Anting-anting in Quaipo on Mar 18, 2011 in Manila Anting-anting Filipino amulets and talismans Filipino Folk Art Folk religious art Quiapo amulets Quiapo anting-anting The Evangelista Street side of Quiapo Church is teeming with vendors of amulets and talismans that allegedly have magical and supernatural powers. However, vendors are vague about their powers, saying only that they are harbingers of success and prov...
Snake Wine in Quiapo on Mar 14, 2011 in Manila Quiapo Quiapo folk remedies Snake oil Snake oil vendor in Quiapo Snake wine Snake wine in Quiapo Snake wine with ginseng The Quiapo street market is arguably the most fascinating in Manila. The streets surrounding Quiapo Church are crowded with stalls of herbal medicines which vendors claim to cure anything from baldness to erectile dysfunction. These folk remedies are...
Filipino Handicrafts under the Bridge in Quiapo on Mar 10, 2011 in Manila Crafts Filipino Folk Art Filipino Handicrafts Handicraft under the bridge Ilalim ng Tulay Ile-de-tuls Quaipo sa ilalim ng tulay Quiapo What to do in Quiapo Where to go in Quiapo Last year, we decided to decorate our Christmas tree with small baskets, miniature brooms, sepak takrao balls, wooden wind chimes, bulol idols, stars made from translucent capiz and other similar objects available in handicraft stores under Quezon Br...
Quiapo Golden Mosque on Mar 7, 2011 in Manila Filipino Folk Art Globo del Oro Quiapo Manila Golden Mosque Manila Muslim Town Muslim Town Quaipo Okir design Quiapo Quiapo Golden Mosque One of the outstanding influences of Islam was in architecture. The Alhambra in Spain, Hagia Sofia in Turkey, and the Taj Mahal in India, are some of the few finest architectural wonders of the world. In the Philippines, mosque are built following th...
Ocampo Pagoda on Feb 28, 2011 in Manila Ocampo Pagoda Ocampo Pagoda in Quiapo Quiapo Pagoda Statues at Ocampo Pagoda Virgin Mary at the Ocampo Pagoda We see this unusual architecture dominating the skyline of a residential neighborhood in Quiapo whenever we pass by Paterno Street to get to Plaza del Carmen from Quezon Boulevard. We thought its unusual because the structure looks like a Chinese tem...
Punta Cruz Watchtower on Feb 21, 2011 in Bohol Antequera Bohol Mag-aso Falls Bohol Punta Cruz Watchtower Bohol Tour Mag-aso Falls Mag-aso Falls Antiquera Bohol Maribojoc Maribojoc Church old watchtower Punta Cruz Watchtower sta. cruz church maribojoc With only a few hours before our flight back to Manila, we requested our tour guide to take us to Punta Cruz Watchtower in the town of Maribojoc before driving us to the airport. But Bohol never runs out of surprises even on our third day in the isla...
Panglao on Feb 16, 2011 in Bohol Balicasag Island Balicasag Marine Sacntuary Dauis Dauis Church Dolphine Watching Panglao Isalnd We had flown to Tagbilaran from Manila the day before. We have spent our first day in Bohol looking at antique churches from the road; enjoying the delicious local cuisine while cruising down a river in Loboc; and climbing up the highest hill in Carm...
Bohol on Feb 13, 2011 in Bohol Abueva sculpture Baclayon Church Bilar Man-made Forest Blood Compact Shrine Bohol Chocolate Hills Bohol Tarsier Bohol Tour Chocolate Hills Loboc Church Loboc River Loboc River Cruise Man-made Forest traveler on foot Over dinner, we were deciding whether to go to Bohol or Boracay for our next trip. Boracay with its world-class tourist resorts and stretches of white sand beach is enticing and interesting for travelers who enjoy mingling with the same old Makati Gr...
Sto. Cristo de Longos of Binondo on Feb 11, 2011 in Manila Binondo Binondo Church San Nicholas District Sto. Cristo de Longos Sto. Cristo de Longos Shrine One of Binondo’s legends revolves around the venerated image of the Santo Cristo de Longos. The Cofradia de Sto. Cristo de Longos handed over a brief history of the Cristo. The story goes that in the 16th century a deaf-mute Chinese was drawing wat...
Binondo Chinese New Year Celebration on Feb 7, 2011 in Fiesta Manila Ang pao Binondo Binondo Chinese New Year Binondo Chinese New Year 2011 Binondo Dragon Dance Binondo Fiesta Chinese New Year Chinese New Year in Binondo Dragon Dance Lion Dance From the moment we walked under the Arch of Goodwill, it was clear that it was festival day. The regular noise from vehicles passing Plaza Sta. Cruz was replaced by the sounds of thundering drumbeats and clang-clang of cymbals, an indicator that we a...
