Escolta was dubbed the “Queen of Streets” during the American occupation (around mid 1940s). Commerce was bustling and the architecture were modern, even featuring the first elevator-operated buildings.
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Binondo is the world’s oldest Chinatown, with written records showing it was established in 1564. According to historians, as early as 1603, there were already 20,000 Chinese residents recorded in Manila (compared to barely 1,000 Spaniards). Pre-Spanish colonization, the Philippines was already trading with the Chinese as evidenced by the Chinese jars and ceramicware and influence in food dug up as archeaological finds.
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When Joel and I visited Manila in February for my US visa application, we took it as a chance to have a vacation. We’ve been to Manila several times but each visit felt shorter than the one before it. So, we decided to have that vacation in Manila — where we would visit all the places we want to visit at our own time. Because it was a vacation, we splurged a little bit with food (which we don’t usually do) and I did some research on where to eat that was walking distance from Casa Bocobo, the hotel we where staying at along Kalaw St. and just across Rizal Park.
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I have always wanted to visit the National Museum of Fine Arts because I want to see Juan Luna’s Spolarium. While I do appreciate art (I think), I don’t understand all art so I veer towards the art that has cultural and/or historical significance. And the Spolarium was one thing I wanted to see.
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After catching up with sleep on a Thursday midday, Joel and I hurried to Rizal Park to see if we can still get inside one of our national museums — the National Museum of Anthropology. The museum closes at 5:00 P.M., and admission ends at 4:30. We arrived at 4:00 PM and students were hurrying down the stairs to go home. Continue reading “Philippine National Museum of Anthropology”
Psyche Castillon 