Metro Manila with Denise

I don't like going around Metro Manila because of its bad reputation, heavy traffic, suffocating air pollution a hundred reasons hence I haven't been to its cities' tourist spots. The cosmic universe must have taken notice of my absolute lack of eagerness to get to know my own metropolis that it sent me Denise. Denise is our newly found Fijian friend and is such an inspiration. She has the most incredible (to the nth power) stories! Honestly, listening to her was more enjoyable than sightseeing in Intramuros. If only I could take photos of her stories...

Anyway, I did have a few favorites from our tour.

I've always loved wood carvings on church doors. This one is San Agustin Church's main door.

Here's the interior of the church.

Not sure if the pipe organ works. I wish it still does. I remember Davy Jones in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.

Here's the art they call trompe l'oeil or "deceive the eye".

Manila Cathedral's main doors

"La Pieta"; It may be a replica but it's good enough for me.

So far, Manila Cathedral has the most beautiful stained glass windows I've seen.

a modern cross (i think!)...

another pipe organ...

A kalesa ride in Intramuros costs 350 pesos for thirty minutes and of course it takes longer than that to go around the walled city. Here's Manong Romeo, our "kuchero"/tour guide.

ruins...

oxymoron...

more oxymoron...

This so weird! Spanish era cannon plus WWII bomb? Haha! :D

Casa Manila Museum is a replica of a 19th century Philippine upper class or Ilustrados residence. Although the three-storey house was constructed in 1981, the furniture and decorations inside are all antiques.

Unfortunately, photos and videos are not allowed inside and there are guards dressed in old "guardia civil" uniforms to enforce that.

It's always nice to meet people who love what they do... like this guy. Denise waved at him gesturing she'll take a photo but then he left. We thought he didn't want to have his picture taken and so Denise was like "I wish I didn't tell him." But then he came back, he actually just went to get his hat. Awesome!!!

I didn't take a lot of photos because I'm planning to go back with Naldo. There were museums that Denise and I didn't get the chance to go to- we were beat and a day is simply not enough. I wish to write a comprehensive guide next time. Meanwhile please check Denise's Our Manila Jaunt. Thank you so much!

Biak Na Bato

We were supposed to just buy pastillas de leche (carabao milk candy) in San Miguel, Bulacan but decided to drop by Biak Na Bato National Park. Good thing we did!

It was here where the revolutionary Emilio Aguinaldo and his fellow members of the Katipunan declared the first ever republic (Biak na Bato Republic) in the Philippines.

There are pathways that make trekking easier --- so no, you don't have to hold unto tree roots to get somewhere. Although we kinda prefer the roots - heee! =D

Mosses bring out a green and purple color palette making the stalactites look really pretty.

Sadly there are some who finds joy in vandalism. Our tour guide, Roger, complained about how some Filipinos can be so careless and irresponsible.

This cave called Bahay Paniki (bahay=house; paniki=bat) is a million times bigger than it looks.

Find me in photo below and see how huge the cave is.

The rocks seemed like giant walls - they make perfect natural background for a fashion shoot. (lightbulbs!)

Inside the cave was another world. The moss and ferns almost glowed and they reminded us of a scene in the movie Avatar.

The rock formation --- rocks! Heeee! =D

One of the must-sees is this huge "Dao" Tree. This is the biggest tree probably the oldest we have seen - so far. We hope to see more.

Here's a view from the picnic ground. It's great that the river is still clean enough for swimming.

We'll definitely go back because there are caves that we haven't explored yet. Plus our tour guide said that the view from the top of Bundok ng Susong Dalaga (bundok=mountain; susong=breasts; dalaga=maiden) is breathtaking. There's also an indigenous tribe called Dumagats on the other side of the mountain who we want to meet. Roger also mentioned that the Dumagats trade wild boar's meat for canned goods -that we want to experience. =)

That's it for now and hope you're having an awesome weekend!

Zoobic Safari

Zoobic Safari is a great family field trip destination. The zoo may be too conventional for adults but it's awesome for kids.

The location is a little bit isolated plus the area is huge so it's perfect for a menagerie. But the place still needs a lot of improvement. Some of the attractions are in what used to be air base bunkers. That would have been okay but it lacked presentation - what we're saying is that they can do better.

Here's the map...

Here's the white tiger at the entrance. Cage is too small for him, don't you think?

Inside the Zoobic Park, there are:

some colorful birds

a few deary deers...

bald camels in love

a lazy lioness...

a white water buffalo who thinks he's a cow

lots of goats and sheep for sale

They have a short animal show.

They have trams that take you to farther areas.

Here's the Tiger Safari Ride where you get to "feed" the tigers.

Tigers are awesome! (Go UST! Whew! Tiger Power! - hehe!)

You can feed the crocodiles too but if you come late in the afternoon (like we did), they're probably already full.

That's it for now and thank you for visiting. Have a pleasant week!