The wedding party started assembling at Paco Park, and Eric and I took that as our cue to leave. It wasn’t long since my last visit to Luneta, but I wanted to visit again to see the gardens that were closed during Good Friday. Eric wanted to see the new Kilometer Zero marker, and we made that our first stop.

Having too much fun with the ball

Similar to our previous visit, Jose Rizal’s Monument was the highlight and starting point of most visitors. Along with the handful of Filipino families having their pictures taken with this famous landmark are the busloads of Korean and Japanese tourists. After a quick photo session, we walked away from where the tour groups are headed. The Artist’s Haven, which I was most looking forward to was still closed, so we went to check out the Chinese Garden instead.

Chinese Garden at the Rizal Park

I know I should’nt compare, but it’s hard not to. The only Chinese Garden I’ve been to was the one in Sydney. I loved it tremendously; it was very tranquil inside. The Chinese Garden in Manila tried very hard to have all the elements of a Chinese Garden. However, probably due to our climate, some of the flora wouldn’t thrive in Manila. Also, its location prety much kills the mood. The Manila Chinese Garden in Luneta was almost next to the busy roads so you can hear the traffic. It was also situated right next to the Open Air Auditorium. Just as we were about to leave, the crew next door (for there was going to be a function of some sort) decided to test out their sound system, and Shaggy’s raggae beat filled the air. Then again, for only Php 5.00, I really shouldn’t complain and compare. It turns out that the Chinese Garden wasn’t so bad; the Japanese Garden was worse. Now, I haven’t been to Japan or to any Japanese garden, but I’m pretty sure they don’t include a yellow pond/lagoon. Like the Chinese Garden, the Japanese Garden was right next to the street, so good luck finding Zen there.

Lapu-Lapu at the Agrifina Circle

It was getting pretty late and we were both getting hungry. We decided to check out Agrifina Circle, where the Orchidarium, Lapu-Lapu’s statue and the Department of Tourism was. Agrifina Circle has a special place in my memories. When I was still working for the travel magazine, I would always go to the DOT office to attend Press Conferences and other DOT events. Agrifina Circle and Orchidarium was also featured in one of my unforgettable trips for work.

Unfortunately, the Orchidarium was closed, for an indefinite period of time (a shame, really). Lapu-Lapu was there, as usual. But I tell you, there was this one time that he wasn’t! And that was just a couple of months after I took a photo of him standing in that very spot.

Dong Bei’s Handiwork Noodles

Eric and I made our way to Taft Avenue to catch a jeep going to Divisoria. Alighting in front of the Binondo Church, we made a beeline for Dong Bei Restaurant on Nueva Street (Yuchengco was the name in the street sign). Sharing a plate of fresh dumplings and a bowl of “handiwork” noodles, it was a perfect end to a great afternoon spent in Manila.

Of course, that didn’t end there. We continued walking along Ongpin street to Sta. Cruz, then walked on to Quiapo where we went our seperate ways — Eric to the LRT station, and me to ride the jeep bound for Proj. 8.

Popularity: 15% [?]

I can easily count the number of times I have been to Paco Park: three times. And that already includes the time I went there two weeks ago with Eric, the blogger behind Byahilo.com. The first one was for a cousin’s wedding. It was held at night and I think I was just starting high school then. The second one was two years ago, when my sister and I were doing rounds of churches in Manila for a wedding we were supposed to plan. I never really got to explore the grounds, so when Eric asked for a good place to go on a Saturday, the first thing that rolled off my tongue was Paco Park.

Inside Paco Park

Neither one of us knows how to go there, though. The last time I went there with my sister, I vaguely remembered that we took a cab from SM Manila, and in less than 5 minutes we were there. The cab merely drove straight for a couple of blocks; the fare never even went past Php 40. When Eric and I took the same route, however, the taxi driver suddenly turned left at the first corner. He must know of an alternative route, I thought. Five minutes later, we were still on the road and though I’m not that familiar with Manila, I know we were driving away from where Paco Park is. When I reminded the driver for the second time that we wanted to go to Paco Park, he mutters, “Oh, I thought you wanted to go to…” Yeah, right. The Php 40 cab fare became Php 90, including a mini tour of Manila.

St. Pancratius Chapel

Excitement quickly overshadowed all traces of annoyance towards our driver. Just the sight of Paco Park’s walls was enough to dispel any negative vibes. We paid the Php 5.00 entrance fee to the park and wandered in. St. Pancratius Chapel inside Paco Park is one of the favorite choice for weddings in Manila. Last time I went to Paco Park, there were tables set up for a wedding reception in the grounds. This time, there weren’t any tables, but the old couple decked out in their finest piña tells us there’s going to be a ceremony in the chapel that afternoon.

Chapel interiors

The chapel is usually padlocked. There’s no way to see its interiors unless there’s a wedding. We got there just as the organizers were setting up. Sneaking inside the now opened chapel doors, we see a small but elegant chapel. It may not be as fancy as the Manila Cathedral or the San Agustin Church; its simplicity is its main attraction. Not to mention the fantastic park.

Crypts along the inner wall

If you think about it, the park is pretty creepy. The inner walls are actually crypts, and some have been cracked open (though empty). Paco Park was a former cemetery, and it used to be the resting place of four notable figures in Philippine history: the three martyred priests, Mariano Gomez, Jose Apolonio Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora; and our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

Moe and Rui bringing flowers to Jose Rizal’s grave

Similar to Fort Santiago, there are steps going up the thick stone walls. Walking around the perimeter gives you a different perspective on the park grounds. It also shows you the nooks and crannies where couples go to for some semblance of privacy.

Walking the walls

Paco Park ranks high in my list of places to visit in Manila. This recent visit re-affirms that. Though it’s a great place to chill with friends, you have to remember that there is a chapel and it was a former cemetery.

How to get there: Flyphilippines.info shares this intruction on how to go to Paco Park by public transport: “from Taft Avenue corner Padre Faura Sts., hail a PUJ ato Paco and get off along Padre Faura, and take a 7-minute walk to the park.”

Popularity: 13% [?]

Wow. Two year. I can’t believe I let a blog last for two years. I’ve been keeping an online journal for almost ten years, and when the mood strikes, I just delete the entire thing. Not just the entries, but I delete the entire journal. Then after a couple of months, I’ll be “normal” again and I’ll start working on a new journal.

Just Wandering is my first “public” blog. It’s a convenient coincidence that April 27 was the day after the fourth iBlog summit. You see, it was during iBlog2 that I got thinking into starting my own travel blog. I was engrossed in all things travel then. That’s why my blog before had more travel news and promos than personal experiences.

This year, I’m changing the balance. Seeing as I’m traveling more now (or at least trying to), Just Wandering will be more about MY travels. No more news about tourist walking naked, but I will be posting URLs of interesting travel news on Twitter. If you don’t have twitter, follow my mindless blather through my Twitter widget on the right sidebar. There’s going to be very limited updates on airline promos, though I will still be following the Airbus A380 deliveries and possibly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The Evil Martian Network

2008 is the year of the blog for me. Apart from Just Wandering, I am now working on a couple more blogs about things that are near and dear to me.

• My Internet Lifestyle - This is basically my general blog, where I post things that doesn’t really fit in my other blogs. This is mostly about thing that I find online. It’s also a vain attempt at resurrecting nina.hey.nu, my url since 1999.
• Kainpinoy.com - The latest addition to the Evil Martian Network. I realized that I have way too many food photos and I don’t even use it. Might as well make the most out of each dining experience. Kainpinoy.com is actually a group blog, though right now, it’s just me and Ryan posting. *looks at the other kainpinoy.com blogger* You know who you are
• Life on Pinky Street - My Pinky blog. It has updates on Pinky St. releases, photos of dolls in my collection, and shamless promotion of my eBay auctions.
• Something Evil This Way Comes - The repository of stupidity, a.k.a. Nina’s personal blog. I should think of a better title.

Now go visit!

And the winner is…

Angeli

Congratulations, Angeli! E-mail, IM, flickr mail or PM me your mailing address where I can send your prize. Or if you also want to claim that dark chocolate I owe you, join the Spot.ph food tour at Serendra tomorrow.

Thanks for everyone who joined the contest, and for all the tips you shared. I’ll have to start practising those too

Popularity: 13% [?]

While other real estate developers are focusing on their properties south of Manila, Filinvest encourages future home owners to move east to Havila. To showcase what the Province of Rizal has to offer, Havila invited members of the media to tour the Philippine’s art capital: Angono Rizal.

Admittedly, Rizal is not a place I would think to go to. The only time I remember going to Rizal was when we toured the historical churches in Rizal and Laguna ten years ago. I never thought there would be that much art in Rizal. I’m not that cultured, you know?

First in our itinerary was the house of National Artist, Carlos “Botong” Francisco, on Doña Aurora Street. The house where the National Artist used to live and paint is also the site of his grandson’s Second Gallery. Carlos “Totong” Francisco II welcomed us to his grandfather’s home and told us more about Botong’s art.

Paintings by Botong Fransisco

Doña Aurora Street itself is a great art destination. The street boasts of murals depicting the National Artist’s paintings in cement.

A new mural artist Charlie Anorico is working on.

And in the corner, we saw a colorful wall with the most amazing decoration:

Sa Ugoy ng Duyan

The corner lot was dedicated to National Artist for Music, Lucio San Pedro, who also hails from Angono. The words and melody of his Ugoy ng Duyan, the most recognizable lullaby in the Philippines, is inscribed in concrete, paint and metal work.

Balaw Balaw Specialty Restaurant

After a quick look at the San Clemente Church, we headed on to our lunch destination: the Balaw Balaw Restaurant. Known mainly for its menu of exotic meats (frog, cricket, duck, beetle, cow butts and balls), the restaurant also serves as a gallery for Perdigon Vocalan’s art.

With our tummies full, we walked to the corner for our next stop: the Nemiranda Art House. Housing the Angono School of Arts, the Nemiranda Gallery is headed by artist Nemesio R. Miranda, and the collection includes paintings by his children. We were welcomed by Katrina Miranda Tuazon, who quickly demonstrated how to draw a still life in pastel.

Second and third generation artists

Our last stop in Angono was the Blanco Family Museum. Parents Jose (”Pitok” and Loring and their seven children are all artists, and their work are all simply astounding. They all follow the school of Realism, and each painting in the gallery are truly remarkable. They capture the character of their subject and are able to clearly express the feelings of each scene.

Victoria at the Blanco Family Museum

Amazing paintings aside, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of these two:

What are you looking at?

We headed out of Angono and drove into Binangonan to see the Angono Petroglyphs. These petroglyphs are the oldest known work of art in the Philippines. Carved out in the rock wall, these petroglyphs are a National Cultural Treasure.

Angono Petroglyphs in Binangonan. The easiest way to get there is through Antipolo. Identity crisis much?

The tour was headed by tour guide extraordinaire, Alan Nativida. An art and history buff, he’s the perfect guide for touring Angono. If you’re interested to commission Alan’s services, you can contact him through his mobile: +63 919 5111610.

A big thanks to Havila for taking me to discover Angono’s rich art culture. I never would have thought to go there if you haven’t invited me.

Popularity: 15% [?]

What are you doing to help save the Earth? It doesn’t have to be anything grand like cleaning up the Pasig River. It can be as simple as recycling your used paper products or throwing your trash in the trash bin. After all, these small changes, when practiced by thousands can make for a pretty big change.

Did I even make sense? Anyway.

One of the biggest campaigns for environmental awareness these past years is the reduction of use of plastic products. Here in the Philippines, supermarkets and department stores still use plastic bags for the goods you purchase. It was only recently that SM Supermarket started selling their resusable eco-bags for use, with the added incentive for their SM Advantage members to get additional points for using their eco-bags instead of plastic bags. Also, I heard that last Christmas, a number of companies in the Philippines released their reusable shopping bags. Though I’ve yet to see people using their eco-bags for their groceries or shopping.

Envirosax bags, re-usable shopping bag from Coles and my mini-bayong. If you look closely, you’d see the blue bubble bag from Kamiseta circa 2001.

• It is estimated that 500 billion plastic bags are used and discarded worldwide every year.
• 1 million plastic bags are used and discarded worldwide every minute of the day.
• Single use plastic bags made of HDPE remain in the environment for up to approx. 1,000 years.
• Over 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles worldwide are killed by plastic rubbish every year.

Source: Envirosax.com

Envirosax, an advocate for environmental sustainability, aims to reduce the use of plastic bags by promoting the use of plastic bag alternatives: eco-friendly reusable bags that are lightweight, portable and waterproof. They’re cute to boot, not to mention a must-have in every packing list.

Up until recently, Envirosax bags aren’t available locally. Thanks to Phoebe, I learned that Gourdo’s is now stocking the Retro Kitchen series of Envirosax for Php 375 each. Or you can win this Envirosax Flora #1 bag from Justwandering.org.

This is your future shopping bag.

 
In celebration of Earth Day and my blog’s 2nd anniversary, I’m raffling off this Flora #1 Envirosax bag to one lucky JustWandering reader. Simply comment on this post, and share with us what you do to help save the environment. Double your chances of winning by commenting AND blogging about this contest and linking back to this post (please drop me a line or send a trackback so I’d know you posted).

This contest is open to all JustWandering readers. The Envirosax will be sent via Air21 if the winner is from the Philippines, and by registered Airmail if the winner is residing overseas (sans the backing board, though). The deadline for submitting your comments and entries is at 11:59pm on April 26th, Manila time (GMT +0800). Winner will be picked randomly and will be announced on April 27th, Just Wandering’s 2nd birthday. Anna D., Mela, Rael and Ryan are disqualified from joining the contest

Happy Earth Day to all!

Envirosax is distrubuted locally by Zolo Enterprises. Aside from Gourdo’s, the bags are available at Fully Booked, Nothing But Water, Meet my Feet, The Reading Room, Shepherd’s Staff, My Spa, Hooked on Books, The Learning Gallery, Island Girl, Republik BTC and soon, Hobbes and Landes. You can also order online from the Envirosax Philippines Multiply Site.

Popularity: 19% [?]