Wandering around museums

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

~ Pablo Picasso

If you find reading books to learn about a country’s history and culture too tedious, go to museums. That’s a more exciting way of learning given that there are visuals to aid it. And museums, being (mostly) quiet, offer a break from the daily nuisance of a bustling city.

BenCabMuseum

It seemed unlikely, but in spite of living in Baguio City for 9 months, I didn’t visit the BenCab Museum. When I went back to the place a year later in January, 2017, it was originally part of my itinerary. But curling up during chilly mornings in Baguio is irresistible, so instead of going out early, I heeded the bed’s call.

Being an item in my bucket list this year, it must be ticked off, so in May, when my friends and I went to Baguio (my second visit this year), we went to the distant museum despite the limited time we had.

BenCab Museum is located along Asin Road in Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet, a 20- to 30-minute drive from the city proper. If you plan to go there via taxi cab, I suggest that you ask the driver to come back for you at a specified time, or ask him to wait for you, then pay him extra according to the accumulated distance, or time. Otherwise, you will have to wait for your turn, which takes a while, on the taxi line. There are public market-bound jeepneys passing by the area, but most of them are full.

The museum has four levels, starting from the Street Level (where you enter, register, and pay the P120 admission fee) all the way down to the Farm & Garden Level where Café Sabel is situated. Heads up: They don’t use paper cups, so don’t expect that you can take your coffee out. It’s a museum after all, food and beverage is not allowed in the galleries.

The Farm & Garden Level offers a picturesque landscape that serves as backdrop in photos taken by guests. You’ll love the fog obscuring the green mountains, the cottage in the middle of the pond, and the chilly breeze hugging the surroundings.

Palatable adventure in Binondo

There’s something about Manila that lures me into exploring it. The atmosphere, perhaps?

Traversing the streets of Manila transcends a feeling of going back in time and watching the colorful culture circling the place. Despite the modern structures, moving around Manila feels like living inside a history book, seeing the historic capital described in it firsthand.

As part of my urban exploration, my friend and I visited the oldest Chinatown in the world—our very own Manila Chinatown in Binondo. Established in 1594, Manila Chinatown offers a one-of-a-kind dining experience.

How to get there

Well, I can only talk about how we got there, but this is still useful information.

From any southbound station, take the MRT and get off at Taft Avenue station. Then, take the LRT and alight at Carriedo station. We walked from the station going to Binondo, but I’m sure there are jeepneys headed that way. We just navigated the route through Google Maps and decided to walk since it’s a short distance. It took us 7 minutes or less to reach our first stop.

Ying Ying Restaurant

It was lunch time when we arrived and the two-story diner was full. There’s nothing spectacular about the interior. In fact, it’s akin to a school cafeteria. But it being jam-packed hinted that an exciting feast awaited us. The intervals between people coming out and going in were short.

We ordered braised beef noodles, fried pork dumplings, shrimp hakaw, and black gulaman. While waiting for our food, we helped ourselves with the house tea that sat waiting for hungry souls on the table. It was newly brewed, as the tea pot was hot.

A few minutes later, food was served. And indeed, it was an appetizing meal!

Braised Beef Noodles

Davao adventure—my first shot at solo traveling

Part 1: Sprinting to the airport

All the seats by the window were taken, so I had no choice but to settle for a middle seat.

I thought I wouldn’t make it to the airport on time. At 3:45 PM, I was still on the MRT, wishing that it was a bullet train I was riding on. This is bad. My flight is at 6 pm!

At 4 pm, I was still at the station, trying to hail a cab to NAIA Terminal 3, but getting refused every time.

Damn Manila traffic.

I had to use my last resort: Grab Car. With a bit of hesitation, I pulled out my phone, clutched it tight in my hand—lest someone would snatch it—and ran a booking. At that point, I didn’t mind paying a higher amount, which was brought about by the price surge, just to catch my flight. While in the car, crazy thoughts were running in my head.

What if I don’t make it on time? Shall I book another flight? Shall I just stay in Manila and feel sorry for myself for a flopped trip? Shall I go somewhere else and just forget about all the plans I laid out, the paid reservation at the hotel, and all the crazy stuff I should be doing in Davao City?

Then my optimistic side toppled the pessimism. I will make it.

I arrived at the departure area a few minutes before 5. After getting through the X-ray machine and having my bags checked, I went straight to the self service check-in machine, half-walking, half-running and panting the whole time.

A beautiful Cebu Pacific personnel assisted me along the check-in process and in less than a minute, I got my boarding pass. I was then told to go straight to Gate 116, as boarding time was 5:15 pm.

Whew, thank God I made it. Now, I wait.

Beauty and the Beast: An enchanting retelling of a familiar love story

Once upon a time, there was a self-centered, haughty prince living in a majestic castle in the middle of the dark woods.

One night, an old woman knocked on the castle's gargantuan door, begging to be accommodated for the night. The prince, selfish as he was, refused to let the old woman stay despite the cold and harsh environment of the forest.

She begged a second time, telling him not to make judgments based on one's appearance, but the prince rejected and banished her. Little did he know that the old woman was an enchantress putting him to test. A few moments later, she transformed to reveal her true self.

Realizing his mistake, the prince knelt before her and begged for her forgiveness. But it was too late. She cast a spell on him and turned him into a hideous beast. The spell would be undone only if he would learn to love and someone would love him in return before the last petal of the rose from the enchantress falls.

Tracing back history in Fort Santiago

Every travel starts with an aim. And ours was to wander around and get lost in history.

History classes told me stories of the past. Tales during the Colonial time, the American invasion, the Japanese occupation. Through history, I learned that the Philippines was under Spanish rule for 333 years, that Filipinos cowered in their own country, that men who fought for liberty were punished and executed.
 
Through history, I learned about Dr. Jose Rizal and Fort Santiago--the national hero's final days in the fortress.

Fort Santiago has always been part of my lifetime traveler's itinerary. And recently, I ticked the destination off my list, as I officially set foot on the historical site with an equally adventurous and always curious friend.

We rode on the Pasig River ferry on our way to Intramuros, an experience we quite enjoyed, not only because it was our first time, but also it was indeed exciting. But what awaited us in Intramuros was far more exhilarating.