for cultural performances that happen almost every 30 minutes. The palengke zone shows people the vibrant market culture of the Philippines, including local snacks (both traditional and modern) and drinks (including free lambanog/coconut wine!!). The Ilocos side of the first zone also shows a replica of Calle Crisologo, the cultural street of Vigan, and larger-than-life longganisas and empanadas!! I also noticed that the information sheets/cards that they have across the museum are easy to understand especially for kids, so learning about these cultures won't ba an overwhelming/overloaded experience.

Wanna buy tuyo (dried fish)?

With my amazing grannies in lovely orange ternos!! (Look at the "alak" stall at the back. They serve free lambanoggg!!!!) Also note my Mansaka inspired costume + the Maranao sarong the museum lent me.

Ilocos.

More about the Ilocos region.

- The second zone brings people far up in the north of the Philippines, with a replica of an Ivatan house normally found in Batanes. I was also able to try on a vakul, which is a straw hat/headdress normally worn by the Ivatans. Across the Ivatan house was a replica of a traditional house from Quezon during the Pahiyas festival, when houses will be decorated with colored leaves and ornaments, and dining tables are overflowing with local delicacies for LITERALLY everyone - even visitors who aren't necessarily personal acquaintances of the locals!! (Of course the food on the platters that they have displayed are not edible - but how I wish they were!!)

Stone houses of Batanes.

He stares right into your soul.

With an Ivatan vakul on my head!!

Pahiyas!! See those colored leaf ornaments?

Welcome to my birthday party!! (LOL.)

- There were also replicas of Cebu's Mactan Shrine (but weirdly enough with a banquet of Cebu's delicacies inside,) an Igorot house, and a sturdy (fake) carabao that represents Bulacan's Carabao Festival when actual carabaos (water buffaloes)  will be decorated and paraded. I was happy that I got to ride on the fake carabao, and even had the chance to balance (fake) pots on my head like the Igorots of Banaue!!   

I'm like Aang the Last Air Bender with Appa the flying bison haha.

Igorot weaver with giant strawberries.

More Philippine food.

The Philippines has a vibrant "banig" (woven mat) culture.

A replica of the Mactan Shrine, a banquet with Cebu's prized dishes, and mannequins with Sinulog festival costumes.

Pretending to look far when it's really because something caught our attention.

OMG STUFFED TOY PUTO BUMBONG.

- Needless to say, my favorite part of my stay in Lakbay Museo was the cultural performance. From what I understand, the staff puts up a better and longer show for large groups, and do a shorter but still excellent performance (around 10-15 minutes) for smaller groups. Since I was the only person watching the performance when they danced, I was able to take a solo photo with the performers who showed dances from Luzon to Mindanao.

Dances from Luzon and Visayas. This one if the tinikling from Visayas.

T'Boli (left,) Yakan (center,) Maguindanao (right.)

No regrets celebrating my birthday with my fellow Filipinos from all over the country!!

- To go to the next zone, visitors must go inside the replica of the Mayon Volcano, which also took the opportunity to introduce the culinary culture of the Bicolanos (chilis, chilis, and more chilis!!) And if things are hot enough, the next part takes its visitors deep in the seas of Central Visayas!! Also, visitors will also pass by a giant wall with assorted textiles from all over the country with a brief explanation on the material, symbols, and proper use of the textiles; they can be touched by visitors so they can feel the different textures of the textiles.

Mayon!!

Inside the Mayon Volcano, those things "dangling" from the ceiling are chilis. No, I don't think they do that inside the real volcano though haha.

Under the sea!! Also, look I found Nemo!!

Wall of Philippine textiles!!

- After diving the depths of the Visayas region, I finally reached the Mindanao zone, my favorite among the exhibition zones. I was welcomed by a man in a Maranao costume playing the kulintang (gong xylophone.) I was able to try playing the kulintang, and since no one was there with me, I asked the kind person to play the kulintang while I dance the pangalay, a dance of the Tausug people. 

Mindanao!!

Mindanao royalty.

- As the Mindanao zone is the last exhibit zone, the door behind it leads to the souvenir store. I like how its souvenir store mixes modern local products with authentic indigenous products (albeit a bit costly.) 

Outside the museum's souvenir store.

- I made sure I stayed a full two hours because I surely did not want to leave the museum!! I would have wanted to stay a lot longer and learn more (and take more photos!!) I am very happy that we finally have this kind of museum that makes culture "alive" (although a deeper understanding of the Philippines' cultures would need one to visit the National Museum of Anthropology at Rizal Park.) Even though I am quite familiar with these things because of my personal interests and field of study, I still learned and experienced a lot in two hours. I was glad that I spent my birthday in a meaningful, colorful, and wonderful way!!