Experiencing the beautiful contrast
This "province" girl decided to take on our very own concrete jungle, the capital city of the Philippines, Manila. Many Filipinos don't want to tolerate everything in Manila. The traffic, the busyness, the heat, impossibility to get a jeep, etc. Those are awful things we don't want to take any from. But I somehow see and understand the contrast of what's in Manila that's not in other places, and somehow saw beauty in it.
Now, I had quite the trip. It was a 5 day/4 nights adventure with my friend Kisha (whom will be joining steemit soon). It's not the most budgeted trip as we've booked this trip December of last year and had one main goal which was to the watch a broadway musical. I'll be giving you a day-to-day summary and cost of this itinerary, because honestly, when we stepped foot in Manila the only clear goal was to watch the musical and no other plans for the following days.
Day 1: Settling in and LION KING
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The moment we woke up early morning for our flight, we knew that Manila was going to be one hell of a ride. And by god it was. In Cebu, there's an open space surrounding the airport, but the NAIA terminal 3 greeted us with sky ways and tall buildings just across. We were picked up by our host from the airport, which was such a convenience due to our heavy luggage and no sense of direction in the city, whatsoever. The home was close to the airport, normally about 10 minutes drive but it was a rush hour when we arrived, it took us about 30 minutes through the traffic.
You can check the posting for the Airbnb place we got here. It's hosted by a Miss Catalina and her home is just one of the highlights of the trip. It's located within a subdivision, thus making it very safe. She has a home cooking business and you can order from them. Her house helps were very accommodating, it felt even better when I found out they were bisaya and spoke bisaya to us. I definitely fell in love with her 2 dogs, Pepito and Arturo. They're gigantic, lovable mutts! Arturo is boxer, while Pepito is a black labrador. Arturo likes staying in our room because he enjoys the air condition.
I apologize for the quality of the clip, but I wanted to show the reader just how excited the dogs were. I've always loved dogs and cats alike, but I guess it's a mood thing. Dogs are uppers and cats like to laze around. You can see how the yaya is taking Pepito away, he was too excited and started to run around, knocking some jars over, while Arturo is behaving more, but still happy and excited.
The hype for the broadway musical of The Lion King is evident all over social media. It was something impulsive that Kisha and I decided on, that it would take us forever to ACTUALLY go to broadway, and to take advantage that it has now come to us. Watching the videos of the cast singing in airplanes, subways, buses, has given me goosebumps. For all the right reasons, recording the musical or taking photos was not allowed. But the theater was in Solaire, very near SM Mall of Asia, less than a hundred peso cab ride. As per theater etiquette, dressing your best was implied. You were expected to behave, and I thanked my wonderful mother for sending me to a high school that taught ladies to behave amiably and taught theater etiquette. It was compulsory.
Must have photo taken in front of that aesthetically pleasing painting and a shot inside the theater. Ushers and Usherettes were very vigilant and are close by just in case someone decides to secretly take shots of the musical. It was meant to be enjoyed, not to have our faces stuck facing our phones. The musical started with the lights off. That familiar opening of "The Circle" of life, loud and full, echoing throughout the theater. I had goosebumps! It was such a marvel, seeing it in front of me, hearing it in real life and not through headphones. There was so much color! The props were amazing and the the cast, oh god, to be in a room full of talent, it made me feel tiny but in a good way. Time flew, the musical ended, we headed home with the biggest smiles and nonstop chatter about the musical. Simba's actor was HOT!!!
Day 2: A trip back in time (National Museums)
Places in Manila are not ultimately far from each other, but the traffic plus the meter running, not pleasant to the wallet. We asked the house helps what exactly to ride since we decided to take the LRT to visit the National Museums in Intramuros, near the Luneta Park. We were instructed to take a tricycle from the subdivision to the highway, from the highway we ride a jeepney to Pasay (8 php fare) and from Pasay we took the train to Intramuros. It was exciting since it was Kisha's first time to ride the train! She grew up in Kuwait and they mostly took the bus. We met bisayas in the jeepney, they directed us how to walk from the jeepney stop to the station, it was such a relieving situation, we didn't feel like we were alone of lost. Kisha and I struggle with our tagalog, it's hard explaining and asking questions without sounding so....foreign I guess. But we got to where we were headed, the National Museum of Anthropology and the National Museum of Fine Arts!
There she was, in all her glory. I couldn't contain my excitement, thank the gods that it's been made public now, you don't have to pay an entrance fee. The Architecture is beautiful! Kisha is a an Interior Design major, she's wanted nothing but to see the museums, and as a writer, I take a particular interest in history. I personally think that it is a duty of any citizen to try and educate themselves of their country's history. Not just because we're forced to learn them in schools, no. Learning our history can explain our situation at present. If we want to know how to fix the problems our nation is facing, we can simply look at how it developed, and that started years back. It can explain our behavior. the decisions we make, our infrastructure, and the likes.
The National Museum of Anthropology is one of the National Museums in our country and houses the anthropology and archaeological divisions. It was also formerly called The Museum of the Filipino People. It contains the wreck of the ship San Diego and several zoological artifacts. Here is a floor by floor guide to the museum:
Ground Floor
- Hallway leading to the offices
- Ifugao House / Courtyard
- Office of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines
- Office of the Archaeology Division
- Office of the Ethnology Division
- Office of the Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division
- National Museum Library
Second floor
- Marble Hall
- The San Diego: 500 Years of Maritime Trade
- Garing: The Philippines at the Crossroads of Ivory Trade
Third floor
- Manlilikha ng Bayan Hall (National Living Treasure)
- "Lumad: Mindanao"
- Faith, Tradition and Place: Bangsamoro Art from the National Ethnographic Collection
- "Kaban ng Lahi" (Archaeological Treasures)
Fourth floor
- Reception Hall (Changing Gallery)
- Rice, Biodiversity and Climate Change
- "Hibla ng Lahing Filipino:" The Artistry of Philippine Textiles
- "Baybayin:" Traditional Scripts of the Philippines
- Entwined Spheres: Mats and Baskets as Containers, Costumes and Conveyors
- Office of the Museum Services Division
I personally have an ardent admiration for Baybayin, the Ancient Filipino way of writing. Having most of our history wiped our by several conquerors, I can't help but be in awe of how this script could connect us more to our ancestors. I've been trying to learn it by myself and have been looking at videos discussing the baybayin script. I keep wondering what it would have been like if this was still the way of writing that we use, would we have been more in touch with our culture? Would we still have that ghastly attitude of colonial mentality? Who knows.
The National Museum of Fine Arts is just a pedestrian lane away from the last museum. Here, local works of our very own artists are displayed in different art categories: abstract, realistic, cartoon, etc. Also different exhibits per artists. It was formerly the Legislative Building, you can still see the session hall, and most of the interior has not been changed. It houses pieces by famous artists such as Vicente Manansala, Fernando Amorsolo, Juan Luna, Carlos Francisco, and many more. Unlike the Anthropology Museum, the Fine Arts Museum has no floor by floor guide, it is divided by Artists, and by art style. There may be sculptures in the hallway, mixed media art in the other, you will never know. We spent 3 hours in that museum, only leaving when we felt hungry and realized it was WAY past lunch time.
To end a very fulfilling day, we decided to fill our tummies with Wendy's, as there's no franchise here in Cebu and we made it our goal to eat food that isn't available in Cebu. All-in-all, the museums we overwhelming and it filled me with a sense of pride and I got very emotional looking through the works and artifacts. We are so culturally diverse and gifted, so many talents within the Filipino people, and not enough space on that museum. That was the end of Day 2 and we got home with no troubles, safe and sound.
Day 3: Legit Arabian Food
My friend Kisha grew up in Kuwait and only moved here once University started for us. Most of her classmates who grew up there also moved back to the Philippines, and most of them are situated in Manila, thus taking the opportunity for a reunion. It was a bit awkward for me since I didn't really know them. Ridden with social anxiety, I've always have a bit of a hard time with strangers. At least that's how I felt the first few moments I met them, but they turned out to be such funny and great people. They knew I barely spoke Tagalog and conversed with me In English (HALLELUJAH). One of them picked us up from our home and drove us to an Arabian district near Taguig. We ate in a food joint called "Shawarma Shack".
First of all, I didn't know you order Kebab by kilogram for a big group. Kebab is a middle eastern dish and usually contain various meat dishes along with tomato, potato, and some mixed greens. It came along with this amazing garlic sauce mix that made EVERYTHING taste better. It was also the first time I tasted a Biryani. For those who don't know, Biryani is also called "spicy rice", it's a mixed rice dish with amazing spices, it has muslim and indian origins. The photo above was taken post dinner, so most of the food had gone, we were just famished.
I took the liberty of using my instagram story to show you guys what our little feast was like.
After dinner, we headed to Bonifacio Global City, to a restorbar called Bad and Breakfast. Safe to say, the photo was taken pre-drunk participants, enjoying shots of Jaeger. I can't imagine having my photo taken after the bottle of Tequila and a set of beer. We didn't plan to get that wrecked, but hey, we were on holiday. The party scene in Manila is quite the same in Cebu, except that Kisha and I didn't know anyone.
I ended got getting so drunk I blacked out in the middle of dancing and don't remember the rest of the night. Our friends drove us home and took care of us. Alcohol is great and fun once in a while, or on a daily basis, whatever pleases you. Make sure it's with people you trust and won't take advantage of you, also be mindful of your liver. Day 3 ended with a hangover.
Day 4 & 5: Hungover and Packing
Day 4 started with a splitting headache and me losing my liniment oil somewhere during my drunken stupor, so it's up to pain killers and Vicks (how Filipino can you get?) to fix that problem. We were dead tired and I apologize for the lack of photos but all we did was sleep all day. We ordered in and constantly had coffee cure that hangover and they served us a "hangover curing" breakfast, bread, omelette, and macaroni soup. and COFFEE. COFFEE ALL DAY. I swore I will never drink ever again after that.
Aside from sleeping in, we did all the packing and made sure we didn't leave anything. We planned to leave early in the morning and stay nearby the airport so we don't have to worry about the traffic. We spent the day in the Mall of Asia, shopping for souvenirs and eating in joints that are only available in Manila. We then headed to the airport and chose to just lounge there rather than miss our flight due to traffic.
Final Thoughts
Manila was definitely nerve-wracking for us, but in a very exhilarating way. Manila definitely costs a bit more than Cebu. It's very hard to navigate but being streetwise really helps. I would definitely go back, although I don't think I will linger for very long. Manila's culture is fast paced, and it's definitely not the best place for someone introverted. I had a lot of fun discovering new places, talking to people, meeting fellow Visayans in Manila. Before, I would definitely say no with regards to going to Manila, it was always dreaded since I didn't want to go through the traffic and when I was little, my tagalog speaking skills were non-existent, thus making it harder to make friends.
I personally think it isn't wise to be in Manila on a tight budget due to many things that you would want to splurge on. Shopping, Eating, Socializing, etc. and not to mention the expensive transportation. All-in-all, Manila was definitely a blast for me, and there will certainly be a next time (ahem ahem, September for the Mamma Mia Musical).
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After a week of deciding how I was going to place this article, I finally decided to write it in this format. I've had had several travels, but never time to write. I will dedicate and devote myself to more writing and sprout out more contents, I've already have a few drafts and I hope you guys look forward to them soon. Please check out my poetry as well, they are written with love. Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my article, I hope I was able to somehow inform you of some things and maybe you guys would want to visit the same places I did, don't hesitate to comment and upvote. All the love! xx