(Part 4) Zamboanga's Zest and Best!!: Zamboanga's "Latin" City Center

- Nov. 2, 2019, Saturday, All Souls' Day.

- There are surely lots of things to see and do in Zamboanga City, and despite the reputation of the city and the whole region of Mindanao, Zamboanga is surprisingly safe! After all that I've seen and done in the past three days in Zamboanga, there was one place that I had not been to; this is probably one of the most important landmarks of Zamboanga City, not only for its appearance but for its function. How could the city function well without - the city hall!!

- The city hall was built in Zamboanga in 1907 and was used as a city hall since 1937. Though it was built during the American colonial era, its appearance was inspired by hispanic colonial architecture. Normally, it might be possible to go inside the city hall to take a look, but it was a holiday when I went there so I wasn't able to go inside.

- I was still able to take nice photos of the city hall's facade from the small Rizal Park across the city hall. (No, this is not Rizal Park/Luneta, in Manila, but yes, it is one of the many parks in the country named after the national hero, Jose Rizal.) The park is normally closed, but I was able to talk to the gardener who happened to be there, and he told me that I could perhaps ask permission from the guards at the city hall, especially since I was alone. Fortunately, the people at the city hall were nice, so I was able to take perfectly-angled photos of the city hall.

It's decorated with vinta sails.

I tried to wear something Filipiniana-like to match the colors of the city hall.

Rizal Park.

Rizal is on top.

Another photo, taken near the Rizal statue.

A closer view of the city hall's "tower."

The seal of Zamboanga shows various aspects of its society: the religious harmony between Muslims and Christians, the shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Pillar (Nuestra Senora del Pilar,) the City Hall itself, the vinta, and of course, tuna.

- Feeling hungry, I had my breakfast at the McDonald's across the city hall. Although eating at McDonald's is nothing special per se, the building that houses this particular McDonald's is. Built in 1928, it used to be the building of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China.

The old Chartered Bank building, repurposed. They do this a lot in other countries like Europe or even in India or Japan.

It's right across the city hall.

- After finishing my photoshoot and my breakfast, I walked back to my hotel, passing by Plaza Pershing which is located right behind Rizal Park. Plaza Pershing was named after Gen. John Pershing, an American general who took part in the Philippine-American War. Although the plaza looks like a regular park or city square, it was built as early as 1915! While it is known today as a park with fancy gazebos and fountains, it used to be the place where illegal trade and prostitution took place before the park was renovated and rehabilitated in 2012. Who would have thought that a place shrouded with darkness and sketchiness is now a family-friendly park!

Plaza Pershing.

One if its gazebos.

- I went back to my hotel and rested before one final visit to the Canelar Barter Center, the top place to go in Zamboanga to buy souvenirs not only from Zamboanga, but even Malaysia and Indonesia. Although I had a slightly traumatic encounter during my first day (click here for Part 1) as I sort of "caused" a fight and a commotion in the trade center, I had a rather funny encounter on my last visit. It was the second time I bought from this young Muslim lady, who was covered from head to toe except her eyes, and she was so happy that I decided to buy from her again. She told me that I should say hello to her when I see her in the streets (I didn't tell her I was leaving Zamboanga that day,) but I pointed out, kindly, that I wouldn't be able to do that since I can only see her eyes and I might say hello to another Muslim lady by mistake. She realized that it would be nearly impossible for me to do that, so she said that she can say hello to me instead - or maybe I can recognize her voice! You know, Muslims, like many people, can be funny too. They don't always have to be the stereotypical "terrorist" that most people think of when they hear the word "Muslim." Anyone, regardless of religion can do bad things if they decide to, and likewise, there are many people - Muslims included - who just want to smile, laugh, and enjoy life as any regular joe! (The words "Islam" and "Muslim," by the way, come from "salam," meaning peace, making Islam, supposedly, a religion of peace, and Muslims being peace-loving people.)

Many many many many things to buy!!

The reason why my my travel funds were drained. HAHA.

- To cap of my stay in Zamboanga, what better way than to have another must-experience dish. A popular breakfast dish, but definitely can be enjoyed all day, the "satti" is a common comfort food for the Zamboanguenos. "Satti" is related to the Malaysian word "satay," and refers to meat skewers, usually chicken or beef. In Zamboanga and surrounding regions, these skewers are served with a thick sweet-spicy gravy and puso' broken into little pieces (puso' refers to rice cooked inside woven palm leaves usually taking the shape of a cube, diamond, or pyramid; the rice takes the shape of the woven palm leaves.) Satti is best eaten in a satti place, which normally appear as simple no frills neighborhood restaurants. They usually open early in the morning (around 3 or 4AM) to cater to working people, especially fisherman. According to my Zamboangueno friends, the best place to eat satti is at Jimmy's Satti Haus along Pilar Street - which fortunately was just a few small blocks away from my hotel! It has been serving good satti since 1998. I ordered a chicken satti and some sticks of beef satti. The sauce/gravy and the puso' pieces were, of course, part of the meal. Satti places are also quite popular since their food is more often than not affordable. I think my meal was just 90PHP!!

Doesn't look too appetizing but wait until you taste it!!

No frills.

The white stuff inside the bowls are the little pieces of rice from the puso'. Puso' normally looks like the the ones the red basket to the left of the photo. Those woven leaves have cooked rice inside. They get the cooked rice inside, and throw the leaves in the blue container below the table.

Chicken satti (with some sticks of beef satti above.)

Since 1998.

- I finally said goodbye to Zamboanga after lunch when I got my things from the hotel lobby and rode a tricycle to the airport. My face was bright pink from being sunburnt, and I coincidentally wore a bright pink polo shirt that matched my skin tone. I looked like Peppa Pig at the airport. However, I can say that the tired body, the sunburnt face and arms, as well as the heavy hand carry luggage + my check-in baggage that grew twice its weight when I came to Zamboanga (but did not go overweight!!) were all worth it! Zamboanga City is one of the farthest places in the Philippines that I have been to and I was more than happy that I got to explore it, even for a few days. However, I normally tell people that I refuse to go back to Zamboanga for two main reasons: the food is so great that I get fatter every 10 minutes, and the shopping is great that my wallet becomes empty after 10 minutes!! I hope you'll consider Zamboanga City the next time you plan to go somewhere within the country (for my Filipino friends,) or the next time you visit the Philippines (for my foreign friends)!!

- Don't forget to read about my other adventures in Zamboanga City!!

Part 1, Food Coma, Shopping Coma, and a Bit of History: here

Part 2, Zamboanga's History, Society, and Culture: here

Part 3, The Pink Sand and Colorful Vintas of Santa Cruz Island: here

Pinto Art Museum: A Wonderland through the "Door"

- July 28, 2018, Saturday.

- If you ever watched or read Alice in Wonderland you'd know the strange and colorful world she find herself in after going down the rabbit hole. In that world, Alice encounters various unusual creatures, eccentric people, otherworldly rooms, and other things beyond what the normal world can comprehend. If this world fancies you, then you'd be happy to know that there is something close to this wonderland in the Philippines - the Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, Rizal.

- Around an hour away from Manila in quiet Grand Heights Subdivision lies Pinto Art Museum (1 Sierra Madre St.). The museum is named after its door, or "pinto" in Filipino, which has a little old bell above it. The narrow entrance makes visitors think that the place is small, but after paying the 200php entrance fee (with discounts for students, children, PWDs, and senior citizens,) a 1.3-hectare world - complete with its own restaurant - welcomes its guests. Is is open from 9am-6pm, Tuesdays to Sundays.   

This is supposed to be Icarus. Imagine seeing this above you. I thought it was a manananggal trying to eat a fat kid like me.

- After having lunch, my friends and I went around the huge place. The museum is owned by art collector Dr. Joven Cuanang, the former director of St. Lucke's Medical Center. He started the idea for this museum in 2000 and became a full-blown museum with more than a thousand pieces of art since 2010. The museum's 6 main galleries and some special rooms and halls mainly showcase contemporary Filipino art. Apart from the larger-than-life paintings, a huge part of the museum's collection is also the collection of wooden sculptures that remind me of the weird creatures in Alice's Wonderland.

Zack, pay attention to your girlfriend. Hahahaha.

Casually admiring art, while Zack is still on his phone.

A heavenly creature, one of the sculptures that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.

We can't thug for our dear lives.

Oh hello Zuma, nice to see you here.

- I noticed that more than the works of art exhibited, most people come to Pinto Art Museum for the "Instagram-worthy" buildings that house the artworks, function halls, and other rooms. They are works of art themselves - so much so that the museum charges a hefty price for formal photoshoots, and there are rules such as no changing of clothes and using props. This actually made me frustrated because I brought a bunch of costumes and props in my bag and found out upon arriving that I couldn't use any of them after all. I had to ask and make sure that their rule meant because I did not want to get in conflict with the management like what happened in Bang Pa-In Palace in Thailand a few years ago (click here) after a small miscommunication with the rules regarding clothing. Oh well, I'm just glad that I was able to wear a theme-appropriate casual "costume" for the day - casual Latin-American ensemble with authentic Latin-American textiles. While the general architecture of the place is mostly described as being based on Santorini because of its low white-colored buildings and outdoor stairs, I saw from photos online that some of its buildings resembled Mexican pueblo-style architecture. In short, I found this place a mix of Mamma Mia and Pixar's Coco. I guess what gave me the pueblo feel was that the museum's space was far from the sea and it lacked the signature "Aegean blue" domes, doors, and window shutters of Cycladic architecture like the ones in Santorini or Mykonos (click here). In some places, it even had the "hacienda" feel, making me feel like I'm in the middle of a Latin-American telenovela. (I had no regrets with my last-minute decision to wear something Latino inspired instead of my Greek ensemble.)

Looks like a set for telenovelas.

One of my favorite shots of the day.

This reminds me a lot of Tangled, when Rapunzel was singing "When Will My Life Begin."

The main bell tower of the museum.

Charmaine as the Latina Tita.

Danica and her hacienda.

I'm tiny.

Telenovela material.

Peek-a-boo!!

- One of my favorite galleries was an installation called "Kawayan Forest,' which was a dark room filled with tall green bamboo plants and eerily-lit pools with suspended boulders. The room has some ambient nature sounds as well.

In the bamboo forest.

El brujo.

Si Malakas (....Matangkad rather) at si Maganda.

- Despite it being a weekend, the museum's area was so huge that it can easily disperse people. My main worry before going was that there would probably be a lot of people and taking Instagram-worthy photos would be difficult. It won't take too long to find an Instagrammable spot, but the problem is that there's just simply too many photo-worthy places!! Best if you go early (and if possible, on a weekday,) to avoid big crowds, and so you'll be able to maximize all the ups and downs, and ins and outs of the amazing wonderland.

United Colors of Benetton. HAHA.

My colors went well with the stained-glass windows.

Tired from posing.

In one of the Greek-inspired halls.

They were laughing at what I was making them do. Took the photo at the right moment.

Who dares tresspass my hacienda?? HAHA. (Also, this church reminded me of the Monastery of Panagia Tourliana in Ano Mera, Mykonos.)

Stairs everywhere.

This little fake-church (yes, it's not a real church,) reminded me of the church in the Mamma Mia movie.

It was raining.

Inside the fake church.

This looks very Cycladic.

This is near the entrance.

A colorful parrot!!

- We left around 4pm, missing the Indigenous Art gallery (which gives me an excuse to go back to Pinto!!) because it started to rain really hard, and we had dinner plans that night. Although we weren't able to explore every corner of this quiet wonderland, I am pretty sure that I'd still want to go back to Pinto Art Museum. I am not really into contemporary art (I am more of an ancient arts kind of guy,) but I love how Pinto Art Museum is more than just a "roof over art" - the museum itself is a giant piece of art, and the food in the restaurant was amazing. When I go back next time, I'll really have to make sure that I'll have more time to explore and take photos of this lovely and cozy place!!