More Manila Trips and Ramblings

(this was posted in my other blog on October 23)

October 2-6 marked a highlight in my otherwise bleak office life--a major holiday in Korea rendered us a WHOLE WEEK OF VACATION. My boss is human, after all. A lot of vacation possibilities crashed through my mind, each more enticing than the last. I met up with Yunhee at the Mall of Asia on Monday, went to SSS San Juan on Tuesday (we got our electricity back that day, btw! yay!), stayed at home on Wednesday, and... went to MANILA on Thursday.

Actually I didn't have any plans at all for that day, just that I wanted to go to Echague (now Carlos Palanca St.) in Quiapo, and then it's anything goes. At first my mum didn't want to go to Echague as it's a crowded place. But ever since I read Señor Enrique's entry about the street, well, I just knew that I had to check it out. To be honest I wasn't very excited about the self tour that my mum and I were about to do because my mum was hesitant about going to Quiapo; but the sense of adventure prevailed and so we set out for Quiapo on that sunny Thursday morning.

I really consider it Providence that there was a traffic along M. Paterno St. There were two buses, G. Liner (ordinary) and RRCG (airconditioned) already near N. Domingo, so I told my mum to make a run for it or else we would miss them. We got on the RRCG bus (of course!) and found seats at the end. Funny because I didn't know where we would get off, and finally a guy in a nursing uniform helped us by saying Mendiola because the conductor was also getting confused as to where we planned to get off.

Well, we got off at the street behind Mendiola going over to San Sebastian Church. I must say that the church is one of the most impressive structures I've ever been to. If my memory seves me correctly, this is the only church (Catholic) in the Philippines built of steel and is of Gothic architecture. In my opinion the exterior isn't that appealing to look at, but once inside, well, words aren't enough to describe it. Magnificent. Breathtaking. I was awestruck. I want to go up to the bell tower when I get the chance to go back there again. When we got back to the street and on to R. Hidalgo Street, my mum mentioned that one of the bastions of the Gonzalo Dynasty had a picture of herself taken on the very street we were on. Immediately everything I saw became black and white, with people were wearing 19th century clothes and calesas plying the street and my aunt posing for a photographer with a gigantic camera in the middle of everything, the church looming in the background.

Everything became in color again when I saw a small eatery and realized that it was almost lunchtime. Well, to eat there will never happen so I just stuck it out and marveled instead at the Spanish colonial houses lining the street as we walked along. This place can really be a good tourist spot; it can be turned into a heritage site just like the one in Vigan. At this point I wish I had brought my camera with me even if it's the click-and-shoot-and-wind type. The houses, all in different stages of neglect but still standing proud, have this certain appeal to me that was, well, really appealing. I could practically hear them crying out to me, "Please, restore us!!!!!!!" And inside I was crying along with them because I don't have the resources to restore them.

At the end of the street, reality set in again (meaning, hunger) and I saw--enter chimes and heavenly voices--Jollibee, Greenwich and Chowking! We opted to eat at Chowking and I had my usual merienda wanton mami and merienda siopao. My mum and I actually were on a budget, but still, she ordered the sweet and sour lauriat. HEHEHE. We contemplated where to go next. Well, we went under the Quiapo underpass and went up to the Quiapo church. I can finally say that I have seen the place up front where the "mystical" herbs (read: pampa-REGLA =P)are sold.There was a mass when we entered the church and the priest was just giving out the ostia to the churchgoers.

To be honest I was disappointed with the church's interior. Compared to the other churches I've been to, this one looks so... modern. It reminded me of Christ the King church in Green Meadows. Maybe my expectations were just too high.

Anyhow, from Quiapo we walked on to this street that I forgot the name of and when we turned left to Echague Street (finally!), we found ourselves directly under Quiapo Bridge. There are tiangges "ils tuls" (as in "ilalim ng tulay. yeah, i know.). Basically we walked towards where Ayala Bridge is and then backtracked when we couldn't see anything but some factories. As we went along the length of Echague (okay, okay! Carlos Palanca St! ), I kept a watchful eye for the places Señor Enrique mentioned in his entry: Excelente Cooked Ham and Kim Chong Tin Hopia Factory. What I missed in the entry was Vienna Bakery, that's why it didn't register to me at all when we entered the store that day. Anyway I wanted to buy something from the bakery but still, interference, interference. My mum and I had a very interesting conversation, though. As we walked away from the bakery...

Me: Ma, tandaan mo, ha. Vienna Bakery.
Mum: Ano?
Me: Vienna Bakery. Tandaan mo ang pangalan ng bakery para maisulat ko sa…
Mum: ANOOOOOO?!?! VIENNA BAKERY??? UNUUWIAN KAMI DATI NG LOLO MO NG TINAPAY GALING JAN!!! HAAAY BALIK TAYO!!! WAAAAA!

Ooh, yes. That was really my mum's reaction when she heard the name. So as expected, we went back a few steps and bought a loaf of cream bread. Yum, yum!!!

I am not exactly sure if Vienna Bakery came right after the hopia factory but what I do remember is that Excelente Cooked Ham comes right before it. That is, coming in from Quiapo Bridge. Anyway, we walked along for a few minutes more and lo and behold! We were already in Carriedo Street. But instead of going there, we crossed Avenida Rizal to Plaza Lacson and went on to Sta. Cruz Bridge, ehem, MacArthur Bridge. According to my research, Sta. Cruz was the name of the bridge before and during the war, but to commemorate the valiant deeds of the gallant five-star General Douglas MacArthur, they renamed it MacArthur Bridge after they rebuilt it. Cool, huh?

As we crossed the bridge (reminiscent of four years ago as my bro and I crossed George Washington Bridge from NJ to NYC), I savored the fresh wind from Pasig River and basically just taking in the sights in the North and South banks of the river: prewar buildings from Escolta, the Manila Post Office, etc. Also, just as it was when we went on a tour with Carlos Celdran, I could practically see and hear the American and Japanese warplanes swooping in from the blue sky, Howitzers pulverizing buildings to dust, and people screaming and running for cover.