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.
Continue reading “Escolta: The Queen of Streets in Manila”
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.
Continue reading “Eating Philippine History in Old Manila”
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”
I woke up at half past 3 in the afternoon in Manila. I was refreshed and the pain in my eye that has been bugging me the past four days is now gone. We arrived in the capital 12 hours before, hit the welcoming pillows of the quaint Casa Bocobo Hotel at 4AM, visited a government agency for a scheduled appointment, had lunch at a Chinese restaurant, and went home to get some much-needed shut eye. I was glad it was still half past 3. That means we still have enough day light to cover at least one museum, the whole length of Rizal Park, and still be on time for an afternoon tea. Continue reading “Afternoon Tea at The Manila Hotel”
Psyche Castillon 