Mahal Kong Maynila (Manila My Beloved!): Revisiting My Backyard

- February 11, 2022, Friday.

- I have always been a proud Manileño. Despite living in the city all my life, I have always been fascinated by its historic districts. Throughout my life I have visited them numerous times, especially before the pandemic. God knows how many friends (locals and foreigners) I have toured around - with my eyes closed! (OK maybe not literally, but you get the point.) Despite that, I realized a couple of months back that I had not taken proper photos with some of the city's most iconic areas - something I always do when I travel to other cities both in the Philippines and abroad. Fortunately, my friend Renee invited me to go around Manila one day; I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to not only meet a very good friend of many many years, but also to take some nice snaps with the city's pride.

- I started the day super early by going around Rizal Park, also known by its former name, Luneta. It has been a famous gathering place in Manila since the 1820s. However, Filipinos would know that the national hero Jose Rizal was killed b the Spanish in this park in 1896. Today, it is known for the Rizal monument - and since 2012, its photobomber a kilometer or so away, the Torre de Manila.

With the Rizal monument in my modern Barong Tagalog. Oh look, there's Torre de Manila peeking in the background. Yay (sarcastic).

A slight change in angle and voila! No photobomber.

- I don't go to Rizal Park very early on a normal day, so it was nice to see all the people jogging around and exercising in the park. I spent a few minutes enjoying the musical fountain as well.

Exercising people.

Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium at the back - plenty of good memories. (I haven't performed there though.)

Musical fountains! (The fountains "dance" with the music at certain times of the day. Was glad to have seen it.)

This guard house always catches my attention.

- Thankfully, there was a nearby Jollibee where I had breakfast, before going to the National Museum of Fine Arts and took a photo with the facade across the street. The National Museum of Fine Arts was built in the 1920s and was initially supposed to be the National Library. However, instead of a library, it has been used as government building for years until it was handed over to the National Museum of the Philippines in 1998. As the National Museum's collections expanded, the was eventually named the "National Museum of Fine Arts" to differentiate it from the other buildings in the National Museum complex that have other themes (i.e. the National Museum of Anthropology, and the rather new National Museum of Natural History).

Renee told me that this shirt makes me look like a museum guard. (I actually agree HAHA.)

You can see the Manila City hall from afar, which looks like the Big Ben. Kind of.

Also known as the "Former Legislative Building"; built in the neoclassical style.

- Renee and I met each other later on and entered the museum. By the way, entrance is free for all buildings under the National Museum. However, due to the pandemic, reservations are needed at least a day before at the official website of the National Museum.

- The museum is known for housing the giant painting called "Spoliarium", by famed artist Juan Luna. It was painted in 1884 and won a gold medal in Spain. The painting was eventually returned to the country in 1958 from Spain. If you see the photo below and in case you're wondering, yes, it is currently the largest known painting in the Philippines.

The fake museum guard with the Spoliarium. 

The painting depicts images of dead gladiators without their clothing and being dragged around. It is said to represent the struggles of the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era.

- The other galleries house both permanent and temporary exhibits. As someone who isn't into paintings and sculptures (I'm more of the history and ethnic stuff guy when it comes to museums,) I had not been inside the museum since....the early 2000s (??), and I can say that the museum looks so much nicer than how I remembered it. The museum underwent a few renovations through the years, so I was happy to see the overall "facelift."   

There were religious artworks, almost similar to the ones in the San Agustin Museum in Intramuros.

Small Juan Luna paintings.

Don Luis Perez Dasmarinas and Fray Domingo de Salazar, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo (1896). I am a Marites.

With Amorsolo sketches.

Yes I can be this immature.

A photo Renee took of me. She said "oh look the museum guard is enjoying art."

Taking a bit of rest because the museum was HUGGGGGGGGGGE.

Taking a look at the wood carving that used to be in the Philam Life auditorium, before it was demolished. This caving is special to me because the PhilAm Life auditorium was the first place outside my school where I performed as part of a concert.

A view of the main assembly hall from the second floor.

15 years of friendship yo! (And we both look like we didn't age a day!)

- After going around the museum, we had to rush off to the National Museum of Natural History, located at the Rizal Park's Agrifina Circle. Formerly the building of the Department of Tourism, until is was converted into the Natural History Museum that opened in 2018 (click here for my first visit to the museum in 2018). Renee and I had to rush through the museum since we had around an hour left before the museum closes for lunch. Normally the museum was open throughout the day, but during COVID, the National Museum buildings did a batching system - morning or afternoon - and those belonging to one batch must only stay within the time limit of their own batch (ex. if you're in the morning batch, you must leave at noon and cannot stay until the afternoon.) Again, they're only doing this because of the pandemic.

The tree of life, also, the trunk is an elevator.

A model of a T-Rex head.

Hi Lolong! (The largest crocodile in captivity until its death in 2013.)

Philippine eagle.

BABY SHARK.

Casually walking down the stairs.

Orlina's "Arcanum Paradise." This time I wore something matching. (Also, with this costume change, from a museum guard I now look like a diplomatic delegate from some country.)

 

It was hard to get a photo with the Tree of Life.

Resting again because we had to walk all the way up since the elevator was under maintenance.

I feel like the divine is about to get me anytime with this lighting haha.

Candid shot outside back door (and current entrance) of the Museum of Natural History.

- Finally it was time for lunch and we took a Grab to La Cathedral Cafe. It moved to its current location around 2020 and is known for its stunning rooftop view - The Manila Cathedral! (Hence, the cafe's name.) The cafe is located literally behind the Manila Cathedral. However, I think those with mobility problems will have a hard time going up the cafe as it is located at the building's roof deck. It was my first time visiting this cafe as it has always been crowded. A booking system was necessary, but Renee and I just walked in. Either we went during a dead hour, or maybe reservations weren't necessary anymore. (We forgot to ask.)

The iconic view from the cafe. (And Renee at the back waiting for me to finish so we can eat.)

The Manila Cathedral's rear end.

This is what you'll see on the street.

- Unfortunately, Renee and I were both too hungry that we forgot to document our food. We ordered their bicol express and kare kare. We also tried their dessert, and I highly recommend the chocolate cake (made from tablea!) 

- As much as we wanted to explore more of Intramuros and Manila for the rest of the day, we couldn't because of work. However, it was not only nice to see a friend after a long time (because pandemic huhu), and see Manila again as if it was my first time to see it. I understand Manila isn't a perfect city because of the not-so-nice things people know about it, but it is definitely worth discovering and understanding! - It is the capital city after all!

Chinatown Museum: A Look into My People's Past

- Feb. 4, 2021, Friday.

- Since it was Chinese New Year season, I thought of doing something to honor my heritage. Since I was out for errands in Chinatown, I thought it'd be convenient to pay the Chinatown Museum a visit. The Chinatown Museum was opened in 2018 in the Lucky Chinatown Mall annex. I've actually been there before, though I wasn't able to take photos then (I still can't remember why.) Due to the pandemic, they temporarily closed until the Chinese New Year this year. They're normally open everyday, though for now, they're only open from Fridays to Sundays.

- The Chinatown Museum feels like a small Bahay Tsinoy, which is a big museum in Intramuros that presents the story of the Chinese-Filipino (Chinoy/Tsinoy) community. Chinatown Museum concentrates on the Binondo Chinatown in Manila. By the way, did you know that Binondo Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in the world? It was established in the 1500s when the Spanish came to the Philippines.

Binondo Church model.

Let's begin the tour.

- The small museum takes people back to the early days of Chinoy history through their representations of stores, rooms, restaurants and other places where Manila's Chinoys created spaces for themselves. While most Chinoys today are known to be in the middle to upper classes, the earliest Chinoys lived simple lives until many of them prospered in the following decades.

Old stores owned by Chinoys.

Old sewing and ironing equipment.

Mestizo-sangley house.

Stealing is wrong but I was hungry. (No, they weren't real food. Also, no, I didn't actually touch the fake food.)

Simple and cramped living quarters.

Woodworks.

- Some of the oldest stores and restaurants still stand today in Chinatown, and are shards of history that continue to let everyone experience a bit of the past. They are also honored in the museum. Most Chinoys engage in business, and some of those businesses were passed on from generation to generation.

Representation of the Destileria Lituaco, which is still in operation today. A museum of the distillery is in Intramuros.

A representation of the old art supply store owned by the children of Roman Ongpin, in Binondo.

An old Chinese pharmacy.

An example of an old Chinese restaurant. Polland, by the way, is still selling their famous Chinese pastries until now!

- My favorite part of the museum was the model of the Tranvias de Filipinas. Visitors can go on the model tram. This was one of the forms of public transportation in Manila from 1888 until 1945 (end of World War 2). Speaking of the War, there is also a portion of the museum dedicated to the Chinoys who fought and served the Philippines during the War.

Running for government? HAHA.

My pets.

Horseracing or Track and Field?

- The museum itself was not too big, and parts of it are under renovation. However, I truly enjoyed my short stay in the museum - especially since I was mostly alone while going around. I am actually aware of my people's history in the Philippines (being Chinoy myself,) but it is always nice to be reminded with visual aids like the museum's displays.