Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away!!: Museo del Galeon Finally Opens!

- May 7, 2026, Thursday.

- I'm ready for my trip to Acapulco!! -- At least, not in a straightforward sense. The Museo del Galeon, or the Galleon Museum, has finally opened in SM Mall of Asia after almost a decade of delays! The museum emphasizes the maritime history of the Philippines especially during the Spanish era. The museum is currently open from Wednesdays to Sundays, 10AM-7PM. Entrance tickets need to be purchased at the entrance (with big discounts for students and teachers). 

There's a giant compass in front of the museum name.

I look like a news anchor.

- The galleons were used during the 1500s to 1800s and went between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico. This transnational trade was crucial in bringing all kinds of goods across the Pacific. It was only until the invention of steam ships and the opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt that brought an end to the Galleon Trade.

- The museum exhibit space is separated into four floors. The ground floor is mainly the entrance and reception area. Going up the second level, visitors can first see native Philippine boats such as the Butuan canoe and the balangay. Afterwards, everyone can behold the giant galleon, which is a life-sized replica of the galleon named Espiritu Santo. There are some items that were traded through the Manila-Acapulco route.

Butuan canoe.

Balangay.

Espiritu Santo. It gives you an idea of how big it is compared to my human size. (And my height is above average for Filipinos.)

And just so you can see me better, I walked closer to the camera haha.

Religious items.

Manton de Manila. (Bonus because the left manton is orange!)

Silverware.

Significant documents written by the Spanish during their stay in the Philippines.

- The third level focuses more on encounters with the Philippines, with maps that the Spanish drew of the country, as well as statues of Rajah Humabon and Lapulapu. This is also the level where guests can enter the Espiritu Santo for a more immersive experience of life on a galleon. I appreciated the touch of giving the galleon floors a sensation of being on water, making the experience more realistic.

Old chest.

Raja Humabon.

Tabletop altar with Santo Nino.

Lapulapu.

Ready to out-explore Dora.

Mother Mary carving.

Inside the galleon.

On the deck.

See the captain's wheel!

I don't think I can survive with a space this small!!

Captain's room.

Divine guidance while out in the sea.

- The fourth level currently doesn't have much, although it does provide a nice view of the galleon from a higher angle. I also know that there are galleries that are waiting to be finalized and created in time for the museum's grand opening in October 2026. Because it's on soft-opening capacity for a couple of months, the museum staff told me that I can hold on to my ticket and go back in October with my ticket for a discount should I be interested to visit the museum again during its grand opening. 

Love the LED screens with the artificial waves. (They sometimes show stars too, or at times there is an informative video about the galleon's history.)

Thank you kind person for taking my photo because I wasn't allowed to use my tripod in the museum. (In my earlier photos, I could get away with leaning my phone on my bag, but I couldn't do that with this angle.) 

- The museum space has gone through so much before coming to this point. At one point it was even a vaccination center during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the many setbacks, it is now ready to serve its main purpose from the day the museum was conceptualized: to take everyone on a journey through time and the oceans!

My Back to Back Indian Events: World Hindi Day and Republic Day

- January 11 and 27, Saturday and Monday.

- 2025 entered fast and one wink it's already March. However, despite the stress, I could say that 2025 so far has been nice to me (and I wish it remains nice to me). January alone was already filled with surprises, including my back-to-back Indian events, courtesy of the Indian Embassy.

- One the 11th of January, I was invited by the Indian Embassy to deliver a speech in Hindi as part of the World Hindi Day celebration at the Embassy's BGC office. I feel honored to be remembered by the Indian Embassy because it's been a while since they invited me to participate in an event. They needed a Filipino (not of Indian descent) who can speak Hindi and should be able to impart the importance of learning Hindi. As usual, I shared my journey that started when I was a young boy who liked watching Indian shows on cable TV without understanding anything, to my high school days when I learned Hindi by myself, until the time I had to formally learn Hindi with a tutor as part of my requirements for my master's degree. I think I surprised the audience, mostly Indian students studying in the Philippines (majority for a medical degree), and especially friends and acquaintances from the Indian community who for some reason did not know I spoke the language. 

Happy World Hindi Day!

H.E. Harsh Kumar Jain, Ambassador of India to the Philippines.

Special thanks to Ms. Jamil, Embassy staff, who took these nice photos of me.

It was an honor to be given the chance to speak in front of the Ambassador and his wife, as well as the Indian community.

- Apart from my speech, as well as representatives from the local and expat Indian community who also shared how Hindi meant to them and their careers, the Indian Embassy also held a Hindi poetry contest for children and adults. The whole program was simple yet meaningful; it became even better after we all feasted on some amazing Indian food afterwards!

With the participants of the poetry contest, as well as the Indians who were present during the event.

- Fast forward to two weeks later, I was invited to join the Indian Embassy in celebrating the 76th Indian Republic Day, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the bilateral relations of India and the Philippines. It was held at Shangri-La The Fort, and graced by various representatives of foreign missions, the Philippine government, as well as the Indian community. It was not only a good excuse to be dressed to the nines, but it was also an opportunity to meet other Indian friends I have not seen in a while. It was also a good time to remind everyone that I am an Indian Studies specialist, as there are not a lot of us in the Philippines. Most importantly, I was able to meet the ambassador once more, as well as the Indian diplomatic corps.

Thank you so much for inviting me!

I realized how long it had been since the last time I attended a fancy event.

- The event also featured performances from both the Indian and Filipino performers in celebration of India's rich culture. And as it was Shangri-La, the Indian food served was some of the best!

A classical dance performance; I think this was Kathak.

With some performers from Enchanted Kingdom.

Representatives from the Indian community showcasing wedding clothes from different regions of India.

With Ambassador Jain, and his wife, Mrs. Vandana Jain.

 

- The night ended sooner than I thought. Time permitting, I would have wanted to talk to more people, although I also found it difficult to just talk to random people (especially high-profile people). It is through these events that I get to meet and learn more from other people. However, it was still January and surely there are more Indian events lined up for the rest of the year! 2025 seemed to be a year of surprises, and I hope more good surprises are coming my way! 

"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!